Paul Gives the Ultimate Gift

It has been an interesting few weeks with Paul. We have a neighbor, Tee, who Paul has wanted to tell about Jesus. Paul brought this up about a month ago after he was baptized and HAS NOT LET IT GO! If you know Paul...when I say, HAS NOT LET IT GO...that means he has talked about it the first moment he wakes up and continues to talk about it during each day.

It's terrible to say, but our first reaction was to just ignore him and hoped he forgot about it. That didn't work, so we went to plan B. We told him that would be great and we'd get around to it one day. That didn't work, so we went to plan C. We decided Glenn would go with him one day when Tee was getting home from work.

Paul wanted to buy him a Bible and take him a candy cane. He wanted to use the candy cane to tell Tee about Jesus' blood forgiving us, the white on the candy cane for our clean heart after salvation, the J for Jesus being the only way, and the Shepherd's hook since Jesus is our shepherd. I suggested that we just write all that out and leave it on Tee's doorstep! That was NOT the way Paul wanted it to happen. He said, "But Mom, I want to be able to see Tee's face when I tell him about Jesus." What can you say to your 8-year-old saying that??? Of course, it was going to work out Paul's way.

Paul woke up this morning and said TODAY WAS THE DAY! When we went to church, Paul talked to our friend, Bryan Scott, about witnessing. Bryan gave Paul some great advice on witnessing. Paul bought a Bible for Tee with his money, wrapped it for him, gathered a few candy canes to give Tee, said a prayer and was ready to go! Glenn and I were way more nervous than Paul...he was ready and nothing was stopping him. Glenn and Paul walked over to Tee's house about 1:30. I could see them through the kitchen window talking to Tee in his garage. Of course I thought...I've to blog this...so I have to have a picture! I felt like the paparazzi and I really hope Tee didn't see the flash! 8-) Unfortunately, due to the angle of my kitchen window from Tee's garage, you can't really see Paul but he is next to Glenn but the truck is hiding him. Oh well, I'm just an amateur paparazzi!

Paul came back so excited. When Tee first came outside, Paul told Tee that he had brought him a Christmas gift and wanted to tell him about the candy cane and about Jesus. Paul said that Tee told the story along with him because he already knew Jesus. But Tee was so thankful that Paul had brought him a Bible and was really appreciative of Paul wanting to share with him. Tee gave Paul an armful of oranges!

We don't know Tee's story or how much of it is true. But we hope Tee knows that Paul loves him and God loves him. Paul knows that he did what God laid on his heart to do and the rest is up to God. I'm so proud of Paul for not giving up on his parents and for continuing to be determined to do what he knew he was supposed to do. He is definitely an example to us! Thanks Paul...we love you! MOM & DAD

2nd Annual Kelley Christmas Program

WOW! What a great time we had last Saturday for the 2nd Annual Kelley Christmas Program! We had 13 families over last Saturday for the program. 28 children were in the program and did a fantastic job! I was so proud of them after just ONE PRACTICE! The kids came last Saturday morning for 2 hours to practice and get our costumes organized. Then all the families and some grandparents (for a total of 70 people...NO, my house isn't that big!) came back for the program and dinner. The house was full of good food, great friends, lots of kids, tons of laughter, and the real meaning of Christmas! Thanks to everyone for coming!

Christmas Traditions

I LOVE CHRISTMAS! It is so much fun with kids. The excitement they have is contagious! We pulled our Christmas decorations out earlier this week and they had so much fun going through the boxes and putting out our decorations. We went today and got our two trees (one that I can decorate with my pretty ornaments and one for them to decorate with their "not-all-so-pretty" ornaments). We decorated their tree tonight before they went to bed. Tons of fun!




Another tradition we started last year that was a BLAST was "Elf on the Shelf". We got our book last year and named our elf, "Elfvis". He is so cute! He comes back every year and watches the kids during the day, goes to the North Pole at night to report to Santa, and then is in a different spot each morning (but usually not before doing something silly around the house). The kids jump out of bed and run around the house trying to find "Elfvis". It is so much fun! You can talk to him (and believe me, they do!) but you can't touch him. He showed up tonight during dinner...the doorbell rang...and THERE HE WAS! We read our book, the kids went to bed, and Elfvis with be somewhere different in the morning. The kids are really into Elfvis...Paul was concerned that he may be hungry so he gave him some snacks and wrote him a note. 8-)






There are other traditions we have that will take place as we get closer to Christmas...I'm sure there will be more to post! MERRY CHRISTMAS!

A Wonderful Thanksgiving Day

What a wonderful day it was! We went to our cabin in Fort Valley with a lot of our family (about 60 people) and had a great day. Tons of food...lots of kids...zip lines...hayrides...4-wheeling...skeet shooting...boat rides...more food...lot of laughing...swings...fun on the dock...did I mention lots of food?? We had a lot to be thankful for and we spent the day enjoying our family. Blessings were all around us! Enjoy the slideshow of our day! 8-)

Very Blessed

Today was a great day for our family! Paul had chosen today to be baptized after becoming a Christian a few months ago. He has been so excited about his baptism and couldn't wait for the day to get here. I heard him jump out of bed this morning yelling loudly, "I'm dead! I'm dead...I'm dead to my sinful ways!" Then he proceeded to tell Addie, "But Addie, now listen, I'm not perfect. I'm still going to sin after becoming a Christian and being baptized. I'm probably still going to be mean to you sometimes." It was definitely a way to start the day with a smile on my face! We had a wonderful day at church with family and friends, then to Jeneannes for lunch, and back to the house for dessert and gifts. It was a special day! Glenn told the kids tonight that watching his kids come to know Jesus and choosing to follow Him as their Lord and Savior will be the highlight of his life. Paul's face doesn't show in the pictures or video like we saw it today watching him but his face showed joy...deep down God-given joy!

Video of the Baptism

Addie's Journal

One of my favorite things to do is to look under Addie's bed and read things she's written. Some are notes she has written to other people, some are notes she's written to Paul, sometimes it is something she's written in her journal. It's so cute! ENJOY BUT DON'T TELL ADDIE! 8-)

This is something she wrote to Paul and he answered her question with a "yes". 8-)



This is a letter and picture she wrote to Paul about their love and friendship. 8-)



This is a letter she wrote to her friend, Ethan, but I found it in the trash. It's a good thing she didn't give it to him because he wasn't planning on marrying Addie anyway! 8-)

Our Fun-Filled Fall

We've enjoyed the month of October...the beginning of fall has been in the air. It has been cool in the mornings and on the perfect days...it has stayed cool all day. We look forward to more of those kind of days. It's been a busy month so I'll just highlight with a few pictures from some of our fun-filled fall days!

Emma's Hoe-Down in 3K





Pumpkin Patch





Halloween Party for Emma with her friends, Evie & Athena





Halloween