June 2010

June 5, 2010

Dearest Family,

Well, as you know since you got bugged by either me or your moms another year has rolled around and it is time to update our family on the doings, comings, and goings of us!  For some of you this is an important letter and the party is an important party.  When I considered cancelling because of my foot, my kids felt that would be a mistake and were willing to help Ralph pull it off.  Also, I’m sure some of you will be a bit sad to know it is going to be held on the 3^rd of July, which is Saturday.  I figured that would be a day when many of you wanted to go and celebrate in other ways, because the 4^th is on Sunday.  But a wedding in our family precluded us from holding it on Friday.  We hope that many of you will come and enjoy the family and allow your little ones to play.  We will have water out if it is warm enough (this reminds me of the year we spent on the Coleman Ranch over the 24^th, when all we did was sit under the tarps and drink hot chocolate and make brownies, and the people at the parade wore winter coats!), so bring towels and swim suits if you would like your kids to be able to do that. The menu will be a little different this year due to my being down, but it will still be scrumptious.  Any of the in-law parents are soooo invited, bring them if you and they desire.  Food assignments as follows:  

 Brenda’s  and Wayne’s families:  Dessert

Kent’s and Lynn’s families: Salads

Diana’s family: potatoes and beans

Heads of families:  I want to have enough food, without spending our money foolishly.  Will you please call me with a count of how many people who will actually eat (I’m going to count all 4 of my three year olds as one person) a serving.  I need this count by June 25^th. 

Third Generation:  Decide if the party is on your agenda and call your parents, please, so they can report to me how many people.   Make it easy for them. 

Sybil and Dean Bateman

Dad has been gone for 7 years last January 21^st.  He loved his family, dealt especially lovingly with the little ones and I am thankful for all the good memories and experiences we had.  As I age, I think more on family and how much they mean to me and how I appreciate all of your visits and sharing of your lives with me.  I love the Christmas and July 4^th parties and it is important to me that we still gather.  I am so thankful to still be able to be living in this Bateman heritage house.  I miss the farm being around me, but I understand progress, too.  I know things must change.  I thought you might like a family count:  31 grandchildren and their mates (Nathan and Mark are not married, but Mark will be fixing that soon).  Eighty-two great grandchildren with 3 on the way.  Ben will be the father of the first great-great-grandchild who will be born late this year.   I am pretty healthy, though I use a cane or a walker all the time now.  I’ve had two pretty serious falls, which I’m sure most of you know about, and I’ve weathered them pretty well.  Still healing from this last one.  I still serve in the church as a visiting teaching supervisor and I am thankful to be able to continue to show my commitment to the Savior and the church.  I look forward to seeing many, if not all, of you at the party.

Sharon and Kent Bateman Family

Sharon and Kent are doing well.  Kent is still working hard and Sharon is not working quite as hard.  Now only working two 12 hr days instead of three.  More time at home to do yard work, house work and
baby sitting.  This year we will become great-grandparents and grandparents again.  We soon will be empty nesters ...again.  Sadness and happiness all in one.

Curtis and Alison Sandall have had many challenges.  Since Curtis is in the building industry, work has been very difficult to come by.  Arizona's housing market has been dead for about 2 years and we are all hoping that it will pick up soon.  Alison is still working at Oakcreek School in Cornville.  There are changes in her work as well and we are hoping for the best for her job.  Katie's boyfriend returns from his mission in June.  She is very excited about that and what the future may bring. She works at an assisted living center in Cottonwood as a CNA. Megan is in school in Flagstaff and has a steady boyfriend. She is always cheerful and happy.  Jared is also working in Flagstaff, he recently was in a roll-over accident that totaled his truck.  Thank goodness he walked away from it because he was wearing his seatbelt. He was very blessed.  Ben was married last August to a lovely girl named Kaylee.  They are about to make Curtis and Alison grandparents for the very first time at the end of this year!

Cheryl and Richard Church are still in Panguitch and running the motel. Cheryl teaches drama at the high school and they are just finishing 'The Sound of Music".  It is time for the balloon festival and she just finished creating the decorations for the Jr. Prom.   Richard teaches golf at SUU and travels a lot with the teams.  Justin is in school at SUU and recently joined the golf team and leads the on campus Jazz club.  Kyle is also at SUU and trying to make that hard decision on what to major in school.  He loves talking in church and teaching Priesthood.  Josh is in Mt Vernon, OHIO almost half way through his mission.  He is really tearing things up, teaching 30 lessons last week.    Breanne just finished playing Maria in the school play and will finish her junior year in high school.

