Best of 2015

 January:

Fox Hill swings turn ONE

February:

Jane visits the temple for the first time, 

and Claire breaks her arm.

 

March:

I chop my hair

April:

We spend Spring Break at the ranch in New Mexico

May:

I celebrate being a mother for 14 years! 

(Thanks, Mr. Nielson)

June:

All 9 of us Clark siblings get together for an epic photo session.

 

July:

Mr. Nielson and I get brave and do the Sundance Zipline Tour

 

August:

The Nielson family will "Go Forth With Faith" 

with our new back-to-school theme

September:

 Fox Hill is featured on Today.com

October:

Halloween, of course.

November:

We introduce Beauty Rises!

December:

Our family turns the ripe old age of 15!

Christmas 2015

Merry Christmas 2015! 

Our Christmas day began at 7:00 a.m. 

(not counting that 3:20 a.m. episode).

The Little Nies couldn't wait one more
 millisecond to see if the big man had come.

When Mr. Nielson and I got up, he started a fire,

and I picked up little Lottie. 

We then walked into the living room to find the

 Little Nies waiting at the top of the stairs in the guest room, 

eager to be let loose.

When it was time, they flew down the stairs to the living room.

Santa had left them a room full of magic (and balloons!).

One of Clane's gifts was attached to a string
leading them throughout the house. 

It led them through the kitchen, the pantry, the dining room, and out the door.
The girls held tight to the string gigging the whole time.

The string ended on our front porch, where a wooden box 

lay covered in thick snow.

Inside the box was a mini fairy village. 

 I spent most of Christmas Eve setting it up in the dark while the

snow piled around me, freezing my fingers. Totally worth it.

We made breakfast when things settled down, 

and it got lighter outside.
Christmas breakfast is a big deal in our Hygge home!  

We made traditional Danish Ebelskivers smothered with Nutella,

fruit, whipped cream, butter, jams, 

pumpkin caramel, and Vermont maple syrup.

One of Oliver's Christmas gifts was football pads. 

 He put them on and didn't take them off most of the day.

Seriously. We have to wake him up at night to help him rip those babies

 off him since he falls asleep with them every night.

Last week, Mr. Nielson brought up the mattresses to the living room 

so we could watch the Star Wars Marathon.  

We moved them out for Christmas Day, but later that evening, we

moved them back into the living room so the Little Nies could

continue their movie marathon and sleep under the tree.

Merry Christmas to one and all!

Christmas Eve 2015

Christmas EVE!  

The Little Nies were a little hyper, 

and when I say little, I mean a whole lot hyper.

Our afternoon plans included seeing the new Star Wars movie in the theater,

and the excitement for that AND Christmas was overwhelming.

Then they got on my phone and downloaded a Star Wars 

app and made thousands of photos of themselves, like so:

 

When it was time, we finally got them all in the car 

and ran last-minute Christmas errands.  

We also stopped by our favorite bakery, 

 The Sweet Tooth Fairy for some delicious treats

 to enjoy over the Christmas weekend.  

Thank goodness for those treats; it's so nice to 

always have something super yummy on hand!

Luckily, we finished our Hygge Star Wars marathon just in time. 

We all loved the new film, and even Lottie watched

 the entire thing in her own seat without her binkie!

 After the movie, we met with some of my family for dinner. 

As we said our goodbyes into the parking lot, 

we were greeted with a beautiful pink sky. 

It was so quiet and peaceful! 

As a Utah girl, I knew that this kind of sky usually means a

storm is incoming!!!

We drove home, lit our luminaries, and gave

The Little Nies their Christmas pajamas.

I got matching one-piece pjs for Claire, Jane, Oliver, and Nicholas.

 Sadly, I couldn't find matching pajamas for Lottie.  

She didn't care; I could tell she could feel the energy of 

her siblings because she was so happy and pleasant. 

 

As a family, we gathered together to read and reflect on the story of

 Christ's birth and the Nativity in the scriptures.

 We took the time to discuss the significance of this beautiful event.

After the reading, we ushered the children off to bed. 

