Merry Christmas Everyone!

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy New Year to All ~

2011 was a very good year for our family!

Alex moved in and promptly moved out as she and Brock made their way cross country to begin their life together in Seattle. The twins had a great school year with straight A's and have entered their last year of middle school... High school's just around the corner! We spent lots of time with family and friends and got to enjoy a wonderful family vacation (with the Bishop's) in Mexico. We also celebrated Jason's 40th birthday in Vegas (what happens in Vegas, gets posted on Facebook!).

Rob and his partner continue to grow their business with more than 20 employees to-date, while Kelli took (another) hiatus from work and has gone back to school - starting with Algebra - YUCK! The plan is to eventually earn a Masters in Public Policy. VJ continues to do well and is still going to school and living with his Dad. Andrea is doing very well also!

Alex's room wasn't empty for long as we welcomed a foreign-exchange student (from Germany). She is bright & beautiful, as well as sassy, trendy and full of life! Her name is Elisa (E-lee-za). She is 16 yrs. old and will be with us for the entire school year. She fits in with our family quite well. She is great with the girls and like all of us, she loves to give Rob a run for his money!

We've enjoyed many blessings and continue to be thankful for our family and many, many wonderful friends. I only wish I had enough time, space and words to capture all the wonderful events this year has brought our way. The following are just a handful of our recent holiday photos.

I'll end this message by wishing everyone a happy holiday season and good health and happiness for the coming year!! Please check back often as we'll attempt to update the Blog weekly!

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!
The Nelson's







~ Kelli

Holiday Card from Shutterfly

We Believe Christmas Card

Make unique Christmas cards this year at Shutterfly.com.

View the entire collection of cards.

Sushi... YUM!

We are sooo excited to have found something Elisa loves... SUSHI!







~

Thanksgiving Holiday

We celebrated Thanksgiving with a traditional turkey dinner at the Johns Hopkins Club. We were joined by Rob's parents (Bob and Barbara) and sister (Tina), as well as Rosemary (Grammy-Roe) and David. The only person missing this year was Alex! She and Brock were celebrating their first holiday in Washington state!












. Elisa, Gabby, Nana (Barbara), Rob, Belle, Tina & Bubba (Bob)

After dinner, we settled down (at home) to watch the Raven's game (WE WON!) while Elisa went out with friends to spend the evening and next day enjoying the Black Friday savings!



~

Gingerbread Houses

Time for some holiday decorating...



We were sure to take a break to enjoy some C-F-A... Yea!






Final products...


~~

Last Crabs of the Season

Elisa decided to partake in a "Maryland" tradition...

Once she got down to the "meat" of it, she enjoyed them. She wasn't thrilled with the mess they made, but was a great sport about it!






~

Halloween And Other Fall Fun!

Elisa was talked into "trick-or-treating" with Martine and Katie, while the twins headed out with their friends. Belle in purple, Gabby dressed up as a "cow-girl", and Elisa went for a "parisian" look. Fall is my favorite time of year especially with the changing of the leaves. We also found a couple of hours to spend with my all-too-grown-up son, VJ. Christmas is just around the corner!

Century's Homecoming 2011

Homecoming starts with a student-led pep rally, followed by a parade, the big game and then finally, Homecoming Dance --- no parents allowed, unless you're crazy enough to volunteer to be a chaperone... Yep, that would be me!







Elisa and Martine spent the evening getting ready at our house, then off to Walmart and Panera with friends, followed by the dance. They kept their heels on the whole night! Lots of funky dancing and loud music... the girls were amused by this tradition!

Hershey Park

Fall is here so it was time for our annual trip to Hershey Park (PA). This is especially appropriate for Elisa as she LOVES chocolate!!! It was a cold day, but luckily the rain stayed away. We then came home and toasted marshmallows on the back deck.