Merry Christmas!!!

It is hard to believe that another year has gone by. It seems that time is passing so quickly. I was just picking our Halloween costumes a few days ago. This has been a wonderful year for our family and we feel very fortunate. Today I posted my last assignment in the Maters Degree program with the University of Idaho. I will now begin my internship and next spring I will graduate with my degree in Educational Leadership. I will be a certified Principal. I am thankful for the program the U of I offers, it has allowed me to be a mother and a wife while completing my degree. Awesome.

Stormie has grown up so much this year. Kent and I were remembering how badly we wanted her thirteen years ago and how hard it was to get her here. What a blessing she is in our lives. And she is absolutely beautiful even though she is 13 and very much a teenager, sassy and all. Stormie had to have minor surgery this summer on her foot and what a trooper she was! The night of her surgery she had dance practice for the Temple Celebration, she was not about to miss it and did not take one pain killer to get through it. I was so proud of her She spent the remainder of her summer preparing for the Temple Celebration. What a wonderful experience and a tremendous testimony builder. I am so thankful she had that opportunity and I was in admiration of the youth both nights I watched as they pulled together an amazing program in honor of our area and our temple. Stormie is in the 8th grade this year, is a cheerleader and just finished a season of basketball in which her team took second in the tournaments. She did AWESOME! I loved watching her play. She is looking forward to cheering and snow skiing this winter. She plays the violin and piano with ease, I am so jealous! She is a great friend to her classmates and I love hearing about every detail of her day each night. She is a beautiful daughter of our Heavenly Father and I am sure he is as pleased as I am.

Shandler is 10 and in the 5th grade this year. She is so busy and would not have it any other way. She dances with a teacher right here in Declo and loves it. Shandler also plays the violin and piano. She plays the piano so easily and the music comes to her with ease. She loves to play duets with Linda and Linda loves Shandler! Shandler spent the summer wake boarding and tried to gain enough courage for a jump over the wake. A major wipe out kept that from happening more than once. She also had another superb year at the fair, riding her horse. We did have a few battles over riding lessons and pattern practices but it paid off with ribbons and two trophies. She is doing so well in school this year and was the top of her class at the last Parent-teacher conference. Her teacher even complimented her dad and I for teaching her to be such a great listener. .. this flabbergasted me... she has very selective hearing at home. She is anxious for snow this year because she has a new snowboard and is excited to learn a new way of getting down the mountain. Shandler is definitely the middle child, but she handles it well, sometimes better than me. She is a burst of energy everywhere she goes and loves life. We could all learn from Shandler. She is growing up and my little girl is changing before my eyes, I am glad she still likes dolls and barbies. She adds so much to our family and we love her, she has a tender spirit that often reminds me how lucky I was to be chosen to be her mother.

Sayger is our little man. He is soooo funny. We all laugh at Sayger and the many comments he makes to send us into rolls of laughter. He is so innocent and it is evident in his questions and comments about life around him. He loves Taekwondo and is doing so well. He is also reading everything he can get his hands on and like his father, he has a skill for math. Lucky kid! Sayger is also taking piano this year, he has a short attention span for sitting at the piano but he is doing well. He is even playing songs that I recognize not just plunking the keys.
Sayger can't wait for snow on the mountain, he wants to ski and this year when we tried on the ski clothes I was amazed at how much he has grown. He will need new stuff. Sayger has also gained a fascination with fishing and hunting. This summer he caught a 17 inch Bass off the dock in our backyard. He continued to fish all summer and often his pleads for assistance became annoying. He caught a carp one day with his Scooby Doo pole and we had to cut the line before it broke the pole. Sayger is a joy in our lives and being our last child he is spoiled rotten and I will be the first to admit it. He is the light at the end of the day when he snuggles up to me and explains what a great mom I am and how much he loves me. I just wish he would slow down and stay little a bit longer.

Kent is my soul mate and I love our life together. He is a wonderful dad. My children are so lucky. Kent certified in an irrigation training this summer and certified in sales training. He is a great territory manager, even though it requires him to travel like he does. He takes care of everything I need at home and sometimes the "honey do" list is long and complicated. I appreciate how much he jumps in and does when he is home. He takes over the taxi driving and there are many times I come home and dinner is ready. I appreciate his work ethic and owe a " thank you" to his parents for teaching him the importance of a job well done. I am proud of his accomplishments and his example to those that associate with him.

We are looking forward to 2009 and thank our Heavenly Father for the many blessings we have. We acknowledge his hand in our lives and the direct influence of the gospel in everything we do. We wish you all a wonderful holiday season and may the best be ahead of you in the new year.