Christmas Letter 2013

THIRTEEN BLESSINGS OF 2013
ONE: Camden and
Easton are the cutest grandkids. Camden is a happy, excited, and lively
two-year-old. He runs around all day and keeps his parents, Brooke and Tim, on
their feet. He loves watching Mater’s Tall Tales and Super Why. Camden helped
to welcome his little brother Easton into the world. Easton was born on June 3.
Easton is now able to sit up on his own. He is a very happy boy with a
contagious smile.
TWO: Justin is 14
and is a freshman at Cedar High School. He was ordained to the office of a
teacher in April. He did amazing in his first year of high school football. He
started in every game and had a great season. He is now wrestling and has a
natural knack for it. He is quite the athlete… and the ladies’ man, too! He
loves movies and hanging out. He loves playing the piano and has a real knack
for it! Just recently, he no longer has braces. He is enjoying his “freedom.”
THREE: Erik is
19. Along with receiving the Melchizedek priesthood in September, he made a
full recovery from his large surgery just over a year ago and other surgeries
throughout the year. He continues to write on his blog and loves it. He works
at the Best Western El Rey Inn and the Stratford Court Hotel at the front desk.
In August, he moved out on his own into an apartment closer to SUU. He enjoys
hanging out, running, and piano. He finally decided on a major- Speech Therapy.
FOUR and FIVE: Ashley
(21) was married on February 15 to Hayden
(22) Hawks in the St George temple. They live in Cedar City and are enjoying
their life together. Ashley is an Elementary Education major while Hayden is an
Exercise Science/Coaching emphasis major. They both run for the Cross Country
and Track teams for Southern Utah University. They both did well this last season, and are
excited to keep going. Ashley and Hayden
have two and a half years left at SUU for both school and running. They spearheaded a children’s running group
last summer called Cedar City Track Attack and absolutely had a great time with
it. Hayden worked for Dennis this summer
and Ashley worked at SUU.
SIX and SEVEN: Chris
and Allie are 23 and 22,
respectively. They live in Cedar City
and moved in May to a new apartment. Allie works at Image Pro and is really good
and professional at what she does. She still has her knack for soccer and loves
to play it. She and Chris love games, movies, and of course, babysitting the
nephews. Chris worked for Dennis this summer. He is in school at SUU and will
get his Bachelor’s degree in May, planning to go on graduate school in
Counseling.
EIGHT and NINE: Brooke
and Tim are enjoying this whole
parenting thing. They love their kids and love seeing them grow up. Brooke’s
pregnancy with Easton went well and she and Tim are happy to welcome their
second son. Brooke is 25, and Tim will be the big 3-0 a few days after
Christmas! Tim works at Precision Development with Dennis. He spearheaded
projects like a fire station and a custom home, and proved himself an excellent
Superintendent, not a surprise! Brooke is doing an accounting business from
their home. Once a week, she takes the boys to “Grandma Morning” and goes in to
a client to work on payroll. They live in Cedar City and love life and their
two boys.
TEN: JoLene, 47,
still maintains the title of Crafting Queen Extraordinaire. She loves making
new projects and crafts. She is the “Grandma” of “Grandma Morning” and loves
babysitting her grandkids once a week. She loves spending time with her husband
and family, and currently is the Compassionate Service director for the ward.
She misses her Young Women’s calling, but still sees her girls often. Because
JoLene is not the one writing this this year, I have no problem in adding the
quality of selfless-ness to her list. She is concerned about others and loves
others, putting the needs of others first. She does books and some accounting
once a week at Precision for Dennis. It’s exciting for her to see her family
grow in number, both grandchildren, and children-in-law.
ELEVEN: Dennis,
49, runs Precision Development. He and
Tim work well together and get a lot done. This year, he directed the construction
of a 13-unit apartment complex, and that was only phase one. He is a bright
businessman and is respected around the community for what he does and how he
presents himself. He continues his calling as the Deacons Quorum Advisor and
Scoutmaster. He is the wittiest, funniest guy ever, and always will make you
laugh with his comments, jokes, and anecdotes. He loves JoLene more each day,
and their marriage flourishes day by day, month by month, and year by year.
TWELVE: Family time.
Dennis and JoLene are grateful that all five of their kids live in Cedar City.
Having the entire family within 10 minutes of each other is a tremendous
blessing. The family has family dinner
on Fast Sunday every month, get together to celebrate birthdays, and eat out
together every so often.
THIRTEEN: The last and most important blessing of the year
has been our Savior, Jesus Christ. We see the blessings of His love and His
atonement in our lives every day. We are grateful for his gospel and for The
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in our lives. We know that we can
be better people through Him and His example. We know that we can be a forever
family, and love each and every day that we can celebrate all thirteen
blessings we have.
The entire family is grateful for your prayers in our
behalf. We have felt them time and time again and are thankful for amazing
people around us. We hope your holidays are filled with joy as you remember the
reason for the season and enjoy your family time
together. We love you all!