Christmas Letter 2008

December 27, 2008

Merry Christmas. I love celebrating Jesus’ birth! I’m sorry it’s been a while since we sent Christmas cards. I had them all purchased for last year just before our sweet little Benjamin passed away. Then I didn’t have the heart to send cards that say, “Isn’t Christmas jolly?” Many of you know that we welcomed a beautiful new son into our family November 3, 2007. We had only a few hours to enjoy him here on earth, and now years to wait until we hold him again. His brief life has forever changed ours, and I feel honored to be his mother. It has been a difficult year. A growing year. We have been so blessed by family and friends (new and old) who have mourned with us and shown their love in countless ways. How grateful we are for you “earth angels!” And how overwhelmingly grateful I am for my truest Friend, Jesus Christ. He has truly carried me, and I know He loves me. My life has been, and is still being, completely redefined. The year 2008 was spent hurting, healing, creating new traditions, making a place for Benjamin in our family, and re-learning to find joy in life. I know I have made progress because I find myself laughing more easily again, getting out of bed in the morning more quickly, and simply feeling better more of the time. It will always be sad that he’s not here, but I am finding that there are ways to have hope, even while missing someone terribly. My wishes for 2009? There are lots of things that could happen. Chris is applying for full-time teaching jobs in Academia-land, so a move is possible. Hyrum will start kindergarten in the fall. I would dearly love to add to our family again, but if that doesn’t happen, I am hoping to return to school and earn an RN degree. If you’d like to keep up with us more often than every (other) year ☺, you can subscribe to my personal blog “Mama’s Boys,” at http://www.mamasboys4.blogspot.com.

With loving thoughts and warm wishes,

PCN;F PCN;FM ;FMN;NCMNC=M N;NCMNC=M Age: 7 years, 7 months (2nd grade) Height: 51 in.

@;PILCN?P ;PILCN?P;=;NCIHG ;=;NCIHG?GILSI@V^^\ ?GILSI@V^^\ Watching “Wall-e” with Aunt Becky and Nana

@OHHC?MNG OHHC?MNGIG?HNn IG?HNnWhen we put a blanket over Ruby (our dachshund puppy) and it looked like the blanket was walking. JLIO>?MN; LIO>?MN;==IGJFCMBG?HNn ==IGJFCMBG?HNnWe played our violins in Sacrament Meeting (“Joseph Smith’s First Prayer”)


@;PILCN?P ;PILCN?P;=;NCIHG ;=;NCIHG?GILSI@V^^\n ?GILSI@V^^\nWhen we went to the Wildings’ and we made a whirlpool and someone was in the middle going up and down and up and down and up and down and up and down and up and down and up and down and up and down and up and down and up and down. . . . @OHHC?MNG OHHC?MNGIG?HNn IG?HNnWhen we put a Santa hat and jingle bell collar on Ruby and she looked really surprised and irritated.

JLIO>?MN; LIO>?MN;==IGJFCMBG?HNn ==IGJFCMBG?HNnGetting to as far as I am in the Old Testament (as of 12/27/08, he is on Isaiah 52)


@;PILCN?P ;PILCN?P;=;NCIHG ;=;NCIHG?GILSI@V^^\n ?GILSI@V^^\nSwimming in the Wilding’s swimming pool, playing with their automatic train that is for Christmas that goes all around the Christmas tree

@OHHC?MN OHHC?MNG NGIG?HNn IG?HNnWhen Clynnie-boppers solved the Rubix cube after I made it not be solved JLIO>?MN; LIO>?MN;==IGJFCMBG?HNn ==IGJFCMBG?HNnLearning how to read CAA?MN==B;FF?HA? B;FF?HA?IIP?L=IG? P?L=IG?nnNot to hop over the brown couch
@OHHC?MNG OHHC?MNGIG?HNn IG?HNn We were rehearsing “I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas” and instead of the snow falling delicately throughout the song, all the fake stage snow fell onto the conductor all at once. And it scared the conductor out of his wits.

JLIO>?MN; LIO>?MN;==IGJFCMBG?HNn ==IGJFCMBG?HNn Improving my relationship with each of our boys and with Michelle.