We have talked about it and have decided that the earth is actually turning faster than it was a few years ago. Minutes are shorter, gray hairs sprout faster, and little babies are getting their driving licenses before our eyes! We have enjoyed a tremendous and too short year!
Michael & Anna:
Finished building our home in the hills so all the kids now have space
for a bed and we can send them outside to scream—no matter what they’re
wearing! Busy in various church callings
and loving every minute of it. Days
filled with parenting some of the most interesting and unexpected personalities
we’ve come across.
JM:
Sweet sixteen! Enough said. When did this runt get so tall, and why does
he delight in reminding us that he has only one full year left of HS before
he’s headed to college then mission?
Until then, Jacob dives into his choir, cello lessons, x-country,
lacrosse and seasonal employment (as in blueberry season) with intensity and precision.
IJ:
Fun fourteen. If you can’t find this
guy, look outside. You’ll find him with some kind of device designed to propel a ball: lacrosse stick, baseball bat, sling
shot, gun. If you still don’t see him,
look down in the creeks or pond. Isaac will
be there with pockets full of something he’s just caught. His most impressive catch of the year was a
hummingbird out of mid-air, and the feeding apparatus he invented which hung
from his bedroom light for exactly one day.
CM:
Lovely twelve. This little lady
began pointe this year and entered junior high after two years of homeschooling. She has endeared her teachers to her with an attitude reflecting her assumption of what it must be like to teach tweenagers all day. (Who thanks their science teacher at the end of each class?) She feels sorry for herself for being a tweenager! Clara rarely misses a beat, and her mother
isn’t quite sure how she will survive without her being at home!
WC:
Tenacious ten. If you can’t find this guy,
look for Isaac. He’ll be at the other
end of the ball game, especially if it’s on the ground. William scored the first three goals for his soccer
team this year, a trend that didn’t let up.
The climax of the soccer season was the civil war between Will’s team
and James’s team. Both boys received
penalties for playing too roughly with the other. Both laughed about them and cheered the other
on during their respective penalty shots.
JG:
Wonderful eight. This is the age we all
look forward to! It was a magical moment
for our family when, after lots of study and thoughtfulness, Jims decided to be baptized and
asked Jacob to do it. This one is a
conscientious pianist, a devoted reader, is always missing teeth, rarely
smells like soap, and is the reigning champion of scars and broken bones
amongst his siblings—a title not uncoveted!
AA:
Spunky six. This girl is
usually wearing pink, some kind of skirt, and generally looks like she’s just
been rescued from the wild Welsh moors.
Audrey started school this year in grade 1 after a year of ABC’s with
her mother. She is almost always leading
the pack in the mile-long bike ride to catch the bus each morning.
PG: Terrific two. As we
exited a local cabinet shop, Pippi, who had been occupied with laminate sample
chips during the whole visit, matter-of-factly shelved her chips and announced
generally that she was leaving. Then
specifically, “Bye Jeff. Bye Randy. Bye Lisa.” etc. She named every adult in the shop, some of
whom we had not even interacted with. By
the time we reached the door all eyes were on the small bediapered woman
leaving with the wave of a dimpled hand and a polite request for her
binky. This is not a girl to be trifled
with. Fair warning.
JS:
Delightful 8 months. Joss was born in mid-April,
took the cake for weight and height by a long shot (foreshadowing, his
brothers worry), and has been a pure delight since the beginning. At age 6 mos while lying on the floor one
evening, his older sister P stood over him and growled her fiercest. He growled back even louder. She screamed and ran away. We are wondering how there was ever life without
this blue-eyed babe!
Amid the bustle of our lives we enjoy the chance we take
daily to gather as a family and reflect for a moment on the blessings of the
scriptures, of prayer, of sweet relationships and the loveliness around
us. Throughout the year, but especially
at Christmas, we are grateful for the source of these blessings, our savior
Jesus Christ. Our thoughts and love are
with you as we all begin this fresh new 2016!
Love,
The Allens
