Merry Christmas

Christmas 2014

Merry Christmas to our family and friends.

Wish I could say exciting things happened this year but there wasn't much going on besides the usual. (ha, ha) The boys continue playing on various sports teams and moving along in the scouting program. Jennifer and Chris just drive a lot of miles to support the boys.

Tyler, junior at school, turned 16 this year, so now we have another driver.  He became the chauffeur at the beginning of the school year for reasons you’ll hear about later. Tyler also earned his Eagle rank in scouting. He also worked at a scout camp called Tifie in Mt Pleasant all summer. He learned all kinds of cool stuff about geology and nature since he was a merit badge guy in the nature lodge. He developed talents and enjoyed making new friends. He did miss doing stuff with his friends and family though. And the pay isn’t much, But he enjoyed it. He usually came home on Saturday around noon and had to go back Sunday night. He played football this fall and helped Juab get second place in the state for the 2014 season. It's the best the school has done in years. Tyler also played basketball, soccer, and ran track this year; he kept very busy. He's now taller than Derek, wears size 14 shoes, and rules the basement just like Derek did.




Cameron is 11 and in 6th grade. He’s coming out of his shell a little more. He gives book reports and speeches in class, just not anywhere else. He really likes to sing when he thinks no one is listening. I keep hoping he will join choir or band so I can have a musician as well as a sports star. He loves reading, at least for now. He really likes Conspiracy 365 book series and doing word search puzzles. He played tackle football this year for the first time. I wasn’t sure he would actually do it. The first week of practice was hard, but he adjusted and we never let him “Just stay home” to get out of it. He didn’t play a lot in the games, but he got better each week. He also loves to play basketball. His team took 2^nd place. Cameron is growing taller too, he’s nearly as tall as his mom, wears a size 7 shoe.
Derek is in his second year of college at the University of Utah. After many years of wanting to be an architect, he changed his major. He said math is the thing that killed his dream.  He is now studying parks and recreation (the business side of sports, like front office for a team).  He is a huge supporter of the Utah sports teams, going to as many games as possible as part of the MUSS (Mighty Utah Student Section). He worked in Texas this summer selling pest control plans. He enjoyed his time away from Utah. He also bought a truck. Now he's learning just how much he must work to pay for his truck and other living expenses. He lives off campus this year; actually he lives on the same property as Chris and I did when we were first married, on 400 S 600 E. They tore down our building and built new apartments. The dorms weren't as fun as he thought they would be and he had crazy roommates. He also works at Dicks sporting goods. He doesn't come home much though.






















The trip to Oregon was long but fun. We went to visit mark and Stacy, see the Oregon coast and Crater Lake. Jennifer, Cameron, and Jeremy drove. We were gone 9 days over July 4. We stopped at Boise State University for a photo op for Jeremy. We tried to see the blue field but couldn't see through the gates. The Columbia Gorge was gorgeous. The coast was awesome.  The longest part was the drive home:  from the Coast to Crater Lake, then Crater Lake to I-80 in Winnemucca. We camped almost the entire time.
Chris is still at Yuba. He’s in his 16th year. He was unable to go vacationing with the rest of us. Summer is not a great time to vacation when you’re supposed to be chaperoning the rest of the world. He has inherited the back troubles of his dad. He's had to be on light duty twice this year because his back went out. Just recently he had an MRI and that found a bulging disk. He trying an epidural steroid shot to relieve the pain. Hoping it will work and keep him in the workforce until he has 20 years in. He continues to hunt and fish and make our house and yard beautiful.

Jeremy is 14, in 8th grade. He still doesn't like school, especially math. He reads a bit, Michael Vey is a current favorite, along with the Red Pyramid series and the Maze Runner series. Jeremy played football, basketball, and ran track.  He actually got the opportunity to play quarter back a little this year. For the amount of practice he had in that position, he did ok. He also had a career high 16 points in basketball, hitting 3 or 4 3-point shots. He's still the most friendly child we have. He has both girls and boys as friends. We may be in trouble when he turns 16. Jeremy attended his first scout camp at Scofield. He earned a few merit badges. He’s just a few badges away from advancing to a Life Scout. Jeremy is the same height as his mom, wears a size 10 shoe and is known to tease mercilessly.

Jennifer is still teaching math at Juab High, still provisional though. She must pass the evaluation at the end of this school year or find a new job. It doesn't feel as stressful in that sense this year for some reason. She is teaching a great group of kids this year, and that helps a lot. Jennifer had foot surgery at the beginning of the school year and couldn't drive for quite a while. She spent two months in a cast, no weight allowed. She even developed a blood clot. No worries, it's going away. She spent a lot nights watching her boys play sports. Her summer was extremely busy. Working and going to conferences, girls’ camp, and youth conference and vacationing, having all the fun before her surgery.

July brought vacations to Oregon and Family Odyssey at Tifie with the boys. Totally recommend family odyssey if possible. It's a family camp held in conjunction with Wood Badge training for Boy Scouts of America. Jennifer helped keep 10 year old boys busy. Jeremy and Cameron participated with their age groups. Cameron nearly completed all the requirements for Tenderfoot, Second Class and First Class. He hadn't even gone to a meeting with his 11 year old group at the time. The only thing keeping him back is swimming. Both boys had fun, even though they thought they wouldn't. It was a bonus to be at the same camp as Tyler worked. We had a little family time with him. Jeremy went rock climbing, shooting, and all kinds of fun things designed for 12-13 year old boys and girls.

We hope all find you well and happy. Enjoy the holiday season. Remember Christ is the reason for the season. Live your lives as He would.

Love Jennifer, Chris, Tyler, Derek, Jeremy, Cameron