I know I've said it before, but I find that Instagram is a great way to document life as it's happening. I realize I probably won't always use it, but for this season in life it has served me well. Here are all the posts I made to my Instagram account from July through December of 2002.
07/04 - 🎆Happy Independence Day from the Nelsons!🎆
07/11 - The big kids are off at camp for the week. We are excited for them to learn, grown, and have the best time!
07/18 - LBBC memories to last a lifetime! Bri and Bren had a wonderful week. And yes, I realize I don't have many pics of Bren, but I feel lucky to have these few since he doesn't like pics! I'm so grateful they had this time to grow in the Lord and in their relationships with others 💓.
07/19 - We decided to brave the crazy heart and head to the splash pad with some of our friends today. The 108 degree heat must have kept most people home because we almost had the place to ourselves!
07/20 - Today's attempt to beat the heat . . . We always have a great time with these friends!
07/22 - Got my girl back from two weeks of bible camp . . . somebody tired 😴!
07/28 - I mean . . . 💀
08/01 - We tagged along with Chris on a work trip, and it was the perfect opportunity to meet up with friends for some park exploration and play. God's blessings are abundant, and we love being with His people!
08/03 - The American Girl store in Dallas was so much fun! We went with our besties so the four younger girls could all get their ears pierced (and they did great!) After a little shopping and doll admiring, we ate at the American Girl bistro. Of course, a Buc-ee's stop (or two) was a must since we were in Texas!
08/13 - It's been three years since we've hosted our annual Backyard Back-to-School Bash, and it was SO good to have it again! We had a blast sharing the evening with our friends and are so thankful for how they enrich our lives!
08/16 - Second grade - here we come! #BrookeElianaMae #BrecklynSarahFaith #shininginsecond
08/17 - I don't know why we started this tradition, but we always make cookies the day before the kiddos start school. The big kids didn't want to help this time, but I'm so glad my little girls were there for it!
08/17 - God's awesome power and majesty is on display tonight! #sunsetsaremyfavorite #sunrisestoo #oklahomasky
08/18 - 🌟It's the first day of school!🌟
Brianna (7th) and Brenson (5th) are both homeschooling this year. We did a slow roll start for LIGHT Academy, so we've been doing some of our subjects for a few weeks. Today, however, is our first 🌟full🌟 day.
Brooke (2nd) and Brecklyn (2nd) are attending our favorite public school this year. We all joined them for Rise & Shine this morning, and there was nothing but smiles when we left. I think I'm the only who has ever cried on the first day of school 🤷. I can't wait to pick them up and hear about their day!
#shininginsecond #fabulousfifth #superseventh #LIGHTacademy #firstdayofschool #homesweethomeschool
08/27 - The first cross country meet of the season is in the books! It was a warm one, but both Bri and Bren ran strong. Brianna ran 1:01 faster and Bren 1:11 faster than on this same course a year ago. We love seeing their progress!
08/30 - Happy 🌟40th🌟 birthday to my sister! I've never known life without your humor, can-do attitude, and sarcasm . . . and I wouldn't want to. Welcome to the 4s 😁!
08/31 - It's been a few years since Brianna and Brenson has been inside their former elementary school. They enjoyed seeing their names on plaques from when they were the top male and female runner of the year in running club. Many things have changed, but they're still running! 🏃🏃
09/01 - Tonight double rainbow sky is 😍! #nofilter🌈🌈
09/10 - "Therefore comfort one another and edify one another, just as you also are doing." LBBC Ladies Retreat - 2022
09/19 - Listening to my favorite preacher tonight 💕.
09/26 - The 40th Annual Midwest Lectures were a time of good study in God's word with ones that we hold near and dear. I can remember being the age of my little girls and attending these lectures. I was thankful for them then, and I am thankful for them now.
09/28 - New adventure: Homeschool band! This is gonna be a fun one 😀. 🎺🥁🎺
09/29 - Littlest loves. 💜💗
09/29 - Cheering on the cutest catcher! 🥎
09/30 - Homecoming parade . . . gorgeous day!
10/01 - What a beautiful day for a cross country meet! Brianna has grown so much as a runner this year, and Chris has really enjoyed helping coach the team (even when he's a little bit drama about hill days, 😂).
10/08 - October is my favorite. So is sharing our home with people we love 💛💚💙.
10/08 - Happy 🌟90th🌟 birthday, Mrs. Mooney! We had celebrating you today!
10/12 - Tell me you have kids who are runners without telling me you have kids who are runners . . .
10/16 - It was a wonderful, uplifting weekend! We are so grateful for time spent feasting in the word of God, for time spent with precious sisters in Christ, and for time spent having a bit of road-trip fun! 💕
10/16 - While Mom and sisters were taking a short road trip, Brenson was running in the Oklahoma State Homeschool XC Championship. He ran t👏his course earlier in the season, setting a 34 second course PR at that time. This run, he shaved an additional 30 seconds off his time!
10/23 - It was a beautiful weekend for a little getaway to Hot Springs National Park! We loved exploring the hot springs (some so hot you wouldn't want to touch), overlooking the city of Hot Springs and the surrounding national park, and hiking the trails. For a national park, Hot Springs is small, so we were able to hike at least a portion of most of the trails in the park. Several of the hikes were rated "strenuous" by the nps due to the steep incline (and very few switchbacks like you'd find on a typical trail). We had the cutest rental house that allowed us to have yummy slow-cooker meals waiting in the evenings after long hiking days, then spend time relaxing and playing games. 🥾🍁🍂🍁🥾
10/23 - Part 2 - because I wanted to share more pics from our Hot Springs adventures!
