NC Mountain Fair with the Johns Family!

We were so blessed to have Michael, Julie, and Asher Johns come visit us last weekend! We had about 24 hours packed with fun, including a trip to the fair. Needless to say, Maxwell and Ruby have been begging to go back to the fair ALL WEEK LONG. I'm so glad we went at the end of the fair because I had the excuse that they fair has moved on and we'll have to wait til next year! Here are a few memories from the day.

After a long morning nap in the stroller with Asher, Cornelia spent the afternoon in the Baby Bjorn. She loves chewing on the cloth in front so it was drenched by the time we got back to the van.

Ruby and I took a spin in the bumper cars and gave Max and Julie quite a few good bumps!

The petting zoo was a big hit with all of the kids. How many times in your life will you have a chance to feed a camel!? We had to seize the opportunity!

One year old Asher is a real cutie! I think he was a bit overwhelmed at times with the noise level and flurry of activity around the Nelson house! At the fair he just soaked it all in.

Thinkin' about sleep... boy, that sun is hot!

Maxwell and Ruby driving a jeep at the fair.

Julie and Maxwell getting ready for some bumper car action!

Ruby is our little dare devil! She and Michael had a great time time on the Pirate Ship! Thank goodness it didn't go upside down. Mommy's not ready for her little girl to grow up that fast!

Max, Jared, Michael, and Ruby went on the Black Widow. That was a mistake that Jared and Max won't make again any time soon! It was the first ride of the day and Jared said, "No more spinning rides for me!". Max huddled in a ball for the whole ride, poor guy! At least he didn't lose his breakfast!

Michael and Ruby on the chairlift.

Maxwell and I on the chairlift. This is the wildest ride I can handle these days. Motion sickness and sun beating down on you for hours on end are not a good combination!

We had a great visit at the fair: seeing the animals, riding the rides, and eating some greasy food. Most of all we enjoyed the relaxing day with sweet friends and family! Thank you, God, for your amazing blessings!

Sky Top Orchard with the Danfords!

A few weeks ago we met our good friends, the Danfords, at Sky Top Orchards for some apple picking! Somehow I didn't manage to get even one picture of sweet Annalee, but I did get a few good ones...

Ruby ready to pick some apples, rain or shine!

Carter, Max, Ruby, and Danny with apples in hand!

We're down with the apple picking!

Apple picking 2010 with our new family of five!

Whoa! That's a lot of apples!

Night Light

This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine,

This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine,

Let it shine, Let in shine, Let it shine.

Labor Day with the Sherrards!

We were so blessed to have my college roomie, Lindsay (Hill) Sherrard, and her family come visit us over Labor Day weekend! Lindsay is a doctor in Rocky Mount, VA and her hubby, Matt, is doing a wonderful job as a stay-at-home dad to their two adorable sons, Jack (3) and Hilton (10mo). They are a fun family and we had a great time together...

After they arrived on Saturday we headed to Hooker Falls for a little bit of swimming. The water was too cold for Lindsay and Hilton, but the rest of us all took a dip--including Cornelia!

Max floating in the clear mountain water, while Daddy and Cornelia try to get used to the chill!

Hilton and Lindsay takin' in the sun. It was supposed to be Hilton's nap time, but there were too many things to see to make napping any fun!

On Sunday we tried to take it a bit easier and relaxed around the house after going to church and having a wonderful brunch out (thank you, Sherrards!!). After naps, we enjoyed a short walk on the bike trail and even had a little bit of playground time... why don't we think to do that more often!?

Here's a great photo of Matt, Lindsay and the boys at Looking Glass Falls; our last stop Monday morning before they headed home.

Wheaton College Roomies (plus Hilton)! Neither Lindsay or I will be able to make it to our 10 year Wheaton reunion, so it was fun to have a little reunion just the two of us. We're hoping that we might make it up to visit them later this fall or winter.

Cornelia gave me a BIG smile while we watched the big kids and daddies play at the base of the falls.

Bye-bye, Sherrards! We had a great time! Come again soon!

Big Man on Campus

Maxwell had his first day of preschool about three weeks ago, so I thought it might be time to actually post some pictures from the first day! Seriously, having three little ones is not for the faint of heart. My time is truly not my own, but that's okay. God has blessed us amazingly with these little lives and we will never forget it! So on to little life number two!

Max doesn't really need a backpack for preschool, but we decided that since big sister had one he might as well have one too. Also, it's nice for him to be able to carry his work home instead of me trying to juggle Cornelia in her carseat, holding Max's hand to cross the street and also juggle half a dozen pieces of "art" each time I pick him up! Unfortunately I did not grow another pair of hands when Cornelia came along... though it would have been nice!

Here's Mr. Handsome himself posing by the W.E.E. school sign! Max wasn't the slightest bit worried about going to class he was only annoyed that we were taking so much time to take pictures! He wanted to get in there and get playing with those toys!

Thankfully, it wasn't as hard on Mommy and Daddy either to let him go. He is such a sweet guy and I do miss him at home, but it feels good to leave him somewhere we know he is loved and is being taught about Jesus.

