October 2012

NEWSFLASH! Rob and Shante are the happy parents of a baby boy born this morning, October 11, 2012. Vitals: 8 lbs. 7 oz.; 21". Annie and Al are the just as happy grandparents! Congratulations!

Merrily. Summer went by way too quickly. Abraham attended a Robotics camp in Hilo. They used Lego NXT systems and built and programmed robots. He's hooked!  In August I turned 48 -- year of the dragon! -- and got the idea that I should do a 5K. Solomon was a good sport and went with me. He was relaxing with friends by the time I finished. Now I have nefarious plans to make the whole family run a 5K on Thanksgiving day.

 

Robert's brother and his family visited in July; Kaela visited in September.

Kelsey (left) joined her friend driving truck during harvest to get in touch with her farm girl roots.

 

We'll move into our house the end of October if we pass final electrical and plumbing inspections. We'll be pushing hard for the next few weeks. Our boys have spent so much time in Home Depot this year that employees ask them where to find things. And they know.

Cassidy & Jesse. Hi Family! Jesse and I are living in our brand new house in Saratoga Springs and loving every second of it.  We feel truly blessed at this time in our lives.  We have a beautiful home, and a baby girl on the way!  I am 16 weeks pregnant and we found out last week that we're having a girl.  We are so excited to start this journey of parenting together. 
Jesse is still working in Salt Lake as the Machine Shop Engineer at Varian Medical Systems.  I am fortunate enough to be able to take this semester off from school to focus on baby preparation.  I must say, I thought staying home was going to be easy, turns out there is always something to be cleaned, food to make, or projects to start.  I have much more respect for homemakers now than I ever have before.
The Gospel is true and we are so thankful for forever families.  We love you all!

Laurie. Neil and I had a great summer.  We missed having Camille around, but weren't home enough to be too lonely.  We took Camille to BYU in June and visited Mom & Ramon, I went to girls' camp as a cabin mom, we went to Twin and all of our grandchildren were there, we were a Ma & Pa on our Stake Pioneer Trek on the Barlow Trail on Mt. Hood, we brought Camille home to have a successful radioactive iodine treatment, we spent a week at the coast and Neil climbed Mt. Rainier!

Those are all great things, but the best thing is that another grandbaby was added to the family, and she is adorable.  Chris and Jessica had Lauren Leigh Nelson on September 11th.  We will go to Utah for her blessing and the BYU vs. Oregon football game in a week.

We have a good life and really enjoy anytime we can be around our family----all of you included.  I am including a few pictures and send our love!

Rob & Shante. Hi family! We've moved to Charlotte, NC for Rob's job with Bank of America and we're really liking it here. Although we've been here about four months, Jack still talks about Arizona just about every day. I didn't realize I was raising an Arizona boy! Of course he misses grandma and grandpa the most, but he'll even point out new vegetation he's never seen and ask excitedly if it's cactus. Who would have thought that he'd miss all that cactus? So, to ease poor Jack's broken heart we decided to go to Arizona for Christmas. We will also be blessing our new baby boy who is due to arrive any day while we're there. It will be nice to be with family on such a happy occasion. We still haven't settled on a name for this boy. Any suggestions?

We've been trying to keep busy since we got here so that the transition would be easier. I joined a Joy School group with some other moms here and Jack loves it. Jack has lots of new friends here, as do Rob and I. The Lord has certainly blessed us. With Rob's rotational program that he's in, we may be asked to move in just six months to another state, so we're crossing our fingers that we can just stay here. 

The pictures: Jack's first day of Joy School, Jack learning how to hold a baby at the sibling class we went to at the hospital, and a family picture at our Stake Fall Festival at a member's farm. 

 

Angela. Our family is spread across the continent these days. Rob, Shante and Jack are in North Carolina. Jack will have a new baby brother later this month. Grandma Annie is excited to fly out and spend a week with Jack and new baby--and Rob and Shan, too. Rachel is also in Charlotte. She's teaching US History (a class she didn't even have in grade school in Canada) and world history this semester. She was placed in a big, inner-city high school by TFA. It's been really tough, and she misses the non-profit work she did in Washington, D.C. She's taking one day at a time, trying to decide what to do. We're proud of how hard she's working, and this huge challenge she's taken on. Will is now a Senior. He keeps busy with a schedule full of AP classes and Academic Decathlon. Andy and Kay are still in Dallas. Andy is just about to launch a new AP for his company, IQSoup. Kay started a new job and also loves to restore and repaint cast-off furniture. Her pieces are beautiful.

