Nelson Family Blog: April Snowstorms, soccer, and an Easter Celebration

Once again my blogging has taken a backseat to everything else in my life. April is half-over and I am finally getting around to blog about what has been going on around here.

Where to start...

Well, the weather has been a turd again. All the snow melted away, and we had a few really nice spring days, and then this past week we had a pretty miserable snowstorm. We got a combination of ice, freezing rain, snow, and we managed to lose power a couple of time. The worst of the storm went north of us (thank goodness), but it still wasn't a fun couple of days. Hopefully now we are in the clear and can enjoy some springlike weather.

Emma has started her soccer season. I signed her up for a Dakota Alliance Soccer team, and she has had one practice and one game so far. Her first game was this past Monday evening in the Sanford Fieldhouse Complex. It was really fun to watch her play a game. Her team won, and Emma almost scored a goal, but the half came to an end before she could score her goal. She had a ton of fun, and cant wait until her next game. Little brother did okay at the game as well, he got a little bored, but I brought him coloring books and crayons, so he did ok.

Last Sunday, I brought Emma to the musical "The Little Mermaid" at the Brandon High School. They did a really good job with the musical. Emma and I were in the 4th row, and we had a great view of the show. Emma loved it and just had to get her picture taken with some of the cast after the show. We agreed that we are going next year, and we plan to take Elliott along as well.

Speaking of musicals, last Saturday, John and I went to "Chicago" at the grand opening of the Performing Arts Center at SDSU. It was a really good show. Some of the cast had headlined in New York City with other musicals, so it was the real deal. We have been on a musical kick lately, and I am really enjoying it.

This past Friday, we headed to Mankato. We met Rachel, Carlos, and Elena at La Terrazza, and enjoyed a wonderful Mexican meal. It was delicious, complete with a large Margarita. We didn't eat supper until about 8pm, so we had some tired kids once we got back to Rachel's house.

We spent the night, and then helped Rachel get ready for the Easter celebration with family. It was really nice to see everyone. Pretty much everybody made it, and we all enjoyed some good food and company. I got to spend a lot of time with Elena, which was really nice to have some bonding time. We played a lot together, and I even got to put her down for her much-needed afternoon nap.

We also celebrated Elena's 2nd Birthday. We had a cake, sang Happy Birthday, and then she got to tear into her new presents. She had a really good day, but was super tired by the time we all left.

Emma and Elliott did really well on our trip. They traveled well, and they had no problem talking and playing with everyone at Rachel's house. The weather was a little too cold to go outside a whole lot, but we all enjoyed ourselves. The great-grandparents played some sheephead, while the rest of us caught up with each other and played a couple trivia games. It was a successful Easter celebration. We left Rachel's house at around 7pm, and didn't get home until close to 9:30pm. It was another late night for the kids, so they were easy to put to bed!

Today was Palm Sunday. It's probably one of my favorite Sundays. The kids participated in the Palm Branch processional and then they both had to help sing a song with the choir. They did a really nice job. Then we had bible class while they had Sunday school, and then they had to march and sing again for second service. It was a full morning.

We came home and ate lunch, and then the kids and I took a nap in my bed, and it was glorious. The rest of the day we spent cleaning, and playing outside. Right now, the kids are bathed, and watching a little TV before bed.

Here's to another busy week!!