Merry Christmas 2010

Merry Christmas, 2010!

Life gets better and better, the older we all get. We pray God will bless all of you and yours this year.

Allen: He continues to Master the Scouts (as Scoutmaster of our troop at church) and loves every minute of it. At work, Qwest was acquired by CenturyLink this summer. He has added a lot of value and looks forward to staying on in the new company after the acquisition takes effect April 1 of 2011. He accompanied the church Christmas party with flair on the piano and provided music for an Eagle project at a homeless family shelter. He coached Marion through her audition and practicing for Beauty and the Beast, providing practice CDs, great suggestions, and impromptu backup tirelessly. The rental houses have been rented all year, for which we are grateful.

Erin: I play the piano for Primary (the children’s group at church) and help plan the women’s meetings for Relief Society. A couple of mornings a week, I volunteer at Samuel and Nathan’s school. Two afternoons a week I teach piano lessons. The past three weeks I accompanied the middle school choirs. It was really fun to work with the students and learn new Christmas music. Their director is an amazing musician who was also really fun to work with.

Jacob: He’s 15 now and just completed his first season of high school football. He played offensive and defensive line and worked really hard. Seminary and school are going well for Jacob this year. He played percussion in his first band concert (much to his mother’s joy) Wednesday, December 8^th. He has his learner’s permit and is making steady progress.

Marion: She’s 13 and keeps up a whirlwind of activities. She starred in Beauty and the Beast at the middle school this spring. This fall, she’s been teaching piano lessons one afternoon a week, taking piano lessons, singing in the choir at church (much to her mother’s joy), babysitting, acting in “Comic Book Artist” at the middle school, and staying on the Principal’s Honor Roll.

Adam: He’s 11. He just achieved Second Class in Boy Scouts. His ceramic shoe had realistic-looking shoelaces. He enjoyed playing soccer again this year, as a fullback. He kicked well and blocked many potential goals. He has started singing in the choir at church, much to his mother’s joy. He keeps careful track of his grades and is on the Honor Roll.

Samuel: He’s 7 and is making great progress. The assistant principal from a couple of years ago is married to Sam’s current 2^nd grade teacher. He remarked that Sam has made tremendous progress in just the last 2 years. The teachers, aides, and therapists have supported him so well, kept him moving forward, and been responsive to his needs. They are a great team and we’re grateful for them. Sam loves singing, except when I want him to, acting, public speaking, dancing, cracking jokes, laughing, telling stories, running and jumping, dogs, cars, and smiling. He brings us light and joy every day. What a blessing he is to our family. He learned to sing “Angels We Have Heard on High” and ends it with ‘in excelsis Daddy-o’!

Nathan: He’s 5. He signs his wall art “Sam did it.” Doesn’t fool anyone but I can’t clean it off the wall yet. ;) He could read before he started kindergarten and loves to go to school. He is such a curious boy and loves to memorize new facts and tell them to us. He and Samuel learned Marion’s songs from Beauty and the Beast and sang them randomly around the house, much to their mother’s joy. I’m teaching him piano lessons and he catches on quickly. He is a conscientious boy who likes to be prepared and on time. I don’t know where he gets that from, but we sure love him and are so grateful he came to our family.

We hope you find joy in your families and loved ones this Christmas season. We love you and hope to see you soon.

Love,

Allen and Erin

Jacob, Marion, Adam, Samuel, and Nathan