Happy Boys!

Here is Thomas with his gift card making the excited face. He was so much fun unwrapping presents. He says his dad takes a lot of pictures on Christmas so he learned to pose and wait for the click!!

Sid does not plan on sharing his loot! He is set to watch all of his hunting shows now. All 4 years recorded shows on the big screen. All he needs is his popcorn, soda and peanut M&M's! Don't try to ask him to share because he won't do it!

After we opened up the gifts we hung around the house and then called Grandpa Kelly and found out he was all alone so we took our ham dinner up to his house and enjoyed the dinner with him and Abby. Thomas had never been to his house so it was a treat to show him the chickens and let him pick mandarins right from the tree. Thanks Grandpa for letting us come up and visit with you!

Christmas Morning

It was around 9:45 when we heard the kids up because they were supposed to get over to the Meyer house at 10:00am. Here they are in the hall waiting to see the presents.

Ava smiling at Grandpa! She loved to give him big smiles, it is just hard to catch them on film.

Ava seems excited to see the presents and start opening her loot!

Here is Grandpa with Ava in her cute Christmas outfit. She is getting so cute!

A Great Get Together

I know I don't have ANY pictures but I thought I would at least give you something to read about. Last Saturday (the 20th) we had a family get together with all the Kelly crew that was available and in town. From Calvin and Joanne we had, Ryan and Jenn and their 4 girls, Clinton and Marga and yes, Marga is expecting in May!! and Trevor and Ashley. We had Ron and Allison with their kids Blake and Bradley and they each brought a girlfriend!! Also Tiffany and Steven with their little girl Ava came. Grandpa Kelly came with his little dog Abby and then we have Kristin and Thomas here and Mike and Christy and Ava. We had lots of food to munch on and the fun began with the gift game. (requested by Trevor) Each one who wanted to play was to bring a gift of no more than $10 in value and then we opened and exchanged them back and forth until the last one (Marga) ended the game. We had 23 people play and it was fun to see the gift swapping action. You got to love the "Aunt Gladys" turkey salt and pepper than Grandpa brought and Clinton was the happy recipient. We then played a game that Kristin told us about and that was to open boxes within boxes with oven mitts on while Christmas music played and stopped. The last person to open the final box found a $100 dollar bill inside! Trevor won that game. It was sure fun to have everyone together and laugh and eat and just visit. All the little babies were fun to see and compare sizes. Sooooooo cute!! I still can't believe we didn't have one camera take one picture the whole time. I really blew it on that one. I hope everyone has a great Christmas in a couple of days. We will talk to you then!!

Christmas Part 2

The small feather tree on the dining room table has cute little things around it this year. White little things with antique ornaments on the tree. Very cute!

The three trees in the living room where Mike and Christy have been putting presents. They are just white lights with disco balls and glass ornaments that sparkle in the night. Very romantic (can christmas be romantic)?

The big white feather tree with my Bellsnickels around the base. Fits perfect by the entry way for everyone to see. Decorated with antique ornaments also.

The wonderful nativity set that my mother made for herself but I was fortunate to inherit when she passed it on to me. I have it in the living room on the table in front of the couch. Very simple and beautiful. I have an exact small set that I didn't put out this year since I put out the big one.

This was sent to me by my sister Jan one year. I just love it! I have the perfect skinny wall to hang it on so it comes out every year and gets hung on that perfect wall.

Christmas time at the Kelly's house

Every Christmas I go through the idea of not putting up many decorations around the house. Last year it was an easy decision because we went to Colorado for Christmas. This year we are home and Kristin & Thomas are coming from Minn. so I thought I better get the "stuff" out of the boxes and get it up. We got a killer deal on a tree this year at a place called Wise Buys. Any tree was $9.98. Actually anything in their store is not over $9.98. I was with Christy and she had her truck so we looked at the trees and picked this 12 foot beauty out and brought it home. We got some new LED lights in white and blue and decorated it in blue white and silver. It is really a beautiful tree. The picture does not really show how pretty it really is.

The Santas were lovingly unwrapped and put in their proper place and I still love looking at them and remembering who gave me which one or where I purchased them for myself. A lot of great memories for me.

The one and only time I am allowed to "dress up" the bear is Christmas and I look forward to putting on his hat and ribbon. We moved him out of his spot and put the tree where he usually resides. He kind of freaks me out not being in his corner!!

The famous advent calender!! Many a fight over who was going to take out the little toy on the calender in the mornings. No fighting this year. We sometimes forget to even take it out. It sure has lasted through the years, even with six kids wanting to get their hands on it.

