Merry Christmas!!!!!!

Merry Christmas 2008


Hello from the Midwest!!! Last year we talked all about the changes going on with us. Sheesh, that was Nothing compared to this year! So we invite you to hang on for our ride!
This year was spent enjoying our time with friends and family and getting ready for our move to Iowa. We had an amazing time at the two weddings in Richard's family (Jon & Jan in May and Marianne & Brian in September), helping a little in Grandma Joy’s garden, Grandpa day’s farm, and swimming in the pool!!!! We also got to spend memorial Day weekend with the Becky's family in Eden, ut! We spent a few Saturdays up the Hogle zoo with friends and family, enjoying the freedom, exercise and fresh air.
AS we got ready to move, we had a great going away party (with an awesome corn cake and everything!) and 30th birthday celebration for both Richard and Becky. As a family we spent time outside, enjoying the mountains and canyons.
Since the 2 ½ day move out to the Midwest (in October), we have been settling in and getting used to the Midwest. It is starting the get cold and a little snowy! Our ward has been amazingly welcoming and serving and has put us to work already!

This year:
~Richard worked hard to finish up his schooling at Utah Valley University, Making the dean’s list and graduating with his Bachelor’s Degree in Business management in August. Also In August he ran the Highland Fling 5k with Becky (thanks for your help, hon!). He took Becky to Cedar City for the Shakespearean Festival to see her favorite play (Taming of the Shrew) and had a great weekend trip. And Richard went to his last BYU game with Becky before we moved. It was a fun and hot day! We will miss that! Then Richard drove the moving truck across the country with his dad (with half a sick day) and got our home set up with help from his parents. Being back in his mission must be interesting and fun for him. Right now he is taking Organic Chemistry lecture and lab and is getting ready to start his Doctorate Program in March. The ward is using his talent of working with the youth by calling him to be the Sunday school teacher for the 13-18 year olds. he and Becky are also called as Ward Temple Patrons.
~Becky had a busy year, too. In March she took a trip with her girlfriends down to Las Vegas and had an amazing and rejuvenating weekend there. Becky had the chance to go up to salt lake city to see her sister-in-law, Luvir, become a citizen of the United States, which was amazing! She “ran” the 5k with Richard and was so proud of achieving one of her goals. Another of the goals that Becky has been working on is to live more healthy and lose weight. She is doing great and will keep working hard! Becky was also blessed to witness the tender mercies of the Lord like watching a good friend bring a baby home from china, after many miracles (the family was sealed in November). Becky is using her kitchenaid mixer and taking the world by storm. She was called to be the 2nd counselor in the primary presidency.
~Sarah had a great year! In may she graduated from Kindergarten and started t-ball. She liked to stand and chat at first but then she got into it and hit and ran really well and chased that ball wherever it was! We cut 11” off her hair and sent it to Locks of Love for wigs for kids! Sarah started 1st grade and loved it! She had her 6th birthday in the backyard. We borrowed the neighbor’s HUGE water slide and had pink cupcakes! The move was fun for her and she loves her new room she shares with Rachel. Her school is amazing! She has art, science, music, gym, and so many other fun things! The library is the biggest elementary school library we have ever seen! For Halloween she was Ariel and she looked great at the school parade! Sarah lost her first tooth in November and loves having a new tooth coming in!
~Rachel had a busy year. In January she turned 4 years old and hasn’t looked back since. She also gave her 11” of hair to locks of love. She swam like a fish all summer. ON the move, Rachel heard a song about the Mississippi river and she sings it every time we cross the river now. She also got to start in preschool and she adores it! She just counts down the time until she gets to go every day. She went on her first bus ride with mom to the pumpkin patch and had a blast! Rachel dressed up as Snow White for Halloween and had a blast at the trunk or treat! She loves to play in the basement with her toys and princess tent!
~Emma’s year was one for the record books. She moved into her new big bed and loves it! She wore her first big girl ponytail in her hair. In June, Emma turned 2 years old and had a great chocolate cake and new baby. Then, a week later she broke her left leg and wore a purple cast for 4 weeks! She crawled around on the floor at first and then she started walking around on it! What an experience for a 2 year old! After the cast came off, Emma swam as much as she could! She took the move the hardest and she carried her ducky blanket around the house all day for weeks. She now is doing great and loves to drag the chairs around the kitchen and move the magnets around on the fridge and get a snack from the pantry. Emma is just getting big!

So, that’s what our family has been up to! We are so blessed to live so close to the Nauvoo temple. It has really made us make time for temple work. We are looking forward to another joyful year and we hope your new year will be blessed, too!

Love,
Richard, Becky, Sarah, Rachel, & Emma

PS The mystery post from last week was a close up of my super wool gloves/mittens that my mom gave me last year. The kind that pull back so you can use the fingers. I never thought that I would use them and then we moved here. 7 degrees below zero on the way to church, people!!!
PPS Check out a new small (but cool) accomplishment of mine on my curlyhair blog! Thanks! (0: