dec 2013-march 2014

Man, I've neglected this for too long.  Life's been great, but very busy.  Here's the lowdown since November:

1. We spent Thanksgiving at Derek's sister's house in Spanish Fork.  Since my parents were visiting my sister in Seattle, we brought Uncle Jeffrey with us. We all enjoyed spending time with family and giving thanks for our many blessings.

2. Christmas break was busy but fun. We got to play in some snow, attend some lovely concerts the kids played in, and spend a night out with my parents at dinner and the Festival of Trees.

3. Christmas day was wonderful and quiet.  We enjoyed yummy food, family time, and a visit from Derek's parents and sister.  Derek and I got each other a new set of cookware.  We must be getting old if that's exciting to us!

4. We endured some home maintenance mishaps (leaky fridge that damaged wood floors, broken dishwasher, and storm damage to our AL home) but realize that those are things that can be replaced/fixed and are grateful to have spent the holidays with the people we love most.

5. President's Day was spent with my parents going to the Lego Movie, the Ice Castles here in Midway, and Dinner at Jimmy John's.  SO glad they're close by and we get to see them so often!

Derek:
1. Unfortunately the lab he has been working at here has run out of money due to major mishandling by the director, so we found out at Christmas time that Derek's position will be terminated.  Although his grant money ran out recently the university policy requires a certain amount of time before they can let him go, so they are now paying his salary and we're very grateful for that. His director isn't happy about it, but that's just too bad. =)
2. After much prayer, fasting and searching (all over the country) Derek has found another lab (the new Center for Engineering Innovation) here at the University of Utah that has offered him a position. The funding particulars for this position are almost ironed out and he should be starting pretty soon.  This job will allow him to use more of his engineering skills and will be a fun change as he will be working with electrical mapping of the brain rather than the heart. There's a lot of overlap, so he feels pretty comfortable with the change.
3. He has been such a trooper helping out with laundry, grocery shopping, and cooking while Aly has been busy working many hours with Derek's job uncertainty.  We are so grateful for a hard-working Daddy!

Aly:
1. Right in the middle of this job uncertainty some great work opportunities popped up for me. We count this as a huge blessing, though it has meant many late nights and long hours for me. I'm so grateful Derek and the kids have been able and willing to pitch in with running the house.
2. Enjoyed a top secret 40th birthday weekend in Vegas with Derek. He did a great job of not letting the cat out of the bag, and we loved the amazing buffets, fun shows and entertainment there--especially Blue Man Group and Celine Dion. It was great to get away from the business of home and work and enjoy some time together playing hard.
3. Is enjoying the exercise bike Derek found at the University Surplus. Low impact exercise seems to work better with my fibromyalgia, though I still like to run sometimes...especially when the weather's nice.

James:
1. Got his driver's license within a week after his birthday. It's nice to have another driver to help out and we appreciate his carefulness and dependability.
2. Got a seasonal job at Lagoon, the local amusement park about 10 minutes away. We're hoping he can put most of his earnings away in his mission/college account while still having fun with some of it.
3. Started taking private horn lessons from his high school band teacher and has learned a lot of good things.
4. Celebrated his 16th birthday with Jeffrey and several friends from school by going to see The Hobbit and then going out for yummy treats at the boys' favorite, Galaxy Frozen Custard. The next night Derek and I took the boys to Tucano's, their favorite restaurant.
5. Finished writing another book and is working on editing and sharing with peers, friends, etc. He also started attending a teen writing class taught by a local author once a week.

Jeffrey:
1. Finally got his driver's license on his third attempt at the road test. Also appreciate having him as another driver to help out, though we're currently looking into moving to another insurance company--Allstate is charging WAY too much to add them to our policy.
2. Started taking private trumpet lessons from a local trumpet player that teaches the trumpet section in marching band at the high school.  He enjoys the challenge of trying to improve his skills.
3. Is currently looking for a summer job and has applied several places. We're hoping something comes up for him soon.
4. Moved on to the regional solo/ensemble band festival after playing at his school festival (as did James).  He took on a very difficult Handel piece and will play on Thursday--fingers crossed!
5. Enjoyed playing with the marching band at basketball games this winter. He's had so much fun with marching band I think he's convinced James to join this summer.

Ashley:
1. Loves preparing for the two spring musicals she's performing in.  She has after school rehearsals a few days a week that keep her pretty busy.
2. Rocked her January performances of the western melodrama, Rogue of the Railway, at the local community theater.  She was a shakespearean performer in the medicine troop--the perfect role for her.
3. Played second violin in a small ensemble for the school orchestra festival recently.  They all played beautifully, though they didn't move on to regionals. We loved watching the concert for all the festival performers--it was great.
4. Finished reading all nine Work and the Glory books for a young women project.  She was very touched by the historically accurate stories woven through the series.

Lexie:
1. Started taking guitar lessons from a teenage girl in our neighborhood.  She loves playing Grandma's guitar and singing, and looks forward to the recital in June.
2. Loved working on her History Fair project and got top scores for the website she created on ancient Rome (CLICK HERE if you'd like to see it for yourself).
3. Following the example of her older brother, she has been writing a book and really loves to write.  Her teacher has told me more than once to encourage her to continue writing, which we're happy to do. She's a good little writer.
4. With her love for technology, she has started scanning and uploading old family photos and stories to familysearch.org.  She loves learning about our ancestors too.

Faith:
1. Loves preschool, and is learning how to follow rules and teacher directions, and how to get along with her peers. She has matured quite a bit recently and it's good to see.
2. Loves to draw and it's fun to see the evolution of her artistic skills/abilities. Her drawings are getting increasingly detailed and life-like.
3. LOVES to sing, and, even though I may be biased, she's got a beautiful voice and excellent pitch. It makes me smile to hear her belt out her favorite songs.
4. Loves to read, do puzzles, play with her ponies and barbie dolls, play her educational computer games, and watch PBS Kids shows.

Well, I'm sure you all have heard enough from us for now.  Hopefully I won't wait as long to document our lives next time.  Love you you all!