December 2021
Dear Friends and Family,
We love you and and miss y'all that are far away in WA and UT and other places!! This year we skipped our tradition of sending a Thanksgiving card and opted for a virtual Christmas card instead. It saved a ton of stamps and envelopes, but I definitely miss the glitter and sparkle. We hope you can feel our love even through a simple email or blog post. One tradition we couldn't skip was our gratitude tree, where the little leaves are a list of blessings. We are so thankful for God's goodness and mercy every day.
Here's the highlight reel:
Cade graduated, made lots of Domino's pizza, read probably a thousand books, and is currently living in Provo, UT as a full-time missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He's heading to Helsinki, Finland in January. We are so proud of him and his hard work, we miss him but are excited for his opportunity to learn and serve.
Shad spent a zillion hours with Marcus Band this fall. It's fun hearing him practice trumpet now, he sounds amazing! When it's not marching season, he likes working at Costa Vida and eating there, too. He's been welding at school and we're thrilled he's already passed 4 certifications.
Karly is having a blast at school and trying everything new: gymnastics, volleyball, basketball, flute and violin. It's so fun to see her learn and explore.
Amber loves to be silly, loves reading, and is getting better at roller skating. I'm glad I get to walk her to school, and glad that she still loves paper and scissors and paint, etc.
I love walking and talking with friends and writing blog posts a few times a month. My blog turned 4 this year! Back in September I attended a leadership conference with Norm, and they asked what I do for a living. "I'm a circus director," was my best explanation. ;) Actually, one of my biggest blessings is being a stay at home mom and watching these kids grow.
Norm is staying busy at work and enjoys his job very much, despite the challenges COVID brings to the business. Lately he has really enjoyed the job of waking up Amber for school with a different goofy game to get her laughing and moving instead of grumpy and sleepy - it's a ton of fun. He is also working on his next outdoor adventure to look forward to.
We love you and wish you health and joy and peace. We love the promise from Isaiah 51:3 "For the Lord shall comfort Zion: he will comfort all her waste places; and he will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the Lord; joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of melody." That message of transformation is relevant now more than ever. We're grateful for hope and light and love, at Christmas time and all through the year.
I love your digital card! Some years I feel like sending cards, and some I don't - it's very inconsistent. This year, since I work at a print shop, I decided to do a very basic photograph card. It was cheap and I put very little effort into it. I hope I'm building up some excitement for it, because you will be receiving one in the mail sometime this month!
ReplyDeleteUm, yes! I'm super excited to get your card in the mail. I love paper ;) And I love how you made a card that wasn't crazy expensive or time consuming. A good friend once said, "DONE is better than perfect," and I've been trying to apply that.
DeleteI loved the highlights and photo. It's been wonderful getting to know your super family
ReplyDeleteHi Anita. It's so fun getting a comment on here, thanks for reading. And thanks for serving and teaching my daughter. And for your amazing artwork!
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