From Dad, Cheryl, Shawn, Phillip and Kyle:
This year has gone by so quickly and had so many changes that I hope I do it justice. The year started with Steve going back to work in January, only 3 months after his accident. I know it was a struggle, but I’ve watched him grow stronger over the year. Thank you so much for all of your prayers.
Steve’s had a great year at work. He was the only culinary unit in the state that came in under budget. He has had great ideas for changes at the prison culinary that has saved the state money. He also enjoys riding his horse, which now has a place at our new house, and watching Bonanza and Law and Order.
Shawn is a junior this year and is on the seminary council. He is active in Drama and has the part of Peter in the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe which will be put on at the end of January. He has also been in several other productions and done a fabulous job. He is currently in Band, Choir and on the honor roll and, of course he loves to play x-box games. He got his driver’s license this year and can now drive the boys wherever they need to go.
Phillip is a sophomore and is also on the honor roll and an excellent student. He enjoys playing video games and x-box games with his friends and brothers. He was student of the week at White Pine High School and his teachers have commented on what a good person and student he is in their classes. Phillip is excellent with all of his nieces and nephews and they love and adore him.
Kyle is in the 7th grade and was one of only 7 students that got a 4.0 on his report card. He also got a perfect score on his math end of year tests. One of his teachers said, “my boy is wicked smart”. He also has the acting bug and has been involved in the drama club at the middle school. He is cheerful and good natured and also enjoys playing computer games and x-box games, as well as soccer and jumping on the trampoline.
I (Cheryl) have just been busy enjoying my new family. I finally got my house in Utah sold, only to move again this month to a new home. This one has a lot more room and so we are very excited. I also went with Shawn and his community drama group and performed in their Christmas Variety Program. It was a lot of fun. We were able to spend Thanksgiving at my Mom and Dad’s, and we all had fun. My nephew Chad even took Steve and the boys for a ride in his airplane.
Then we got to stop in Salt Lake and see Teresa, Richard and Lily. It was great fun. We also enjoyed seeing Doug, Kayla, Jenny, Ashton and Sam when they came up for Thanksgiving. This summer we loved seeing everyone from Kathy, when she came out to traveling, to Lake Tahoe to see Cristi and Pam’s families. We have been so happy to seen everyone as they have come to visit. Please come anytime. We love you and miss you!
From Teresa, Richard and Lily:
As the year draws to a close, we look back and wonder where all the time went! It’s been a year full of big changes for us. Lily turned 10 and entered the “double digits”. Her attitude has definitely grown with her age and she has developed clear-cut opinions on everything. But even with her personality firmly developing, she’s still one of the sweetest, most loving and easy going kids we’ve ever known—and both Rich and I have worked with more than our fair share of kids to compare. Lily played on a soccer team called the “Death Eaters”; they lost every game this season, but Lily was the best on the team. Lily distinguished herself as a great defender and scored several of the only goals when they let her play offense. Lily says 4th grade has been her best year ever. Lily tells us the work is hard but the payoff is they watch cool movies on Fridays. Lily got to adopt a dog for her birthday, and he’s a real scrapper. His name’s Sam, he’s 2, and he loves to take baths. A few weeks after we adopted him, Lily was taking a warm bath after a cold and wet soccer practice. The next thing I knew, Lily was yelling and hopping out and away from a brown-dirt cloud expanding from Sam who had jumped right in with her. Lily wants me to point out that she hasn’t changed all that much in the last year, she’s still silly and never cleans her room.
Rich went back to school and is 2 semesters closer to his English degree, which is funny because he’s spent more time studying for his Spanish classes then any of his “English” classes. Honestly, I’ve really enjoyed proof reading his papers; Richard is very creative and has such an elegant way of writing. He’s been working at Clayton Middle School running an afterschool program, which I think he enjoys, at times. Usually when he gets to leave. Richard continues to write and produce music with his band the Fury Saga. They post new songs on their MySpace page, and I must say it’s really amazing especially considering its only 2 people creating all of it.
