Merry Christmas 2009!

We have enjoyed seeing many of you this year and look forward to more visits and communications with those we love and cherish. Parts of this year I would not like to repeat. At the same time we have been richly blessed with love and compassion from many, and have hopefully become a little wiser and kinder. As some of you know, my pregnancy this year ended with surgery, unlike last year it was not an emergency. At my four month appointment the ultra sound showed that the heart beat had stopped. It appeared by the size of the fetus that we had lost the baby one week before my appointment. Most women naturally abort the baby within three weeks. After waiting for two weeks at home I was scheduled for a D&E, the surgery went fine as they said I am in great health. Definitely not an experience we would like to repeat.

Our schedule this past year was filled with more travel than usual; however, like usual they were almost all business trips: Hawaii, Philadelphia (twice), Missoula, New York City, Denver, Detroit (six times), and Utah (more than six times if you combine Tess' trips with the rest of us). At our home in Wyoming, we were fortunate to enjoy great company from many places all the way from Hawaii to Italy.

David, 48: Still dreaming of having a remodeled office; business trips in Detroit, Philadelphia, Missoula, New York City, Billings, and Denver; completed his requirements and passed the exams to become a fellow in the ICOI and the Misch Institute; continues as the assistant stake clerk for our church; Woodbadge; purchased some nice raku glazes in Denver with the hope of eventually doing some more pottery.

Katie, 46: feels blessed to be a stay at home mom with five of her six children; half-way through her third year as the Relief Society President (women's organization at church); visited nephew and his children in Hawaii, sister in New York, family and friends in Utah, and with her sister and niece visiting from Alabama; got the deck done; enjoyed "Singing in the Rain" with family at the Hale Center Theater in Orem, UT, and "White Christmas" with David at NYC Broadway; made a T-shirt quilt for David's birthday with some of his old T-shirts that have importance to his (SLC Marathon, LDS Emergency Service from helping in FL Andrew hurricane in 1992, and several others).

Tess, 19: studying piano at BYU Provo, stayed for Spring and Summer terms, working on an Italian minor, saw the King Singers at BYU, and Emmanuel Ax(pianist) at Uof U in SLC, took ice skating and ballet at BYU for fun, went to Philadelphia with Mom and Dad, Houston twice, once to visit her roommate and on the 29th of this month to be a bridesmaid.

Deidra, 17: music camp for piano, Utah trips with Mom for conference and visits with aunts and cousins, did well on the ACT, plans to study linguistics at BYU-Provo next year, activity day's assistant (church assignment), went a whole year without crashing a car, likes to sew and cook, was a leaf for Halloween. Mom is already feeling sad about the upcoming Fall 2010 for college, thank goodness for cell phones.

Hans, 16 (on the 27th): EFY in July, went to Missoula and Denver with Parents, takes lessons for piano and guitar, occasionally still plays the violin, rarely practices the piano, enjoys the guitar, and plays it a ton, likes making movies, reading, Ariana, and on youth council.

Collin, 14: Eagle project in August, this December 31st will have his court of honor, went to Hawaii and Denver, still completely obsessed with legos, speech once a week, taking piano lessons, Hans has given him a few guitar lessons, went to his first church dance.

Serena, 12: in Young Women's, went to Hawaii and conference in Utah (her first time), played "O Holy Night" on the violin at the ward Christmas party, sews, takes piano and violin lessons, a few guitar lessons from Hans, plays with Ariana, will play legos with Collin, reads a lot and still takes good care of the dogs.

Ariana, 3: Went to Missoula and Utah, loves swimming, in Missoula Hans and David didn't notice as she quietly opened the door and went down three flights of stairs to the lobby jacuzzi (mom was in the shower) Ariana was not happy to be taken back to the room. In Utah she received a police report, Mom thought she was with the girls and vice versa, only gone ten minutes and a police officer found her at the church parking lot, she was not in the least bit concerned, keeps us laughing, loves movies, dogs and small people.

Other: 50 mile bike ride, Scrabble, movies, eating, sewing, tennis, meetings, funerals, Deidra preparing for college, music lessons.