THE BEST WAY TO SPREAD CHRISTMAS CHEER, IS SINGING LOUD FOR ALL TO
HEAR!
It’s beginning
to look a lot like Christmas, even in New Mexico. And once
again it’s that special time of year where we ponder the reason for the season
and then try not to brag about our family too much. We moved to Albuquerque just
after Christmas last year where Wally accepted a position as a research chemist
at Sandia National Laboratories. We’ve had a lot of time to explore our new
home and catch up with extended family now that we live closer. We spent a few
weekends in Denver and Ronni took the kids out to California to
visit her family for a couple of weeks this summer. It’s good to know that she
has the patience to drive two straight days by herself with only the 11 and
under crowd to keep her company. We were reunited in Utah for a family
reunion, but not before we had a little excitement. Excitement is when the
brakes decide to stop working on the freeway off-ramp. Luckily, no one was
hurt, though Wally scraped his knuckles the next day changing the brake pads
and rotors on the van (poor baby!). We also experienced first hand the
Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta in October and were amazed with all
the balloons. We’re lucky to live right in the foothills of the Sandia
Mountains and have made some great friends along the way.
Kelsie (11) is rad just like Dad, and likes to tell
people every chance she gets! Kelsie discovered a new sport this year:
volleyball. The Marshmallow Dragons had a great season, and she is looking
forward to some great hits and nice serves when the Dragons regroup this
spring. Kelsie also made her big debut on the stage in a production of “How I
Became a Pirate.” A little nervous about the jump to middle school, she decided
that it’s not as bad as the movies make it seem. She works so hard to do her
best in all that she does and we’re so proud of her!
For Brandon,
who was baptized this year, it’s great to be eight! His major obsession right
now can be summed up with one word: football! Playing, watching, video-gaming,
anything that involves some incarnation of the old pigskin will captivate him
until he has to be pried away (literally). We try to distract him with other
things like soccer, basketball, and swimming, but those only last for so long.
He started Cub Scouts this year and can’t wait to get his very own pocketknife.
The rest of us can.
Caleb (4) is our
legomaniac, capable of spending hours building, rebuilding, and remodeling
every lego star wars kit in our growing arsenal of stackable blocks. But that’s
not how he broke his arm. That happened
when he got going a little too fast riding his bike down our street, and ended
on the pavement. After two different colored casts, he’s over it now, and can
ride a two-wheeler from here to the border. He also started soccer this year
and scored his first go-o-o-o-o-o-o-al!
Isaac (1) is our little engineer. He loves to drive the
GeoTrax trains all over the amazing tracks he builds. A very polite boy, he
“pleases” and “thanks you’s” with the best of them (unless he’s hungry, and
then you can hear him a mile away!) and even manages an occasional “excuse me”
when air leaves his body. His most recent accomplishment is coloring on paper,
not the walls.
Wally started out the year biking
18 miles a day to and from work. He loves the exercise, but decided that a 1994
Toyota 4Runner was a good alternative
after a few months. He took us back to the ‘90’s even more at a family reunion
when he “flowed like a harpoon” as he showed off his mad (as in crazy) dancing
skillz to Ice Ice Baby. As the
Scoutmaster for a local troop, he is re-discovering the Great Outdoors and hoping
his own kids don’t grow up too soon. He was a big supporter of the kids
entering their first school Science Fair, which the kids have sworn they will
never do again. Too much support? Maybe…
Ronni is
the heart of our family and goes to great lengths to create memorable moments
throughout the year. She volunteers at the school once a week, works with the
10-11 year old girls at Church, entertains the little boys at home, and still
manages to get everyone to (insert any activity here) on time. She even squeezes
in a little (not enough) time for photography, sewing, and other hobbies. She
is extremely grateful for the wonderful friends that she has made this year. If
she sounds completely fabulous, that’s not an accident.
Are we busy? Yes! We are! And
while we manage to keep a few balls up in the air at a time, we are of course
completely overwhelmed but we try to enjoy the couple of minutes of quiet time
we get each day. As we reflect on the blessings of this past year and what
Christmas means to us we are grateful for the gifts of family, friends, and
forgiveness granted through our Savior, Jesus Christ. May this New Year be a
little better than the last: with a little more peace, a little more hope, and
a little more glitter. We love glitter.
Love, Wally,
Ronni, and family
