2010 Christmas Card

If it wasn't for Photoshop and my awesome Mac this Christmas Card would not be making it's way to you today...on Christmas Eve.

We have had a very busy year and so much has happened. So here is what has been going on in our neck of the woods...

Sadie turned 10 this year and started the 5th grade. She is maturing quite quickly which is throwing Brian and I for a loop. She is developing into a beautiful young lady. She is already counting down the days for when she turns 11, then one more year and she is in Young Womens. She has started to tend her little sister and has been quite the help so mom and dad could have Date Night. She is really enjoying Activity Days and really gets bummed out when we forget. Her new favorite thing to do is to cook. She absolutely loves helping me in the kitchen whenever she can. Her grades are doing spectacular this year and she is excelling in her reading. McKadie begs her quite frequently to read to her as she reads in an animated voice. We are so proud of her accomplishments this year.

Hunter turned 9 in October and received his Wolf a few months before becoming a Bear Cub. He is always so nice and thinking of others before himself. He is very patient and kind to his ever pushy little sister. This year he has overcome his extreme fear of water and we are so excited that he is no longer afraid to get his face wet or put his head under water. He is in the 3rd grade and loves his teacher this year. She has told us that he is one of her favorite people ever, and that she is so glad that she doesn't have to handle his dating years, he is very charming. He loves to draw and learn new crafts. He loves playing with his legos, tech decks and was very very excited to get to display mom's large Mustang Collection in his bedroom. His grades are doing wonderful this year as well. He is also above the marks with his reading and loves to read science fiction. We are so proud of the young man that he is becoming.

McKadie turned 3 in September and is wiser than her years. This has caused her mom and dad so much stress this year but so much pleasure as well. She is constantly coming up with quick witted statements and funny little remarks. She makes us all laugh. Her favorite thing to do is to go to Church and Sunday doesn't come around quickly enough for her. In January she will become a Sunbeam. She loves to sing, dance, play dress up, play with her baby dolls, play with any animal that will not harm her (story to come in a moment), and talks about when she will get married. She often asks her daddy if he will marry her, so cute, and she has great taste. This year we have had to teach her a lot more forcefully that even though she loves all animals, not all animals love her and some will hurt her. She didn't believe us until she was bitten by a kitten that wandered into our yard. Mommy took her to the doctors office and as we got out of the car a cat wandered up to the car and she reached out just in time for me to grab her and tell her that she can't just pick up the animals and love them. It has been a very hard lesson for her to learn. We think she will be a Vet or something similar when she grows up.

Brian has had a really rough year and is trying extremely hard to remain positive and to keep his chin up. He was laid off in February from the Electricians Union and within the next 3 months lost 2 more jobs. We had decided that maybe going back to school would be a good option, he started out going into EMT/Paramedic school and then ended up working towards the Respiratory Therapy program which I was heading towards. After a few months of school and some extenuating circumstances, we decided it best that he just work whatever he could do to provide for the family and that maybe his time for school had passed, after all he did just graduate with his Journeyman Electrician's license and had been attending school off and on our entire marriage and then some. He is currently working part time in our office building and searching vigorously for a new job that will support our family. I am so proud of him and that he hasn't given up although at times it would have been easier. He had a job interview with UTA on Wednesday and we won't know until next week if he got the job or not. Please keep us in your prayers, we really need this job.

I started out the year in my 2nd semester at UVU. I also received my CNA in the spring. I enrolled for school this Fall and also ended up having to withdraw due to overwhelming scheduling of working full time, being a mom of 3 and then trying to carry 13 credit hours. My standing GPA is a 3.7 and I am pretty proud of it. Hopefully I will be able to get back to school someday. I worked at UVRMC (Utah Valley Regional Medical Center) for 4 months as a housekeeper grateful that I had my foot in the door at the hospital. I was supposed to apply for the Respiratory Therapy program in November. While I was working at the hospital I herniated a disc in my back and could no longer carry on my responsibilities at the hospital. One week after I resigned Brian lost his job and we were completely broke. We took our last paychecks and headed to Arizona to pick up the 3 kids which were with their grandparents. While down there I received a phone call from an old friend, I used to babysit his kids when I was a teenager. They have always been family to me and I was and still am very grateful for the opportunity that he has provided both Brian and I. I now work for him full time and really enjoy the work I do and the people I work with. It's also very nice to be able to work with Brian.

We know that there are many families and people in need and off much worse than we are this year, but we wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and please remember the true meaning of Christmas at this time. We love you all and are so blessed to have you in our lives.