This has been a tremendous year of growth for family. Last year we left off with Lisa, Davis, and Beckham living in California taking care of Lisa's Mom, who had been diagnosed with ALS. Lisa was able to be with her when she peacefully passed on February 1st. It was obviously a very difficult time but there was also a very special spirit that came with her passing. It lifted us up and strengthened us more than we could have ever imagined. We will never be able to adequately describe how much we learned and grew from this experience, but we are forever changed for the better. We miss our Grandma Silly like crazy but we feel so blessed for the life she lived, the example she set, and the memories we cherish.
On Valentine's day we all drove back to Utah and started piecing our life back together after living apart for almost 3 months. It was nice to be back in our own home and be all together again!
Caleb is now 8 and anxious to be baptized next month. He is in 2nd grade and excelling in school, especially in math. He loves to read and is flying through books faster than Mom can stock them. He improved so much this last year in soccer and is really starting to play smart and work hard at it. The competitive spirit is definitely kicking in. Caleb is so fun loving and keeps everyone around him laughing and happy.
Davis is our thoughtful and witty 5 year old. Mom decided after our turbulent year she wanted one more year with Davis at home and so we held him back from starting Kindergarten. He is so smart and has such great concentration! He loves riding his bike and is quite the artist. He is so kind and generous and makes friends wherever he goes!
Beckham is our wild and crazy (almost) 3 year old and keeps both of us on the run - ALL of the time! He tries so hard to be big like his brothers and hates getting left behind. He is also our biggest cuddler and loves to have our full attention. He charms the crowd wherever he goes with his cute little voice and smile! He is now potty trained, so our household is happily diaper free! YEA!
We will be celebrating our 10th year of marriage this summer. We can't seem to figure out who the old people with grey hair showing through are in the mirror each morning! John will have been with Sunroc for 5 years this Spring. He spends most of his time Estimating but thankfully Civil Construction has picked up enough for him to get back out into the field and do some Project Management.
Lisa is busy as can be helping out in school, running the household, and trying to keep up with 3 very busy boys! She is still doing a little photography and graphic design on the side. She and a friend started a Mommy Blog a few months ago called Over the Big Moon. They are having fun writing about family life, traditions, and home decor while making a little money on the side. You can check it out at www.overthebigmoon.com.
We love that this time of year turns our focus back to that which is most important and helps remind us how blessed we are. Losing someone so close to us truly made us appreciate the sacrifice our Savior made for us more than ever before. We are so grateful that death is just a temporary separation and that because of the Savior we will all be reunited again. Our family chose "Peaceful" as our family theme for the year and we have been able to
find that peace through our Savior.
We hope that our little letter finds you feeling jolly this Christmas season! So many of you supported and strengthened us in our time of need this year, and we will forever be grateful that we have such
wonderful friends and family!
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