A Belated Christmas Greeting

Christmas Greetings

2017 was a year of new beginnings! We welcomed home Christian from serving for two years in Ecuador and one day earlier Grandma and Grandpa Wilkey from New Zealand. A quick trip to Disneyland as soon as Christian got home together. Two trips to Bear Lake for both the Hall and Wilkey family reunions. A memorable trip to Hawaii. Then once school started we experienced children starting in every level of school: Kindergarten and 4th grade at the Elementary School, Junior High, High School and College.

Heidi (29)

Heidi faithfully served the young women of our ward and though it was hard to leave them now is serving the sisters of the ward on the Relief Society activities committee. She continues to donate a lot of her time to the kids schools both on the PTA and in the kids classes especially with Lia each week. She also pretends to be a dance "coach" to Addy and her dance partner with weekly lessons and practices.

Blain (Almost over the hill)

Celebrated 10 years working at Sundance which he loves (most of the time). Was released from teaching youth Sunday School and now serves on the Stake High Counsel which is a new experience for him. Blain kept busy this year with some minor flood restoration in the basement and new work responsibilities. He still loves to schedule family camping trips once a month from April to October.

Christian (21)

Christian honorably returned from Ecuador after faithfully serving for two years which flew by for both he and us. Seeing him again for the first time in two years will be a cherished memory for the entire family and especially his mother! Since being home Christian moved into an apartment with friends, started BYU, declared his major (Mechanical Engineering) and was blessed with a wonderful job working for his uncle Gerrad in flood and disaster restoration.

Addy (14)

Loves ballroom dance! She made the BYU Junior ballroom dance team and also competed in "open competitions" with her partner throughout the year. She loves to get "dolled up" in her dress and makeup and continues to excel in partner competitions and team dances (the pains in her knees and feet are proof of the work she puts in each week). Addy also started High School this year as a freshman and especially loves her peer tutoring (special education) class.

Jack (12)

Jack turned 12 this year and became a deacon and received the Aaronic priesthood. He started Junior High and loves his coding class and maybe doesn't love choir as much. He continues to play city league soccer, flag football and basketball. The most significant event of the year was his 12 year old trip with Mom and Dad and he got to go to...Maui! Dad had a work trip to Maui which we stayed longer on and Jack got to hike, swim, snorkel and sail in paradise for a week. We even had his 6th grade graduation on the beach in Maui.

Lauren (9)

Is our 4th grade thoughtful helper who serves on the school Hope Squad (peer mentoring group). She has been tumbling for just over a year and just mastered her round-off back tuck. Lauren loves to ride her bike around the neighborhood and play with her American Girl dolls. She is still the queen of hugs and thoughtful notes for everyone in the family. At her SEP conference her teacher showed us a wall of notes from her students and 24 of the 28 were from Lauren.

Lia (5)

Started kindergarten and loves it! She's part of the Kindness Club and is advanced in her reading and writing and loves to "help" the teacher and other students. She also started tumbling this year to be like her big sister and is working on her bridge kick over. Lia makes us laugh with her use of big words that are usually used correctly (but not always)! She refuses to stop growing up even though we want her to stay our baby.

We hope 2018 finds you all in good health and prosperity. And if not, then we hope that you will at least find comfort in the grace our Savior, who is the source of all peace.
God bless you all!

Merry Christmas Everyone

Merry Christmas everyone!!!

It has been a good year for our family. We have enjoyed a fun and prosperous year and we are looking forward to the new year. Here are some highlights from 2016.

As a family we went to 2 family reunions – Hall reunion in Eden, UT and Wilkey reunion in Gardiner MT, we had an exchange student for a week from Japan, went on lots of camping trips, a work party at Lagoon, Labor Day weekend in Bear Lake, Fall Break in Midway, weekend getaways to Sundance to stay, ski, eat, Bluebird Café, kids camps and the play this year “Music Man”, summer neighborhood parties, BYU Games, etc.

Blain

Enjoys his calling as a Sunday school teacher, loves to cook (which Heidi doesn’t complain about), he’s very handy and this year re-routed our stairs and put in new flooring, and is most happy when he’s in the water especially for our 15 year anniversary trip to Hawaii.

Heidi

Turned the big 40 this year, received a scouting award “Influential Woman in Scouting” (they were desperate this year), enjoys her calling in Young Women’s and had a blast at YW’s girls camp with Addy, and took the plunge and cut off her long hair, no regrets!

Christian (20)

Faithfully serving his mission in Quito, Ecuador, having many wonderful experiences and loves sharing the gospel, survived the 7.8 earthquakes in Ecuador, turned 20 years old, is loving his mission and growing so much, worried about losing is hair, and he only has 6 months left!!!

Addy  (13)

Loves her ballroom dancing and has grown a lot this year, still playing piano, she was in the school play “Suessical the Musical”, went on tour with her school ballroom team to CA and mom got to chaperone, spent a week in WA with her cousin Emma helping Aunt Erin and loved it.

Jack (11)

Earned his Arrow Of Light and started 11 year scouting, has stayed active with basketball, flag football, and soccer – which is his favorite, loves BYU and redid his room to a BYU room, still playing the piano, but not by choice, he's so glad it's ski season, and he attended Camp Big Springs this summer with friends from school.   