Good times in Morgantown

On Friday the 21st we flew to Morgantown WV to visit Jacob and Julia and see where they live in their new town home. The weather was quite a shock to our system since we left 70 - 75 degree weather and went to High 34, Low 25's!! Snow and cold and rain were the norm while we were there but we still had a great time with everyone that could join us. Kandis and Nic flew in and we picked them up Monday morning and then Joshua and Alexis and Megan and Bryson drove over from Kentucky on Wednesday afternoon. We had so much fun eating and playing and eating and playing. We spent our time doing a little home improvement in between the fun and of course ate out when we could and on Thursday we had a wonderful meal together. What a great time we had and I hope you enjoy reading and looking at some of the pictures we took. I know others have a lot more pictures than I took so post them on your blogs so we can all see them please! LUVS

Nic's birthday

The weather was horrible and so we could not celebrate in Pittsburgh as planned. After spending some time at Cabellas we headed back to Morgantown and went out to dinner at Texas Roadhouse with everyone. It was a great place to celebrate and food was really good. Loraya was fascinated with Kandis having a baby in her tummy so she shoved her dolly under her shirt and tried to look like Kandis. The first day we woke up after going to bed Loraya asked if the baby was out or still in her tummy!!

Here is Loraya riding the birthday saddle. Yes, Nic was asked to ride the saddle also for his birthday song and he was a good sport and did it!!

Home Improvement Time

Kandis and Loraya were giving moral support to the guys while they were doing some home improvement projects. While we were there we added new hardware to the cabinets in the kitchen! Towels in the bathrooms, pictures and mirrors, new lights, new window blinds, and who can forget the new shelves in the garage so they can now pull in a car in their garage!! Did I forget anything???

Jacob and Julia working on the hardware in the kitchen. It really dresses up their beautiful cabinets with their stainless steel appliances. Julia made a great choice in handles and knobs!

Nic fast at work with the marking template to make sure we were putting on the knobs in the right place. It is amazing what a few guys can get done together!! We are so glad they are so handy dandy!!

Cabellas in Wheeling PA

On Monday we traveled to Pittsburgh to pick up Kandis and Nic from their hotel stay and on the way back we stopped in Wheeling PA at the Cabellas. The weather was very cold and raining and so we were trying to find things we could do that was inside instead of outside! Here is Sid in front of the African exhibit inside the store.

Loraya tried her hand at the shooting gallery and did quite well for not seeing what she was shooting at!! Watch out Sid, she will be ready to go hunting with you in a couple of years!

Loraya and Isaac would not turn around for the picture when they saw the big elephant displayed! It was very HUGE and really cool to get so close up to it.

Here is Kandis, Julia and Isaac at the front of the store. There was a big walk though aquarium and a white tail deer display also to look at. Sid has all the pictures in his camera so I won't bore you with any of those shots!! There are some moose and sheep above them in this shot!

Our Grandkids are soooooo Cute!

We were getting some lunch before church started so I thought I would snap a picture or two. Isaac is so handsome in his vest and shirt and Loraya is absolutely beautiful with her LONG blond hair.

I told you she was adorable. Her hair is getting so long and she has the cutest voice and asks the cutest questions.

This is a rare shot with Isaac actually looking at the camera and smiling. This does not happen very often!! Isaac LOVEs books and the letters that spell words. He knows all the letters and tells me what words start with what letters!! What letter does SMART start with Isaac???

Lots to be THANKFUL for!

As the Thanksgiving day gets closer I am reminded of all the wonderful things in my life that I need to be thankful for. We had a get together with wonderful friends on Saturday and before the dinner I got to go to a fun movie with 3 of my closest friends. How great is that??? I consider, Debbie, Julie, and Gwen some of my closest friends and it was great to spend time with them and cry and laugh about anything we wanted. (the movie was kind of emotional but in a good way). Julie surprised with some of her creativity by treating us to a "Forget me not" box. We all need one of these because with old age our minds seem to forget things. Dinner was fun at our house and of course Jay is a party in himself. Jay can keep us entertained for hours with trivia, poems, quizzes etc!! He can make a trip to the gun shop interesting for all of us!!

Friday we drove up to Yuba City to see Grandpa and Sid's sister Chris from Arizona. What another blessing it is to have grandpa still with us and Chris to come and visit and sort through things in grandpa's house. Grandpa also got a new little puppy named Abby and she is a little Shi-tsu (sp??) Such a cute little dog and perfect for grandpa to love and cuddle with. He just wasn't getting the love from his chickens like he hoped for!! (not to cuddly!) The chickens do produce about 18 eggs a day now and that will get more and more. He loves to take care of them and sell his eggs to church members. What wonderful family members Sid has for brothers and sisters and what a blessing that is in our lives. It was fun to have Calvin, Joanne, Marga, Clinton, Tiffany, Steve, Ava, Ron, Alison, Blake, Bradley and Sid and I all together. We went up on Sunday with Mike, Christy and Ava so Chris could see Ava.

