30 Names

These are the names of 25 toddlers who live in Zambia

And these are the names of 5 precious women who love them.

"Let the Children come to me" Luke 18:15

Meagan, Betsy, Courtney, Kelsey, & Jana:

You are prayed for by me & 200 + freshman girls at OC.

Favorite Christmas Song

#17 "Go Tell It on the Mountain" Big Daddy Weave

Amy K.

My life in these fab boots.

I celebrate occasions by buying shoes....

And I will celebrate today with these...

Watch out Today.... cause I got my $30 leather boots on.

(You edit pictures of your children... I edit pictures of my shoes)

THIS IS FOR YOU GINNY & ANGELA

Favorite Christmas Song

#16 "Happy Holiday"- Nsync

Amy K.

Christmas in August anyone?

Let the jealousy start cause Christmas comes to good little girls twice..... well at least I celebrate it twice and it really has nothing to do with being good. More like obsessed with this commercialized holiday..... oh gosh I realized what a dork I am going to sound like but I am writing this blog anyway.

August and December.... my months of X-mas

Follow me for a minute....

There is this little thing called Earn Your Wings or EY-Dub, to many.

Its OC's welcome week for new students..... and I love it. Holy Hannah, do I love it. Its one of my favorite weeks of the year and thus I started comparing it to Christmas. Its the natural thing to do. I think the exact phrase I used was "This is like my Christmas" and from that point one, EYW was changed forever.

So now the Monday before it starts is "Christmas Eve" and then when we have our big kick off ceremony, I will yell something like, "Christmas is here"

The students now indulge me making huge Christmas signs.... and I love them for it!

And playing NSYNC Christmas all week long. There is nothing like jamming out to "Merry Christmas" in August

And with these lovely ladies, we even had Christmas night, filled with presents and treats.

So Christmas in August has a cowboy theme..... Stop judging..... Its my made up holiday.

The boys were so excited for E-Dub Christmas. They took this picture.... I AM judging each of you!

We even have candles and sing Christmas songs.... J slash K. We don't sing christmas songs.

FAVORITE CHRISTMAS SONGS

#13 "White Christmas"- Bing Crosby

#14 "We wish you a Merry Christmas"- John Denver and Muppets

#15 "Merry Christmas with Love" Clay Aiken

AK

Count Down til Christmas

My family has many traditions but this is one of my favorites!

Look past the hooks and the crocked hanging thing on the left

And the cute stockings that have yet to be bedazzled (even though the rhinestones have been bought)

Nope its that old looking thing in the middle..... with the chocolate on it... and with the hanging thing behind it, that I was too lazy to take down.

Growing up each Kelly kid had a count down to Christmas. My sisters had matching ones and Nathan had a big Santa.... but I had this one. I thought it was beautiful. My Mom did the cross stitching and I am sure I added that nice water stain on the right.

Now, I know you are thinking this is precious but let me tell some hard truths about the Christmas count down. I love chocolate and for a kid to have to stare at it all month long, was next to death. I also had sisters who would save theirs for days, so they could eat them all at once. Their kisses would just sit there waiting for someone to eat them.... and maybe one went missing but you can't blame me if you just leave them there tempting me. I also had a brother who hated chocolate..... I have no words for the kid who never ate his.

But all in all sweet mother...... I loved it and still do!

FAVORITE CHRISTMAS SONGS

#10 "Snow, Snow, Snow"- White Christmas- KC and Tara, this one is for you

#11 "The Christmas Song" Michael Buble- 3rd favorite Crooner

#12"12 Days of Christmas"- Straight No Chaser

AK

You know its cold when....

You drive past the outdoor skating rink and no one is skating....

When freshman drop $20 for starbucks

When boys try to prove they are men by wearing no gloves

When the girls wont go near the guys

And when someone's iphone reads 23 degrees

But the cold always gives reason to take really cute pictures

We totally matched.... and we totally did not plan it

This is Sweet Caroline.... She just so cute and little. She fits right in your arms.

Good luck freshmen with finals and hope you didn't get hypothermia.

Favorite Christmas Songs

#7 Breath of Heaven- Amy Grant

#8 Thistle Hair- Alabama- This is a shout out to Ben and Ryan.

#9 When my Heart Finds Christmas- Harry Connick Jr.- The 2nd of my top three crooners.

AK

Don't say I am not impacting the next generation.

2006

At the age of 1, she would sit still long enough for me to paint both her nails and toe nails. And I fell a little more in love with her.

2009

The only difference three years later is, she can carry on a conversation with the very kind nail tech and she knows the difference between the wrong color red and the right color red.

By the end of the manicure, Star Nails was in love too.... That was until my niece said very loudly to the women getting her hair cut, "Is that a girl or a boy?" hahhah

Favorite Christmas Songs

#4 Silent Night- Frank Sinatra..... Because you have to have Frank, gosh just listen to that voice.

#5 All I want for Christmas- Mariah Carey

#6 Grown Up Christmas List- Amy Grant & dedicated to LJP

AK

Did you ever get a walkie talkie for Christmas?

The most important thing about this picture is not that LJP and I took a picture...

Which we rarely do...

No its this.....

A great and powerful black walkie talkie!

Seriously, everything is better when you are given power in the form of a walkie talkie.

You can say things like "over and out" "umm breaker breaker this is Amy" "Roger that" ohhhh and you have to say "niner".... you just have too!

I didn't have many jobs but one of my jobs was to make sure Santa got moved outside in time to light the campus. On the WT it sounded like "Santa is on the move, repeat Big Red is on the move"

And when I wasn't acting like I was 5 years old, I guess there was a huge OC event going on.

OC Lighting of the Commons 2009

Mama came up!

I just wanted to show the cute sign... I was covered in glitter but it was worth it.

My sweet sweet girls!

I think everyone should take pictures by big trees.... It makes you look skinny.

This is my brother. Have you met him yet?

This is him. Nathan Thomas. He is precious and puts up with me.

Oh and he is a very talented photographer. I swear I am not biased.

Its just true.

Favorite Christmas Song #3:

"Baby It's Cold Outside" by Dean Martin

It must be a drunk Dean Martin.... no one slurs it like him.

Over and out,

AK