Brent and Terri Bateman are busy with work and school.  Brent works for the state of Utah and Terri teaches at BYU.  They are still in American Fork and are very busy with all the kids’ activities.  Zoe keeps a 4.0 grade point and plays in the American Fork Marching Band which keeps her very busy.  Sam is busy with the freshman high school baseball team and also plays in the AFMB.  Daisy stays very busy with school and in color guard competition. Jeffrey was baptized this year and gets all his exercise playing Nintendo.

Heath and Kathy Bateman Heath is working for Salt Lake County as the director of the Taylorsville Senior Center.  He loves working with people he can help, and play with.  In his spare time he loves to fish.  Kathy is still working for Intermountain Healthcare.  She is in the human resource dept.  She works part time so she can still be there to juggle Lindsey's schedule.  Lindsey is turning 12 this year and will go into Young Women.  She also plays soccer and loves to go fishing with her dad.

Kirt Bateman is director of the Davis Arts Council and has turned a failing program into a success.  His summers are very busy with all the concerts, plays and activities that are scheduled.  He also just finished being in a play at the Rose Wagner Theater called Amerigo. He has participated in and directed several others this year.  Jerry is producing director of Plan-B Theatre Company and is much sought after for is producing and directing abilities.  Stella, their little dog, was paralyzed in her hind quarters this year and now gets around with a doggie wheelchair.  Really cute if you haven't seen one.

Jarom and Andrea Echols  Jarom still works at Novell in Provo.  Andrea is still a home mom and helps at the kids’ school. They did buy a house in Levan that they have been renovating and fixing up for the last two months.  They are hoping to be moved by the time the kids are out of school.  They are excited to have their own house.  Emma is in the third grade and plays softball.  She also has been in gymnastics class.  Rachel is in kindergarten and loves school.  She plays coach-pitch ball and also been in gymnastics.  Hannah will turn 4 and is hoping to go to kindergarten this fall, won't she be surprised!  She has to wait another year.  She has learned many tricks and things in her gymnastics class.  Lily is turning two and has taken up her own sign language and is very good at it.  They are all excited about their little brother that will come in August.

Wayne and RaNae Bateman Family

Wayne  is doing well. He has had a few problems with his feet and has had to have a few surgeries but things are healing now. This last year he added three more grandchildren to his family, Aspen Grace Haight,  Brynlee Loveland,  and Alyia Hope Christensen. Each addition makes him happy. Though he still misses Ranae terribly, life continues to go on and he is surrounded by his family.

Amy and Frank Rasmussen are doing well.  Wyatt, their youngest,  just turned one year old and he is full of energy keeping mom and Dad on their toes. Amy still works for Foothill Family Clinic, and Frank takes care of the home making sure to keep things running smoothly. They are still in Salt Lake and Cody, Amy’s  oldest just finished his sophomore year of high school and she is very proud of him. Zack is very smart and moving right along to sixth grade with ease.  All of the boys are keeping Amy and Frank busy, but they wouldn’t trade it for the world.

Julie and Jeff Robinson are doing great.  They still live with Wayne to help him out, and Julie now works at Joe’s Crab shack and Olive Garden as well as attending class at SLCC. Jeffery attends school at University of Utah to get his teaching degree (go Utes!) and doing great. Their kids are growing fast with Brittney now starting high school in the fall and Sydney moving up to the fifth grade. Tommy will be going to kindergarten this fall as well, where does the time go? Julie and Jeff have undertaken several projects to update Wayne’s home and the kitchen was the latest. Though the construction was a pain the results are very satisfying and everyone will enjoy great Bar-B-Qs at Wayne’s this summer.

Joshua and Shalece Bateman Sadly Wayne is not in contact with Josh right now, but Joshua is back to work on a natural gas drilling rig and he suspects his family still remains in Utah. He misses the girls and prays this conflict will resolve itself soon.

Chad and Venus Bateman have had a rough year, but managed to overcome adversity despite it all. Chad has recovered from his accident pretty well though he still has pain. Chad now works for Huish distributing as an accounts manager. Venus is a stay at home mom for their three boys.  Chad’s seizures are currently manageable and he is spending all of his free time appreciating his family. Corbin just finished first grade while Carson is getting ready for kindergarten, and little Conner will get mom to himself for at least half a day. They still live out in West Jordan for now and are really focusing a being a family.

