dosdall family news: July 2015

There's really no way I can fully capture the last year and some months that I haven't written anything, but I can write about what's going on with our family this summer. Our summer started off with a two-week long heat wave which was not such a surprise after a very mild winter with hardly any snow. June felt more like August, but now it's starting to feel more like it should.

Derek was awarded a $2.5 million five-year R01 grant which will fund his research for a while and for which we are extremely grateful. We've been wondering if he would be able to keep his job here and what his future would hold without funding, but we feel much more secure now. He's also receiving a significant raise since he hasn't hardly had any change in salary for the last five years. We are feeling relieved, grateful, and blessed.

Derek took the boys and his dad on a two day backpacking trip through "The Narrows" in Zion Canyon last month. They had a wonderful time talking, hiking (much of the time through the river), and enjoying the incomparable beauty and wonder of the canyon. He also accompanied the boys (and the nearby young women) on a boating/rafting trip with the priests and teachers from our ward to Flaming Gorge. The young men and young women spent a day floating part of the river, so the four older kids and Derek shared a boat together.

Aly: I have had some changes with work lately too. Last summer two companies I had been working for went through buyouts and my future position was uncertain. So I took on a job as assistant director at a student-intern preschool at a high school in our school district where Faith could accompany me last January. While it was a blessing that we needed at the time, the 25 hours away from home each week were a challenge. A month before the end of the semester a friend from the craft industry emailed me with a part time job offer working from home. So, I am now back to working about 2/3-3/4 time from home and feeling extremely grateful and blessed to be there for my kiddos, especially since this is the boys' last year at home before they graduate and serve full-time missions.

James is working at the local Sonic this summer. While there are some challenges and stresses, his manager is totally okay with him not working Sundays and we are all very grateful for that. He is the co-section leader for the mellophones and loving his last parade season with the marching band. He writes and reads often, and enjoys time hanging out with his friends. He, Jeffrey, and two marching band buddies recently planned a quadruple date where they had a peach cook off and played some games. It was a lot of fun. He recently found out he got 5's on both of his AP classes last year and is very excited about that. He was just called as a ward youth family history consultant and can't wait to get started helping others get excited about family history. He has found over 200 names on our family tree and does baptisms weekly at the temple with the three older kids, so he will do well with this new calling.

Jeffrey is working lots of hours at the local McDonald's. It's only about a mile away from home so he often rides his bike. His manager worked out a deal that he can take a small pay cut for getting Sundays off, and we are all very grateful for that. He is co-section leader for the trumpets and is loving this last parade season with his friends in the band. He is totally obsessed with all thing Dr. Who. Totally. He just got called to be the first assistant of the priests quorum (like the quorum president) and has started off with a bang--three different meetings today! He gets to meet with our bishop and stake presidency on a regular basis through this calling, and it will be an awesome experience for him. He took three AP classes last year and scored two 5's and a 4, which he's very excited about. He's been the impetus behind the weekly temple baptism trips the four older kids take and we are grateful for and proud of his growth and leadership this year.

Ashley will be starting 10th grade this fall. How did I end up with three high schoolers??? I keep telling the kids to stop getting older but they're not listening. =) She got a 5 on her first AP class, and is looking forward to taking more AP classes in high school. She and Lexie are performing at the local community theater in their production of Annie Jr. Ashley was cast as Grace Ferrell (Daddy Warbuck's secretary) and is enjoying rehearsals so far. She and Lexie have been asked to babysit a lot this summer, and she also works two mornings a week helping a neighbor clean out and organize her basement and kindergarten classroom. She practices her violin every day and has been teaching herself how to play the piano. She can now play some hymns and simple Disney songs.

Lexie joined the high school color guard for parade season this summer and loves it! She goes with the boys to marching band practice from 7-9:30am on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays each week. She has been very responsible getting herself up and ready to go each morning. They have one more parade to march in before the end of parade season. She was cast as the Apple Seller in the ensemble for Annie Jr. and is really enjoying seeing some of her friends from church, school, and the theater academy each week at rehearsals. She gave a talk in sacrament meeting at church on Father's Day and did an awesome job. She really enjoyed learning to play the string base in the orchestra last year, and will be playing in the Junior High orchestra in the fall. Speaking of which, she is not looking forward to being a "sevie" or seventh grader in Junior High next month.

Faith enjoys attending a sports camp two mornings a week through the local parks and rec department. We discovered her third cousin is in the class with her, which is kind of fun! She also goes to a summer camp for three hours once a week hosted by some young women in our ward and loves it. She has discovered some of the kids' favorite computer games (Wizard 101, Webkinz, etc) and would likely play them all day long if I let her. We visit the library often to try to keep her entertained. She is a super reader and is looking forward to attending kindergarten in the fall (though she'll miss her preschool friends and teachers). We love to hear the cute little songs she makes up and sings in her best opera voice while she's playing at home.