Merry Christmas to all of our family and friends!
Thank you for your kindness, caring and compassion towards my wonderful family. I appreciate your friendship and concern. Even the fact that you take the time to read our blog (and sometimes even post a response) means a lot to me.
I enjoy the tradition of reviewing some of the blessings, events, and individual accomplishments at the end of a year; I believe it can help us express gratitude to God for His bounteous blessings.
Below is our family collage for the year. Tim saw it and said, "Wow, I do not remember that, when did we take that picture?" Puzzled, David asked Tim if he know that it was a bunch of photos put together to which Tim replied, "Oh, that makes more sense."
Some of my most cherished memories from this year:
- Celebrating my tenth anniversary with David with two couple outings (in addition to our weekly dates)!
- Celebrating the children's 9th, 7th, 5th, and 2nd birthdays. We had 3 friend birthday parties and 6 family parties. Each one marked a passing stage, leading toward more great things to come. I continue to be amazed at how they grow. One particular point I've noted recently is their sincerity in prayers. They are each expressing gratitude and seeking Divine help without vain repetition. It is enough to make this mom's heart happy and feel they are gaining the protection they need in this ever-changing world.
- Josh and Allison's kindness in providing a refuge from a smoke-filled mountain. We were evacuated from our home due to a wildfire in June. My brother called to offer a place to crash in spite of his family's busy schedule and birthday plans. Many individuals would allow us to come and stay, but they saw the need (pillars of smoke) and extended an offer.
- Going to St. George and Zion's National Park in August to show the children how to be happy camping in monsoon weather. Fun! We greatly appreciated having a wonderful sister come along and great friends to camp with. The moon over the mountains in the summer evening remains a treasured memory. I still laugh at how Maggie and Tim "overcame" their fear of heights, while just saying the words "Angel's Landing" causes involuntary shutters in my husband.
- Having Mom (Nannie) come while David managed his responsibilities at scout camp eased my burden and blessed our lives. Good times.
- The children and I enjoyed the Living Planet Aquarium membership. Petting the sharks and stingrays, laughing at pooping penguins, shivering at glow in the dark cockroaches and scorpions, taking picture after picture of the children posing in the Amazon Rainforest, playing hide-n-seek in the coral reef, and chasing Susanna from room to room then peeling her off the educational game computers are just a few of the memories I cherish from the Aquarium.
Susanna
She is strong willed, opinionated, mischievous, loving, tender and highly observant. She is truly a gift to David; he finally has a daddy's girl constantly cuddle and give him hugs. She always points out his office as we pass, is the first to give him hugs, and regularly spends the evenings sitting on his lap as he plows through his eighteen to twenty hour days. It does not hurt that he lets her enjoy his electronics and watch Phineas & Ferb on his iPad.
Amirrah
This year Amirrah made great improvements in violin through diligent practice and an amazing violin teacher. She had her first concert after just 3 months of studies. Each performance, whether at home, visiting friends, or for her teacher's Doctoral classmates, improves her skill and confidence. She continues to fly through her education: she finished online preschool with flying colors, tested out of kindergarten, began home school. She enjoys studying Spanish and math. Now if we could only get her to clean up after herself... If it were not an insult we would nickname her "Tornado."
Timothy
May be the youngest child to make the under-nine competition soccer teams in the State. In spite of his youth, his lock-down defense earned him the most playing time of anyone on the team in his first season. He served as captain and earned the nickname 'hawk' because of his bird-like method of sweeping in to steal the ball (along with his accompanying chicken-wing arm position). Tim is a great friend, kind to anyone he meets, and a favorite of his teacher.
Maggie
Our little imperfect perfectionist continues to excel in school. She loves the Aquarium otters so much, she opted to study otters for a major school research paper. Her busy schedule includes piano, exercise, and a lot of helping around the house. It is not easy being the oldest, but she continues to prove resilient in spite of our consistent struggles at parenting. Maggie joins me in my Traditional Chinese Medicine studies and is particularly attune to the ebb and flow of life within individuals. Her emotions run deep along with her desires to do good, and develop her many hobbies. She loves drawing, crocheting, and hopes to begin learning flute within the next year or few.
Me!
I am learning just how much David did around the house now that a lot of his time is spent working on a PhD. Homeschooling Ami has been quite the learning experience. It has built a stronger relationship between me and our "middle child" while helping me understand the educational process. I continue to sew here and there for "In-and-Out Burger" cash - though my cooking is vastly improved so our journeys there are less frequent! I enjoy studying the human body and Traditional Chinese Medicine for my personal development and our family's health. I also get to play around with violin as I help Ami with her practices. Aside from the normal challenges that accompany life, I am enjoying this time of growth and giving.
David
Continues to develop his many talents, mind, and parenting skills. One way he is working on this is by pursuing a Doctorate of Philosophy (PhD) at Utah State University. He is in the Theory and Practice of Professional Communication Program. (USU is one of the top 5 in the country for the field!) For those who are not aware, this field studies written, digital, and verbal communication along with rhetoric. Working full time, exercising, coaching Tim's soccer team, and his other responsibilities leave him sleepless in Eagle Mountain.
In spite of such a busy schedule, he still puts us before his schoolwork and pursuits. I am well aware of how lucky I am to be married to an individual who
puts my and the children's wants before his own; who provides for all of
our desires, presides in wisdom with inspiration, and protects the
family physically, emotionally, and spiritually. I love how simple the
decision to do what is right is for him. When he understands something,
or receives an assignment, or learns something that will help him be
better, he just does it.
May you and your family experience happiness this season and through the upcoming year!
Thank you for caring!