Camille and Dustin Haight are very happy.   Dustin and Camille moved back to Utah, are finally settled in last July. They love living down in Laverkin. Dustin is the Co-manager for the Cedar City Wal-Mart and finally has a manageable schedule. They have four girls, (lucky Dustin).  Kalie is 10, Cassidy is 7, Emily is 3, and little Aspen Grace who came in December is five months. Camille is Compassionate Service Leader in her ward as well as Relief Society chorister, and Dustin, despite protesting that he hates math was called as the ward financial clerk. They both have started taking classes at the University of Phoenix to further their education. Their girls are very happy, they love their new school and love living closer to Grandpa even more.

Melissa and Bob Christensen were blessed with an addition to their family this year as well. Little Alyia Hope was born just six weeks ago,  putting the number of grandkids for Wayne up to 19. Grayson is very happy to be a big brother and can’t get enough of the baby. Grayson is still attending Pingree School and is learning by leaps and bounds. He is fun to talk to and is a joy to have around.  Unfortunately news can’t always be good, Bob has been affected by the turn in the economy and is still looking for solid work, but he is using his extra time wisely to go to school and spend time with his kids. He hopes to find a great job soon and keeps his spirits up.

Nathan Bateman is doing okay, he also has had a hard time finding work, but picks up side jobs whenever he can to make up the difference. He is still dating Melissa and they are very happy together. For now though he is content to play with all of his nieces and nephews and is a great uncle.

Natalie and Brett Loveland just recently celebrated their first anniversary and the honeymoon continues. They are still sappy in love and very cute together. They also added to the family total with Little Bynlee Loveland last November. She is a very good baby, and loves to smile. Don’t let it fool you though at six months old she keeps her new parents hopping. Natalie would also like to announce she and Brett will be bringing another addition to the family In January. This makes her babies 14 months apart, just like Wayne and Brenda and she will be a very busy mama.  She is up for the challenge though, and Brett is very excited.  He loves being a daddy. They are living at Wayne’s now but are making moves toward buying a home. Brett is working for Harper Construction and is happy to have a good job considering all those who don’t.

All in all the Wayne Bateman family is doing pretty well. They just take everything day by day and do their very best. Wayne is proud of all of them.

Brenda and Gary Jeppson Family

Brenda and Gary are coming right along with the aging process!  Gary just turned 66 and Brenda 64.  Gary is still working for Bodell Construction at a Waste Water Treatment Plant in Slatersville (north of Ogden).  He will be there at least through the end of this year.  Brenda is finishing up her final year of school teaching.  Yep! Retirement on June 16 (it is a good year to end her career since her school year was successful with many good things completed and retirement benefits keep getting slashed) .  Brenda was honored at a recent Jazz Game as one of two outstanding teachers throughout Utah providing quality education and providing quality programs in teaching.  Brenda and Gary also spent 2 weeks in Okinawa, Japan where they had a fun visit with Jennifer, Randall and family (saw the sites also).  There's no retirement in the church, though.  Brenda is a member of the ward activities committee--that's busy enough.  Gary remains Scoutmaster for the 11-year-old Scouts.  We also completed a Woodworking Shop in our backyard, a place where Gary can be sent when he is being bad.  That's the news from Hidden Place.

Randall and Jennifer Cheney are still living in Okinawa, Japan, where Randall works for the Air Force in avionics.  They love the culture, people and adventure of the island.  They have plans to climb Mt. Fuji and to visit Hiroshima and Nagasaki this summer.  They're busy in the Church, working together as Den Leaders in Cub Scouts, as well as a few other things.  Jennifer and Levi (5 year-old son) love teaching English classes at a Japanese preschool once a week.  Their four kids, Madison 14, Jacob 12, Jonathan 9, and Levi 5 are great kids and are involved in the usual - music, swimming, basketball, scouts etc, and are great students.  The family especially loves to snorkel, beach comb and hike together.  Jennifer, Jacob and Madison are taking Japanese classes.  And though we are having a wonderful experience we miss the family gatherings.

