Merry Christmas (a little late)

This time of year always sneaks up on me! I can’t believe how fast this year has gone by. We have settled into our house pretty well. We are still trying to figure out where to hang pictures though! We were able to get part of our back yard finished this summer. So we have some grass back there to play on. We are still working on settling into our church family. Both of us are such home bodies that sometimes it’s a little hard! It has been great to be closer to the majority of our family, and old friends.

Eric has been busy with work, scouting for deer, and hunting this year. He spent about 7 weeks in May and June in Georgia, Arizona, and in Salt Lake City for training and classes with the National Guard. Eric spent most of his spare time this summer setting up trail cameras and hiking all over his Uncle’s property just north of Cedar in preparation for the deer hunts. He took the family a few times with him and we all loved it. The kids especially love riding in the ATV. He found a couple good sized bucks that he was able to keep an eye on. Eric’s hard work paid off, and he shot the deer he wanted on the opening day of the black power hunt. Now we have the deer meat in the freezer, and the antlers up on the wall!

Mary never has a dull moment being a stay at home mom. Both kids keep her on her toes almost all day. Thank goodness for baby naps and preschool! She spends the few free moments she gets to herself reading, & doing crafts, when she’s not cleaning up the house that is! She is glad to be so close to her two best friends who are always up for a “Girl’s Night”! Mary is a Sunday school teacher and teaches 4 and 5 year old kids. It is so much fun to see the kids open up, be excited to learn, and remember stories about our Savior!

Scotty is in preschool 4 days a week, and he loves it. He says he loves his teacher Miss Stephanie because she is the best teacher ever. Scotty can type and write his name, Mom, Dad, and Woo woo, which is the nickname of his cousin Chris. He is still learning how to spell Ashley. He knows his alphabet. He loves to sing songs, whether they are nursery rhymes or church songs. He loves riding horses and the ATV’s. He is very much into Star Wars right now. Scotty is a great big brother and loves his baby Ashley so much. He can always make her laugh.

Ashley has just grown like a weed! She turned 1 year old on the 10^th! She is such a silly little girl. She is learning to make all different faces and laughs when you laugh at them. By 10 ½ months she was a pro at walking. Now she is running! She has decided that she no longer wants baby food; she wants what everyone else is eating. She can say “Dada”, “Mama”, “Da-ee” is Scotty, she points to the dogs and says “Da”, and is even trying to say “Boo” which is one of the dog’s names, and her newest word is “Wow”! She is too big for her britches! She loves her big brother, and watches him do everything. Ashley is very much a Mama’s girl! She loves to be around other kids too.

We are thankful this season for our Savior, and all of you. We hope you have a wonderful Christmas season. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.