In September, Allen left INSEAD (the business school in France he used to work for) and has taken a new position at IMD--his old school back in Lausanne, Switzerland. He's commuting this first year while Will finishes high school. Next summer Al and I will find an apartment and kind of move over there. We'll keep our house in Mesa and spend about a third of the time back here--if all goes to plan.  I keep busy writing. I was selected as a presenter for "Writing for Children Live" to do teleconferences and webinars. So far I'm enjoying it a lot. If my agent ever sells one my books that she's marketing to publishers, you'll hear a shout of joy so loud you won't need to sign on to the WPN! Have a happy fall. I love you all.

Greg & Kandice. We have been busy over the last few months. Zachery is now five and started kindergarten. He loves to learn and is a wonderful boy. He has gotten so big and is a big help around the house and with his younger siblings. Joshua is now three. He too loves to learn and loves when we do preschool at home. He misses his brother while he is gone but loves to help out with Breann. He is always active and loves to be doing anything. Breann is now seven months. She is all over the place. She loves to stand up and get into things she probably shouldn't. She is always figuring out ways to keep up with her brothers. She is such a happy blessing in our lives.

Greg is finishing up his masters degree and starting to look for jobs. He should be done close to December. He is still the first counselor in our ward's bishopric. He loves to play with the kids and take a break whenever possible. Kandice loves being at home with the kids. She tries to stay on top of the craziness of three kids and a husband who is busily trying to finish his schooling. We love being together to play and learn. We are taking life moment by moment. May God bless all of you.

PS We keep a blog at http://gregandkandice.blogspot.com/  if you would like more news on our family.

Nick & Rachel. As we write this, Alexa is laying in her crib and happily yelling at the top of her lungs. This is how we go to bed in our home. In honor of her wonderful craziness, here's what is happening to our family in Alexa's favorite words/phrases (complete with helpful pronunciation guide):

• Cookie (kuuuuuu-keeeee) - We love our treats. Our favorite is when we get to go see our family, as we will this coming weekend when we drive to Utah for Lauren's baby blessing and the BYU vs. Oregon State football game. Go Babies and Cougars!
• What's that? (watsss thet?) - We're an inquisitive bunch here in Colorado so we're pretty excited for our future. The best/worst part is we have no idea what's coming. We've got our adoption paperwork approved (you can see our profile at http://tinyurl.com/8kudjcf) so we're waiting for the next member of our family to show up. We're also wondering what's coming next as Nick will be graduating with his PhD next summer and is applying for jobs. Will we move to Washington, DC? New Mexico? Oregon? Toronto? Idaho? Nobody knows so we're all pointing forward and asking, "What's that?"
• Whee! (hweeeee!) - Life keeps us on our toes as Alexa wreaks havoc on the nursery, Rachel serves as first counselor in the Young Women, and Nick wreaks havoc on the Elders Quorum. We get home from church totally exhausted most Sundays, but we wouldn't have it any other way. We are so very thankful for the chances we get to serve.
• Let's go! (les gooo!!!!) - We;re a family on the move these days with RAchel playing soccer in a local women's recreational league, Alexa being a regular at the library's story time, and Nick going slowly insane writing papers that are full of technical mumbo-jumbo (the last one was titled "Buoyant Magnetic Loops Generated by Global Convective Dynamo Action" - a real page-turner). That's why we loved being able to stay home and watch conference as a family.

 It's 30 minutes since we started this letter and Alexa's still talking to herself, but she has more stamina than we do, so we'll end here. We re thankful for all of your wonderful examples.