Lee and Holly Woolsey and family are still in Richfield and love it here.  Life is spent keeping up with work, hobbies, church and education.  Lee is still a soil conservationist for the Natural Resource Conservation Service.  He has helped farmers from St. George to Nephi improve their farms and ranches and he really enjoys it.  He is still scout master in our ward and is taking the boys to the High Uintahs Scout Camp this summer.  Last weekend he built a beautiful stream with waterfalls in our backyard! 
I spend my time supervising kids' chores, refereeing arguments between them, cooking, cleaning, gardening, planning ward parties, changing diapers, and riding my bike once in a while.  Nothing  too adventurous.  Nathan is 13 and is running his own lawn mowing business again this year.  He is is working on his Eagle Scout project. He loves hunting, football, basketball, math and helping Lee with projects.  He's very serious...all business...so we try to help him on his ability to joke around a little more!   Abbie is 10 and loves swimming, softball, basketball, reading, and the study of animals.   She loves to climb our willow tree and sit up in the high branches and talk about her future life in the Galapagos Islands as a wildlife biologist.  She says she needs to get her feet calloused and practice jumping out of trees so she can do her job there without any inhibitions.  Nicholas is our in-house geologist; he loves rocks and crystals and minerals more than anyone else I know.  The highlight of his life (so far) was the 2nd grade field trip to the local rock shop!  He also loves swimming, baseball, cub scouts, water balloons, and swinging on our willow tree.  He is currently working on earning money for a wood burning kit so he can draw designs on his walking stick...and maybe even make some to sell!  Luke is our 3 year old and brings a lot of humor to our family.  He has his own little language we have to decode.  He loves to play with his trucks in our sandbox and be in control of a running hose. 

Chris and Allyson Jeppson are still raising their three boys in Wellsville and loving it.  It's been a tough year for Chris's work, but his company is surviving and making hard, but correct, decisions about weathering the slow economic building environment.  Allyson has finished yet another semester of full-time classes at Utah State in her pursuit to finish her Special Ed degree.   Her 3.97 GPA (straight As with only one A-) is pretty impressive when considering all other tasks that demand her time.  Ethan, their oldest, has decided that lacrosse is his new favorite sport and is excelling at it.  Dalton has decided to stick with soccer and piano.  Seth is playing baseball and so excited about his little uniform.  Chris and Allyson are grateful to have such good boys and are feeling many blessings from Heavenly Father.  They want to thank everyone who helped with their efforts to raise money for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society in order to help their friend suffering from Leukemia.  The fundraiser was a huge success- thanks to all for your support.

Brad and Myrissa Jeppson: We are all doing very well. Logan (11) just returned from Astro-Camp, is a great artist and wants to be an architect. Gabriel (9) is excelling in school, is a voracious reader and has an impressive collection of Pokemon cards (just ask him--he'll tell you all about it!). Addison (7) loves to play soccer, can do flips on the trampoline and is extremely bright in math. Tanner (5) loves video games, is his Dad's right-hand-man on projects in the yard and now has to be escorted to primary after kicking the First Counselor in the Primary Presidency. Myrissa is doing well in her Elementary Education Program (through Northern Arizona University), wrote and directed short plays for an Arizona Women's Playwrite Festival this spring, and is Girls Camp Director. Brad is working hard to support the family as a water engineer, can't wait for the Arizona summer to be over, and is gearing up for his third triathlon race this fall. We look forward to the day when we live closer so we can see cousins and family more often!

Neal and Lori Jeppson  have had a busy year.  They have lived in their current home in Eagle Mountain for six years and will be moving away in June.  The Church Educational System has asked Neal to run a little institute and assist the volunteer seminary teachers in San Angelo Texas.  It is a mid-size town with 100,000 people.  This is an opportunity that Neal has been waiting for professionally, and the whole family is excited for this new adventure and hopes that they will continue their happy little life in Texas.  Our children are: Meg  5, Kate 3 and the new one on the way is a girl...due in September, and wonder if that might complete the family.  Lori and Neal are hopeful, as it has been a tough pregnancy that has felt much longer than nine months.  Neal also completed a post graduate degree in Public Administration in June and hopes never to go back to school.  Amid the busyness, challenges and changes, they are so happy together and wish everyone else the same. 

