Bateman
Family Letter/History-2016
Sybil Greer
Bateman (Dean)
Mom/Grandma/Great
Grandma/GreatGreat Grandma has managed again this year. She weakens, and there have been a few scares
where we thought she might not stay with us, but each time she recovers and
continues. She is slower, and some
little things she forgets, but she still knows and loves every member of this
family. She is still in her home and
manages her own life with just a little help from the family. With Brenda and Gary home from mission it is
a little easier for all.
Kent (Dean,
Kent) and Sharon
We are hanging in there. We are very busy
going to doctors and having a great deal of problems as all senior citizens
do. Old age is not for the weak and faithless that's for sure. Kent
has had some blood clots in his legs and his toenails removed (poor timing) and
had some difficulty trying to be up and trying to stay down at the same
time. Those are the most recent problems and the rest is just too
boring. Sharon spends her time baby-sitting, and playing nurse. She
also volunteers at the elementary schools as a RADkids instructor. RAD
stands for Resisting Aggression Defensively. Yes, I do kid defensive
skills and help out with teaching. Yes, I am probably too old but it's
great working with the kids. It's a great program, check it out.
At this time I am YW Laural adviser and Kent
and I spend Monday nights at the Juab County Jail
teaching family home evening to about 30 (give or take a few depending on the
week and if they're in lock down) prisoners. It’s quite an adventure. We
send our love!
Kyle (Dean, Kent, Brian, Kyle) and Lauren Bateman
Kyle and Laren live in St Louis. Kyle is going
to Occupational Therapy School. Laren is doing taxes and something else besides
being a mom. They have two children, Micheal (3) and Nydelia (1) and are
very busy.
Brent (Dean, Kent, Brent), Terri, Zoe, Sam,
Caroline, Daisy, and Jeffrey Bateman would like you all to know that they
love you. Here are some highlights, some of which is true:
This year Brent was invited to provide legal
training to the Planning Commission of the city of Short Creek, Utah. If you
don't know where Short Creek is, you should know that it is the joint name for
Colorado City, Arizona and Hilldale, Utah. He had a wonderful time. They were
very friendly and welcoming, and did attempt to entice him to stay and live
there forever. He declined, in spite of their wily promises. Two days after he
was there, the person who invited him was indicted for food stamp fraud. Thus,
he is now on close terms with several people in jail named Barlow and Jeffs.
Terri's travel agent is not very bright. We suspect
that when she tried to book a trip to Europe this year, the agent spelled the
destination backwards, so she ended up in Peru instead. We also think that when
Terri asked to go to a place where she could get clean and hygienic bathing and
bathroom services, he booked her to stay on Lake Titicaca. She also wanted to
go somewhere that she could eat a lot of fruit, so the sent her to Muchoo
Peachoo. The whole thing was quite an embarrassment.
Zoe has learned through her Psychology Major at Utah
State that each of us, including herself, suffer from various psychoses and
mental disorders. She enjoys informing us of her diagnoses. However, she has
also learned that if no one cares, what's the problem?
Sam and Caroline have decided that the USAF is not
intense enough, so they have started their own branch of the military. They
call it the USBKS. It stands for the U.S. Butt Kick Squad. USBKS cadets take a
sacred vow that if they are ever in a war, they will personally kick the backsides
of all enemies to freedom that they happen to stumble across.
Daisy's stalker has decided to take a 6 month
sabbatical. Thus, we are not sure where she is most of the time.
Jeff has starred in several local theater
productions during the past year, including as Willy Wonka, Apu
Nahasapeemapetilon, and Hello Kitty.
Andrea
and Jarom Echols
Ellie
turned 3 last October. She's afraid of
almost everything except people. Unless you're
creepy... she'll let you know. But most
of the time she just walks up to people and asks their name. She and Levi spent the last year playing
together since the other 4 kids have been in school full time. They get along so well, I forgot how quiet
life could be. They really are best
friends.
Levi
turns 6 a week after he starts Kindergarten in August. He spent this last year doing the online
preschool, Waterford Upstart, and complained EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. But, thankfully we're done June 30th. I also learned this year that he doesn't care
for t-ball, loves soccer, and has anger management issues when it comes to
playing video games.
Lily
turned 8 in April! She managed to make
it through the 2nd grade with only a few minor tantrums. She decided this year that she wanted to do
her own hair, which I thought was a fantastic idea! It was difficult at first
to let her go out in public with her hair parted funny or crazy hair bows. But you've got to learn somehow! Lily played basketball, softball and soccer...
loves them all.
Hannah
is 10 now. She loves sports. I'm not sure she has a favorite, but plays
basketball, volleyball, soccer and softball, and now wants to try out track and
field. She spent last week in British
Soccer Camp, earning MVP 2 out of the 5 days.
