santa baby

we're packing up (last minute, of course), and heading home tonight. i'm so anxious for some family time. we'll be there a couple of weeks, so our suitcases are full to the brim. baby's first christmas is bound to be full of memories, love, laughter and good times. wishing you and yours the happiest of the happiest.

happy holidays.

xo. the nelson's

home again.

walking off the plane today in dallas was a bit of a shock to my system. after spending the week in a hyped-up-but-not-so-real-blizzard, and then a not-so-hyped-up-but-very-real-blizzard yesterday, we are currently sitting in sunny 70 degree temperatures in our humble home.

the minute i got into the door, i let our little boy stretch out on his farm animal play mat so that he could kick his legs and reach out his arms. he's a champion-traveler, this little guy, but after hours in our arms, and a couple in his car seat, i can only imagine how good it must have felt for him to be moving on his own. and move, he does. as i speak (er, write) he has somehow moved from a vertical to horizontal position. he's growing, changing, and getting cuter every day. and he spent the week charming the pants off everyone in his presence...including his mama.  i just can't get enough of our boy.

i didn't get a chance to post a thankful post for this years thanksgiving, and i think i kind of did it on purpose. i am so overwhelmed by the thankfulness i have in my heart and for what love, laughter and happiness this year has brought to my life. being home for the holidays always puts things into perspective for me. with a family that i adore, friends that mean the world, and a particular set of boys that i keep falling in love with over and over again, it's kind of frustrating to try and even find the words to express how blessed i feel that i am.

it's the simple things this year that really have my heart at it's fullest. a warm home and bed to sleep in, food in the cupboard, clothes to wear, a daily phone call with my mom, my husband and his job in which he works so hard, a healthy, happy son, and a body that can nourish and feed him, our daily walk, the great examples of mothers i have in my life, an extended family, an eternal family, and the love i feel from them, and for them every. single. day.

tonight, the christmas lights will be going up, the garland hung, and the tree decorated. all while listening to our favorite christmas hits. it's baby's first christmas and we are creating some family traditions right from the start. then, we will put our boy in his snuggly pajamas, sing some songs, say our prayers, cuddle and love him, and then put him to bed. and first thing tomorrow, we can count on seeing his bright and smiling face. and that, is what i'm thankful for most of all.

oh martha (a picture post).

this thanksgiving, i've volunteered to make a dessert for the gluten-free members of my family (we have two), and i've been trying to come up with something different than the usual pumpkin staples. luckily, bob's red mill makes any baked good possible with his line of gluten free products. martha stewart's website is a staple in my day as i dream of being a crafty homemaker sometime in the future, and she has some great ideas. which looks the best to you?? 

pumpkin spice cake with honey frosting

chocolate-pumpkin cheesecake bars

pumpkin swirl brownies

pumpkin chocolate chip squares

triple-chocolate pumpkin pie

images via martha stewart

what's your favorite thanksgiving dessert?
mine is not pie, but something preferably with chocolate. i need some creative ideas.

happy thursday. xo.

roar.

hope you have a spooky halloween. i keep jumping back online to look at these pictures - can you be this obsessed with your own baby??

*p.s. - happy birthday baby girl neilson...so happy to have you here! xo.

just because it's halloween...

i'm recording It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown on abc tonight and making my little family watch it with me. holidays are so much more fun with a baby in the home. i'm kind of like a little kid myself.

my sister gave me this great appetizer idea for a party this weekend and i can't wait to try it.

and my other sister gave me this idea and it sounds delish.

i also want to make these.

and maybe these.

i still haven't picked a costume out for myself. and i'm shocked i even want to dress up. but like i said, things change with kids.

do you watch modern family? last night's episode made me want to be claire. the mom with the coolest house on the block. maybe next year. if you live by me, i'm sure i'll drag you into it. watch out.

stay tuned to see what sweet baby n. is going to be for halloween. even though he has no idea what is going on, i'm still dressing him up. I feel kind of bad - the kind of bad i feel for animals when their owners dress them up  - because they have no say in the matter. but our little one is dressing in something cozy, and ferociously sweet, so i don't think he'll mind.

happy thursday. xo.

happy mother's day

i love mom's. everything about them. if your a mom, i love you. and i love your mom, and her mom. but more than anything, i love MY mom. she's the best. and she's perfect. her life is so utterly consumed by taking care of those around her, and i think i need her just as much today as i did when i was a little kid. i can't wait to be a mom so i can see if some of her goodness has rubbed off on me.

mom, i love you. and appreciate you, and look up to you. thank you for exceeding my expectations of what a mother should be. i hope my baby can adore me as half as much as i do you.