Ralph and Diana Parker Family

Ralph and Diana are still working, voting, going to church and holding hands when they walk around.  What more can we say?  The alarm goes off at 5:00 AM but we don’t drag out of bed until 5:25. Ralph is still working for the church, Diana still teaching Junior High and by the looks of the economy we will retire when we die.  A surgery that didn’t take on Diana’s foot, and then the repeat surgery gave us and the grandkids a chance to learn how to ride a scooter (officially known as a knee walker).  Everywhere you go people stare because most people have never seen one.  It beats crutches all hollow!  The kids and Ralph did remodel the back upstairs bedroom that is now a sewing room.  It was the next to last room with obscene floor squeaking, so Ralph said the floor was coming up so it could be redone without the squeaks.  So he did!  When they got the subfloor down it still squeaked on one side.  He and the boys had to take out part of the wall, but they fixed the squeak.  So now we can’t tell who is sneaking around in the sewing room.   We are thankful for all our blessings and experiences, but we’d like our real bodies (i.e. 30 year old) back! 

Anne and Michael Sampson have had about as exciting a year as the previous one.  They have, however, made a couple of additions to their little family–Jasper and Powder–two very friendly and playful cats.  It seems Anne wasn’t busy enough cleaning the crumbs, bums, and messes the kids made, she needed cats to clean up after as well!  Then, as if that weren’t enough, Anne has also become the neighborhood graffiti czar and cleans that up too.  We should mention, that Mike did pass his Certified Financial Planner exam, which we celebrated by going out for shakes.  We’ve recently discussed, however, the possibility that it we didn’t give his hard work the recognition it deserved and have decided we might need to go out for shakes again.  Daniel, Jonathan, and Ella are happy, healthy, loving kids.  Daniel will start the second grade in the fall and his biggest problem right now is trying to decide whether he wants to buy “Settlers of Catan” or “Settlers of Zarahemla.”  Jonathan will be starting kindergarten and his parents are pretty sure he’ll especially excel in the arts and crafts as he already goes through a ream of paper every few weeks.  Ella’s growing up to be a sweet, fun-loving girl, and, if she actually had a birthday for every time she announced it in Family Home Evening, she’d be 46!  The Sampsons are looking forward to the coming year, in which they just might finish the tile in the downstairs bathroom!

Mark Parker: Braxton and Kaitlyn are nearly finished with first grade, and are doing quite well at it. Kaitlyn is apparently one of the "popular" girls at school already. She's reading very well, and just completed a project on Ayer's rock in Australia. I don't think she was very impressed by a big red rock. If it were pink, or maybe purple…Braxton continues his exploration into the exact nature and practical limits of hyperbole, and is actively pursuing a career as the smallest 7-year-old soccer player in the world.  He says if soccer doesn’t work out he’ll go for football. Hunter just finished preschool, participating in the most highly-produced preschool graduation ever seen west of the Mississippi. It was held in a tightly-packed college auditorium, and tickets sold out in minutes. Colin continues to pick up things from who-knows-where, and his new favorite phrases are, "what the heck", and "are you kidding me?", which he manages to use at all the appropriate times.  In January I took a job with Goldman Sachs, and I lived for two months in lower Manhattan. Shortly after returning to Utah I left the company, because they hired a senior-level guy (with senior level pay) to do junior-level work. I couldn’t take a giant step backwards in my career (I retire in only 35 years, tick-tock, tick-tock), so I took a promotion and a pay raise to return to my previous employer.  I am also pleased to announce that I am engaged to be married at the end of June. We're currently waiting for a sealing clearance, which should show up at any moment (cross your fingers). Jessica does have three children, so we will soon be in the market for any used buses or otherwise large commercial vehicles that are for sale. Keep your eyes open.

Michael and Robyn Parker’s family's life is pretty boring. Let me elaborate. We are busy, over-worked, exhausted, occasionally exhilarated or excited, and blessed and cursed in almost equal measure (we’re noticing a slight overall net gain). We are at times stumped, enlightened, duped, sometimes do some stumping ourselves (but never duping) and are figuratively running around in circles that are almost concentric, but just barely moving in a direction that for the purposes of this letter I will call “ahead”. Boring you ask? I guess I say that because I figure it must describe your life pretty well too.

Because of the boring nature of the topic “What’s going on over there at the Parkers”, I will limit this to an executive summary:

-          As a family we weigh 100 lbs less than we did last year. This sounds impressive enough, but it is even more so when you take into account that Matt, our youngest at 16 months, now weighs as much as his older brother and doesn’t show signs of slowing down.

