Christmas 2010

Christmas Greetings for 2010, Friends and Family!
We hope you are well and happy. We have lived in Spanish Fork for twelve years now, and we are grateful for the natural beauty of this place and for the goodness of the people that surround us. Some of the highlights of this year include:
• Visits from siblings from all around the country (thank you for making us a priority; we appreciate your sacrifices for us!)
• The return of my parents from their 1½ year mission to India in April
• A welcome addition to the Utah Dosdall contingent: Derek & Alyson and their family, who moved to Centerville (north of Salt Lake City) in August
• A trip to Disneyland, California in October
Hugh marked nine years of working for the LDS Church in the Finance Department. He still doesn’t love the 1½ hour commute, but he works with and for great people, and generally enjoys the work. We appreciate it that he is willing to wake up at 4:30 every morning so that he can work all day long and still have time to be with us in the evenings. He takes good care of us! He has faithfully studied and prepared lessons to teach the adult Sunday School class for the past three years. He attends BYU home football games with his dad and several of our kids, and I guess they enjoy it because the kids always come home with full tummies and Hugh with a hoarse voice! Hugh also takes the kids to concerts on Temple Square at least a couple times each year. Hugh spent several weeks away this summer on business in Germany and Las Vegas.
Ann: My life is busy with nine kiddos to take care of, but it is certainly easier than sometimes in the past since our older kids are helpful and I don’t have to pack up all the little ones every time I need to shuttle kids from one place to another. I love watching my kids learn new things, especially how to love and take care of each other. I don’t love the messes and the fighting, but that’s okay – it’s all part of the learning experience. I finally figured out that I can listen to talks and books on tapes and CD’s, so I utilize those many hours I spend tidying, washing dishes, doing laundry, etc. and I love it that I no longer think of those activities as just necessary evils but opportunities to learn something or listen to a good book! I have happily faded mostly into the background this year within the parent organization at the charter school our kids attend. I still help in the classroom and will be co-chairing a silent auction in the spring, but I am so glad to have some responsibility off my shoulders.
Steven, 15, is a sophomore in high school. He enjoys friends, music (playing and listening), school and seminary, soccer, crossword puzzles, and driving…me crazy (no, not really – but I will say being the parent of a teenager learning to drive is a new and unpleasant experience.) He had a fun summer going with the church youth group on a river rafting trip and attending EFY, a summer camp where LDS youth hear motivational talks and socialize with like-minded kids. Steven is breaking us into the teenage years gently – he is generally pleasant, usually respectful to us, and kind to his siblings.
Daniel, 14, is in 8th grade. He is a jokester; he enjoys puzzles (like Rubik’s cubes) as well as logic puzzles. He rarely hangs out with friends, but is nevertheless well-liked at school and church (and at home, except when he is bugging his siblings!) He talked us into buying Adobe Flash and he has spent some time experimenting with creating animations and writing basic programs. He has pushed himself out of his comfort zone by participating in student government, which requires him to help plan and run activities.
Julia, 12, is in 7th grade. She is smart and keeps on top of her assignments and tests without being prodded, which makes our job as parents easier. She enjoys friends, reading, music (piano and violin), baking, fixing things, and understanding how things work. She is one of Hugh’s football buddies and concert companions. She sometimes butts heads with Matthew, but otherwise is helpful and gets along with everyone.
Michael, 10, is in 6th grade. He is smart, musically talented, and introverted (like his dad) so most of the time I can only guess at the details of his daily life. He enjoys friends, school, and sports (especially soccer and futsal.) Until recently, Michael spent lots of time practicing the piano, especially showy, upbeat pieces by Jon Schmidt. He spends a lot less time playing the piano since he discovered popular music, and now spends lots of time listening to the radio or MP3 player. He likes to play computer and video games, and will often do extra chores to earn playing time. His motto could be: “Will work for electronics time.”
Alyssa, 8, is doing great in 3rd grade. She is generally cheerful, and she acts as advocate for her younger siblings, especially when their older siblings have lost patience with them. She LOVES her school teacher and has plenty of friends and boys who tease her and chase her around. She still gets frequent headaches, an ailment which has plagued her for a couple of years now. She likes to write and draw and make things. She has a talent for making things pretty; she fixes her hair in all different ways without help. She loves candy and sweets. Her motto could be: “Will work for candy.”
Natalie, who just turned 7, is in 1st grade. She is a great little reader, she is in an advanced math class, and she is doing so well in her music class. But she is not enjoying school this year, and seems angry most of the time at home. I haven’t yet figured out where this 7 year-old angst is coming from, but hopefully we can help her get through it and she can be the happy, pleasant little person she used to be.
Matthew, who just turned 5, loves preschool. He has a never-ending list of things he would like to get. He loves trucks, cars, trains, action figures, etc. He likes to pull assorted containers and boxes out of the recycling pile to make robots and monsters and various creations. He loves to play with friends and with his best playmate and little sister, Emily. He is demanding and loud and melodramatic, and yet you have to love him because of his unabashed affection and enthusiasm.
Emily, 3, is (as she proudly proclaims) “a character”. She is happy to play noisy trucks and cars with Matthew, or dress-up and dolls with her sisters or friend, Lydia. She learned how to use the potty a couple months ago, so amazingly, we have only one in diapers! She loves hot chocolate, PBS and Qubo channel, and her siblings. She dresses herself in the most interesting combinations of colors and patterns. She sometimes regresses back into “Terrible Two” but is pleasant most of the time.
Katelyn, our baby, turned 1 in October. Like many of our children, she has red hair, but unlike the rest of us, she has blue-gray eyes. Also like her siblings, she is stoic and shy around people she doesn’t know well. She doesn’t talk much, but she loves to “sing” and dance and climb. She loves to clean out drawers and cupboards (empty them of their contents, not organize them, unfortunately for me…) She cleverly avoids a stern reprimand by doing something cute – dancing, shaking her head “no”, or flashing her chubby-cheeked, four-toothed grin. We all enjoy her immensely, and all the kids (especially Daniel, Julia, and Alyssa) are willing to help with her.
We are so blessed! Our biggest struggle is trying to keep the proper perspective and balance in our lives, which comes only when we keep our focus on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We hope that you carry the peace that He brings in your hearts at Christmastime and every day of the year.