Its that time again...: 2018 Newsletter

2018 Newsletter

Merry Christmas friends and Family! We hope that you are all doing well and that you are enjoying the Christmas season. We wanted to give you a little update on our family and our happenings this past year.

The kids are now attending a new school, North Ogden Elementary. They love the change and have wonderful teachers this year. Evan is in 6^th grade, Makiah is in 4^th grade, and Daphne is in 1^st grade.

Evan turned 11 in January. This year he enjoyed spring league volleyball, summer horseback riding camp, Lego league this past fall and he started piano lessons a few months ago. He has really picked up on piano, and plays whenever he possibly can. He gets excited with math and science. He’s working on his science fair project now. He loved helping mom in the garden and mowing the lawn this past summer. He is a hard worker!

Makiah turned 10 in July, double digits! She started the year with gymnastics, also went to summer horseback riding camp, as well as a summer art camp. She decided to pick up a sport this fall and played basketball. We were surprised with how much she loved playing basketball! She also started playing piano and can’t get enough of it! We have music playing in our home all the time these days. Makiah is our social butterfly and loves to make new friends. She has a fun personality and loves to be goofy with friends.

Daphne turned 7 in November. She is an outgoing little girl and wants to do all the things. She loves sports. This past year she has done, gymnastics, t-ball, art camp, and basketball. She can’t wait to try new sports next year and to start piano like her big brother and sister. She is taking off learning to read at school and loves being a first grader. Daphne is so silly and loves to make us laugh and does a good job!

Dallas is still working from home for PRA Health Services. He can’t complain about the commute down the hall or going to work in his pajamas. The highlight of his year was traveling to the Baltics, Finland and Iceland with his sister Lark. He found out that he likes snorkeling in glacial lakes and that Tallinn, Estonia is his new favorite city. The trip was a great reminder of his mission to Moldova since a lot of the Baltic culture is so much like it was in Moldova. Dallas and Jessica went to Boston for a business trip. It was our first time going back East together, and even though it was cold, it was so much fun!

Jessica still loves being a stay at home mom. Last school year she subbed at her kid’s school, but it wasn’t quite what she wanted to do and with the school change this year she decided to go back to focusing on being a mom. It has been a blessing especially after having kids home sick many times this past fall and random responsibilities piling up at home. Jessica took on painting the whole basement this past spring, she loves updating our home. Some of her highlights from this past year were going on a sister’s trip to San Diego with her sisters in the spring. Jessica loves walking each day with Dallas and their new puppy and hiking whenever possible.

As a family we had some fun things going on this year. In July we went on a trip to Glacier National Park with Dallas’ Family to celebrate Dallas’ sister Sheri’s birthday. We went a little earlier than the rest of Dallas’ family and enjoyed some family time, kayaking and hiking. It was beautiful there and we definitely recommend it to anyone who has never been! We went to Jessica’s parent’s cabin several times this past summer, we love riding four wheelers and hanging out with Grandma and Grandpa in the mountains. We had a fun time visiting Dallas’ parents in Cove Fort where they are serving an LDS mission. They invited us to come to Cove Fort Days in August which was fun for us to experience with Grandma and Grandpa. Another highlight was bringing home our first family dog, a beagle puppy that we named Finnigan! He is such a sweet pup who we just love having around. Dallas’ still isn’t so sure about having a dog, but he is such a big help with taking care of him. The kids are just in heaven finally having a pet dog. Of course there are the day to day responsibilities and concerns that come up throughout the year, but we are grateful for the good times and fun memories. 2018 has been great to us! We are so grateful for you and hope that you had a fun year. Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!