MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!
We
hope your year has been as adventurous as ours, so here are a few highlights:
Daniel
2015 has been
especially busy for Daniel. In May he finally finished his DMA (Doctor of
Musical Arts) degree from the University of Utah and is officially Dr. Tuutau. This
is particularly impressive considering that besides finishing coursework, a
dissertation, and a final lecture recital, he was involved with 6 different
opera productions during the first 6 months of 2015. His Bishop must have
figured that since he was done with school, he would have more time to serve,
and called Daniel to be 2nd Counselor in the Bishopric. We also took
a trip to California in September to say goodbye to Daniel's mother, Gloria,
who passed away the day before baby Emily was born.
Brandy
Brandy spent
most of the year pregnant! Things started out rough with months of awful
morning sickness and chasing around 3 crazy little boys that took a lot of
energy. Because Daniel’s mom died we decided to be induced that same day so we
could make it to the funeral the next week without problems. Brandy was in
labor for 10 hours before giving birth. Many of those hours were very intense
and difficult, but she pulled through and gave birth to a gorgeous little girl.
Besides being home all day taking care of children, Brandy subs as a water
aerobics instructor, she serves with the youth at church (personal progress
leader), and she looks forward to another amazing year with her family.
Johnny
Johnny turned
7 in October and started 1st grade in school. He loves his teacher
and classmates and although he gets in trouble sometimes he’s still learning
and progressing. He loves math and reading and especially loves when his
homework consists of working on a tablet or computer.
Johnny has
already lost 5 teeth and is on his way to losing another one soon. He’s been a
little scared of having his teeth pulled so his last two teeth he decided to
take out himself. He was so proud of himself and didn’t have a problem at all. He
is a very active kid and loves playing outside and jumping on the trampoline. He’s
into Pokemon (because all of the kids at school trade cards), Sonic Racing,
watching Daddy play Minecraft, and his favorite food is macaroni and cheese.
Joshua
Joshua turned
5 in August and started Kindergarten. His August birthday gives us yet another
excuse to throw a BBQ and enjoy our new backyard, artificial turf and all. He
is doing so well in school and is progressing quickly. His teacher has been
really great about challenging him enough to keep him moving forward and
becoming better and better. He is a very creative kid and enjoys anything
artistic like coloring, drawing, painting, decorating cookies, and helping mom
cook and bake in the kitchen.
He lost his
first tooth in October and proudly proclaimed, “I did not cry!” before
receiving a whole dollar (we don't do the tooth fairy, we just give 'em cash).
He is such a sweet boy and always has a lot of compassion towards other people
and animals.
James
Jimmy turned 3
in November and is becoming such a big boy. His biggest accomplishment this
year was to become potty trained a week or so before his birthday. He is
speaking and communicating very well and LOVES to sing (just like daddy!). He
is very mischievous and gets into EVERYTHING. He must think that the walls are
too plain because we find scribbles and drawings everywhere including on the
windows, furniture, blankets, and even the baby! He loves being home with mommy
and the baby all day making messes and smothering his sister with kisses. He is
also a very active child and loves playing with his dinosaurs, action figure
heroes, taking baths, and is amazing at finding candy and sweets.
Emily
Emily Indah
Rose was born on August 26, 2015 at 3:46am and was 6lbs 14 oz and 18in long. She
was our only child that spent time in the NICU (a whole 30 min!) because her
oxygen levels were a little low right after she was born. We’re so grateful her
oxygen levels rose as fast as they did and she was back in Brandy’s arms in no
time. Although she weighed 6lbs 14oz at birth (by far our smallest baby) we
only got to enjoy having a teeny tiny baby in newborn clothes and diapers for a
couple of weeks before she surprised us by skipping over all of her cute 0-3
month clothing and basically going straight into 3-6 month clothing by the time
she hit 1 month old. She has blue eyes and a thick head of brown slightly curly
hair. She is such a calm happy baby and we all love her so much.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from the Tuutaus in
2015