Dan. Our biggest news is that this week we leave for Russia. Danil, who spent the summer in Russia, will stay home to finish his season on the swim team but the rest of us will leave on Thursday for a couple of weeks with Nadya's folks. Thirty-six hours of travel await us but we're excited to see everyone. Sofia and Giselle understand everything in Russian so they will be translating for me on our trip. Preparing for that has kept us busy, as well as our daily demands.
Also some great news is Nadya has been accepted into the nursing program and will begin in December. It will be great to have an RN in the house, especially now that I'm getting older. :)
Danil is getting great grades as a new freshman at Sedona Red Rock High School and likes public school much better than home school. Sonya and Giselle are still and dancing and look amazing in their foofy ballet outfits.
I am  blessed to have more work than I can possibly do and plan to build my first house, from the ground up, soon. Our love and prayers to all of you.

Ken. Got the first building done!

Lucy. We just got home from a trip to Philadelphia and NYC and we had a great time seeing all the sights. NYC is a busy place! So much to see and do. Matt and Adri loved the history in Philly, I loved Central Park, and Carly and Adri loved the shopping. We stayed right in Time Square so it was a little crazy but we had so much fun. 

Carly is so busy at school this year. She is a starter for the varsity vball team and she was made editor of the school’s magazine. She is a very hard worker and is very determined. Adri’s life is a bit more laid back, she is just thrilled all her best friends have the same lunch hour as she. It seems that lunch hour can make or break your whole year!  Sidney and Taylor are doing great. Sidney is a nanny and is working on building her photography business and Taylor is working and going to school. They just adopted the cutest little puppy they named Indie. We are all going to Idaho for Christmas this year! We are all looking forward to a White Christmas.

Life is good and we are very blessed. We love you all and hope you all are healthy and happy.

 Amy. We took a trip to Provo last week since the boys had fall break.  We had a fun time seeing Britt and Steven. I also saw Laurie at the football game! We're going out again in the spring for Britt's final art show, then in April for graduation. We're going to Larry's sister's in Colorado for Thanksgiving. We'll miss Jim, they'll be in Turks and Caicos and they're actually not going to cancel their trip even though we're coming. Brittany and Steven are coming here for Christmas, and Larry's parents. We've also got some big milestones coming up, our 25th anniversary in Dec and Larry's 50th birthday in January.
We're liking Oklahoma. Colton has made some good friends and is about to get his drivers license and his braces off. Brian will start basketball next week. Sean is going to the community college and working at the golf course. 

June 2012

Ken. Leah finished school, got her license, and is trying to work more hours at the mall. Aubrey moved to Spokane, is working as a nanny, and will start her fourth year at U of I at their Couer d'Alene campus. I finally finished my kitchen. I'm starting to feel like I'm living like a human again. Almost time for Slippery Gulch and I keep getting volunteered for more and more.

Cassidy & Jesse. This last several months has been a little chaotic for Jesse and me. We are building a house of our very own in Saratoga Springs, UT. It should be done by the end of July and we are SO excited! We are living in Draper, UT right now and we drive down to Saratoga Springs at least twice a week. The construction is going so quickly! We're going to have a huge party when the house is finished, so if you're in the area at the end of July you are invited!

Over Memorial Day weekend, we drove up to Rexburg to see Grandma and Grandpa. It was so fun to see them and spend some time with them. Grandma gave us her Bernina sewing machine and we are so excited to have it and to use it for all the fun projects we'll do for our new house. We love them so much and we are so lucky to have them as Grandparents. We love you all so much! 

Annie. The end of the school year brought lots of graduations and award ceremonies for our family to attend. Rachel graduated from BYU last December, but she "walked" in April. I flew up and spent a few days celebrating with her. She graduated with a BA in Sociology and minors in African Studies and Development. She was accepted into Teach for America, and this summer she is in Tulsa training to be a high school social studies teacher. In the fall, she will start a two-year commitment to teach at a high school in Charlotte, NC. She'll begin working on a master's degree in education this fall, too.

Rob finished is MBA and graduated in May. He has a job in Charlotte, too--so the kids will be in the same area. He, Shante and Jack left here June 8th to drive all the way out there. They arrived safely about the same time their moving pods were delivered. They've found a nice house to rent and are settling in to their new life. Shante is expecting another boy the end of October. Our house is very quiet. 

Will received an award for having one of the top 20 core GPA's in his grade at school. He's ranked #13. He just received is patriarchal blessing and had perfect attendance at seminary. Perfect attendance at school, too. He's as independent and self-sufficient as ever, but now he drives, so he's even more so.

