The Christmas Letter

Dear Family and Friends,

We hope this letter finds you and your family happy and well! This is not our typical way of sending out our Christmas cards for the season. Christmas cards are one of my favorite parts of Christmas but this year the universe was working against us. I love to open the mail box and see the cards from friends and family, knowing that we will be able to catch up on the highlights of their year. I love reading about the accomplishments the kids have made, what fun things they have done as a family, and what they will remember most about the year. Most of all, I love the photos! I love seeing how everyone has changed in a year and the clever ideas that come about in a photo shoot. This was definitely not our year for the cards or the photos. However, we did have some exciting things happen in our year and some accomplishments to go along with it.


Colby started 6th grade ( I put 7th the first time). He is officially a middle-schooler and has the mood changes to prove it. Sixth grade is a big change for kids around here! They have ten times the homework and their parents have ten times the stress. It's homework, homework, homework, but Colby has showed that he can keep up with it. He and Ryan are often leaning over his math book figuring out problems. I don't think Ryan had any idea that we would repeat the sixth grade but so far he is also showing that he can handle it. Colby got his report card a couple of weeks ago and made Highest Honors for the honor roll. We were really proud of him! He still loves basketball and also took up learning water polo this year. It is a tough sport and definitely is not for the faint of heart. He is gettting ready to try out for a traveling basketball team in February, in hopes to make the 7th-8th grade team next year. He was also ordained to the office of a Deacon at church in October. He was excited to be in Young Men's and Scouts and officically out of primary.

Taylor started 5th grade this year and also got braces. He has decided that braces aren't all that he thought they were cracked up to be but he shouldn't have them on much longer. We were a little concerned about who Taylor got for a teacher this year but that has turned out to be a match made it heaven. I thought the teacher was a little harsh from my experience of working at the school with her but she and Taylor have the same sense of humor and totally get each other. Taylor also took up football this year. He has been begging us for three years to play and we've always told him no. We finally gave in this year and now we are wishing he had played a long time ago. It was like watching a miniature Ryan playing out there. We loved every minute of watching him play and he just loved it. He just has his awards banquet and got the award for "Most Valuable Player - Most Improved". He was pretty happy! Taylor is also doing well in school and it comes easy for him, the lucky duck. He still loves to cook and is always asking me to help him make something, still loves board games, and is still our cuddler.

Ryan and I....well we are a little older. A few more gray hairs and wrinkles, and if we are being totally honest, probably a few more pounds, too. We are both still working at Les Schwab and Valley Pacific and staying involved with church. My calling in church has changed to Primary teacher and Ryan is still busy in the bishopric. We still love our UOP basketball team, being together, and having a date night once in a while. We were also able to get out on the water a few times this summer and do some wakeboarding. We love our boys with all our hearts and we are enjoying watching them grow and learn and participate in the many opportunities that come their way.


As a family this year, we were able to go to Hawaii. Ryan and I went over for one week and stayed on the Big Island with the rest of the Les Schwab company and then the second week, we flew the boys over (yes, alone, and I'm still in therapy over it) and we stayed on Maui for a week. We had a wonderful time and enjoyed Maui. We were able to snorkel, play on the beaches, body surf, and go on an island cruise. We got to enjoy the delicious food and beautiful scenery. It was paradise for us. Ryan and the boys were ready to pack their bags and move there, I on the otherhand, need a little more land and a little less water. The boys cried on the trip home because they didn't want to leave and I cried hoping our plane would land safely in Sacramento.




We still love our life in California. We are grateful for these last five years. We have made wonderful friends who have become our family away from home and we have been blessed in many capacities. We know all that we have comes through our Savior, Jesus Christ, and we are grateful to celebrate His birthday and life this time of year. We feel His love in our home and can see His love around us with all we are blessed with.

Our hope this Christmas is that all of our friends and family be blessed with joy and happiness. We hope each of you feel His love as we celebrate this special time of year. We hope you know how much we love you and we think of you often! We promise next year to send out a really great card! May 2010 bring great things to you and your family.


Merry Christmas,

Ryan, Cara, Colby, and Taylor