A mother is the truest friend we have, when trials heavy and sudden, fall upon us; when adversity takes the place of prosperity; when friends who rejoice with us in our sunshine desert us; when trouble thickens around us, still will she cling to us, and endeavor by her kind precepts and counsels to dissipate the clouds of darkness, and cause peace to return to our hearts. ~Washington Irving

images found here

easter.

image found here

easter is my favorite holiday. besides bringing in the fresh feeling of spring, it is another opportunity to eat lots of food and spend lots of time with loved ones. i have such great memories of dying easter eggs, hunting them and then eating them on easter morning. i love the kind of traditions that are born without any kind of effort. 

it's kind of getting to me more this year, not spending the holiday with my family. luckily, the husband does such a good job making me feel twice as loved on the holidays we are unable to make it home, and wanting to make them extra special. after a texas-style easter brunch, we will be heading over to this family's home - as they have unwillingly become our family here in dallas. i will be making a heaping bowl of this delicious salad. its a holiday staple in the Campbell home, and though i can't make it as good as my mom can, i'll still try. 

i hope your easter weekend is as lovely as it should be. 

"He takes men out of time and makes them feel eternity." ~ ralph w. emerson

happy easter. xo.

*oh, and for those who will be watching, happy conference weekend! for a great easter conference talk, click here. 

thanksgiving.

{napa valley, thanksgiving day}

i woke up this morning before the sun came up, a little restless and full of mixed emotions. this is the very first thanksgiving i will not be waking up to the smell of the turkey already cooking in the oven and the thanksgiving table already set. the first thanksgiving i won't see my dad hovering over the turkey, and my mom perfecting the sides.

i can't wait for the day where i can host my own thanksgiving, in my own home, with both of our families. it will never be as good as my parents...but i will try. there will be candles, warm lighting, the smell of pumpkin-spice filling the house, family, classical music, children, take-home bags of leftovers and goodies...all this done while wearing an apron. i wonder how i became this girl. the one whose biggest dreams include throwing dinner parties. nevertheless, i am thankful that i know this day is in our future.

until then, and today, we will be spending our thanksgiving here. as a newlywed couple, our first thanksgiving on our own. and might i point out...our first time out of the city since we moved here. i am so thankful to be spending this thanksgiving with the husband. i am so thankful that i have been able to spend almost 8 months now being married to my best friend. i have no doubt that we will always remember our first thanksgiving together as being one of the greatest. 

so much to be thankful for this year. thankful for our families. and thankful for our friends. so thankful for a heavenly father that has my best interests at heart and makes things just fall into place. so thankful that happiness now seems so simple, and gets better by the day. am thankful for my life.

wishing you the happiest of thanksgivings....much peace and love. xo.

"gratitude is a mark of a noble soul and a refined character. we like to be around those who are grateful. the tend to brighten all around them. they make others feel better about themselves. they tend to be more humble, more joyful, more likable." 

~ joseph b. wirthlin

happy halloween

we've got our first set of visitors in town this weekend. hoping to show them a spooky time in this great city. with a planned trip to alcatraz, some bread bowls with clam chowder, and most likely some chocolate with hot apple cider, we are very much excited for one of my favorite of all favorite holiday's tonight. 

double, double, toil and trouble;

fire burn and cauldron bubble.

~william shakespeare

happy halloween! xo. 

happy independence day

{photo via here}

"you have to love a nation that celebrates its independence every july 4, not with a parade of guns, tanks, and soldiers who file by the white house in a show of strength and muscle, but with family picnics where kids throw frisbees, the potato salad gets iffy, and the flies die from happiness. you may think you have overeaten, but it is patriotism." ~ erma bombeck

happy weekend and happy independence. peace and love. xo.

happy mother's day

when you are a mother, you are never really alone in your thoughts. a mother always has to think twice, once for herself and once for her child.
- Sophia Loren, Women and Beauty

thank you mom, for always keeping me in yours. happy mother's day. xo.

happy easter

I really miss my family on holidays, and easter is by far one of my favorites. going to the salt lake country club with my whole family, where they would parade around a 7 foot easter bunny with bug eyes and a mischievous smirk that would leave the little ones running to their moms in sheer terror and tears brings back a flood of memories.

on a more serious note, the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints gave us an Easter statement (4.10.09):

At this Easter season of hope and renewal we testify of the glorious reality of the atonement and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. The empty tomb brought comforting assurance and provided the answer to the question of Job, "If a man die, shall he live again?" (Job 14:4).

Because of the Savior's resurrection we will overcome death and become the beneficiaries of His mercy and grace. In a world of trouble and uncertainty, His peace fills our hearts and eases our minds. Jesus is in very deed "the way, the truth, and the life" (John 14:6). 

We give our sure witness that Jesus is the Christ. Though He was crucified, He rose triumphant from the tomb to our everlasting blessing and benefit. To each member of the human family He stands as our Advocate, our Savior, and our Friend.

An Apostle's Thoughts on Easter.

happy easter, from my heart to yours.