Al has been traveling a lot--again. He's in Zambia while I type. He visited Victoria Falls. Today he's sight-seeing in Botswana. He found out after he arrived that it's a bad place for malaria. Of course, he isn't taking malaria medication. I hope he uses the bug spray. 

Andy and Kay are doing well in Dallas. Kay just landed a great job at a real estate development company. Andy's app business is starting to take off. He signed up his first company, and they have lots of work for him. 

At the end of the summer, Allen will say good-bye to INSEAD, the school he works for now. He's returning to IMD in Lausanne starting in September. He's excited to make the switch. This first year he'll commute between Phoenix and Switzerland so Will can graduate from high school here. After Will graduates, we'll half-move to Lausanne. We'll keep our house here and get an apartment in Lausanne. Allen and I both feel like the Lord wants us to go back to Switzerland. We'll be back for a few weeks to a few months throughout the year. 

I keep writing. This summer I'm working on a book based on Mom's childhood in Rexburg. I've been collecting information for years. I'm excited to pull it all together. My agent continues to try to market my book based on the Glover family, MY ONLY LOVE, and a time travel dystopian romance, SLIPPED. She's reading a middle grade novel I just finished about a nerdy boy who saves the world, THE ORDER OF THE FLICK. I'm remodeling my website. What a headache. I've got a couple new blogs -- http://angelamorrison.blogspot.com and http://oppositechewbacca.com  you can visit. My composer, Harriet Bushman, is writing the music for SING ME TO SLEEP, the musical. Her husband is going to feature four the songs in an end of the year concert. I'm going to put together a SING, the musical blog, too. Before Rob left, he helped me publish an new version of TAKEN BY STORM. I'm excited to have an ebook that works!  Here's the new cover he designed for it. I love it.   

David. David's MS symptoms are mostly under control, except for the back pain. He's going to a physical therapist and chiropractor and will be seeing an MS specialist in Seattle this week. He's eating all the right things and keeps a wonderful, positive attitude about everything.

Jen launched BREAKING BEAUTIFUL on April 24th. The bookstore sold out of her books that night. We had a cake with the book cover on it, red shoes, and lots of friends there to help celebrate. She has just finished the first draft of her second book tentatively titled SHARDS OF GLASS and tentatively scheduled to come out September 2013. (These things tend to change depending on publisher whims.) She's been busy with writing, kids, and Primary stuff. Not always in that order.

 David the Younger now has a driver's license. We kind of feel like we did when he first learned to crawl and then to walk--now that he's mobile there's so much more trouble he can get into. He's very into "his" car, a Honda Accord that's as old as he is and that we've had since Sabrina was born. He's been on two official dates, once to a formal church prom and once to take a girl skiing. We predict he'll be dating more when he can actually drive with someone else in the car, in July, after he's had his license for six months.

Sabrina has completely healed from both of her surgeries and hopes to go back to soccer and skiing next year. She just finished playing Maude Dunlap in her school's production of "The Music Man." She had her "Moving Up" ceremony for her performing arts middle school last week and chose a fluffy pink dress for the occasion, (very much like the dresses she used to wear when she was young enough for Jen to choose her clothes). She's heading to Utah for Especially for Youth next week with her best friend.

Zach is still a star reader, does great in school, and keeps us all in stitches with the crazy things he comes up with. For example, the other day he said, "Why is the word abbreviation so long?" And when we were filling out the permission slip for his last field trip he told us to put 911 as the emergency contact number. 

Daniel turned eight and was baptized last month by his older brother. It was a proud, heartfelt moment for all of us. He has become our Lego maniac, he has constructed a working soda machine (gravity powered) and is working on a Lego crane game.

 We are doing well and looking forward to a less hectic summer. You're all in our prayers and we look forward to the next time we get to see everyone.

Dan. We're having a very busy summer. We've had visitors from Russia, camp for Danil, and swimming and dance lessons for Sophia. Soon Danil will be going to Russia for a few weeks and we are planning a trip for the rest of the family to Russia in October. Giselle is speaking in full sentences now and holds long conversations with each of us.

Nadya is taking summer classes including art appreciation which she doesn't appreciate. I'm building a shed for all my junk as the neighbors are encouraging me to do so. :)

We're anticipating the summer rains, which should come soon, to give a little relief from the heat. Still sending out pastor applications, for fun, and have been given some opportunities to preach on Sundays at our home church.

