Happy Holidays

Dear Family and friends; Thank you for stopping by the blog. We had hoped to get some really cute features on here for our Christmas letter but alas, our old computer is moving so slow and is so temperamental that it is just not working out the way that we wanted it to.

Nonetheless, we really want to give you an update on how things are going. We have been in Missouri now for over a year. We have a wonderful life that is full of blessings and trials. Each member of our family contributes to the love and joy that we feel at this Christmas season.

Adam was baptized a member of the church this year. He is in the third grade. He continues to do very well in school especially in thereading, spelling, english, etc. part of it. He has been improving his math scores as well and is making steady progress. Adam enjoys cub scouts and is almost ready to get awarded his wolf cub award. We love him for his real true desire to follow the Savior and deal with lifes challenges the way that Jesus would do it.

Annika is 6 and is loving school as well. She is learning to read and write. She is very diligent at doing her homework and studying hard. Aunie has some really sweet little friends here and really loves her Sunday School teacher (sister Shelton) and her bus driver (Pam). It is interesting to see how she has really taken to these wonderful women and what joy they bring to each other. She also really enjoys being a little mommy to her brother Micah. She watches Stacy close and follows her lead in taking care of the baby.

Eli is a bundle of fun. He is always smiling and happy. He does joy school with a couple of his little friends and is learning about values. He helps mom a lot and really enjoys the time that he spends with her. It is difficult to express how truly cute his little personality is, but he makes us laugh a lot moan a little (he IS four you know) and pretty much everything else in between.

Micah our tiny baby is enjoying his first Christmas on earth. He is getting very big. We guess that he is about 18 or 19 lbs now and, like our other kids; he is a chubby little angel. He smiles and talks a lot and is very popular with the ladies in the ward and in the community. In fact he is popular with the guys too. He enjoys going out and greeting his public.

Stacy continues to be as busy as a mom can be. She is toughing it out in the country. She is a farm mom and does her chores out here. She also runs the joy school without any help, takes care of the children and occasionally makes the 20 minute trek into town in order to enjoy a bit of a social life with friends or at church. She is still active in her Moms of Preschoolers (MOPS) group. She is the education counselor in the relief society and enjoys serving the Lord by serving the women and families of the ward.

Chris changed jobs in September and is now working as a therapist on the acute mental health units at Heartland Hospital. Chris works just a few hours a week at Nevada Mental Health and will continue seeing a few patients there until they terminate from therapy. Chris serves as the elders quorum president in the ward. He really loves being involved in missionary work and the spreading of the gospel message. When he is not at work he works hard trying to stay on top of the farm chores. There is alsways a project that needs doing and it often seems that there is not enough time to get everything done.

We wanted to recap our year by listing our top ten things that we are thankful for after experiencing our first year in Missouri.

10 We did not blow away in a tornado. Missouri set records for the numbers of tornados that touched down in 2008. None of them came close to us though.

9 We did not wash away in the floods. We had one of the wettest years on record and water was everywhere but it didn't bug us hardly at all.

8 We got a cow (Nana) and she had a little heifer calf. Nana, who starred on our Christmas card, is a wonderful addition to the farm.

7 We have a newfound appreciation for electricity and running water. After being without electricity for three days due to an ice storm and without running water for three days due to frozen pipes, we now count those among our luxuries.

6 New friends!! Between church, schools, neighbors, etc. We have been given so many new friends and relationships that we cannot even count them all. They have blessed our lives in numerous ways with love, advice, prayers, and acts of service. .

5 Animals, animals everywhere. As many as 32 chickens, 12 cats, 2 cows, 8 rabbits, 15 guinea hens and a duck have called our farm home this year. That does not count the wild critters that frequent the barn, yard and fields around our little house.

4 Sunrise and sunset. We are surrounded by natural beauty of the highest order. The beginning and the end of the day are the most beautiful and make us feel blessed all the time.

3 We get to witness miracles as the Lord does his work in this area. The ward is growing like crazy including people moving in, convert baptisms, and investigators attending church

2 We have had great health and no major injuries. Doctor? What is a doctor? Even Stacy’s delivery which was all natural was about as smooth as we ever could have hoped for.

1 Micah, he is an angel straight from heaven and adds a ton to our little family.