Merry Christmas! Happy New Year!

So apparently I didn't really repent. My last blog post says that I am sorry that it has been 18 months since the previous blog post. That was 23 months ago. Somehow I don't even remember skipping a newsletter last year. 2011 must have been a humdinger of a year! Here is last year's Christmas pic just for fun.

As I look at the pictures on the right from 2 Christmases ago, I have to smile at how much the kids have changed. Here's this year's family pic. (Yes, James is wearing the same thing he wore last year.) I'll leave the old ones up for laughs.

2012 has been an adventure! I feel like I'm on a roller coaster that keeps climbing up, up and up but hasn't quite crested yet. I'm both scared and excited for 2013.

I just finished writing a talk for church on Sunday and it's about gratitude, so I have decided to list the things I am thankful for from 2012. (In no particular order)

• I am thankful for options in educating our children. Peter doesn't do anything traditionally, yet I do believe he will be graduating this May anyway. (I really can't blame him... I've always tried to work around the system, myself. The apple doesn't fall far...)
• I am thankful for new opportunities. David is no longer working for Jefferson County. He's at a small company in Denver called IP Commerce, where he's been for a little over a year. Riding the bus into Denver is a lot better than the commute to Golden.
• I am thankful for opportunities to grow. I have been 'promoted' to Co-director of P'zazz and Dynamix choirs. I've stretched and learned and LOVE working more directly with the kids.
• I am thankful for music. (I know I kind of already touched on that.) But I have really loved watching my own kids perform - not just the other kids I help teach. Yeah, that's Peter with the microphone. I'm just a little proud of him. :-)

• I am thankful for my husband's amazing skills and that he is sharing them with our kids. David has been finishing our basement. Where there used to be cement floors and walls, he has made a full bathroom, storage rooms, and a playroom/guest room complete with a beautiful murphy bed. He involves the children in it all, and they are learning wonderful skills, as well! James had developed a love for woodworking, especially on the lathe. If anyone needs a Harry Potter-esque wand, James is your man.

• I am thankful for Oklahomans. They really are kind, friendly people. When I drove the kids back from NC this summer (sans David), our car broke down just outside Tulsa. Thanks to some pretty awesome people, our stay in Tulsa was pleasant and relatively brief. By the way, I highly recommend the Marriott Convention Center. Nice pool. Reasonably priced room service.

• I am thankful for opportunities to serve and for the friendships and love that it brings to my life. I have worked with the Young Women at church (girls ages 12-18) for the past five years and have come to love them so much! It would seem that some of them love me back! Check out the masterpiece they left for me one night. (I convinced the boys it was their friends who did it, so they would help me clean up, but I had my suspicions that it was meant for me, which were later confirmed! Those girls really did a beautiful job, didn't they?)

• I am SO thankful for family. We had the opportunity to visit with cousins we haven't seen for years - some young cousins we had never even met. The kids and adults alike enjoyed each others' company and are determined to stay in touch. I am so glad that we have the ability to travel and that our parents all come to visit us throughout the year as well. We love Colorado, and it is our home, but we couldn't imagine being so far away from family if we weren't able to visit each other regularly. Here's a picture of Rebecca with some of her little cousins at Sunset Beach, NC.

• Last, but never least, I am thankful for my Savior, Jesus Christ - the Reason for this holiday season. I can't imagine riding this roller-coaster without knowing He's by my side. There's not enough Xanax in the world!

From our home to yours, we send you wishes for a happy and healthy 2013. We would love to hear from you! Comment below or email us at sjbmonahan@hotmail.com. Thanks for reading! Enjoy the slideshow below -- some of my favorite pictures from 2012.

Forgive me friends and family, for I have sinned. It's been 18 MONTHS since my last blog post! Suggestions for proper pennance welcome in the comments section. (Catholic guilt NEVER goes away!)

So I'm thinking it will be therapeutic to restart my blog. For starters, I am posting my "holiday letter" -- Hey! It's almost Valentine's Day!

At the end of a year that was frought with emotional ups and downs, many disappointments and frustrations, I didn’t feel like I had much to “show off” in the annual epistle, so I had determined not to write one this year. A couple weeks ago in church, we sang a hymn called “Count Your Blessings” and I couldn’t help but think of the love and support – sometimes overwhelming – that we have received from friends and family. In perspective, it seemed really dumb to ignore the people who bring us so much joy. So, if you find yourself reading this letter, know that we love you and are so glad you are a part of our lives – even if our lives are too crazy to connect more often than through our annual newsletters or blogs.

