Christmas

Christmas is has come and gone and Im finally updating our blog.  
The holidays flew by so fast its hard to believe its February already!  What did we even do to create and keep the spirit of Christmas in our hearts?  Honestly, not much.  However, keeping it simple did help us (me) to not stress out and feel overwhelmed. 

what we did do:
see temple lights
sing in church choir
saw the Nutcracker Sweet in Hagerstown (our friends Bob and Geri Sherbert's daughters danced)
take pictures of joyful faces
visit family in AZ
share our temporal blessings with others
share the gospel of Christ to others

Below are our top 10 Reflections of 2011:  (RECAP)

10. We got hampsters in January 2011. Named them Maggie and Lisa- they were Chinese Dwarf ones. Tragedy struck twice in August. Maggie got stepped on and we had to bury her (sad day) and Lisa was left on the coach unattended (lost). Our new puppy found her later on a mouse trap in the storage room. Ooooo! yuck!

  9.  Changes in our callings.  Greg is teaching Sunday School to 14 year olds.  I am Relief Society Pianist and Assitant for Activity Days- (like girl scouts).

  8.   Payton and Noah have been taking piano lessons and are progressing well- finally past primer level!  Thanks to Lori Miller and Jenny Candland.  Noah had his first year playing football and started middle school- he is so cool!  Payton is a fabulous fourth grader, famous friend to everyone and fantastic basketball player! 

  7.  Owen is an outstanding 7th grader doing much better than his 6th grade year.  He began 6th grade in the wrong classes, missed too much from vacation and sickness; 7th grade has been smoother and more successful.  His new best buds are Zach Tucker and Scott Murri.  He is quite an athlete and a great assett to his travel basketball team!

  6.  Gray is quite gracious for a teenager!  He has his moody days when I'm not allowed to talk to him but overall he is wonderful and a great help to his family!  He was a superstar on his Freshman football team and now contributing well to Freshman basketball.  Im proud at how well he has been doing attending early morning seminary; up almost every school day at 5:30 a.m.!!  He is an honor student also!

  5. Greg and Bev went to London, England in April.  It was a wonderful, fun trip and best of all we felt like a couple again instead of a clan.   (Greg had 2 trips to Utah in the fall.  Once by himself to meet up with college buddies and once with Owen for his father-son priesthood trip to General Conference.)

  4.  Trips to Az to see our family.  Lucky me (Bev) got to go twice!  May and Christmas 2011.  Noah and Payton joined me for the Christmas trip.  My brother Al got married Dec. 30th!  Greg, Owen, and Gray stayed in MD because of basketball commitments.  Greg's brother Nate and his family came down to visit during the time I was gone so it was a treat for them to visit together.  (In May my brother Al graduated and I had a fun week visiting my siblings and parents. Bev's parents left for their first couples mission July 4, 2011.)

  3. We love trips!  Our summer vacation consisted of 2 trips up to NY- see GG Gams; boy scout camps, a canoe trip- Gray did with teachers and priest quorums (Gray and Owen don't consider this vacation); I took Noah and Payton on a campout without Greg since he spent part of the summer in Taiwan.     We all went to Hershey Park in mid-August. 

  2. We love Birthdays and Anniversaries! Greg turned 40!!! Owen 12, Payton 9, Noah 11, Gray 15 (of course he and Owen had another birthday since I published this and are another year older! I can't belive how time flies and Im going to have 3 in the Young Mens program Aug. 2012! Crazy!   Greg and I celebrated our sweet 16th Wedding Anniversary! (19 years since we met!)

  #1 happy memory of 2011 was getting a beagle puppy while we were in NY for Thanksgiving! WE named her Fiona; yes, after the Shrek movie character. As of 2/3/12 when I began this write up she was not house trained!  As of 2/15/12 she is doing 90 percent better!  Weekends are the toughest because everyone is home- kind of- its an odd schedule.