Miscellaneous Christmas Stuff

Caden received his mission call December 4th to the Dallas, Texas mission!  I videoed the opening of his letter and therefore didn't get any pictures.  He was initially disappointed that he wasn't going to be learning a language, but by the next day when I asked him how he was feeling about his call, he said he was feeling a lot better about it and said, "Everyone always says that it doesn't matter where you serve...but everyone that I have heard say that has either been somewhere really cool or is headed somewhere cool.  I can prove that it really doesn't matter.  Plus, I remembered that I told Heavenly Father that I would serve wherever he sent me."

I am first of all really grateful for my testimony, and second of all I am grateful for the testimonies of my husband and children.  I am eternally grateful for the people they are and the good choices that they are making! Life and life experiences are like a kaleidoscope; continually changing in form and structure...and I don't know what tomorrow will bring.  I can't do anything about what will come in the future, but for right now things are wonderful, and I am going to rejoice in that while it lasts! Things aren't perfect and we definitely have our struggles and worries- but the things that matter most to me are going well.

I really liked our Christmas cards this year and was especially grateful that we were able to get some good family pictures taken before Kami and Caden left! I will be able to look at a canvas picture of this that Caden got me for Christmas and remember this happy moment in time that we were all still together under one roof!

The up-date we sent with the card:

Dear family and friends,

We miss you!!! We have had an exciting year; sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worse.  One thing that has remained constant is that there has been a great deal of change in our lives:

1.       We moved from Rexburg to Pendleton, OR. We *think* the kids are getting over the culture shock caused by the foreign language and dress standards.  We hear that Nolan and Abram have learned the great skill of averting their eyes and plugging their ears!;) Maddie is experiencing early morning seminary for the first time and says she prefers it to release time. Overall the kids are definitely having a growing experience and are making some good friends.

2.       Shawn started a new job as a clinic administrator and is enjoying his job, and the rest of us LOVE having him home every evening!

3.       We have been working on changing the whole house since we got in and are about half way done.  It’s beginning to feel like home when we walk through the front door!

4.       Shawn was released as bishop in Rexburg and put in as a counselor in the bishopric in Pendleton 2^nd Ward.  Amy serves as a 4^th Sunday Relief Society teacher and as a ward missionary which has been a very busy and fulfilling calling! 

5.       We have less children in our home, and the numbers continue to shrink.  Kami was called to serve a mission in the Philippines Cebu East mission and left for the MTC in early October.  She is currently serving in Carlsbad California while she waits for her visa, and loves being a missionary!  Caden just received a mission call to the Dallas Texas mission and will be leaving January 17.

6.       There are no music teachers in the area (huge change) and we are getting a little concerned about where the kids will get piano lessons after Caden leaves! Amy drives Isabelle an hour from our home once a week for violin lessons.

7.       There is a big missionary focus in our family because there is so much to be done here! We have sister missionaries here (from our ward) at least once a week and the elders here (from the singles branch) a couple of times per month for dinner and those of us that are 18 and over go to discussions with the missionaries multiple times per week. Maddie has given a Book of Mormon to a boy in school and is excited to have him attending seminary.  Isabelle regularly invites friends to church activities and Pace recently asked a random person around town if they knew “that they could be a missionary NOW?!??”

8.       The weather may be the biggest and best change of all!  We just recently had our first killing frost, there’s no snow yet, and we hear that gardening can start in March! 

9.       Shawn is still ticked off because he can’t pump his own gas in Oregon….

Moving away from home is always hard, but we feel like we can make a difference here and we have had a lot of good things happen.  We hope 2017 was great for you, too, and hope next year is even better!  Merry Christmas!!

                                 Love, Shawn, Amy, Kamille, Caden, Madeline, Isabelle, Nolan, Abram, and Pace

I'm always interested to see where this elf will be each day.  When Caden gets hold of him, he stays in place for a day or so until Caden reaches him down for us!:

The kids made this idea for their teachers this year - Christmas socks over a candy bar:

Nolan was a narrator for the school Christmas program:

We started practicing harmony for "Angels We Have Heard On High" and "Silent Night" in November.  Maddie and I took turns between alto and soprano; Isabelle always sang soprano.  Caden sang tenor, Shawn sang bass, Nolan sang alto, Abram sang the melody and Pace didn't sing much. We got the songs sounding really good a capella. Then the week before Christmas Eve we put together a lot of plates filled with goodies and caroled people when we delivered them.   The first house we took it to was our neighbors, the Browns.  None of us were on the same pitch and we sounded awful.  But after that we were spot on, and it was really fun.  A lot of people cried and we could feel the spirit.  At the end of the night we went back to the Browns and redeemed ourselves:D