After Maxwell's third day of school he was quite smitten with his teacher, Miss Mandi. He's asked to have Miss Mandi over for a playdate, but I'm not sure she'd be up for that! Miss Mandi does report that he is an excellent helper, talented artist, and kind of accident prone... poor guy! He's a lovable clumsy little thing though. Way to go big man! We love you!

Slow Cooker Pizza Casserole

Another winner from Taste of Home! This can be prepared in the slow cooker as suggested, or you can just mix it up and stick it in the oven til bubbly. This recipe reflects a few changes that I made to fit our preferences and what I had on hand... Add any veggies you like to make it "your kind of pizza"!

Slow Cooker Pizza Casserole

1 pkg spiral pasta
1 lb. ground turkey
1 small onion, chopped
1 lb. mozzarella cheese, diced
2 cans (15oz) pizza sauce
1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 pkg. (~5oz) mini pepperoni

1. Cook pasta according to package directions, minus a minute or two, so that the pasta still has some bite. Meanwhile, in a skillet, cook turkey and onion until meat is no longer pink; drain.
2. Drain pasta; place in 5 quart slow cooker. Stir in the turkey mixture, cheese, pizza sauce, soup, and pepperoni. Cover and cook on low for 2-3 hours or until heated through and the cheese is melted. Enjoy!

Watch out Kindergarten, here comes...

Ruby!!

Ruby had her first day of Kindergarten last Wednesday at Pisgah Forest Elementary School and in her words, it was pretty "awesome"! The first day was filled with lots of tours and playtime, mostly just getting used to what a school day is like. It's definitely a big change going from a life of leisure to a 6:30am wake-up call and out the door by 7:15! We are thankful, however, that the school provides breakfast so she can sleep in a bit on the days they are having something that she wants to eat. :)

Here are a few photos from her first day...

All ready for school and looking FANTASTIC! Pretty perky for a girl that prefers an 8am wake-up!

Jared brings Ruby to school in the morning... a few minutes of Daddy/Daughter time to start the day. We are also so happy that many of our church friends have children at this school and she already knew 4 or 5 kids in her class before she even got there!

These are Ruby's teachers for the year-- Mrs. Worley and her assistant Mrs. Merrill. They are wonderful ladies and I know they will take good care of Ruby this year!

After a long break, Ruby went back again today with mostly positive reviews. She's learning about the rigors of P.E., forgiving others even when they don't ask for it, and responsibility. I assume reading, writing, and arithmatic will follow!

We love you, Ruby girl. Do your best and never be afraid to ask questions. We can't wait to see how you grow this year.

Did I forget to mention...

Our sweet baby girl, Cornelia Grace, was welcomed into our family May 26th weighing in at 7lbs 8oz and 21.5" long. She is a joy and big brother and sister love her to bits. Here's her one month photo shoot by Samantha Austin...

"Mommy rhapsody" by Church on the Move

Grilled Burgers with Tahini Sauce

We had these tonight to rave reviews! Hope you enjoy them as much as we did...

Grilled Burgers with Tahini Sauce
(from Southern Living "All-Time Favorite Recipes")

1lb. extra-lean ground beef
1 tsp. Greek seasoning
4 pita rounds
4 lettuce leaves
8 large tomato slices
4 thin red onion slices
feta cheese
Tahini Sauce (recipe to follow)

1. Combine beef and Greek seasoning. Shape into 4 patties.
2. Grill, covered with grill lid, over medium-high heat 5-6 minutes on each side or until beef is no longer pink.
3. Cut off and discard 2 inches of bread from 1 side of each pita round, forming a pocket. Line each with 1 lettuce leaf, 2 tomato slices, and 1 red onion slice. Add burger. Drizzle each with 2 tablespoons Tahini Sauce; sprinkle with 1 tablespoon cheese, if desired.

Tahini Sauce

1/4 cup tahini paste
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

1. Whisk together all ingredients. You can make this sauce several days ahead if desired.
   

Swagger Wagon

I'm not sure if this makes it any better to be a minivan owner now, but it is funny! :)

Our New Van!

I can't really believe that it's taken me a week and a half to post up a picture of our new minivan, but here she is!

We ended up getting a 2004 Nissan Quest and so far we really are enjoying it. The van has all the bells and whistles-- leather, sunroof, sky view panel roof for the passengers in the back, and best of all (in the kids opinion) the DVD player. It definitely has some quirks including a CD player that doesn't seem to work, but so far it seems to run great and that's what we're most concerned with.

Interestingly enough, now that MOPS is done for the year and we have a van in our driveway, I seem to be sleeping a lot better! I'm still getting pretty worn out mid-afternoon on, but other than that I'm hanging in there. Less than three weeks to go until we get to meet our sweet baby!

A day in the woods

Last week we met another family out at the Cradle of Forestry for a walk in the woods. It has been so nice getting out and enjoying the nice weather--though it's getting a little less comfortable walking and pushing a stroller all the time! I just keep telling myself, "You're walking the baby OUT! You're walking the baby OUT!" That's pretty good motivation!

