I felt like the first half of 2024 was a flurry of activity. With four growing children, homeschooling, Chris working from home, and trying to make God the central focus in our lives, the second half of the year has proven to be just as busy and active as the first half, and I'm grateful for a way to document it all. Here are all the posts I made to Instagram from July through December of 2024.
07/03 - We spotted an AMAZING full rainbow while driving to Bible study tonight. Thank you, Lord, for Your promises! 🌈☔🌈
07/04 - We wish everyone a safe and happy Independence Day! 'Merica! 💙💖
07/06 - The things my children convince me to do 😜!
07/07 - Our July 4th (and 5th and 6th!) celebrations were so much fun! We had a great time being with friends, eating good food, swimming, and enjoying lots of fireworks. Thanks to all our friends for hosting such wonderful evenings!
07/15 - One of my favorite places to spend the late afternoon is on our back porch in the hammock. It's always shady with a breeze that time of day, and perfect for reading, dozing, and thinking. On this triple digit day, however, I'm going to have to cut my back porch time short and head inside. I shouldn't be sweating in the shade swinging in my hammock, but here we are!
07/27 - I made shirts for the twins today. I can't believe they are in 4th grade . . . they are my babies 😭😭😭
07/29 - Claremore Civic Band summer concert season ended last week with a fun concert in the park. I was only able to play half of the summer this year, but I had a great time! I'm so grateful for this musical opportunity and the free therapy it is for me! We typically had 5-6 trombone players, but I only got photos with the two guys I sat between . . . Ed and Jim. We had a good time teasing and getting to know each other more. I'm already looking forward to next year!
08/06 - These two don't always get along, but every night before bed they have to sit and chat about their day. Usually it's Bren who wanders into Bri's room, but if he doesn't make his way there she will head to his room for their nightly chat. 💜💙
08/06 - Brooke Ellie completed another art class at a local art studio. She loves being creative, and I'm so thankful she has the opportunity to take these classes! Her project turned out so cute!
08/06 - All the kids participated in a five week summer running program toward the beginning of the summer. To mark the end of the program, the younger kids had a 1/2 mile race. Brooke (the typically slower sister) was ahead of Brecklyn the entire race until the very end when Brecklyn pulled ahead and beat Brooke by two tenths of a second! They both improved their 1/2 mile times from last year, but I think the real winners were the popsicles they enjoyed at the end of the race!
08/09 - A Cherokee man named Sequoyah is credited with creating the Cherokee syllabary in the early 1800s, which made reading and writing possible in the Cherokee language. We stopped by Sequoyah's cabin in Sallisaw, OK to learn more about Sequoyah and the work he did for his people. The grounds were beautiful, and we enjoyed exploring this little piece of history!
08/10 - Our annual Backyard Back-to-School Bash is a favorite evening for my crew. This year, we had perfect weather, good food, lots of laughter, and some epic "Teens vs. Dads" volleyball games that will probably become a new tradition! That Oklahoma sunset was just icing on the cake. We are blessed to get to do life with these people!
08/12 - Welcome to LIGHT Academy for the 2024-2025 school year! Let me introduce you to my students 😊.
Brianna - 14 years old, freshman in high school, loves to run, talk, style hair, and has discovered a newfound interest in history.
Brenson - 12 years old, 7th grader, loves to build and tinker in the garage, play basketball, enjoy board games, and read.
Brooke - 9 years old, 4th grader, loves to let her imagination run wild, tell stories, cook, and express herself through various arts.
Brecklyn - 9 years old, 4th grader, loves to spend one-on-one time with people, craft, ride her bike, and get lost in music.
Our school year is already off to a great start, and we are excited for the adventures this year holds!
08/16 - Tulsa Driller's Baseball for the win on this super warm August night! It's always a good time with this crew!
08/22 - With four active kiddos, it's hard to find time to spend with them one-on-one. This is something Chris and I are trying to be more intentional about doing. This month, Chris took each of our girls on a lunch date to The Pink House (a local tea room), and I took Bren to lunch at our favorite Mexican restaurant. It's special to see different parts of their personalities shine when they aren't with their siblings. 💜💙💜💖
08/26 - 🌞Summer Memories🌞 As we say farewell to summer, these are some moments I want to remember.
🍉Watermelon treats
🌞Time with cherished friends
🏐Volleyball camp and pick-up games
🌞Cooling down at the splash pad
🌇Amazing summer sunrises
👣Weird striped feet from awkward tan lines
🌞Farewell summer . . . we have enjoyed you so!🌞
08/31 - It was a great day in Sequoyah for my little runners! This was Brecklyn and Brooke's first time on the course, and they both finished strong. Bri and Bren both medaled and set big PRs. It's fun to watch them run! 🏃🏃🏃🏃
09/03 - 💓My heart💓
09/09 - These girls love making "slurp" (what our family calls strawberry jam) with G-Jo. They also made some other fun treats for our youth devo this past weekend. Precious times!