Rich and I have been working out a lot together (though not for the last several weeks—our “gym” is in the garage and it’s freaking cold out there. We’re giving each other a heater for Christmas…); we’ve been doing P90X. If you’re not sure what that is, you don’t watch enough TV; it seems like every time I’m flipping through the channels there’s at least 2 infomercials showing the benefits of working out with Tony and his theories on “muscle confusion”. Earlier this year, I went from running a program for homeless teens through a non-profit agency to working with youth and adolescents in a psychiatric hospital. Frankly, I truly miss the fast paced, often explosive environment from my previous job, and I miss supervising people. My new job is really easy, and though it’s not as satisfying over all, it leaves me more energy to spend with my family and friends which is where my energy should be going. Plus my new job pays more and since it’s through the University of Utah Hospital, Rich and I can both get reduced tuition. I continue to do trainings for my old job; in the current economy I’m keeping all my options open.
One of the highlights of my year was playing with Shade and spending several days with his mom. I was hoping their whole family would make it out for New Year’s but maybe I needed an excuse to go visit. The other highlights that come to mind are also family related—gaining a brother-in-law and getting another nephew (one of the happiest babies I’ve ever seen!), hiking the Subway with my family (remember repelling down the canyon wall?), getting my shy nephews to warm up to me and then teasing them to distraction, watching Samantha play with her puppy, visiting with my dad and his lovely new wife, spending time with Grandma and Grandpa Davis, and going to Vegas to see Jen and Cody celebrating their wedding. All in all, one of the most satisfying years I can remember. We love you all and look forward to the next time we get to see you!
From Kathy, Kellen and Shade:
We were lucky enough to visit most everyone for NewYear's. The drive out there was a VERY long, bitterly cold, but very fun and memorable road trip - we highly recommend it at least once...you all know someone who lives in Michigan...!
Shade and Kathy also made it out for the 24th of July. It was awesome to meet new baby Aidyn and show off how cute Shade had gotten
Kathy started Nursing school in August. She earned a highly competitive scholarship through Beaumont Hospital, and she will most likely work there when she graduates next December. School has been hectic, trying to finish a thee-year program in 18 months. She has already done some clinicals at Henry Ford Hospital in downtown Detroit.
Kellen is still at Bosch. The company invested time and money to send him to Germany this year for training. The company is finally done doing layoffs, so we feel safe from any more layoff scares. He does the financial analysis for a manufacturing plant in Mexico, so he also gets to use his Spanish skills. Other than that, he has pretty much taken over as the primary parent while Kathy is in school. He does a great job, and Shade has become a real daddy's boy.
We got a great deal for daycare with a family we know from the church. We know the family well, so we don't have to worry about Shade. Shade has transitioned well from being at home with me all day to being in a house full of 5 older kids (ages 5-16) who homeschool. He really likes them, and they really like him, so it is a good situation. Shade has become a lot more fun since you saw him in August. He is very loving, always giving loves and actual kisses on our mouths. He talks a lot, and is now walking. He also has used the toilet twice!
That is about all for this year.
Love you guys!!!
From Cristi, Marc, Mataello, Marcos and Caydent:
Our family has been through some changes this year! We started it out with getting our household back down to the five of us. It was fun having Shawn, Phillip, Kyle and Marc’s brother Johnnathon stay with us for a while, but sharing our only shower with four extra teenage boys was not easy (not to mention feeding them all!) Having Dad and Cheryl back in Ely in time for all of our family to visit was a great experience. As you all know, in July we made the move to Dayton, NV (next to Carson City and Reno). It has been a challenge to adjust to a new area, but one that we are all up for! We will be moving into Carson City itself mid-February to shorten commute and access better schools. Renting for now (until we sell our home in Ely), but living in a larger area has offered a lot to us all ready. We’ve found numerous parks/ponds/trails to check out, and get to visit with Pam, Andy and Aidyn around once a week. We’re really looking forward to Doug, Kayla and Sam relocating to this area as well early next year.