Other than that, it is life as usual for us. We love you all.

Laurie. We just returned from a whirlwind trip to take Camille to Provo where she will attend summer term at BYU and then continue with fall and winter semesters. Camille graduated from McNary High School on Friday, June 8th and we were on our way to Provo on Monday. She has been excited to go to BYU for a long time, so we are happy for her, but we have been home for one day and I can tell already that our house is going to be way too quiet! 

 We were also able to visit Mom and Ramon in Rexburg for a few days. It was really good to spend time with them. They are grateful to live in their nice home in a helpful neighborhood and ward. Ramon's eyesight is failing which is very hard on both of them, but they are happy to have each other. We wish we lived closer to them.

Neil recently attended a luncheon where he sat at a table with Vice-Admiral Beeman of the 3rd Naval Fleet, and as a result of their conversation, he has been invited to fly onto a naval aircraft carrier "experiencing an arrested landing" and then be catapulted off again the next day. Neil is so excited!  He said it's like a little kid kind of excitement. I will be at girls' camp that week which I am really not too excited about at all!

A quick update on our family - DaNeill is in Redmond with her three little ones and we are excited to have them come to Twin Lakes in July; Nick, Rachel and Alexa are also coming to Twin and then driving back to Oregon with us; Greg, Kandice and family are in Pullman where Greg is finishing a master's degree; Chris and Jessica are moving to Saratoga Springs, UT where Chris will be teaching at West Lake High School and they will have a little girl in September; Cassidy and Jesse are also moving to Saratoga Springs where they are building a house.  

Life is good. We are grateful for each of you. We love you.

Merrily. Recently, Abraham enjoyed Medieval Days at Cub Scout day camp while Solomon attended a Kamehameha Schools camp. Victor graduated from Wilson High School in Tacoma and Eliahs finished his junior year. Kaela works at a Chinese restaurant on Oahu. She's looking at joining the Coast Guard this fall. Kelsey is in Tekoa studying for the GRE. She sent me photos of Slippery Gulch and my 30th high school reunion.

Robert started painting the house. The color you see in the photos is primer. The siding came pre-primed and treated for termites. We assembled the water catchment tank. It looks just like a grain bin. Today we worked in the rain. We'll probably never have to worry about running out of water here. Our to-do list is getting shorter!

Ken is coming back to Hawaii for a brief visit while he helps a friend move to the Big Island. Robert's brother is coming with his family mid-July. We're really looking forward to spending time with family.

Amy. We finally made the move a few weeks ago. Our new address is: 313 Hollowdale, Edmond, OK 73003. I'm loving it! I never imagined how beautiful it is here, and the people are so wonderful. I can hardly handle all the cookies people have brought us! We're looking forward to Britt & Steven coming to visit in a few weeks, then a trip to the Archibald's cabin in Wisconsin, then Sean is moving home in August to go to school here in the fall. We send our love to all of you!

Lucy. First, I want to thank everyone who came and helped with Sidney's wedding. We couldn't have pulled it off without all of your help. It made me realize what an awesome family I have. I love you all so much! It was one of the best weekends of my life. Sidney and Taylor are so happy! The morning after the wedding reception Sidney sent me a text that said "Thanks mama for giving me the most perfect wedding!" That text alone was worth all the hard work. It really was the most perfect evening, it ended way too fast. The newlyweds are all moved in to their darling little house and Sidney is having so much fun decorating it.  

 

   

 

Carly is busy this summer with four different volleyball camps, including one at Pepperdine University in Malibu. She is so excited! Every morning they get to practice on Malibu Beach and then the afternoons are spent in the gym. Both girls had girls' camp. Adri's mattress up at camp had a family of mice living in it. Yuck! She thought it was funny watching all the other girls scream and wished I was there cause she knew I would be screaming the loudest. Adri had basketball camp and now she gets to spend the rest of her summer laying out, swimming, hanging out with friends, and shopping. Everything a summer should include! Matt and I are planning a trip for our 20th anniversary the first of August. We've rented a cabin in Lake Tahoe. It will be nice and relaxing.

Hope this finds you all healthy and happy! We love you all!

