They made it finally

After a 26 hour delay Adam and Rob Nelson finally made it to the Fresno Airport.

Our welcoming committee

Elder Nelson's welcoming committe
Adam and Rob went into the MTC the same day both going to the same Portugal Mission. They are both from the Hanford Stake. They came home together. It was fun at the airport seeing them both return.

What a wonderful experience they have had for the past two years, sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ in Portugal.

Waiting for the big moment to arrive

Our grandchildren were almost half asleep by the time Adam's flight finally came in at midnight. Carter and Lindsay

Johnathan and Tanner

The big moment has finally arrived.

Decorating for Adam to come home

Carter (Tricia's son) tying yellow ribbons on our bushes.

Elizabeth (Heather's daughter)

Practicing

Our grandchildren sang in church last week after Adam spoke. Some of them are pacticing in this video. I love hearing them sing.

Captured Moments

Rose (Allyson's daughter) having fun in the cupboard.

Doug, Joshua and Heather enjoying a quiet moment.

Byron and Tricia went on a cruise to Ensenada, Mexico. we enjoyed watching their children. When they got home Bradley didn't want his Mother out of his sight.

Family Gift Exchange

Family Fun

Sisters fun

I really appreciated all of the great cooks in my kitchen.

Jared, Michael, Tanner, and Camille got Adam's drums ready for Adam to enjoy when he got home.

New Screen Door

Shortly before Chrismas we noticed that our screen door was coming of the hinge. When Jared got to our house he was determined to fix it. It was time to buy anew door. I love the one they picked out. Thanks Jared, Doug and Byron for all of your help. It looks great!

More fun

Jade (Jared's daughter) playing her version of connect 4.

Ashley, Hailey (Janessa's daughters), Rachel (Heather's daughter), and Parker (Tricia's son).

Bradley (Tricia's son)

It was wonderful to have our family together

All of our family were able to be with us by December 30th. It was wonderful to be together and enjoy each others company. This is Johnathan and Tanner (Tricia's sons).

FUN, WILD, and WONDERFUL HOLIDAYS

Christmas morning at our house was wonderful. We had Mark & Lilly, Janessa, Mitchell and their children, Ally, Dallin and their children with us. We always enjoy watching the little ones excitement on this special day. I misplaced my camera and so I had to borrow this picture from Janessa.
Santa left us a Wii and we have really enjoyed the fun it has brought for everyone.

Gift to Jesus Tag - Thanks Tiffany and Janessa

What gift can I give you for Christmas this year?
What gift can I give to bring love and good cheer?
What gift can I give you to tell you I care,
A gift you’ll remember, a gift we can share?
The gift that I’ll give can’t be bought in a store,
It doesn’t cost money—it’s worth much, much more!
The gift that I’ll give doesn’t come from a shelf.
The gift that I’ll give is a gift of myself!
The gift of charity, the pure love of Christ.
The best gift that we can give this holiday season.
Tag Rules:1.) Post this tag on your blog.
2.) Between now and Christmas do a secret service for someone in need.
3.) Tag everyone!!

Doug had Cataract Surgery

We have had a busy month. On Tuesday Doug had Cataract Surgery and it went really well. He is really happy to be able to see more clearly. We are both very grateful. He gets to go back to school today.
He might have surgery on his other eye in about a month.
Modern medicine is so very amazing. Thank goodness for eyes!

I Love our Young Women

Last night was our Young Women in Excellence. It had to be postponed twice and finally we were able to have it. It went very well. Each year we have a Power Point Presentation of the whole year. I love putting it together but making sure the equipment works stresses me to the max. I need to write down all the hints I have learned each year so next time it will be less stressful.
This is a picture of some of our Young Women decorating for our Branch Christmas Party. I left my battery home last night so I wasn't able to get any pictures. Thank goodness one of the Mother's brought her camera and saved the day.

Thanksgiving

We really enjoyed Thanksgiving. It was very relaxing and we invited Rosa Garcia to join us. She is Doug's wonderful Aide at school. We had the works, the only thing I didn't make that we usually have was cranberries. They are not Doug's favorite. We had a great time visiting with Rosa and getting to know her better. She is a very sweet person.

I spent a lot of time thinking about our family gatherings of years gone by. I'm so glad that we lived near our extended family for many years so that we were able to enjoy big family get togethers. I'm grateful for all of the wonderful warm memories.
The day after instead of hitting the stores Christmas Shopping like we have done most years, we Rug Doctor'd our carpets. It was so wonderful to get that done.
On Saturday we took a break and went to the new James Bond Movie and bought a new rug for our Living Room.

Yeah! Jared is off to Grad School

George Fox University

His masters degree will be in Business Administration and he will start in January.
Congratulations, Jared on your acceptance!

Short but Sweet Visit with Mark & Lilly

It was great to visit with Mark and Lilly this weekend. I am so glad that they live in California and we get to see them a little more often.

The Fun of Book Fair Has Come and Gone

It is so fun to see the students eyes take in the library full of so many new and fun books. It is like magic. We sold many and it is always exciting to see the parents so involved with their children's reading.
This year our Tiger Mascot came for the students to have their picture taken. He made his debut at the "Cotton Parade" this year.
The book fair is a lot of fun but a lot of hard work. It is nice when the truck pulls away, the final money deposited and accounted for and the money for the books mailed off to Scholastic. That is what I call relief.
By next Novemeber I'll be ready to go for it again.

Squirting Pumpkins is a hit in Corcoran

For the past two years our Young Women have did Face Painting at our Branch Halloween Party and the adults have taken care of the Squirting Pumpkins. Linda Halverstadt and Doug kept the children happy with treats and squirt guns. I enjoy Halloween because the children get to pretend for a night and have treats that take care of the annual sweet tooth.

Halloween Fun!!!

Amber, Carol and Ilisa had a good time face painting at our Branch Halloween Party. The children loved it and it was a really fun evening.