End of Year Wrap Up

Ummm, is it the end of the year already?  How is that possible?  For my records, it is family update time.

Ellie is two and a half years old and hilarious/spunky/cuddly/full of life.  She keeps us on our toes and is so smart it scares me!  (I guess that what happens when you have four older siblings teaching you the ways of the world!)  She gave up her beloved binky recently and proudly declares, "I'm a big girl!"  She loves nursery, being read to, lining things up, and her favorite:  dancing.  Every day is a dance party for Ellie!

Sydney is in kindergarten and loves it so much.  She is learning to read and comes home with the funniest stories.  She has learned yoga, how to be drug-free and all about cwusses (crushes) in school so far this year.  :)  She is sweet and fun, likes to tease and is the best mom in our house.

Austin recently turned eight years old and was thrilled to be baptized with his cousin, Jace, on Halloween.  Austin is a deep thinker and VERY competitive.  He excels in sports (any sport) and has a six pack at the age of eight.  Austin is fun and funny and loves Math.  He started piano in the Fall and loves it.

Derek will soon be ten years old.  He was disappointed to find out at the beginning of the school year that his part-time glasses wearing needed to become full-time as his eyes have worsened this year.  We were happy to get his headaches under control with a new prescription.  Derek has always liked Math, but has a recently acquired love of reading.  (Hurray!!)  He has never been interested in reading at all and at the beginning of the school year I bribed him with $20 if he would read the first Harry Potter book in a week.  Derek is always motivated by financial rewards, so he got busy.  He finished before his week was up and has gone on to read Harry Potter 1-4 (I told him he can't read 5 quite yet.  Maybe this summer.)  Hatchet, the Michael Vey series, The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe and is currently on book 5 of the Percy Jackson series!  It makes me so happy to see him try and sneak a little reading in any chance he gets.  He went from reading the most basic chapter books (skimming them, really)  to becoming a complete book worm almost overnight.  I love it!  Derek is a fan of soccer playing, but doesn't like to watch any sports.  He keeps us laughing and is fantastic at retaining random facts, just like his mother.

Zack is a seventh grader and will be 13 in a few weeks.  (what?!  how is that possible?)  Zack loves middle school, soccer, reading, piano, drawing and recently, cross-country running.  He is a speedy little guy.  Although he is not so little any more!  He has grown almost two inches just since the beginning of the school year and continues to eat us out of house and home on a daily basis.  He is thriving in the Advanced Learning Program at the Middle School.  That kid loves a challenge.

Laurie keeps busy chasing the kids, keeping them fed, clothed, fed and on top of homework.  And fed.  Did I mention fed?  Those three boys eat.a.lot.  I am scared for my grocery bill when all three of them are teenagers.  Being at home with the kids is the best job in the world.  They keep me on my toes constantly, humble me and teach me so much.  Cub scouts and YW also give me things to do when I get bored.  Yeah, right, cause I am bored a lot.  But I do read quite a bit in my spare time.

Matt is on his third year as Scoutmaster in our ward.  Maybe fourth, I can't remember any more.  He is pretty much the best scoutmaster of all time.  He loves that Zack gets to be there with him and he is always planning a new adventure for the boys.  He has been working at BlueCoat for the last almost eight years and one of his favorite things about working there is the quick access to mountain biking on his lunch breaks.  Matt enjoys the outdoors, photography, taking care of our yard and planning adventures for our family like biking, hiking, backpacking, etc.

This past year we have grown so much as a family.  None of us are without challenges and we have learned much this year.  We are so grateful for the guidance we find in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Our greatest joy is knowing that through Him, it is possible for us to be together forever.  Happy New Year!  Bring it, 2016!!!