Jim. The “Waldo Canyon Fire” is bad but it’s on the other side of the interstate from us, about 15 miles away.  The picture is a view from our front window on Saturday afternoon a few hours after it started when it was about 500 acres – since then it’s grown to 5,000+.

Until this afternoon it was going OK.  Very rugged country but they hadn’t had any injuries or lost any structures, and it was burning generally away from the city.  About six hours ago thunderstorms came through (without any significant rain) and kicked up 60 mph winds that doubled it back straight into the northwestern suburbs.  A number of houses burned, don’t know how many but I think the news in the morning will be bad.  The evac area now includes our old neighborhood along with much of the NW corner of Colorado Springs.  The base you’re hearing about is the Air Force Academy – partially evacuated.  It sounds like the overnight winds will be more helpful so maybe this will be the worst.  Not expecting the fire to be completely out until mid-July.

February 2012

Annie. Hello Family! Al and I recently returned from a trip to Vietnam for Andy and Kay's Vietnamese wedding reception. We had a great time with Kay's family. Al and Kay's father chatted away in French like two old school chums. Saturday Kay's mom took us and a fun group of family and friends to the Mekong Delta. Sunday we went to church in the morning and then joined Kay's family for a delicious Vietnamese brunch. I love the Vietnamese flavors. They are fresh and unique. They had a simple ceremony to introduce us and Andy to Kay's ancestors. It was quite moving as Kay's father talked about his mother, who cared for Kay when she was a child, and his brother, who died in the Vietnamese War. Al explained that we also believe our ancestors continue to play a vital role in our lives. That night they threw a reception for Andy and Kay at one of the hotels in downtown Saigon. Here's a picture. More at www.caymansummer.blogspot.com.

After the reception, we flew to Thailand for a week of relaxation. Al has been working so hard, he really needed it. We got some diving in at some of the sites I'd used in UNBROKEN CONNECTION. That was fun. I caught the stomach flu on the way home, so between that at jet lag, I've been out of it for a couple weeks.
Al has accepted an offer to return to IMD in Lausanne, Switzerland. He'll finish up with INSEAD in the next few months and start with IMD this fall. He's going to commute back and forth so Will can finish high school here, and then Al and I will get an apartment in Lausanne. The plan is to make the move Summer 2013. We'll keep our house in Arizona and come home for Thanksgiving/Christmas and some time in the spring and summer. Looks like I've got more jet lag to look forward to--but Al and I will have lots more time together this way. It's worth it.
We're going to miss Rob, Shante, and Jack when they leave us for Charlotte, North Carolina after Rob graduates. Rachel graduated from BYU in December. She's in Washington, D.C. interning. She was selected for Teach for America and will train in Oklahoma this summer and teach in Charlotte starting in September. Will keeps getting straight A's in his AP classes. My agent is looking for a publisher for my new book, SLIPPED. Looking forward to seeing lots of you at Sidney's wedding.

Merrily. Robert is making progress on our house. The concrete slab was poured yesterday. We’ll be framed and roofed in about two weeks.


Kelsey leaves this week for the mainland. She’ll stay in Tekoa with her dad and figure out the next step in her big adventures. Kaela is on Oahu living with cousins on the North Shore. She’s looking for work.
Victor and Eliahs have February birthdays. Victor is 19 and Eliahs is 17. Solomon attends Kea’au Middle School and plays basketball for a community team. That keeps him busy, happy, and constantly hungry. He’s starting his Eagle project building signs for the Pana’ewa Zoo. The zoo gardens are beautiful. I’d be happy to walk around even if there were no animals. See http://www.hilozoo.com/.
It turns out Abraham has a wonderful temperament for home school. I’m looking at a couple of options for grade 5 next year. If they don’t work out I’ll continue to home school. HI public schools rank about 46th of 50 in the nation for academic achievement and I’m unwilling to go down that road. (Rachel, Teach for America is here and we'll have room for you. We miss the big sisters!)