I am so blessed with wonderful kids and grandkids and especially the spouses of my children. What a blessing it is for my kids to marry such wonderful people who love them and take such good care of them and our grandchildren. Nothing is better than to have "JOY" in my posterity.

I am so blessed with a beautiful home and Sid to have such a great dental practice. We look forward to the day that Jacob and Josh can get through school and come and let Sid have some rest and relaxation from working so hard for the last 30+ years. Sometimes we wonder if we should move out of California but I look out my backyard and can hardly think of leaving such a beautiful place. (Sid always threatens me with Montana)

I am so blessed to have a temple so close. Also, that I can work at the temple every week and be reminded of our Saviours love for all of us. What a wonderful blessing to perform the sacred ordinances that we receive in the temple. What a great blessing to have the true gospel in our lives to know how to live and return to our Father in Heaven. I am truly grateful for parents who taught me right from wrong and to stay strong in the church.

Well, enough said. I look forward to flying to West Virginia to be with Jacob and Julia and Loraya and Isaac. The weather does not look to warm but we can bundle up and stay warm in their beautiful home!! Love to you all and hope you all have a GREAT Thanksgiving and take the time to truly see all of your blessings that you have been blessed with.

I think we did it!!!

For those of you who live away from the state of California as of early this morning, it looks like Prop 8 will pass!! We are so excited for the results to be finalized so we can preserve marriage as a union between 1 man and 1 woman. It was a nasty fight (as some of you know) and hopefully we will be able to hold our heads high knowing we did everything that was asked of us to keep marriage sacred. Yesterday, a very serious add from the No campaign was aired on CNN and was directed at our church. They were asked to not air the commercial and they refused. It is on utube now and is quite disturbing. We know the fight is not over yet and the No side vows to appeal again what the people have voted on. We will see what will happen. We were very happy to see that Florida and Arizona passed their propositions for the same issue and have put into their state constitutions that a marriage is between a man and a woman. Hopefully the rest of the US will follow suit and hopefully the Federal Government!! (Not likely since we have a new President!) Well, for now we will stay in California and not move out like we were thinking we would have to do!! I feel like I should be standing on the corner with a sign that says Thank You for voting for Prop 8!!

YES on 8

this is Ann and Keith Cook on the corner with their sign. It was really cool to have them together to let people know about prop 8!!

This is me and Cindy Clement in front of Raley's. Check out the beautiful sunrise behind us!

This is Cathy Christensen and Cindy Clement in front of Raley's. Rock on Girls~!!

OK, so you are not used to seeing me politically active!! The prophet has asked us to support Prop 8 so I am doing my best to follow the prophet. I want my kids and grandkids to know that I do what I am asked and especially from our prophet. Marriage is sacred and should be between one man and one woman and that is what we are fighting for!! I have been getting up early and waving signs in front of Raley's at Horseshoe Bar Road and I80 to get the attention of the drivers. We hear all kinds of wonderful remarks and of course we get a lot of bird flipping and yelling at us to balance things out!! (Where is the tolerance in all of that yelling??) A real eye opener for me. I am just so glad I am not in the bay area waving signs and getting things thrown at me!! Luckily our area is pretty supportive of prop 8. Tuesday we all went down to the capital and attended a rally in support of prop 8 and there were about 600 people on the west steps of the capital for a real revival meeting. A lot of pasters and preachers and all kinds of chanting going on to pump us up for the final week of campaigning! It was really fun to get all excited and stand for truth and righteousness. We were surrounded by a lot of wonderful people of color and boy can they sing with their pastors!! Rock on Sisters!! (wish we could do that!) Anyway, just wanted you to know that I am fighting for the cause and learning a lot about people!! Hopefully good will triumph over evil on this one.

My Halloween Mantel

I thought I would show you what my mantel looks like for Halloween and the Fall Season. When I was in Utah I bought this really cool pumpkin and the letters BOO that you can see. The wreaths are hanging on some metal holders that I also bought in Utah but the wreaths were bought here with Christy helping me pick them out. I like the simple look of it and can live with it until Christmas decorations are put up. I am hosting our Tuesday night temple shift party on Saturday and will be feeding dinner to about 40 people. That will be fun! The weather is supposed to be great (around 80 degrees) so that will help with putting some of the guests out under the back covered patio area. I have the decorations that you are used to seeing around the house like black feather trees with little skeletons hanging on them and other fun things. I looks quite festive!

