Ghosts of Christmas Past, part 13

This year was extremely frustrating to me. My husband was so busy that we could never get together for a picture. Instead, I figured that a shot of the kids would be better than nothing. I did not have a digital camera yet, and instead resorted to the trial and error method of photo taking. This meant gathering the kids together at gunpoint, snapping the shot and hoping there was a shot I would want to send out to everyone. We did also have some kittens available for the photo shoot.

As you can see Trent was doing his best impression of an ornery, obstinate teenager. I was never really happy with any of the pictures I took, also this was the fall that my FIL was struggling with Alzheimer. He passed away at the end of December. So even though I wrote a letter, I never managed to get it sent out.

Perhaps this will be the perfect opportunity for me to publish it.

Once again it is time to share with all of you a little of the happenings around here. The year has been a good one, and full of many "FIRSTS"

Last spring Diana had her FIRST ballet recital. Then, Diana had the FIRST broken bone of our family in May. She had a non displaced medial fracture of the supracondylar (elbow) when she fell off the monkey bars during Jared's soccer game. She then got her FIRST pink cast and enjoyed all the attention that comes with such things. We found a device that covers the cast and makes it almost waterproof, so swimming wasn't completely out of the question. She then was the FIRST in our family to brake the same arm in almost the same place again is September, when she did a cartwheel off the couch at the chapel, while I was in my institute class. This time it did not require a cast and instead I was suppose to keep her from injuring it any further. Diana also had her FIRST day of kindergarten in August. She loves school, especially all the other girls in her class. She also played soccer for the FIRST time this fall. Just last weekend Jared and Diana played barbershop for the FIRST time, and now for the FIRST time Diana has a short hair cut. I was gone to Seattle for the weekend and my husband was gone home teaching and I have no idea what got into the two of them.

This month, Jared became our FIRST child to get glasses. I have wondered about his eyes for a while, but the school tested him and told me he was fine. Finally I took him to a real optometrist, and I am excited for him to really see things clearly for the FIRST time. He is doing well in 5th grade and became a library aid for the FIRST time. The librarian told me that he is especially good with the younger kids and helping them find their books. He picks Diana up from her class each day and walks her to the bus. Another FIRST for Jared would be playing soccer on the big Olympic size soccer fields. He really gets a lot of exercise running on such a big field.

Trent became our FIRST teenager last May when he turned 13. If I wasn't already going gray, I am sure he would have given me my FIRST gray hair. He played his base guitar in his FIRST rock concert. Well actually it was at the scout spaghetti dinner fundraiser at the church. Everyone was thrilled because they raised more than twice as much money as the year before. He then went to scout camp on Catalina Island for the FIRST time in June. His favorite thing to do is play his guitar, which he plays FIRST thing each day. He shaved for the FIRST time this year, a fact that was shocking to me. He is the FIRST of 5 taxi runs I make each day taking kids to and from school.

In August my husband was called to be High Priest Group leader for the FIRST time . Last spring, for the FIRST time he was the manager and head coach for Jared's soccer team. They had so much fun they all played together again this fall. In his spare time, he keeps busy with electrical jobs. For the FIRST time, he has had almost too many jobs and has had a waiting list of people needing his help.

I am still busy as second counselor in the Stake Relief Society as I have watched our stake grow from 8 to 15 units in the past three years. This year, for the FIRST time since Diana was born, I remembered how much I enjoy scrap booking. I love spending Saturday nights watching Trading Spaces and working on my scrapbooks. Our roof leaked into our bedroom for the FIRST time last winter. After several more leaks, we got our house re-roofed for the FIRST time in 23 years. In June we purchased a second car and for the FIRST time since we have lived in Las Vegas, we now have two cars with A/C. In August Marion and I celebrated our twentieth wedding anniversary. We left our kids with my parents and for the FIRST time in a long time, we had a little getaway.

Well another year come and gone and we lived to tell about it. Tune in tomorrow for a miracle moving story.