Laurie. Hello, Family. We have had several exciting things happen recently. On February 13th, little Breann Elizabeth was born to Greg and Kandice. We will meet her this coming weekend and can't wait for that.
Another bit of exciting news is that Camille (who has had a very weak voice since last August) had a surgery on February 17th that has improved her voice. She still can't sing, but now she can be heard when she speaks. Her voice is stronger, has more volume and she said she shouted across the gym the other day at a Junior Miss practice and someone actually heard her! While she was recovering in the hospital, she learned that she has been accepted to BYU Provo and so that is very exciting, too!
In case everyone doesn't get a chance to write, I will give a quick update. DaNeill is working hard for a title company and the Air Force. Her little girls are darling and keep her very busy. Nick, Rachel & Alexa just celebrated Alexa's first birthday. They are beginning the adoption process again. Greg, Kandice, Zachary & Joshua added Breann to their family and are happy at WSU. Chris is student teaching, working with another high school's drum line and working at the MTC while Jessica is the steady income winner at her apartment managing job. They have some exciting news to share... Cassidy and Jesse have been blessed with a great job offer from a company called Varian in Salt Lake City. Jesse interned with them, is working part-time until graduation and now has been hired full-time as an Engineer II. They really like him (and so does Cassidy).
We had everyone but DaNeill home at Christmas. They came and went at different times, but there was one day when we were all together and our children presented us with the most wonderful DVD and books for us to celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary. I watch the video and look at the books all the time. Thanks to those of you who contributed to them. It means so much to us.
By the time we have another WPN, Neil and I will be "empty-nesters". I can remember thirty years ago when I wished for that day to come, and now I just want all my kids to move close by! It's a good thing I'm still in love with Neil! Our lives are filled with good things, including challenges that help us to grow. I am thankful for that. And I am thankful for each member of our wonderful "Wolf Pack" family.

Cassidy & Jesse. Hello Family! Jesse and I are doing well. We're living in Provo and both attending BYU. Jesse graduates in April (in Mechanical Engineering), and received a job offer from his current employer, Varian Medical Systems, in Salt Lake City which he'll start on the 27th of this month. We're house shopping in the Salt Lake area right now and we're really excited to start this new chapter of our life together. Married life is the best. We love you all!

Amy. Larry took a great job as Vice President at Sonic Restaurants at their headquarters in Oklahoma City, so we're getting ready to move. We were so worried about selling the house in this economy, but thankfully it sold quickly and we close in a few weeks. The boys and I are going to move into an apartment here for a couple months to finish out the school year. OK is not the most exciting place I can think of to live, but we took a trip up over New Years and had a great time. There are some really beautiful areas with actual hills and trees, not how I imagined it at all. I'm pretty excited!
Colton and Brian are both into lacrosse season now. Colton loves playing for the high school team, and Brian decided to try it for the first time after watching his brothers for so many years. Sean and Brittany & Steven are doing great in Utah. We miss them sooo much! We're planning a trip out there to see Britt's art show at BYU this summer.
I'm looking forward to seeing some of you in AZ for Sidney's wedding. I'm also looking forward to a trip to Spokane in May to see Ken and run the marathon on Lilac weekend and watch the parade!
I'm really thankful to be a part of your lives. I learn so much from your examples and the way you guys handle life's many ups and downs.

Melody. Leap year. to leap: v. intr. 1. to jump off the ground with a spring of the legs. 2. to jump forward; to vault; bound. 3. to move quickly, abruptly, or impulsively. tr. 1. to jump over; to hurdle. 2. to cause to vault or jump. n. 1. The act of springing up or forward; vault; bound. 2. The distance cleared in a forward spring. 3. An abrupt or precipitous passage, shift, or transition. (My favorite.)
Examples: 1. Melody leaped out of bed this morning to get her news in. 2. Ken leaped on a plane from Spokane to come visit Melody on January 23 but did not leap back onto the plane when he returned to Spokane on February 6 at the prospect of catching up at work and shoveling snow out of the back of his truck. 3. Melody bounded into Waimea, February 4 for Cherry Blossom Festival, family in tow, to celebrate the coming of Spring. Fantastic to have family here.
My other job offer is still on hold. I've been invited to be a presence, especially overnight, “to keep an eye on Grandpa" rent free. My landlords are buying a house next door. Grandpa is in good health and mobile, a 90-year-old former state Senator who is almost 5 feet tall and able to carry on a dinner conversation. It's iffy. IF the sale of the house goes through. IF Grandpa survives the move, etc.
Work is good. We've been busy with “Snowbirds” sick of the snow, who don't need a lot of entertaining, but packed light or forgot to pack something, and Japanese who want off their islands. Also Koreans, Chinese, Europeans, and Australians. I made 27 years with Liberty House/Macy's on Feb. 13th.

