2014 Christmas Letter

Merry Christmas! We are grateful 2014 has been good to us. We love this time of year where we pause to reflect on loved ones and blessings in our lives. Of central importance to us is Jesus Christ and the perfect life he lived. We are so grateful for the scriptures which testify of Him and His divine role of Savior to all. May we all feel His peace this season.

An update on the Nelsons:

Garrett

Garrett is our busy 16 month old who spends his days around the home exploring. Garrett can usually be found with cars, trucks, or trains in his hands while looking for someone to play with him. He toddles around the house saying "NO NO!" to everything--we're thinking that's what he thinks the computer, toilet, & dishwasher are called. The biggest news for Garrett in 2014 is that he got his first tooth right as he turned 15 months old!

Shannon

Shannon is 4 years old now, and Cole is her best friend. Thanks to his patient teaching, Shannon speaks Pokemon fluently and is pretty much obsessed with all things Pokemon. She has even been heard singing, "Do you want to have a battle?" (to the tune of Disney's Frozen song Do You Want to Build a Snowman). She attends "home preschool" with 3 of her friends from church and loves writing, drawing, and going to the gym so she can do crafts.

Annie

Annie calls herself the luckiest kid in the family because she has an older sister & older brother AND a younger sister & younger brother. She is a delightful middle child with (as my friend put it) "a personality the size of Alaska." This little seven year old loves to be fancy and even started a fashion club on the playground--awarding candy to the best-dressed friend. Heaven help us! She thrives on positive attention through completing her jobs and getting good grades.

Cole

Cole is a fan of all things Pokemon. His aunt got him an encyclopedia of 640+ Pokemon characters, and he practically has the book memorized. He'll be your new best friend if you quiz him on any Pokemon's height, damage, attacks, or abilities. Cole is loving 3rd grade and his teacher that sees the good in him; she knows how to balance fun with learning, and we are so grateful for her!

Whitney

Whitney is having a great year in 5th grade and loving her teacher as well. Each 5th grader at the school gets an iPad, so there's another reason she loves 5th grade! She was invited to be in our school district's Elementary Honor Choir, and we really enjoyed watching her perform. Whitney is currently playing basketball for the first time, and she got a season pass to try out skiing this winter. Her first love is still gymnastics where she frequently pushes herself to improve and try new things.

Tyler & Natalie

Tyler & I took our first trip to Hawaii together in September. We had a great time on Oahu and spent half of our time at an Oral Surgery conference there. It was a much needed break for Tyler as his practice has been growing and he hasn't taken many days off. Tyler is looking forward to 2015 and the opportunity of bringing on another oral surgeon to work with him. His business is constantly on his mind, and there's rarely a night we don't go to bed talking about his future plans for the business. 

I am so thankful for his hard work that allows me to stay home with the kids. I'm still helping him with payroll and his books, but our accountant does the heavy lifting as I stick to my day job of full-time mom. We feel blessed to have healthy kids, a home to live in, cars to drive, food on the table, wonderful family & friends near and far, and the gospel of Jesus Christ to guide our lives. Wishing you the best this Christmas season!!

love, natalie & tyler 

& crew