Merry Christmas Everyone

Hello to all our family and friends! Here is our year in summary: (disclamer: if you are dreading reading a whole "letter thing" this would be the time to click the little 'x' up in the corner..  ;) )

Great year for us!!

Jonny

 

 Jonny before his first hair cut

 Jonny after his first haircut! Such a cutie...

Jonny, aka the happiest baby alive, turned one this year. His first year with us has been amazing. We joke that if we have a 4th child, they can thank Jonny for being such a good baby that mom and dad wanted another one! After being 4 weeks early, he was pretty tiny, but he's hit all his milestones and is growing beautifully. He has crawled, walked (his fir4st steps were on Nov. 6, toward his uncle Elliot), and even talked a little. He says: Eat, out, kittie, Sam, Abby, mamma, and daddy. He can also show us where his ears are...we're working on learning nose and mouth.

Abby

Abby started pre-school this year, and turned 4!  She loves to tell us all what letters she can see in her surroundings, and what sounds they make, and can even write her own name. She is making lots of good friends at school. Her teacher tells us she's a natural leader, always the first the use her imagination and encourage the other kids to join in! She loves to play dress up, and wear dresses and continues to be to prissiest little girl we know! It's very sweet. Her smile lights up the room, and her giggles are so contagious! She's very proud that she learned how to pump a swing all by herself. We have loved watching her grow and learn this year!!

Sam

Sam is in 2nd grade this year, and turned 7. On his most recent report card, he scored 4's (the highest mark) on everything but handwriting! (He takes after mom that way!) He has a phenomenal sense of humor, and it's his joy to make others laugh. He's been working hard at learning to play soccer this year. He had a ton of fun playing on the community team this summer, and found he is very good at kicking the ball "really really far!". He also writes books. Comic books, books of poems, today in church he even wrote a recipe book, and can't wait to try the recipes out!! He also lost his first tooth and has discovered the joy of visits from the Tooth Fairy!

Jeremy had a big year! He started the year not sure if he would have a job when the contract he was working on expired in April. Then, through a series of very blessed events, he got put onto a better contract, with a promotion! The only downside is that he has to commute to Salt Lake City every day. More time in the car is less time with us, and we miss him. But, we're all glad he has a good job! He's been doing an exercise program called "tac-fit commando". He's in the best shape of his life, and can do more push ups than anyone I know!! He got released as the Scout Master, and was called as the Cub Scout Master for our ward. That's been fun for us! We're excited for Sam to turn 8 next year and be part of the scouting program!

Jer and I have both been working on remodeling projects around the house this year. About halfway through the year I discovered that there were wood floors under the carpet in the old part of the house. So, we pulled up the carpets! We also added a kitchen pantry, and have been painting away at the various rooms in the house. I figure by the time our kids are all grown, and we have nothing to do, our projects will all be done and we can enjoy them!!

 I've had a great year being mom. Watching my children grow, and making and keeping our home is very satisfying work. I got called as one of the Bear Den leaders in addition to my teaching calling is RS. It makes life busy, but I am really enjoying both callings. Learning to teach adults has been a new adventure, but lots of fun. And, planning den meetings 9 year old's is funner than I expected! I had never done scouts before and was pretty worried about it, but the boys are great and we have good times. I also tried a yoga class for the first time, and I am having lots of fun learning that, and swimming once a week, thanks to Jer taking care of the kids so "mom" can have some "me-time"!

Thank you all for your love, support and friendship. Like I said before, we've had a great year and it's all thanks to wonderful family and friends!!

Merry Christmas and a Very Happy New Year!!

Love, Tiffany and Jeremy and the Sanderson children