Holiday Greetings from the Packers

New Year's Day, 2009

I told myself weeks ago that I wasn't going to stress about doing Christmas cards or letters this year. Then the cards and letters and pictures from family and friends started showing up in our mailbox and inboxes. I enjoy getting them and catching up with loved ones so much that I felt bad about not returning the favor. But I also knew it wasn't going to happen until after Christmas. We hope you had a wonderful holiday season, and wish you all the best for the new year.

For the first time in a long time, we don't have a new address or a new baby to announce this year. We love our home in Pleasant Grove and feel acclimated and happy to be where we are. We miss the friends we made as we moved around the country, but cherish those memories as we enjoy being close to family and mountains again.

JEFF is still working hard to build the German program at Utah Valley University. He's hoping to put together a study abroad trip to Berlin for next summer--anything to get back to Germany for a few weeks. He was happy to be released from teaching the Primary children and Cub Scouts when he was called as the Young Men's secretary at church. Jeff is still crazy about radio control model airplanes and cycling, but he also planted and cared for a successful vegetable garden this year. And a good part of his summer was taken up with a major home improvement project--digging two 4' x 4' x 8'-deep holes to patch some narrow cracks in our foundation. With the cracks patched, we are ready to start remodeling the basement bathroom and bedroom that flooded earlier in the year. Jeff's next project is teaching himself how to tile a shower. I'm really glad he's handy--when he wants to be.

DALLIN just turned two and moved into a twin bed over the holidays. He is a pleasant kid, smiley and giggly and quite the tease. Once he really started talking there was no stopping him, just as we expected. He mimics everything, English or German, and just recently started speaking some sentences. Dallin is a little "helper," often driving his mommy crazy in the kitchen when she's trying to get dinner ready. He loves to be outside, and enjoys all the normal toys that little boys love, plus a few that his older brothers would prefer he didn't get into. It's been fun to watch him grow this year.

JARED, 4 1/2, started preschool this fall. He has really picked up on letters and numbers with the help of his fantastic teacher, but loves the interaction with friends at school as much as anything. When Mommy lets him, he enjoys playing games on pbskids.org and watching PBS shows on TV. Jared took his first two sessions of swimming lessons in June, which he was not at all excited about. We're hoping he'll enjoy them a little more next summer. Four-year-old boys are just plain fun, and Jared is no exception. He's a delight to have in our family.

RYAN just turned eight and will be baptized this month. We are happy that he has chosen to follow Jesus Christ and wants to do what is right. He is excited about finally being able to be a Cub Scout too. He played coach-pitch baseball last spring, with his dad as the coach. Swimming lessons went well, although he won't go near the deep end yet. Ryan also played recreational soccer for the first time this past summer. He is a great little goalie--his preferred position because it required less running around in the heat. Ryan continues to excel in all subjects at school, but especially loves reading. He read the entire Harry Potter series TWICE during 2008. We gave him some new books for Christmas in an effort to broaden his horizons just a bit.

ADAM, age 10, isn't our little boy anymore. We have just three short years to figure out parenting before he becomes a teenager! He enjoyed Jr. Jazz basketball early in the year. In the spring he played his first year of Little League with the kids pitching to each other. His team didn't do so well, but he continues to improve his skills. If Adam ever gets a growth spurt, he may give Michael Phelps a run for his money in the swimming pool. He is our fish, making great strides, er, I mean strokes, in swimming lessons. Adam does well in school, but is also gaining a reputation for his knowledge of interesting facts and trivia. He continues to use his musical talent by singing in the elementary school choir. He earned his Bear badge in Cub Scouts last summer, and is now excited about being a Webelos Scout. He looks so sharp in his new Scout uniform.

HARMONY continues to hold down the fort and tries to keep everything balanced. In addition to enjoying my family, I still attend an occasional yoga class, read an occasional novel, and write an occasional blog entry. I volunteered for the city library board and now serve as it's secretary. At church I started the year teaching Primary children, then moved to Primary secretary and Cub Scout den leader, then to 2nd counselor in the Primary presidency. Teaching children about the Gospel of Jesus Christ is a challenging but rewarding privilege. I also enjoy singing in the ward choir. On top of all of this, Jeff decided I needed a hobby and conspired with our parents to buy me a really nice Canon digital SLR camera for Christmas. And he's promised to take care of the kids while I take a photography class. I feel a little liked I'm being forced into this hobby, but I don't think I'm going to mind.

Our lives are filled with work, school, church, Cub Scouts, sports, and family activities. Our travels were limited to family events in Idaho and Utah. Some of our favorite memories of the year were camping with Jeff's family in the Uintah mountains in June, playing with Harmony's family at a ranch house reunion in August, and a trip to the Lagoon amusement park that the kids earned by doing chores and reaching their summer goals. Jeff lost both of his maternal grandparents this year, but they had lived long, good lives. We miss them, but know that we will be reunited with them when the Lord calls us home. We are so grateful for the peace and joy He gives us. We are also grateful for you, our loved ones. Our relationships with you enrich and bless our lives.

Love,
The Packers
Jeff, Harmony, Adam, Ryan, Jared, & Dallin