Fiesta Time at the Sessions!!

This picture has nothing to do with the dinner at the Sessions but I wanted you to see what I get to see every morning!! Cute smiles and giggles!! I put these pictures on this blog and they are in the opposite order that I hoped for! I am still trying to figure all these things out. Anyway, continue on for the feasting fun.

Like I said these are not in order of the day!! After we ate and had some fun putting a video together for the Doolittles, Jay wanted to show us his Halloween costume for this year. I about died when I saw him in his whoopi cushion suit. How funny is this??? And he has some other whoopie cushions that he is holding and a book about the art of the fart. (I think Nic could use that book).

I was asked to bring the desserts for the evening and so I made a stop at divine desserts in Loomis (the cute yellow house) and picked out some yummy desserts for the dinner. They were all as good as they look. Wish Julie was around to figure out how to make some of these things.

Here is the beautiful table that Gwen set for all of us. She really out did herself with her fantastic chicken enchiladas, re fried beans, and spanish rice. Debbie brought a wonderful salad and I had desserts. The entertainment was all Jays doing!!! We really had a GREAT time and I don't think I have laughed so hard in ages~! Thanks Gwen and Jay. We are going to take a couple of months off and start back up in January with the group dinners again. Until then we can only dream of the great dinners to come our way.

Jessie can talk!

One of the highlights of my trip was to visit and speak with Jessie. As all of you know he is now awake from his coma and still struggling to recover the use of his limbs. He is amazing to see and talk with about this accident. It was so great to see him smile and laugh and be so happy. He shows not anger towards his condition or towards anyone. What a wonderful spirit he has to be so positive through this trial in his life. He says he sees mom regularly and still remembers everything that happened while he was in a coma. AMAZING!! While I was there I got to see the whole family including Heather and her darling baby girl Trinity. Heather looks great and is such a good mother. I also got to see Cory for the first time since his return from his mission and he looks great also. Wayne and Laurie are hanging in there and doing the best they can for Jessie at this point in his recovery. Laurie should get an honorary degree in nursing with as much hands on training she has had!! Jessie is eating regular food now and I was honored to feed him some lemon me range pie!! He loved it.
I did get a picture with Wayne and he looks really good!! The choir sounded so wonderful and it is so cool to know that I have a brother that gets to sing with them! I think that the message I got from visiting with Jessie is to be happy always and love each other more. Matt and Val came to visit that evening and brought Lauren and her boyfriend David. I was shocked to see Lauren since she had just had emergency surgery on Friday to have her appendix removed! What a trooper. I guess she really wanted a piece of that Marie Calender pie!!

Snow in the Hills

I told you it snowed!! I couldn't believe it at first because we were just up there and it was warm and lovely. What a difference a day makes.
Kandis took these shots out the window of the car as we were driving. She got a few good ones to show you the snow! Thanks dis.

Utah trip in 3 parts

Kandis and Nic wanted to take pictures at Sundance to show off the beautiful leaves and fall color. We were thinking of going up on Saturday between conference but had some time on Friday after meeting with the loan officer to run up and take pictures. These are just a few of the shots I took. The sun was starting to set and the weather was beautiful. So glad we went on Friday because a storm came through that night and it rained all night and all day Saturday. Even snowed. (pictures to follow)
I had to show that I was really there too!!

One of my favorites showing off the color. I know Jacob and Julia and Josh and Alexis are saying that is nothing compared to where they live!! It was still very pretty.

I decided to take a quick trip to Utah to see Kandis and Nic and help them with their house hunt. It was beautiful weather while I was there and I was so excited to see Jessie (my nephew) who is now awake and talking!! General Conference weekend was raining but the talks and music of general conference were wonderful to hear. I still think they should give more air time to the base section of the mo tab!! (you go Wayne) Anyway here are some pictures of the trip starting with Kandis and Nic at Sundance.

Catching up

On the last Sunday in September we had the gang over for a pot luck dinner again and then decided to play some guitar hero. Jay and Gwen had never played before so they decided to give it a try. We had a great dinner of ribs and fix'ns and had fun reading table topics to discuss. Another fun thing was to call Julie and John in Washington DC and include them in our group of discussions!! It was great talking to them and made it seem like they were sitting at the table with us (I wish!)
Here is Gwen concentrating on the music. You go girl!!
O.K. don't laugh!! I still have my apron on from fixing dinner. You can see I have the proper rocker stance and know how to get down with the music. I actually finished a song for once!! Notice Jay in the background (how can you not??)