Marc transferred within the prison system, and currently works at Northern Nevada Correctional Center, which is a medium security facility instead of a maximum like Ely. He’s found it to be an easier system to work for, and has even managed to pull some overtime once in a while. He’s currently on graveyard hospital duty, so he gets to babysit inmates at the Carson City hospital while they are in recovering from illness/surgery and has learned a lot about the area from nurses and staff there. He will be back at the institution next year on day shift, and we all look forward to that! He is currently exploring other options within state jobs, and may be joining a different form of “officer” sometime next year…along with the small possibility of another temporary relocation. His ankle continues to hurt periodically, and he’s contemplating going to physical therapy to get it ready for the rigorous training he may have to go through. Marc’s mother, Mona, is living with us too, for now. She’s staying in the “game room” above the garage, and the boys love having Grandma to show off to daily!
I have “stayed at home” since the move. I tried for a part-time job at one point, but not getting it has proved to be the right choice after all at this time. I’m currently working on my Associates degree in Business Administration from home, and trying to keep up with my three boys! Now that they are all getting bigger, I find more time to do all the little things that being home allows me to do. I’ve made a few friends on our street, and one of them has a son about Mataello’s age that plays well with Marcos as well. Dad and Cheryl made it up this summer for a camping trip at Lake Tahoe, and we’ve gone back a few times exploring the beaches and other areas. I’m amazed at the amount of outdoors activities we’ve found around here! I got surgery earlier this year that confirmed no more children in our future…so I need lots of nieces to spoil! J
Mataello turned eight this year, and had a Rock Band party that sadly doubled as a farewell to all his friends in Ely. He really misses them, and at times has had trouble adjusting to everything being so new (on top of starting 3rd grade). He played little league in Ely this year (no more tee ball for him!) and found he’s a pretty good player when he practices. He had to miss out on soccer with the move, but soon will be starting basketball, then football (both of which were not offered in Ely…so he’s a little nervous about them). He had his tonsils removed at the end of the summer, and recovered really well from it. He no longer snores at night, though he still suffers seasonal allergies. He’s looking forward to living in Carson itself, and taking swim lessons this summer from an actual local pool!
Marcos turned four in April, and had tubes surgically inserted into his ears just prior to it. He’s had a LOT of ear infections during his life, and his hearing was altered not by damage done, but having fluid in his canals that would never really go away. Not ten minutes after leaving the hospital he said, “Mom, Dad, I can hear everything now!” and hasn’t had a problem with them since…other than remembering to put ear plugs in at bath until they fall out sometime in the next year. He was sad to leave all his friends in Ely as well, since he really enjoyed his preschool class there. His preschool here is a COW bus, painted with spots and everything. It’s Classroom On Wheels, and is only a couple of blocks away from our rental house. There are only eight kids in his class at full attendance, but he likes having homework and being called “pumpkin” by his teacher. Plus it’s next to a park they get to play at when the weather’s good. It’s two days a week, and he has learned to write most of his letters (including his name), and picks up more every week.
Caydent has officially hit his “terrible twos”, though his fits are few and short (at least compared to Marcos at this age). He is a very loving, polite boy…full of “No thank you” and “please”-since it gets him what he wants-and for now lots of cuddles and kisses. He only has problems when he can’t assert what he considers his authority. He has decided that clothing is not necessary for him (other than underwear) and will fight with all his strength not to get dressed (including verbally). The other day when I was trying to dress him he was yelling at me, and I told him he doesn’t get to talk to me like that because I’m the mom and I get to tell him what to do. He responded by yelling “No, I’m the mom!”…though he is very self-reliant in a lot of ways. He gets mostly dressed by himself (when he wants to go somewhere) and has found if he pushes the stool up to the counter in the kitchen he can reach most of the snacks by climbing up. I only know because I hear a “Mom, down!” when he’s done.
