Our Year in Review

The Ups and Downs of 2011

Taking Kailey with us to our anniversary trip to the Jordan River Temple. This was a neat way to continue our celebration of her 12th birthday on our 15th wedding anniversary.

Grandma Sampson and I attended the General Young Women’s Meeting. Kailey sang in the choir. She got some TV time and had an incredible experience.

We had visitors from out of state. Our dear friend Joan Ciccarone visited from upstate New York for both April and October’s General Conferences. Dan’s parents also made two trips here from Ohio. Their first trip was with Laurel’s (Dan’s oldest sister) family in June and the second was in August by themselves for Lenny’s high school reunion and for family gatherings. Dan’s brother Trent and his family also visited from Oregon. The kids had a great time when they sleep over.

Over Memorial Day Weekend, Ashley and Sam visited Thomas the Train with Aunts Nancy and Annette, and cousins: Tristan, Tanner, and Sadie.

Dan and I attended a 60-year Korean War reunion of the 213th Field Artillery Battalion in my dad’s place. We drove to Cedar City for a dinner and program. On our way back the next day, we visited the recently completed memorial there in Cedar and decorated family graves in Cedar, Richfield, and Glenwood.

My aunt Carol passed away the end of June. She will be missed. Kailey babysat most of the day so Nancy and I could take our parents to Richfield for a memorial service.

Family dinners at Glade and Nancy’s house. Now, that their addition to their home is complete, their home has become the central meeting place with plenty of room for everyone. We always enjoy when Annette’s family join us from Eagle Mountain. We are looking forward to the birth of their twins in a few months.

Our annual trip to Willow Flats for a family campout is always a highlight for the kids. They love playing in the ice-cold spring water for hours. Nancy and I divided the time, so that one of us could stay with Mom and Dad at home. Mom was recovering from a hernia repair at the time.

This year, we made two trips to Lagoon. We all agreed (even the kids) that one trip is probably enough fun for one summer. Maybe we would feel differently if we didn’t have to use the “bounce back” deal within 10 days.

Other local attractions that we visited include: Tracey Aviary, the Ogden Dinosaur Park, Liberty Park, Hogle Zoo, and Silver and Twin Lakes near Brighton.

Dan’s parents received a mission call to the Winter Quarters Visitor Center. They will return to Utah in February for their training before leaving for Nebraska.

My mom is still chugging along with cancer. She feels like the chemotherapy “slows her down too much” and isn’t worth the discomfort. We are counting each day that we still have her and dad as a blessing.

Look world, no braces!
Kailey started the year with her birthday in January. With turning 12 came all sorts of new adventures: Young Women’s, 6th grade promotion, attending the temple, 2 girls’ camp experience, and Jr. High. Kailey has met all of these with great enthusiasm. She has a wonderful, fun group of girl friends and she is continually making more friends thank to her cheery disposition and ability to include others. With Grandma Sampson’s help, she learned to crochet. She picked it up very quickly. She has made and even sold a few headbands. She is now working on hats. Kailey performed in two musicals this year with a neighborhood-acting troop. She enjoys being on stage, and it has boosted her confidence in front of people. Kailey is a great help, especially when she baby-sits, so I can run errands without small helpers.

Go Utes!
Brennen enjoys playing and watching sports. He is very much like Dan that way. Brennen finally convinced me that I would be ok letting the teddy bears come down from his wall. We officially no longer have a nursery. I knew Dan was creative, but he out did himself with painting the boys’ room. One wall has a “Utah End zone” another has the Utah Jazz logo, and the third has a baseball infield. He freehand drew the majority of it including the Jazz logo. Brennen also has a great group of buddies. He is in the fifth grade. This year, he took up playing the violin at school. Brennen has played baseball and basketball. He also joined the acting troupe that Kailey and Ashley have been a part of and is looking forward to his first performance in January.

It’s Showtime!
Ashley loves to pretend and play dress-up. We continually find her singing and dancing to music all over the house. Ashley is absolutely thrilled to be a first grader. She loves being at school all day. She is doing very well in school: she makes friends easily, follows directions from her teacher, and is enjoying being to read to herself. When it comes to water, Ashley is a fish. She and Sam completed swimming lessons last summer. Ashley is cute and spunky. Since Kailey moved downstairs, Ashley has her own room as well. She enjoys playing “school” with anyone younger than herself. This includes Sam, her cousin Tanner and some neighborhood friends. She leads them around the house with their arms folded giving them directions as to recess and lunch. Ashley is looking forward to being baptized a year from now.

Where’s the remote?
If given the chance, Sam would play video games 24-7 if given the chance. He is proficient at Mario Kart and Lego Pirates. Sam tells me that he is my big boy now that he is four. He is my little sidekick when the others are in school, although he is no stranger to our elementary as he often accompanies me for PTA duties. He and his cousin Tanner, who is 9 months older, are, “best buddies.” Not too many days go by without them playing at either our home or his. Sam enjoys playing with play dough and balls. He appears to be on the same path as Brennen when it comes to sports. Sam has almost completed his first year in Primary. For the most part, he does ok, but he still needs reminding on occasion that his bottom belongs on the chair.

Going, going, going…
Now, don’t think I never rest because that is simply not true. Naps are my number one pastime when I find (sometimes make) extra time. I keep busy by carting kids around, serving in our stake’s primary presidency (best calling in the church), helping with our elementary safety patrol and serving as a co-chair of Health on our PTA board, working part time during the early hours of the morning at FedEx Home Delivery (happy to report that I survive December working 6 days a week with a start time at 2:30 AM), and this year I added School Community Council at Kailey’s Jr. High. A week before Christmas, I had a gum graph surgery performed. I am happy to report that the procedure and recover was not as horrible as I anticipated.

A Good Man
Dan supports the kids and me in all sorts of projects and activities. He gets the kids up and ready for school, helps with homework, and coaches sports teams. At church, he serves as the Ward Mission Leader. For work, he and his partner are keeping Upper Limit afloat in spite of the not-so-favorable economy. This summer, Dan got in touch with his “Going Genes” when he was asked to build a parade float for the Days of ’47 Youth Parade (we are still finding specks green glitter all over the yard and house). Dan is very helpful around the house. He and his dad installed our new furnace with only a small correction by some professionals. For Christmas gifts, he made grape jelly out of the juice that I canned this fall. He is kind, patient, helpful and fun-loving…in short, he’s a good man.