Price Family 2013

Merry Christmas! We hope each of you have had a great year!  We have been blessed this year, especially in the last couple of weeks.  Our sweet baby Blake was born on December 5th.  He has been so fun to have in our home.  Katelyn loves to be the big sister.  She is such a great help to me.

Katelyn is in the third grade this year.  She loves to go to school and especially likes P.E. and recess.  She is anxious to take tennis lessons this summer, which I am thrilled about, and is an excellent reader.  She loves to help Taylor and Andrew learn their letters and sounds and is finding out the benefits of being the only girl.

Taylor has started preschool this year.  He asks every morning whether or not it is a preschool day.  He enjoys playing trains and the Wii with Andrew.

Andrew is our mischievous one.  He is always coming up with something new to do and pushing every limit. He is fun, free spirited and very active.  He keeps me on my toes.  He is quickly learning his letters and sounds and often points out letters while riding in the car.  He is a smart boy.  We love him.

Blake is a very sweet baby who gets held most of the day by his siblings.  We can't tell who he looks like yet but we are told he looks like a Price baby.  He is very mild tempered and just a joy to have in our home.

Ryan enjoys working at Adobe.  We love how close it is to our home.  He often comes home for lunch, so the boys get to wrestle with him for a couple of minutes.

I feel so blessed to be able to stay home with our kids.  They are so fun to play with and talk to. I can now see how quickly they grow up and I am trying to hold on to every milestone they each make.

Ryan and I feel blessed this Christmas season for our family and friends and especially for the Gospel in our lives.  We know that it is only through our Savior Jesus Christ that we find true happiness.  We hope that next year brings happiness to each of you.

Jensen's 2013

Merry Christmas!

As always, we have many blessings to be thankful for. Tom graduated from Pharmacy school in June and passed all of the licensing and law exams to become a Pharmacist! We are so thrilled. We moved to Washington state and have really loved meeting new friends and contributing to the ward. Tom teaches sunday school for the 14 year olds and Monica is an Activity Days leader and Ward Community Service Rep. McKenna is in middle school and is doing well! She enjoys playing the piano and has recently picked up running. McKenna also loves to knit frilly scarves and has sold a few to her teachers and friends. She is looking forward to getting braces in the new year! Brooke is in first grade and is a great reader. She started piano lessons a few months ago and loves it. Brooke is losing teeth and a week ago asked her teacher to pull out a wiggly tooth. She was thrilled! We're told this teacher is famous for pulling teeth. Jill loves preschool and all of her preschool friends. She also is learning to read. Jill is full of wonder and amazement, curiosity, and love. Her hair is almost to her waist and I can't help but think of Rapunzel when I brush her hair.
Of all the blessings we have been given, our most important is our Savior, Jesus Christ. We add our testimonies that He came and because He came, we can repent and live with Him again. We wish you all a bright Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Love,

Tom, Monica, McKenna, Brooke and Jill Jensen

Williams Family 2013

Merry Christmas!  This has been a year of ups and downs but we are grateful for this time of year to reflect on the birth of our Savior and enjoy the peace this season brings. 

Jon is busy finishing up his studies at BYU.  He plans to graduate in April with a degree in Information Technology.  We are all looking forward to that!  He still works at BYU and has proven to be a great asset there.  Lisa is still working at Central Utah Clinic in Dermatology as a nurse practitioner.  Jane is a busy two year old, she will be three in March.  She is very smart and fun!  It is a treat to see her personality and hear the cute things she says.  It is a blessing to be her parents.  

We moved back to our home in October after doing a couple updating projects and are happy to be living in a place of our own. 

We hope you all have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Ted and Melinda - 2013

Hi Everyone,

Here we are at our 42^nd Christmas together as a married couple.  Our first Christmas was spent in Mesa, Arizona away from our families.  Since that lonely Christmas we have spend 41 Christmases with family around us.  What a blessing it has been through the years to be with those we love most. 

Last year our greetings came to you while we were traveling the world.  From the day after Thanksgiving to a few days prior to Christmas we sailed from Spain to Brazil, stopping in Portugal and the Canary Islands.  We toured Salvador, Brazil then sailed into the harbor at Rio de Janeiro. We visited the temple grounds at Sao Paulo, Brazil and happened onto a wonderful Christmas musical program at the Stake Center next door. We flew to Curitiba, Brazil where we visited with a family that Ted baptized the last day of his mission (see photos on the right side).  We had family home evening with them.  Ted taught the lesson, in Portuguese (after 45 years)!  Our visit with this remarkable family was the highlight of our trip and one of the most tender and spiritual experiences of our lives.

Ted and Melinda are still serving in the Provo Utah Young Single Adult 11^th Stake. Ted is a counselor in the bishopric of the Provo YSA 158th Ward and Melinda is the Stake Relief Society President.  We love these callings!! The young people energize us old people and they are so fun. 

Ted is retired, but helps out our neighbor with their limousine service.  He has driven the rich and famous and even someone’s cat. Melinda is still teaching first grade.

We have enjoyed a long relationship with Southern Utah University.  Ted has served as national alumni vice-president, and we have hosted events and helped at homecoming and graduation. In October the University awarded us the Distinguished Service Award at homecoming(see below).  Our children were all there, as well as some of our siblings. We were honored at a banquet and at the football game. We were also the grand marshals at the parade.  We were humbled and honored by this unexpected recognition.

This year we had lots of fun with our grandchildren.  We took them in groups on adventures from water parks to St. George to Disneyland. We loved every minute of the time we spent with them.  They are so much more fun than we ever imagined.  We are so grateful for the healthy little new grandson, Blake that was born this month.  There is nothing sweeter than to gaze into the eyes of a newborn baby as you contemplate the birth of our Savior.  We have much for which to be grateful. We are especially grateful for friends and family whom we hold dear.