Rob & Shante. We have good news! Rob graduates in May from ASU with a Masters in Business Administration. He accepted a job with Bank of America at their corporate headquarters in Charlotte, NC at the end of May. For the first two years he will be in their Leadership Development Rotation Program. His title will be Assistant Vice President. There may be 5,000 other Assistant Vice Presidents at BofA, but it still sounds pretty cool! We're so excited for this new adventure.
Jack turned 3 in December. He says the most hilarious things and is probably the most stubborn child you'll ever meet. I'm not sure where he gets it from. He loved having a visit from his only second cousin he's ever met, Alexa -- Rachael and Nicolas' daughter. He still talks about her. He keeps hoping she'll come and visit again. Jack loves other kids, and especially babies. Even though he's the ultimate boy, he's very nurturing.

Lucy. Our big new is that the wedding is only one month away! We are getting very excited for Sidney and Taylor. They are going to have a beautiful wedding, honeymoon in Hawaii, and then move into their new home. Sidney is getting a great guy and we couldn't be happier. We are so excited to see all of you that can make it for the wedding. The best part for me is spending time with my family. If you need hotel info let me know.

Carly is busy with club volleyball. She has tournaments every other week so she and I get that time to spend together. It's been fun. She is the libero so she gets to stand out in her bright blue shirt. She turns 16 on March 23rd and she is so excited to get her drivers license! I think the worst thing in the world is to have to teach your kids how to drive. It's just not natural to put your children in control of your life. Once Sidney got her license it took me two years to get back into a car with her in the drivers seat and I think it will be the same with Carly.

Adri has discovered that she loves drama. This didn't come as a surprise to Matt and me since she is a 13 year old. Her middle name is drama. She is taking a drama class at school as well as one down at the Mesa Arts Center. She is having a lot of fun with it. She is also the Beehive president at church and has shown she has a responsible side to her.

We love you all so very much and we are so grateful to be a part of this family. Hope to see you all the end of this month!

Dan. Hello to everyone.
Nadya and the kids are heading to Flagstaff this weekend to play in the snow one last time before it is all gone. We had a busy winter with lots of work, Nadya's ongoing school, and the kids in their various activities. We are petitioning to have the days increased to 48 hours so we can fit everything in. I'm sure you all feel the same from time to time.
Danil is growing and just got shoes larger than mine. Wow! Sofia is in dance class and wears her pink leotard for days (and nights) at a time. [Yes we wash it, Merrily!] She had her third birthday party and each day she wants to have it again.
Giselle is beautiful and loves to laugh. It is amazing how your children's laughs fill you with joy.
All my kids are so big already. Will someone tell me how to stop this, please. We may need to continue to have babies if they are going to grow up so fast.
Nadya is doing great in school and before I know it I will have my own nurse in the house. I'm so proud of her, I don't know how she does it. She is a machine when it comes to studying and keeping the family going.
I'm working to keep milk in the fridge. Dang! How did we ever have enough food for our family when we were growing up? Did Mom and Dad shop everyday?
I've been kicking around eventually becoming a pastor in my old age and have become even more serious about it lately. I'm even considering responding to some job opportunities. I planned on it maybe in ten years but who knows, maybe sooner.
We bought a rental property and just finished fixing it up and have some new renters.
Ahhh, it's good to be a slum lord again! :) Working on buying another now. Because we have lots of time on our hands.
Hope to see you at the wedding reception! We love and pray for you all.

Greg & Kandice. Hello family! We are in Pullman, WA right now while Greg is attending grad school. He will be done this summer and then it is on to a job somewhere. I get to stay home with our children. We love to have preschool and make
different things. Zachary is four and is excited to turn five this summer. He is busy and loves to learn. He is looking forward to kindergarten in the fall. Joshua just turned three. He is loves to move and play. He is very active and has a great imagination. Breann was born February 13 of this year. We are so happy to have her in our family. She is a great baby. She loves to eat and loves to sleep. To see more of what our family is up to you can check out our family blog at: gregandkandice.blogspot.com.