-          Robyn ran a few triathlons and 5ks and a 10k.

-          Michael ran…did…ok nothing to say here.

-          Matt walks, Ethan talks, they both poop, A lot.

-          Michael still pretends to work at Discovery, while Robyn really does work: as a crossing guard, a cosmetologist, and…let’s see there was one other thing…Oh yes, a mother.

-          We’ve aged. Michael will hit the 30 year mark this year, so that may or may not be worth pointing out. But any discomfort that may cause for him will be worth it since he is younger than 90% of you. Hah!

Dustin and Sara Marcrum have a lot of good news to share.  Last Summer Dustin was called to the Stake High Council.  Sara is serving as a counselor in the Young Women.  In the winter Sara delivered a healthy baby boy which they named Austin. Early in the new-year Dustin’s company went out of business and although it was a very scary time, within three weeks he had landed a job with better pay, better benefits and more opportunity for advancement!  We finally got our back yard in this spring.  Sara ran her first 10K, her second triathlon and is registered for a ½ marathon this summer. Our family has been so blessed. Especially in the employment area, where we feel that Heavenly Father truly had a hand in helping things work out for the best. However, as a mother, as I’m sure so many of you will agree, all of these exciting, happy events, pale in comparison to the fact that we actually succeeded in Potty-Training Parker! It even happened before he was three (days before, but still…).  Our cup runneth over.   

Lynn and Gail Bateman Family

Lynn & Gail:  We are busy as ever trying to keep up with kids, work, church, etc.  Our family still manages to get together once in a while to let the grandkids play and get to know each other.  This last year we managed to go camping at Strawberry in our trailers.  It was reminiscent of the deer hunt at Flaming Gorge.  We also manage to have a yearly Pumpkin carving contest for the October Birthdays, of which we have many including Lynn's.  It seems like time flies by too fast.  Lynn has been called as the Branch President over the Young Singles Branch for the two Nephi Stakes.  We were told that this is to be treated as a 3 year mission with both of us serving there.  We attend all of our meetings in the Seminary Building in Nephi.  It is really time consuming...each week includes the 3 hour block, branch prayer every Sunday evening, and Family Home Evening every Monday.  Not to mention Institute class on Wednesday, Temple Night, and more meetings than I can even think of.  We are having a great time, however, it seems like every time we have an activity one of the adult leaders goes home injured.  We still think we are young but we are much more fragile than we were in our younger years. The Lord is blessing us beyond belief.  We love each of you and look forward to seeing you. 

Jason and Amanda Mecham:  We still live in Provo.  Amanda is still working at the Contractor's Desk at Lowe's in Orem.  Jason is still a carpet installer.  We are going to have our 1 year anniversary the end of June.  Greg is 14 and just squeeked by and passed 8th grade.  He starts highschool this fall.  He is the president of the teacher's quarem.  Monica is turning into a beautiful smart young women at 12.  She is the president of the Beehives at church and will be in 7th Grade (middle school) this fall.  She and the group she hangs out with are at the top of their class.   Jeff is a very creative, artistic and active 11 year old.  He finished 5th grade with high marks and is looking forward to 5th grade camp this month.  Ruthanne is 4, but thinks that she is 8.  Her spanish is now taken on an Argentinian accent, and she will occationally play teacher and tell us how to say things in spanish.  She still has another year until Kindergarten because she doesn't turn 5 until December.  The house is still in remodel mode, but is making progress...slow, but progress all the same.

Lori and Cory Bird family has had a very busy this year!  Paige is now four years old.  She loves to ride her bike and play outside on the trampoline.  She is a very good girl.  She will be starting pre-school in the fall. She is getting so big, and her hair is all the way to her waist!           Sierra just finished fourth grade.  She is now ten years old!  In school this year she got almost all perfect report cards.  Sierra stays very busy, there are so many people who want to take her for the weekend!  She spends lots of time with her aunts and uncles on her dad’s side, and they spoil her to pieces!  She just recently took a trip to Disneyland with her grandma and grandpa Winget.  She wants to take acting camp this summer.  Adam is now 16! He is growing up faster than we’d like.  He isn’t driving yet, as we are holding out for more productive times.  We love him very much.  He has a great sense of humor, and is very kind.  He’s getting very good at playing guitar. He now has an electric guitar with a petal and amp. Lori has been working at Park City Mountain Resort in the winter as a Mountain Host Supervisor.  It’s the best job ever, but only seasonal.  This summer I will be working my default job, bartending.  Cory is working at Handy Truck Lines still, and is currently satisfied, but would be happy to find something better.  He stays busy with work, but when he finds free time he goes fishing or plays Frisbee golf. We have a fun family trip planned for the end of June, to Island Park.