10/27 - Definitely not the most flattering photo, but I'm enjoying picking up an old hobby and practicing with my kiddos! I was a total band nerd in middle and high school, and judging by how much fun I'm having on my instrument again, I guess I still am!
10/28 - Costume and class party day today at school . . . the twinbies were so excited!
10/31 - The kiddos dressed up, Bri got her first deer, Brecklyn petted a llama wearing a hat, Bren was pleased with his candy haul, we hung out with family at Boologah, and we celebrated Chris's birthday. It was a fun day!
11/03 - LIGHT Academy lately . . . exploring chemistry, field trip with friends to Har-Ber Village, parachute fun during Spanish class at co-op, and learning about fossils, giants, and plate techtonics in our Apologetics class. I didn't know that one of the blessings of homeschools would be how fun and fulfilling it is to learn alongside my kiddos. What a precious gift! #LIGHTacademy #homeschool #homesweethomeschool #superseventh #fabulousfifth
11/09 - Brianna and Brenson finished their cross country season a few weeks ago. Their final meet was Homeschool Nationals, and they both ran a strong race. The gorgeous fall foliage was an added bonus!
11/10 - Snippets of life lately . . .
💕 Cheering on our friend as she finished her softball season
💕 Enjoying an evening out with Brooke (rare one-on-one time)
💕 Brecklyn telling the joke of the day at school
💕 Celebrating our friend's 9th birthday at The Melting Pot
💕 Checking out a giant snapping turtle in our neighborhood
💕 Little sweet treats and notes left for me by my boy
11/17 - I'm so thankful to be celebrating this special day with my dad. I always say my favorite thing about my birthday is who I share it with. 🎂🎁🥳
11/22 - We're out having a little pre-Thanksgiving skating fun! 😁
12/01 - My favorite December view 🎄⭐🎄
12/03 - 🏀Basketball season has started strong with a W. Bren is enjoying being an Eagle🦅 this season! 🏀
12/05 - The Route 66 Christmas Chute was a great addition to our holiday fun this year! I'm glad we made it happen in between rounds of sick kiddos.
12/10 - We've been busy with baking and Christmas crafting today. I tried my hand at glass etching and found success. I'm excited to add cookies to these personalized plates! We also made ornaments and put cute vinyl on oven mitts for our school teachers and staff. I love handcrafting gifts!
12/18 - I put up several Christmas trees at my house, each with their own theme. I have one in my bedroom that we call the "travel tree". We do a decent bit of travelling, and while I'm not much of a souvenir buyer, I do try to buy an ornament for our travel tree from the various places we visit. It's fun every year to talk about the places we've been and the things we've experienced as we hang the ornaments. There are many ornaments on this tree, but here are a few of my favorites!
11/20 - December is always full of fun! A few things we've enjoyed this month include:
🎄Potluck and gift exchange with our church family
🎄Oologah Lake lights
🎄Claremore Lake lights
🎄Dinner out with friends, including my first time at Roosevelt's during this season
🎄Chloe's band concert
🎄Tulsa Botanic Garden of Lights
🎄School fun to round out the semester
12/23 - Christmas tonight with the Nelson side of the family made for a good evening and lots of smiles! 🎄💚🎄
12/24
12/24 - We didn't send out a Christmas card this year, but from our family to yours . . . Merry Christmas, friends! 🎅🎄⛄
12/26 - Y'all . . . I didn't take a single photo yesterday. Not one! We had a pretty chill day (I even squeezed in a 30 minute nap!) between worship services, but it was good to just be together and be with our church family.
We celebrated our "small" family Christmas on Saturday with gift opening and a yummy lunch. My kids are at such a fun age for gifts right now! We take our time exchanging gifts and drag out the whole process for several hours. After lunch we spent the day playing together, and it was the best.
Today we have more family coming to town, so I've been cleaning and cooking for another Christmas dinner and celebration tomorrow. We are excited for more family time!
12/27 - Today we celebrated our final Christmas of the season, and it was a memorable one! We received a message around 10am that our water was being shut off due to a repair that needed to be done to the main line. I was in the middle of cooking a huge lunch, and we had 9 of our party of 16 that had slept at our house. We forged ahead with finishing lunch, and enjoyed a delicious meal on my Granny Tiger's Christmas dishes. We had no choice but to let the dirty dishes pile up in the sinks and overflow onto the countertops.
After five hours of no running water (and therefore no working toilets), our water came back on. There's nothing like losing something so valuable for a little while to remind you of how blessed you truly are.
The water fiasco didn't slow us down much . . . we had a few take a trip to the local gas station and a few use the porta-potties in our still-under-construction neighborhood . . . but we were able to maintain the excessive volume levels, ridiculous laughter, and fierce game playing through it all! We were even able to get the mounds of dirty dishes all washed and cleaned eventually.
The Christmas that will forever be known as The Porta-Potty Christmas was a success 😂!
I love that this post ends with a photo that pretty much tells us everything we need to know about the family, lol! It's hard to believe that another year has passed, but I'm so thankful for a way to preserve so many of the moments that make our life wonderful 💖.
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