2016 Christmas letter

Since we knew our time in Pennsylvania would be short, we tried to make the best of it. We were able to visit Palmyra, New York and see where our Church was re-established in latter days. We were also able to go to the priesthood restoration site and see where priesthood was restored. Some of our other favorites were Niagara Falls, New York City, Statue of Liberty, Independence Hall, Liberty Bell, Gettysburg, Washington D.C., Valley Forge, Bird In Hand (no joke that is the name of a city in Pennsylvania- it has a large Amish community), Hershey, and Philadelphia (we had some nice cheese steaks and toured a recently finished temple for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints).

We only spent a short time at many of these places and hopefully we will be able to go again when we have more time. Still, we truly feel blessed for all of these experiences and for the amazing friends that we made in Pennsylvania. They have become a part of our hearts, just like our other family and friends over the years. Thank you for being a part of our family.

At the end of September we moved in with my parents, so that John could train for and eventually deploy to Afghanistan with the Army.

Reese is adjusting pretty well to the move, but misses her daddy a lot and is not looking forward to the deployment. She loves her new school and the fact that she gets to hug and play with her cousin Lexi during recesses. She also loves gymnastics and will often try to show us her latest tricks.  Right now she wants to be a doctor, vet, teacher, and mother all at the same time. Reese is beautiful and kind and dramatic.

Celia is becoming a beautiful young woman right before our eyes and refuses to quit growing no matter how many times we ask. She loves her guinea pigs and plans on becoming a veterinarian someday. She frequently rolls her eyes when her dad teases that we are going to eat her guineas. She also loves YouTube videos, her phone, baking, friends, talking, and spending time with family. Celia was able to be a part of a local production of The Little Mermaid with good friends and really enjoyed it.

Jennifer started the year out as a teacher’s aide for the local middle school. It was a challenging, rewarding, and eye-opening experience. She is actively working on writing a novel and hopes to finish it soon because it has been an on-and-off project for the last 4 years.

John was able to do a half Ironman in Indiana this year. He has wanted to do an Ironman and is very glad he did. Other than that, he still loves his job as a flight paramedic and spends lots of time devoted to it. He is ready to serve our country and help save lives, although he will miss his girls.

This year the word sacrifice has new meaning. While at Gettysburg, we learned about Elizabeth Thorne. She was the wife of the local cemetery caretaker. When the civil war started, her husband went off to war. She was pregnant and had three little boys. During the fighting she had to flee and afterwards she came home, 6 months pregnant, to a trashed house and had to bury the dead with some help from her father. Elizabeth is one of many who have sacrificed for the United States of America and somehow hearing stories like that makes our sacrifice easier to bear. We are very grateful for the many sacrifices of others. Their examples inspire us.

We are especially grateful for Jesus Christ and His sacrifice and example. He is the reason for the season.

Merry Christmas and happy holidays to all our friends and family.

These are some of the family pictures my sister LaFae was nice enough to take for us.  Only one made the cut, but I kind of love the silly ones that show our personality more so I included them here for your enjoyment. Oh and yes, Reese is indeed biting my head in that one picture.