Ryan and Kay Pettit have had a crazy year!  Ryan is working 3 jobs (Juab Sheriff, Handy Truckline, and CR Doors and Moulding), plus volunteering for all of the extra things he can find!  Branden is almost 10 and has almost caught up to me in size!  He is a great reader (takes after his mom!) and did awesome in 3rd grade.  He is very outgoing, and with the exception of relentlessly picking on his brothers, is a really good kid.  Jace just turned 8 and was baptized.  It was really exciting for him!  He is FINALLY in scouts, and loves it.  He is a great student, and got the "Awesome Acidemic" award in his 2nd grade class.  He has a huge stubborn streak (What?  I wonder where that came from?  Certainly not from me!  It must be a Pettit thing!) but is also a really funny kid.  He is really good at math, and can usually beat Branden in math related things. Ashton (or as Keira says is Achies) is 6 and just finished Kindergarten.  Despite all of his extra energy, his teacher had nothing negative to say about him at parent teacher conferences.  He learns really fast, and is the most loving boy ever.  He was, however, the first child to get a visit from Law Enforcement!  He helped the neighbor boy break out the window on an old car belonging to another neighbor.  His excuse?  "But, it was dented!"  So, obviously, it needed breaking, right?  Lucky for him, we were able to talk the deputy out of taking him to jail for years! (wink, wink) Gabriel would be 4 this year.  It has been 3 long years since the accident, yet it also feels like last week.  We miss him so much, and wonder what his personality would add to our crazy home! Keira will be 2 in August and is the funniest baby ever.  She has learned to throw a tantrum with the best of them, but it is just so funny, that I just can't get too mad at her!  She is so loving, and adds so much personality to our family.  There has never been a baby that is more loved (and knows it!) as much as she is. I am lucky enough to be able to stay at home and try to keep our household running, smoothly or not!  I have been so blessed to have these wonderful spirits trusted to me!

Paul and Elisa Bateman family have passed another year in the clan with several new developments.  Paul finished his degree at the U in Business Administration (aka “somebody please give me a job”) and is currently doing what most recent college grads do – dreading the repayment of his student loans.  Elisa continues to keep up the zoo we refer to as home, while finding time to make aprons and skirts for half of the inhabitants of the Salt Lake valley.  Emily, who just finished 1^st grade, is now reading short books such as “Purplelicious”, “Pinkilicious”, “Goldilicious”, and the unabridged works of William Shakespeare.  We’ve told her we expect a full report (I hear that “Pinkilicious” is riveting).  Zachary, having just finished Pre-school, hasn’t quite cracked cold fusion yet, but has mastered the art of writing his name small enough to fit on a single sheet of paper.  We have high hopes!  All in all, things are well and we continue to work toward a better future for our family.

Rebecca and Mckell Dalton: McKell is still  working for Wheeler Machinery and has started welding along with machining so he keeps extremely busy.  He also is working at Pep Boys in sugarhouse part time. When he's not working he enjoys playing softball with his new team in Sandy.  I stay at home with the boys but work at Marv Jensen in the mornings in the child care and I'm able to take my boys with me.  I have also started a custom vinyl business which has taken off fast!  I have been extremely busy with this and am currently working on designing the front of a salon in Taylorsville. I recently had my 14th surgery but I'm doing fabulous and am hoping that now they have taken just about everything they can take out of me so I shouldn't be needing more surgery(knock on wood). Caleb is going into 1st grade this coming year and is really excited oh, wait it’s me that's really excited that he will be going to school all day.  He is currently learning karate and just recently got his yellow belt.  He had a competition recently and out of 5 divisions he got 1st in 3 and 3rd in one.  He really enjoys it and is planning on working for his black belt.  He also started T-ball this spring and is loving it!  Conner is 2 now and keeps my hands full but is anxiously wanting to be like big brother and follow in his footsteps with the karate and T-ball. It’s everything I can do to keep him on the side lines.