All along the trail we took they have stations for kids to explore nature. I made the kids saddle up on this log at one of the stops! Max looks like he's more concerned with what his friend, Eden, is doing than Mommy trying to take his picture-- pretty typical!

We got all three kiddos to sit on the hearth of this old fireplace. Eden really knows how to mug for the camera-- wish some of that would rub off on my kids!

After a picnic lunch at the Cradle, we drove up on the Blue Ridge Parkway for a few miles up to Mt. Pisgah. Ruby was thrilled that I let her stand on the other side of the road to snap this picture of Max and I! A lot of the trees were bare and/or snapped. I think that the harsh winter with all that snow and ice must have really taken a toll on the forest. Looks like it will be a long recovery at the higher elevations.

One final photo looking out over the mountains. This picture doesn't really even show how brilliant the green hills looked under that perfect blue sky. We sure are thankful to live in such a beautiful place! Now all we need are some visitors to enjoy it with us!

Rhubarb Strawberry Crunch

I haven't been doing a lot of creative cooking these days, but this recipe was a BIG hit at Daddy's Disciples a while back, so I thought I'd share while strawberries and rhubarb are still so plentiful!



Rhubarb Strawberry Crunch
(printable recipe at allrecipes.com)

1 c. white sugar
3 T. flour
3 c. sliced fresh strawberries
3 c. diced rhubarb
1 1/2 c. flour
1 c. butter
1 c. brown sugar
1 c. rolled oats

1. Preheat oven to 375F.
2. In a large bowl, combine white sugar, 3 T. flour, strawberries, and rhubarb. Pour into 9x13 inch baking pan.
3. Mix 1 1/2 cups flour with butter, brown sugar and oats with a pastry blender or knives 'til crumbly. Crumble on top of the fruit mixture.
4. Bake 45 minutes in the preheated oven until crisp and lightly browned.
5. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream. YUM!

Mother's Day!

I am so thankful to be a mom. And I'm so thankful for a hubby that works so hard and supports us so that I'm able to stay home with our kiddos.

I've said it before and I'll say it again. This life was not my plan, but thank God it was HIS! He knew exactly what I needed and was made for and here I am!

Mother's Day weekend was filled with activities and fun-- just the way I like it! We spent Saturday around the house: cleaning the Subaru in preparation of selling it and planting lots of flowers in my flower boxes and pots. Between the new flowers and all of the blooming irises. dogwoods, and azaleas things are looking pretty great around here!

Sunday, Jared and the kids had a fun day planned. We started the day at church where we heard about a recent missions trip to Haiti and an encouraging Mother's Day sermon.

Next, we went out to a delicious brunch at a local restaurant. I was so proud of the kiddos for being on their best behavior and even eating their food! It's a Mother's Day miracle--we were able to eat somewhere other than McDonalds without a bit of complaining!!

The remainder of the day was spent at Chimney Rock Park. We had hoped to hike to Hickory Nut Falls, but everyone was a little too tired for much of a hike so we took it easy and just went up to the Chimney Rock lookout over Lake Lure and the the surrounding hills (they even have an elevator to get most of the way up!). It was the perfect day. Breezy, in the upper 60s and clear, blue skies.

As you could see in the first two photos... it looks like the newest Nutty Nelson should be making his or her debut sometime soon. We still have 3 1/2 weeks left 'til my induction date, but maybe I'll be surprised with a baby who comes early for once!

I'm so thankful for my wonderful husband who makes every day so special and my two and a half happy and healthy kiddos. Truly, God has blessed us greatly.

Five and Fabulous!

Miss Ruby turned FIVE yesterday!! We have been so busy celebrating birthdays around here that I just haven't had a spare moment to do a blog post. Here are a few shots and memories from our weekend!

The fun actually began on Saturday when we had a joint birthday party for Ruby and Maxwell with several of their good friends. I don't have any photos of the party, just videos, which I may share later in the week. A fun time was had by all with games (Pin the Fish on the Hook and Magnetic Fishing), two pinatas (that were apparently reinforced for all-star hitters!), dirt pie complete with gummy worms, and oodles of presents. I think the parents even had a good time-- I know Jared and I did anyway!

On Sunday, we woke up bright and early to open gifts before church. One of Ruby's favorite gifts were her "fake fingernails"! Here she is checking them out! She realized pretty quick that while they are pretty they are far from practical.

After church, we headed out to Ruby's choice for lunch-- Cracker Barrel, of course! She cannot resist the shopping experience... Mommy even found a few good buys out on the porch sale-- 70% off, yeah!! We squeezed in a little bit of car shopping (still no luck) before heading home to frost her birthday cake and make ice cream cone cupcakes for preschool today. The combination of America's Funniest Home Videos and birthday cake made for a pretty fabulous evening!

Today, Ruby celebrated for the third day in a row with a party at school! She had a great time and told me that her smile was SO BIG the whole time they were singing to her.

You're pretty fabulous, Ruby! We love you more every day and couldn't be more thankful that God blessed our family with you! You are a smart and sweet girl. Beautiful as can be. A wonderful big sister and friend. I can't wait to see what wild and wonderful things God has in plan for you in the coming year!