Christmas Cheer!

This is something we do every year in conjunction with the Nazarine Church.

We, along with others in our ward, collect specific items and fill these boxes for children in under-priveleged areas. The boxes include hats, gloves, socks, tooth paste and brushes, small toys, candy and several other items. About 2,000 in all are collected.

These are just a few of the boxes we collected and wrapped

Our friends Joe and Annette are the ones that got this started.

More of fun from Oregon

Adam playing with his kids Owen and Averi. He's such a good dad!

More of the Bishop's

Averi helping or eating cookies

Cute little Christopher Trost at work. He takes jobs very serious

Owen's tongue is already for his first taste

Random Thanksgiving pictures!

Stacey's kids love the computer and are really quite good. Owen is only 3, just couldn't last through his game.

Shalyn visiting with Stacey and feeding Wade.

Obviously after dinner!

Jake, what a sharp dresser!

Chris, well Chris is hard to catch. He was after his favorite Thanksgiving treat!

Great Memories!

These pictures ended up in opposite order than I thought. We were blessed to go to Oregon to spend a few days during Thanksgiving with Whitnie and her family, Keith and Lindsay, and Stacey and Adam and family came up from California. Not only is it great having family together. Many of our Thanksgivings when our children all lived at home were spent with our daughter-in-law Jenni's family, the Nelson's. Joe Nelson, Jenni's brother, and his family came from Seattle area to spend a few days. It was great laughing and having fond memories of the past. Please note, Owen decorated the jello with just a few m&m's, he said that was his piece.

I don't know how we ever got such a reverent picture of Chase Nelson and Owen Bishop. That was a rarity.

The girls were much more reverent. Averi Bishop in blue, Clarissa and Corrine Nelson, used to live in same ward in California and were good friends.

Shalyn Nelson, Keith Klinger Averi and Clarissa. We had a few snacks before dinner.

Joe Nelson and Chase. So good to see everyone!

Great Thanksgiving in Oregon!

Everyone had their jobs! Brody, tried to oversee Lindsay making pudding cake, but as you can see, being directly under the mixer was not a good idea.

Stacey's job was to check the adds for our next days 5 am shopping spree!

Averi's specialty specialty was whipping cream.

Owen's was separating m&m's by color. How did he get that job?

Randy's was entertaining others with jeep rides

What to get husbands for Christmas?

Usually I have wonderfully clever ideas on what to get Les for Christmas. This year I am drawing an absolute blank. After 45 years of marriage, I have just plain run out of ideas. Does any one have any clever ideas for a useful Christmas present for men?

WAHOO!

Gas at Costco is down to $1.97! We never thought we would see gas prices that low, and it's great at Thanksgiving. We are going to try to go to Whitnie and Lindsay's for Thanksgiving. We have people lined up to visit with mom each day and our Bishop and his wife are bringing her Thanksgiving dinner. We have to wait till the last minute to see how she is doing first. So far so good!