  

Lauren (8)

Turned 8 this year and made the choice to get baptized, tried out soccer for the first time and had fun, but she started gymnastics and LOVES it, she is progressing fast, she’s a natural, she ran the school Fun Run and came in 3^rd  place out of the 3^rd grade girls, and she loves to give hugs and write sweet notes to everyone!

Lia (3)

She’s mommy’s little sidekick and goes everywhere with her, has lots of friends at the Rec Center kid watch, enjoys learning and does an online preschool, tired a little cheer clinic and loved it right up until it was time to actually perform, talks like she’s 15 years old, learning to love her curly hair, and makes us laugh every single day.

And a Happy New Year!

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Merry, Merry Christmas!

We have been blessed this year in many ways and we have many to thank for it, but we are especially grateful for our Savior, whose birth we celebrate this time of year. 

What a Trip!

As a family we have had a great year enjoying many camping trips including a backyard camping trip and a neighborhood camping trip, we went to NYC in March with Addy for her 12 year old trip where we surprised her with one of her best friends and her mom (who happens to be one of my best friends :) who came to join us and we had an appearance on the TODAY show's Ambush Makeover segment, a Spring Break trip to St George to visit grandma Sally, a family work trip to Lagoon, 2 family reunions trips to Island Park, ID one with the Halls in June and one with the Wilkeys in Aug (they were totally different so both were lots of fun) while there we took a trip into Yellowstone, lots of trips tubing down the Provo River, a fun trip to Bear Lake with good friends in July, a Fall Break trip to Goblin Valley/Capitol Reef with more good friends in October, Blain and Heidi made a trip to Martin's Cove, WY for the Youth Handcart Trek in June, and we've made several trips up to Sundance to enjoy the theater, Bluebird Cafe, dining, lodging, skiing, kids camps, film festival, hiking, and of course the new Zip Tour - all thanks to blessing of Blain's job at 

Sundance Mountain Resort.

Speaking of Blain he is an awesome father and husband and works so hard for our family. He was just released after 6 1/2 years in the bishopric and called as the Stake Athletic Director. He is amazingly handy around the house and saves us lots of money every year repairing old parts on our old home. He works hard and fast and he makes me feel lazy by his inability to sit still, something he got from both of his parents. (It's not a bad thing :) 

Little Wild Horse Canyon

Yellowstone National Park

I was released from Cub Scouts after 14 years and it's bitter sweet. I am now serving as the Young Women's President of 20 adorable girls in our ward and I am so blessed to be able to learn from them.  I keep busy with our 5 kids shuttling them to all their activities,  serving on the PTA and organizing neighborhood gatherings. (Addition from Blain: Heidi is the most amazing wife and mother; managing family finances, shuttling kids everywhere, always helping friends and neighbors with projects without being asked, going the extra miles with Cub Scouts, Relief Society and now Young Womens, working out at the gym...she just loves everyone but most of all me and her family!)

Yellowstone Nation Park

Zip Tour at Sundance

Elder Christian Hall (19)

Was the biggest news at our house this year. Back in March he received his LDS mission call to serve for 2 years in Quito, Ecuador and he was so excited! He was hoping to go to South America. Then in May he graduated from Timpview High School and was accepted to BYU, which he chose to defer for now so he could go serve his mission. He is doing really good down in Ecuador and even though he is roasting hot he has had several special experiences that are helping him grow and become who the Lords wants him to become. We love and miss our Christian!!!

Lia adores her big brother

Mission plaque picture

Addy (12)

Is a lot of fun. There's never a dull moment with her, good or bad :) Addy started taking ballroom in January and surprised us all when she tried out for school team in April and her dance company team in May and made both teams. She loves to dance and prefers to dance instead of walk. Addy turned 12 in June which opened a whole new world for her. She started 7th grade, entered Young Womens, went to Girls Camp and received her temple recommend, which she loves to use since we only live 2 blocks from the temple. 

6th grade graduation

First day of 7th grade

Ballroom competition

Jack (10)

Loves to be a boy. He loves sports (he's playing competition soccer and gave flag football a try, he's currently on a rec basketball team), video games, playing outside, skiing, teasing his sisters (he's the only boy left so what'd ya expect?), whining about playing the piano, singing in the school choir, and doing his jobs. He's the fairness police at our house. He wakes up at 5:55am on weekdays so he can finish his jobs before school so he can play right after. But he still loves to snuggle with his mom so I guess it makes it all worth it.

Happy Birthday!

Getting braces

This kid can ski

Lauren (7)

Is our free spirit! She loves to make up her own outfits, do her own hair (which to her chagrin I redo), write sweet notes and leave them around the house. She loves to serve others and help where and when needed. She is quick to say sorry and make peace with others. She used to hate camping and the outdoors, but has turned a corner and now loves it. She also turned a corner with skiing after taking lessons and now she can ski the back mountain at Sundance. She started piano this year after 4 years of music class, she is doing really well and loves to practice and go to lessons. 

Lauren in Goblin Valley

Spring Break in St George/Snow Canyon

Yellowstone National Park

Lia (3)

Has a larger than life personality with all the facial expressions to go with it. She makes us laugh all the time. It's sad that our little baby is growing up, but she wants so badly to be grown up so she can keep up with her older siblings. She loves to go to the gym everyday with mom to the kid watch, which serves as her social outlet since she's not in pre-school. But don't worry she's a smarty pants and knows all her ABC's, numbers, shapes, colors and how to spell/write her name. And she's looking forward to when they finish building her new school (Rock Canyon :).

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!!