Here’s our family in a nutshell:

David continues to work for Jefferson County and teaches a couple of college courses online in the evenings. He is also actively involved with both the cub scouts and the boy scouts at church. In his “spare time,” David is working on finishing our basement. David’s exciting “fun” thing of the year was that he got to participate in the FBI’s citizen academy and now has a bunch of genuine FBI apparel and paraphernalia to show off.

I continue to substitute teach at the local elementary school. I am in my final months as the PTO president, which is a good thing because I was recently called to be the president of the Young Women’s organization at church. I also help with the office work and as an assistant director for 2 private show choirs. I’m still singing and playing the piano, running kids to and fro, and doing all the typical ‘mom” things. In my spare time I keep falling asleep!

Peter is a sophomore in high school and, like most sophomores is rather sophomoric. I would say that he is in a questioning phase; however, he assures us that he has all the answers, so I must be wrong. This fall Peter joined Dynamix, a private teen show choir, and we are very proud of the way he is using and improving his talents.

James is in 7th grade, and is, perhaps, more sophomoric than the sophomore in the family. James is, as always, very social and a favorite of all the young ladies. We are getting ready to brick up his windows and door. We currently still let him out for basketball, which he loves. He also likes skateboarding and has proven himself pretty good at snowboarding, too.

Daniel is in 6th grade, and has adjusted to middle school beautifully. He continues to sing in P’zazz children’s show choir, and had a very cute solo in the Christmas concert. He enjoys computer games and facebook – especially chatting with some of the older girls in Dynamix! AAAGH!

Rebecca is in 2nd grade and loves school, loves her teacher, even loves homework! Last week she told me she’s sick of the girl drama and she wants to be a tomboy. Can’t say I blame her, but I have a feeling the bows and skirts will be back in a few days. She is currently in 3 after-school clubs: International Dance, Computers & Chess. She loves to sing, and we are thinking it’s time to start piano lessons soon, too.

We are thankful for the many blessings we have, especially for our faith in God, which helps us keep everything in perspective. We send our love and wish you much happiness in 2011.

Love, Stacey, David, Peter, James, Daniel & Rebecca

Whew!! If you haven't died of old age before getting to this point in my blog post, you are a true friend! Or really bored. Hopefully I'll really reform and my next post will not be Happy Valentine's Day 2012! :-)

Summer Fun and Busy-ness

First off, we have job news!! David is the new CISO (Chief Information Security Officer) for Jefferson County, Colorado! Hooray!! We don't have to move away from our lovely little town! Thanks so much for your support of friendship, love and prayers this past year. We appreciate all of you!

We had a great vacation in North Carolina -- enjoyed our time with Gramma and Papa who spoil us terribly! We also enjoyed visiting with some of our other relatives and friends who made special trips to come visit us while were were there. It made us feel very special and loved and it was great to catch up! I've posted some fun beach pictures to the right sid eof the blog. We definitely enjoyed the beach and the pool while in NC. It hadn't been above 80 when we left CO, and we really didn't hit summer till we got out of the car to get gas & snacks in Columbia, SC, at which point "summer" literally hit us like a brick wall! :-)

On the drive back to CO we took a wrong turn in St. Louis, which enabled us to see the arch up close -- very cool. We visited the cemetery where David's great-grandparents were buried and actually found their graves this year. It helps to visit during business hours and ask for a map to the site! We also visited with friends near Kansas City, and then stopped at the Wizard of Oz museum in Wamego, KS to help break up our trip.










We hit the ground running when we got home. Peter had his last gymnastics meet, in which he did fairly well for having not practiced for a month. I believe he placed 4th in the all-around for his level and age bracket. Peter also went on a pioneer re-enactment trek with the youth from our church. They went to Wyoming and visited major church historical sites and pulled handcarts on the actual Mormon Trail. Peter had a great time and reported that it was the most spiritual experience of his life, which warms his parents heart, to be sure! Here are some pictures of Peter with his "Ma & Pa" and the rest of his trek "family" and also a picture of a hand cart, so that you can get the idea...

While Peter was on trek, I painted his room in preparation for moving him downstairs, and moving Rebecca upstairs. Here's a picture of Rebecca's new room. I think she likes it...

Hope everyone reading this is doing well! We'd love to hear from you!