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.