All in all it has been a great year, with some fun family visits and a lot of doctor bills! We look forward to the coming visit over New Years, and future ones to Los Angeles to visit Marc’s family and Idaho to visit Mom. Also, to getting through our first winter in a new home (which has all ready has its difficulties)! We love staying in touch with family through email and phone, and wish all of you Happy Holidays and as great of a New Year as we plan to have!!
From Doug, Kayla and Sam:
We have been working and taking care of our baby Sam all year. We are working at Denny’s and Beehive Homes. We are still living in St. George, but we want to move to Carson City within the next few months.
Samantha is almost 19 months old and talks a lot. She tries to count to ten but skips the numbers 4, 6 and 7. It’s really cute. She also knows how to say ball, drink, Daddy and baby in sign language. She has a pretty good sized vocabulary for her age, and is learning more and more new words everyday while she tries to repeat things she hears. She really likes to watch Dora the Explorer and Spongebob. She spends a lot of time dancing, chasing the dogs around, playing with her ball and going through her books. She is into everything and goes constantly so she’s definitely a handful, but she’s a lot of fun.
This year has gone by too fast but it’s definitely been good.
From Jenny and Ashton:
We’re holding our dog ‘Lil Miss’ in this picture, who we’ve had since her birth. She can jump, twirl, sit, lay down, stay roll over (in both directions), and we’re teaching her to crawl and play dead currently. She’s a lot of fun J Ashton and I are getting a new car, 2001 Pontiac Grand Am, we’re pretty excited. Still both working at Denny’s tho we work a bit earlier now usually. Slower than last year definitely but still doing alright.
Luv ya’ll hope the upcoming year is fantastic ;)
Andy, Pam and Aidyn Jackson:
Aidyn flying his first kite
There have been a lot of events and changes for our family this year, the biggest of course was Aidyn being born. Then the Cota’s moved up to Dayton. We've been able to spend a lot of time with the Cotas especially during the summer. We've gone camping and tubing, seen the circus, barbequed and done many other things. It is really fun having family so close. Aidyn really loves playing with his cousins all of the time. He always gives Marcos a hug when he sees him. We got to see Shawn march in the Nevada Day Parade. In October we moved to our first apartment with just our family. We got to go to Andy's Grandma's for Thanksgiving and see a lot of his family and then we went to the Cota's a few days later. Two Thanksgivings, it was awesome. We had a snow day just before finals. We've only had to find a babysitter a couple of times, otherwise one parent is always home because of our alternating schedule. We had our first Christmas tree that the Cotas cut down for us. Our truck broke down at the end of the semester. After borrowing Andy’s Dad’s jeep and Cristi’s car for a few weeks we had to buy a new car. We had a drawn out process with the title and had to ask for rides to get to our finals but everything finally worked out.
Andy is twenty and a junior in college. He switched his major to Neuroscience to pursue becoming a psychiatrist. The week that Aidyn was born was the worst possible time for Andy. He had many tests and papers due. His mom and sister came down from Kentucky for a week to see Aidyn near Easter. Andy bought a motorcycle that he gets to ride around with his dad, brother and Marc. He also inherited a ‘70 Triumph Spitfire from his uncle.
Pam is twenty one and a junior in college. She is working on a mathematics discrete math/operations research option major and accounting minor. She is in the top 15% of her class. She has two years left before her graduation. For her 21st birthday Andy took her on a hot-air balloon ride over the Carson Nevada Day Parade with about fifteen other balloons. They landed on a few trees and ended up with a free train ride. She's enjoying her new sewing machine and being a mom. Aidyn is a ball of joy! He is honing in on ten months this December. He crawls and stands and talks and plays like crazy. He's a magician and too smart for his parents. He eats everything he gets his hands on including toes and spiders. He plays really well by himself while his parents do homework. He is really good with strangers and is always open to new experiences except food. He has started pulling his shirt off, clapping, walking, sharing and raising his arms when his mom says, “reach for the skies” to take off his shirt.
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