I closed the door and put bells on the handle to

 keep them from wandering around or peeking.

Claire texted me a few photos of them all in bed together:

Mr. Nielson and I spent several hours working on gifts and wrapping; it has become my favorite part of Christmas Eve.

 We made sure to have all the necessary supplies - wrapping paper, ribbons, 

scissors, and tape - within arm's reach, and we took turns picking out the 

perfect wrapping paper for each gift. 

It was such a joy to spend that time with Mr. Nielson, 

and I intentionally didn't wrap everything before Christmas Eve 

so we could have that special time together.

 It's now become a tradition that we both look forward to every year.

We finally got to bed around 1:45; the house was quiet, and the snow 

was piling up outside.  It was amazing.  Truly a beautiful Christmas miracle! 

At 3:30 a.m.,  

I woke up to running pitter-patter feet upstairs above my bedroom.

It took me a few minutes to realize  

it was The Little Nies AWAKE!  Did I mention it was 3:30 a.m.?!

I called Claire's phone and told her to get to bed immediately!

I pretended to be angry, but deep down, I empathized with her completely. 

After the phone call, I couldn't go back to bed.

I stayed awake, watching the snow fall outside the window.

 My bedroom was illuminated by the glow of the snow, 

creating such a magical ambiance.

 Merry Christmas to all, and to all, a good night!

Clark Family Christmas Party

Every year, the Clark family holds an annual Christmas party. 

As our family has grown larger over the years, 

we now need to hold these gatherings at our church. 

We shared funny family stories and had a talent show, 

where the kids performed lip-syncs, skits, and dances. 

It’s always hilarious.

My family is just genuinely hilarious.

Our night wouldn't be complete without Elvin, Santa's favorite elf, 

stopping by to bring the children their first gifts for Christmas.

Elvin is a Clark family tradition that has been around for years. 

The first Elvin was played by my Dad even before I was born. 

My dad was a young missionary in Norway 50 years ago

 when he brought home traditional Norwegian clothing, 

including reindeer shoes, and came up with the idea of Elvin.

He played Elvin for his younger brothers and sisters,

his own children, and his grandchildren for a few years.

Just recently, my brothers took over the role. 

Clark, my red-headed nephew, was our first red-headed Elvin this year!

It was amazing!

Other classic Elvin appearances:

2007 

2011

2013

Speaking of redheads,  we got all the red-headed cousins together for a photo. 

Jane, Charlotte, Emma, Clark, Olivia, and Vance. 

(All relatives of the famous Danish red-headed Peter Nielson, I might add).

Most of the night, I held my brother Jesse's new baby, June--

but I call her "Junnie" for obvious reasons,

and I secretly wished she were mine.  

Before the end of the party, I arranged a photo from oldest to youngest. 

In total, 43 family members and 2 adopted through marriage appear in the photo. 

Two nephews were absent as they are currently serving missions.

Photo 1:

 Photo 2:

And finally, photo 3:

Getting them together required a lot of yelling, but I was up for the job. 

It took me only 500 minutes, but it was worth it.

It was a fantastic night and another reminder that I am so proud of 

my big family. I am so grateful for healthy family members and thankful for

our deep love and belief in God, whose plan for families 

is full of promise and hope.

 

Merry Christmas! (For unto us a child is born!)

Merry Christmas to you and yours!!!!
Today is the day! The day that will forever and ever be blessed!
I love my Savior, Jesus Christ. I am so thankful for 

His birth, life, mission, and atoning sacrifice for me and you.
He was born, so I can change. I can keep trying to be a good woman,
mother, friend, sister, and daughter, and when I fumble
through life, He is there to help me along and give me the courage
to keep trying. He was born for me, so when I suffer, and my
body fails me and hurts, He can pick up the pieces and give me hope and comfort.
He has done that and continues to do that for me every day.
It's amazing.
I will adore Him not just at this magical time of year but forever and ever.

Have a safe and wonderful Holiday!


 * * * * *

Enjoy the last of the beautiful Christmas GIF advent:

Isaiah 9:6

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: 

and the government shall be upon his shoulder: 

and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, 

The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.