Merry Christmas 2016

Shhh. Don't tell Callie that we went to Disneyland without her. We took our niece/cousin Katrina who was visiting from Korea for six weeks.

To give you a true picture of our family, we invite you to imagine our dinner table. As the call goes out for everyone to set their places at the table, the questions come back, "What are we having?" followed by a series of groans and other complaints. We practice our bargaining at the table over exactly how many peas someone is required to eat. There are the inevitable snide looks followed by snide comments and the pouting among the under-15 crowd (and sometimes even the grown-ups join in). One child rushes through the meal and sneaks off in hopes of escaping dish duty; another child eats very slowly with the same goal in mind. This is followed by a period of lecturing and threats. We have always tried to eat dinner together as a family, but this year, Mom was going crazy with the nightly scene of rushing through dinner so we could get to the next event. She was tired of dirty dishes left on the table (sometimes until the next day), and the food that was ruined, because it didn't make it into the fridge. So extra- curricular activities were sharply curtailed, and everyone is expected to help until clean-up is done. It's all well and good to have expectations, but no one is all that interested in doing their part just for the good of the family, so there's usually plenty of arguing going on. Sure. It probably doesn't sound that great to you, but few things give Mom as much joy as the lively conversations squeezed in among the arguments, and the working alongside the children as everyone helps clean up the kitchen. Sometimes, we even dry and put the dishes away that night! What could bring more joy than that?!

We shouldn't make it sound like the kids don't do anything. Laura continues to be involved in her soccer club, and she played on the high school soccer team this fall. She is now taking part in her jr. high production of Guys and Dolls as a "Hot Box girl."

Amy, Laura and Alex all participate in their school choirs--practicing before or during school. Alex does chess club and cub scouts right after school once a week. Amy plays the saxophone in the jr. high band, and she uses her creative genius at home to create cardboard armor for live-action role-playing with her friends. We're just lucky that these don't usually interfere with family dinner!

Meanwhile, Callie is still serving as a missionary in Spain. It's been a more challenging experience than she's ever had before, but through it all, she's learned a lot about herself, and a lot about the Lord's love for her. And she has eaten a lot of interesting new things for dinner. We will get to talk to her on Christmas Day, and she'll come home six weeks later. Leigh still teaches at BYU and serves as the ward clerk at church. Deborah continues to be a full-time homemaker, and she works with the cub scouts. And we've figured out there's a lot to be happy about and even more to be thankful for. We hope you and your loved ones will find much joy this Christmas and in the coming year.