Pumpkin Patch 2011

We couldn't let another year pass by without a visit to the Pumpkin Patch! This tradition started when Cameron was about 8 weeks old and I use the annual photos to measure the girls' annual growth and visual changes.

We put off taking a photo this year until after Douglas arrived. Since he was almost two weeks later than originally expected, I was beginning to wonder whether we would be able to pull it off before the pumpkins disappeared. However, this Sunday afternoon turned out to be a beautiful day, although a bit overrun with mosquitos. We managed to get some great photos of the kids. (How strange to say "kids" instead of "girls" now.)

This is Cameron's first Pumpkin patch photo since she began wearing glasses in August, but they don't hide her beautiful blue eyes at all!

Another year older, Brenna still has her confident smile.


Welcome Douglas! Only nine days old, this will be the first of many years of "birthday" photos for him.

These girls really love and dote on their baby brother, sometimes to the point of arguing over who gets to hold him and rock him.

While at the CLUMC pumpkin patch, a lady offering "free photos" asked if she could put my son in a basket. We didn't know at the time that she is a kids photographer just giving back to the church. These next two photos are from my camera at an off-angle from her, but you can see how she carefully placed him in the basket.

I must say that in other photos, his little ears have never stuck out like they appear here! It must be the angle I took the photo. I never would have thought to put him in a basket like this. How creative!

I can't wait to receive the actual pictures taken by the photographer tomorrow or the next day. Depending on how she captured the image, I may consider using one of these for his official birth announcement.

Happy Mothers Day

Everybody slept in at SBR this morning. I shared coffee and conversation with Dad while Mom fixed breakfast and the girls worked on a special banner.



They also drew several pictures for me.






Dad & I went out to the new 78 to move the bulldozer and take out a gate, replacing it with barbed wire. Bryan and the guys have strung wire with Dad before, but this was the first time I helped alone. The hardest part was pounding the metal stakes into the dry, hard ground. When we started it was very nice outside -overcast and not terribly hot, although the dust gets into everything. In your nose, mouth, coats your skin & clothes. We were coated with dust and sweat before we finished and the sun burned off the clouds letting the sun beat down.









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Location:Silver Mine Road Harwood,Harwood,United States

Getting ready for Santa

It's been a very full and busy day in the kitchen this Christmas Eve. The girls baked cookies, made fudge (which didn't set and got tossed out), baked pizza muffins for lunch, and helped Bryan as he made four batches of peanut brittle. Meanwhile I made Paleo apple muffins for breakfast, a Paleo breakfast casserole, and three pies for tomorrow.

We attended the 8:30 p.m. Christmas Eve Mass and Cameron altar served. The combined adult choirs performed for about thirty minutes before Mass and overwhelmed all of us with a beautiful Hallelujah Chorus after Communion. Surprisingly it wasn't crowded at all; there were plenty of seats available. The downpour and lightening outside may have discouraged some from attending. After Mass, the girls were excited to get things ready for Santa's arrival. Brenna placed a cookie and peanut brittle piece, alongside the milk. Cameron created a cross as a gift for Santa.

Bryan opened up the fireplace and set out towels for Santa's wet feet....

Merry Christmas Eve. Sweet dreams to all!

Slump It Fuse It

The WAVE program at Westbrook includes creative mini-courses that rotate every 9 weeks. Cameron gets to request certain classes, though there is no guarantee she'll be assigned to her first choice.

The first 9 weeks she did KWIS news, a short television news program. For that class she worked on-screen doing the weather and behind the camera (literally) as cameraman.

She started this 9 weeks with a 4.5 week "Creativity" course (her 7th choice) and is ending with her first pick, a course called "Slump It Fuse It."

She had to put together a box with gloves, goggles, and apron because they were working with glass. Today she brought home her first project (of two) and I'm super impressed!

I don't know whether you can see the details of this pretty glass, but she cut clear glass and colored glass, added frit (green dots), and full fused it in a kiln. How cool is this!

Brenna's Love Note

Brenna set up this little love note for me using the magnetic poetry set I received years ago from Dove. Can you read it? "mom has unique beauty love daughters". She shaped the rest of the words into a heart.

Parker Grace

Congratulations to Amanda & Brad as they welcome their daughter, Parker Grace. Cameron and Brenna are thrilled to have their first Kelly cousin, born Wednesday, November 24,at 4:23 pm. weighing 8 lbs. 5.3 oz., and measuring 20.5 inches.

Even Bryan was very moved when he received the news. He commented that it was a little different for him since this is his first niece on his side of the family, his brother's child.

When Brad called last night, I could hear the emotion in Bryan's voice and it reminded me of vividly of when he called his mother after Cameron was born.

We both spent a lot time thinking and talking about Donna and how much this new granddaughter would mean to her. We'll all make sure that Parker knows something about her Grandma Donna.

Welcome little Parker! We can't wait to meet you and for a moment be one big Kelly family.

Pumpkin patch

Another year at the pumpkin patch, but this year they don't look like little girls anymore at all.