09/13 - Another gospel meeting week is in the books, and what a blessing it was! We were able to study the book of Daniel, hug lots of necks we don't see too often, eat great food, and even celebrate Hank's birthday with him. We are so grateful to be part of the family of God!
09/14 - It was race day in Tahlequah-Sequoyah! A new-to-us course at the end of an unusually busy week with some sickness thrown in meant nerves were a little high this morning. However, they've all been putting the work in at practice, and it showed! We walked away with four PRs, one medal (and another who barely missed a medal), and a first place team ranking for our junior high boys! Go Falcons! 🏃🏃🏃🏃
09/28 - Y'all . . . it was a sad day in the Nelson house as I finally had to get rid of my suitcase that I've had for 20 years. She's my old faithful and has been with me all around the US and even in many other parts of the world. I can't even tell you how many flights and road trips she's taken with me. I've been babying her along for a few years, but she's officially past the point of being able to do her job. Sigh.
10/01 - 💛💖Kansas City💖💛
Chris had to work in KC for a few days, so we tagged along to see what we could see. We relaxed and swam in the hotel while he worked, then spent some free time sight-seeing.
We visited the home, surrounding site, and library of Harry S Truman (very interesting if you like history like we do). We also stopped by the start of the Santa Fe, Oregon, and California Trails.
On Friday night, we went to a local HS football game to see my niece, Chloe, march in the band. That was a fun experience for my kiddos, part of whom have never been to a football game!
We finished the weekend off by spending the day at the KC Zoo. My kids love zoos, and we had a blast seeing the animals and riding the Sky Safari for those aerial views!
10/11 - It was an amazing day at the Tulsa Zoo with my crew! We haven't been in about a year, and we loved seeing all the improvements and changes being made. Visiting the Tulsa Zoo used to be one of our go-to outings when all the kiddos were little, and being there today with my crew of big kids brought back so many good memories for all of us. I love and miss those babies, but this season of life is incredibly sweet, too 💓!
10/17 - Yuuuuup 😁
10/19 - Oklahoma Homeschool State Cross Country Meet is in the books! It was a beautiful day for running, and we came away with 4 PRs, 3 medals, and a 1st place team placement for our JH boys. These kids have worked so hard this season, and we loved seeing the result of that hard work today. Next up . . . Nationals! 🏃🏃🏃🏃
10/20 - Celebrating 23 years of marriage today . . . it's hard to believe!
10/25 - 💓Four Generations💓
10/25 - Cross country homeschool nationals meet is tomorrow, and the kids are ready to race on a beautiful course!
10/26 - Our cross country season officially ended today with XC Homeschool Nationals in Springfield, Missouri. The kids ran so well and the autumn scenery was incredible!
Brooke and Brecklyn both ran two miles and set course PRs. Our 10U girls team won first in the team competition! Brenson ran two miles and set a huge course PR by going sub-14 for the first time. He got 11th place in his age group, so barely missed a medal (top 10 medaled). Brianna ran a 5K and also set a huge course PR. She finished 4th in her age group and came home with a medal!
We finished the day by eating at Lambert's and overindulging in their delicious throwed rolls. We are so thankful for a great XC season!
10/31 - It's always a good time at Boologah!
11/11 - My favorite humans and an amazing sunset . . . what a perfect combination!
11/15 - Brooke and Brecklyn made their theatrical debut yesterday! It's been a fun semester for them in drama club for the first time, and they did great on stage!
11/28 - What a great day! We started the beautiful and cold day with the kids running The Hog Jog 5K. Brenson placed third in his age group. We had a delicious lunch with my parents as our guests, then visited and played games. After a little afternoon rest, a special family stopped by to see us for a short but very sweet visit. Finally, we ended the evening with pie and enjoying our festive decor. So much to be thankful for today and every day!
12/07 - After a morning of volleyball and basketball, we decided to have our annual Christmas cookie baking time in the afternoon. The cookies are delicious and so cute, but it's the family time that I truly cherish, especially as my kiddos are getting older. So thankful for these traditions! 🎄🎅🎄
12/08 - How quickly it went from one to the other!
12/11 - Fun times at the Christmas Chute!
12/19 - Tulsa Botanical Garden of Lights . . . always a beautiful evening and a favorite tradition!
12/26 - There's never enough time, so I cherish every second I get to spend with these ladies. The Lord blessed us BIG when He brought us together!
12/27 - My favorite gift this year is a beautiful bowl Bren and my dad (Grampy) turned on the lathe. To make it extra special, they made it from a piece of Walnut that Chris got from his family land when his grandparents were still living. The land has been in the Nelson family since 1934, and Chris's parents live on it now. I love that this bowl has special elements from both of our families, turned partially by our son. I will cherish it always! 💙
And that's a wrap on another year! This is certainly an active season of life, but we are loving it!
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