I had this awesome, thoughtful post I was going to publish yesterday. Unfortunately, BlogSpot was giving me an error message. Now, I can't remember what I was going to post about.
Here's a copy of our family newsletter for 2013 instead:
Another year has come to a close. With the busyness of
December I decided to send out New Year's letters instead of Christmas letters.
It has given me something to do while the kiddos are on Christmas break and
enjoy their Christmas presents.
We have a lot of interesting experiences this year and are
looking forward to more in 2014.
In February we decided to redo our kitchen and repair the
damage to the floor from a builder's flaw. We were able to complete the project
which included stripping and refinishing cabinets, grinding down the floor to
make it level, tiling the floor, ordering and installing countertops, and
surviving the whole process in 10 weeks. I am loving having almost twice as
much counter space for cooking and baking as well as enough storage space to
keep everything organized.
At the end of the summer we signed up to have Benjamin
participate in 3rd Grade tackle football. He loved being a part of a team and
the camaraderie that came with being part of a team of 23 boys who practiced
three days a week and had games every Saturday for three months. It was fun to
see him conquer such a challenging sport with enthusiasm.
In October, we found out Michael's company was closing the
Utah office and we began the search for a new job. Luckily, he found one here
in Utah so we weren't blessed with the challenges of moving to find a new job.
He is liking his new job with Mastery Connect more and more.
Our children have also done some great things this year.
Bekah turned 6 in April, finished half day Kindergarten, and
now goes to school all day. Homework wears her out but she always has something
new and exciting to share with us that she learned at school. She makes friends
easily, loves dressing up and doing girly things like make up and playing
house, and her favorite color is still pink. Pink everything!
Benjamin turned 8 and was baptized in May. I can't believe
he is old enough to be baptized! We are proud of his decision to become a
member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and his efforts to be
more Christ-like. He started Cub Scouts and earned his Wolf badge in September,
just 4 months after his birthday. He is constantly reading and full of energy.
We can't seem to keep his active mind occupied with enough good things because
he is always hungry for more.
Ryan turned 3 in October and keeps me company while the
other two are at school all day. He is a good shopping buddy. He decided in the
middle of football season he was big enough to use the potty and I am excited
for no more diapers at our house! He knows his colors, is learning his numbers,
and keeps track of where everyone is at all of the time. He is happiest when we
are all together even if that means he has to share Mom and Dad with his brother
and sister.
Hope all is well with
you and yours!
Michael, Charlynn, Benjamin, Bekah, & Ryan
