Well, we are not skipping Christmas for a cruise to the Bahamas (in my dreams!), but we are changing things up a little this year. Rather than printing the Park Periodical, our traditional miniature Christmas newspaper, we hope to reach a wider audience by utilizing our blog to spread the holiday cheer and update friends and family on the past year's experiences. Items listed that are highlighted are linked to past posts that give more details about the event and have more photos. You may click on them if you want to know more about them.We hope you will enjoy this post and being able to access links to full stories of the events mentioned herein. So without further ado, we present:
The Park Family Christmas Newsletter 2011
Ella's Blessing, March 2011 Mother's Day 2011
Nebo Loop October 2011 Christmas 2011
Our Family Highlights
Jason
- celebrated 15 years of working at NuSkin this year and is currently a supply chain manager
- released in May as assistant scout master (a church calling he held for over three years); now serves as Bear den leader (Brevin is ecstatic about the new call)
- served as a coach and assistant coach for Brevin and Spencer's t-ball, coach pitch, and basketball teams with the city recreation leagues
- traveled to Singapore in October doing work for NuSkin
- began his fourth year as referee for high school and recreational basketball
Amber
- got a little too anxious (twice) to give birth to her fourth child
- back into regular Zumba workouts, but not quite back into pre-baby shape (guess the holidays won't help much with that either)
- got a DSLR camera and still hasn't figured out how to use it, but having lots of fun trying
- still involved with a home based cupcake business
- served as commissioner for the elementary school PTA fundraiser that did remarkably well
- was released from church calling as the second counselor in the Primary presidency in February to be called as the first counselor to the new Primary president
Brevin
- competed in his first ever pinewood derby with an awesome Wii remote car
- had an accident at a cub scout activity that required immediate medical attention and twelve stitches
- had a basketball themed birthday party with friends when he turned 9
- started the third grade with Mrs. Larsen as his teacher; is learning cursive, multiplication, and division
- has really taken a liking to Harry Potter and is constantly reading all the books, watching all the movies, and dressing up as Harry Potter from time to time
- in Cub Scouts he earned his Religious Square Knot award and Bear Rank Advancement
- participates once a week in school chess club
- graduated from kindergarten
- got his first stitches (eleven) after an accident at Seven Peaks water park
- had a Wii themed birthday party with friends when he turned 7
- started the first grade with Mrs. Chatterley as his teacher
- is a very proficient reader and has impeccable handwriting
- had to have his first cavity filled this October
- participates once a week in school chess club, too
- both boys participated in baseball (t-ball and coach pitch)
- Spencer played soccer
- Brevin played flag football
- Spencer played basketball
- Brevin is currently starting his basketball season
- entered (and thankfully grew out of) a liquid dumping phase; dumped everything he could get his hands on such as gasoline, bubbles, car wash soap, milk, water bottles, etc.
- had to have his first cavity filled in February
- had a Toy Story themed birthday party to celebrate turning 3
- has become a bit of a "flight risk" and has been lost in places like Wal-Mart and Seven Peaks; left the house unnoticed and rode his tricycle six blocks away from home and through a four-way stop intersection, only to be returned by a kind woman and a police officer
- has the most impressive vocabulary and is so fun to listen to when he speaks
- shows absolutely no interest in toilet training and, therefore, remains in diapers
- when Ella wakes up from naps crying, he likes to dump a bunch of toys and blankets in the crib and get in with her to play and cheer her up
- is confident, fearless, and downright entertaining
- had her first set of professional photographs taken while in the hospital
- was blessed on March 6, 2011
- is such a joy to watch grow and develop:
- now and then she will have several nights in a row where she will sleep through the night, but then slips into the usual waking pattern of 11:30 p.m., 2:30 a.m., and 7:30 a.m. thus forcing mom to "eat her words" (see at two months)
- has forced her parents to go to places they've never gone before ("We haven't been down this aisle before. It's PINK!")
Thank you for taking time to review the past months with us. We have been blessed to experience a year full of events, changes, and growth. Most of all, we have been fortunate to have family and friends influence our family through interactions over the years. June Masters Bacher is quoted thusly:
"Love is like a violin. The music may stop now and then, but the strings remain forever."
Until the music plays again, our love goes with you as yours remains with us. Merry Christmas!
Love,
The Parks
2 comments:
Always love your newsletters! Thanks for sharing!
This is such a great idea! Thanks so much for sharing the updates with us this year. We'll look forward to more. I hope you and your family have a wonderful Christmas! Love you!
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