She's still intense and can be explosive in certain situations. In the end, however, she's done a fantastic
job perfecting the art of “looking” busy, like she's working, but never really
lifts a finger to help... well, not without some “gentle” persuasion.
Now
that I've talked about my 4 youngest, let’s talk about “the flour incident” of
2016. Whilst Jarom and I did our civic
duty and attended our party's caucus meeting, my 4 “little” kids, (remember
Hannah and Lily are 10 and 8) EMPTIED a 25 lb. Bag of flour in our
basement. Have you ever tried to vacuum
dust? Since it was 10:00 at night and I
was insistent they clean it themselves, we decided to wait until they got home
from school the next day to clean up.
As I went down the next day barefoot, so as to minimize spreading the
flour to other parts of the house, I
found myself perplexed as to why the carpet was crunching below my feet. After further inspection and interrogation, I
found out that throwing the flour wasn't good enough for them, they had to have
a water fight too. Have you ever mixed
water and flour? And have you ever mixed
it then let dry? Somehow, in the end, my
kids have lived to see another day.
(Wayne)
(Dean, Wayne) and (Ranae)
Wayne
has been gone for a year. It is
difficult for all who love him, but he is with his love, Ranae.
Amy
Bateman Rasmussen (Dean, Wayne, Amy) The Rasmussen/Reynolds
family
Our family has certainly had its highs and
some extreme lows during the past year. First, my father Wayne died in July,
2015. We were hoping for a great 2016, but that did not happen. Our wonderful
and loving father and husband Frank died from complications to his COPD and the
paramedics’ failure to take him to the hospital. Wyatt is missing his father very
much and is having major problems with nightmares. It has been difficult for
him. Cody has been drinking a lot in order to cope with the loss and his
anxiety. For his 22nd birthday I bought him a puppy, which seems to
be helping quite a bit with the anxiety. Cody lives with an amazing group of
friends who would do anything for him. He is working at Papa John’s as a
manager now.
Zachary
has been keeping me on my toes this year! As of June 13th, he
finally resolved and finished all of his obligations to the courts. He has a
great job with Home Goods and likes it a lot. Several of his friends have been
staying at our house off and on since Frank passed away. They all call me Mom
and treat me with the utmost respect. However, sometimes it’s a little hard to
keep the house clean!
As for
myself. I try to take one day at a time.
It has been very hard for me these last few months, and I miss Frank in
our home. I know he is watching over us
and helping in so many ways. I have been
seizure-free for four-and-a-half months because of the medications I take. I
have been cleared to get my license, so I worked hard to get a beautiful Dodge
Caravan. Now our family can drive ourselves and be mobile, and we don’t have to
ask for rides any longer.. The teens
have been working hard to keep me busy so I don’t sink into depression. My sisters are helping me so much, too. If I
could wish for any one thing this year to make things better, it would be to
heal the rift in my large family circle.
It is so difficult and sad that everyone is not getting along very well
since Dad passed away. It is so very sad
for me. I also want to thank everyone
who helped me so much last March. It
means so much to know that I have this family behind me in such a time of
need. THANK YOU!!
Josh and Shellece
Bateman (Dean, Wayne, Josh)
Josh and Shellece
still have little contact with our family, but it was thrilling to see Shellece
when she came to be there when Dad was in the hospital. Josh could not come
because he is still working on oil rigs all over the United States, and he
spends about only three days a month at home.
He has moved up and is even one of the bosses now. He asked Shellece to
hold the phone to Dad’s ear so he could say his goodbyes too. It meant much to all of us that Shellece (and
Josh by phone) were there. Shortly after Dad passed, Josh returned home for a
few days. Natalie was able to get
together with them, and she reports that they look great and are doing very
well, and that they are happy again.
Alexis is in high school and gets good grades. She also got her driver’s license last
year. She is on the high school varsity
cheer team and loves it. Serenity is a competition dancer and travels with her
dance team a few times a year. She lives, eats, and breathes dance. Both girls
are beautiful young ladies. Things are going great for Josh’s family, and
although we miss them dearly, we are so glad we were able to see them and wish
them every happiness. They check in with
us once in a while, and we catch them up on all the news of the family.
Camille and Dustin Haight (Dean, Wayne, Camille)
Where do I begin? We are once again faced the task
of writing a family update letter and I struggle with a place to start. There
have been so very many lesson for me to learn this year. Most of them serious
lessons that I feel important to share.
It seems an eternity has passed since last year and
at the same time I feel like if I step back just a single step it would be back
to those difficult days after dad passed. It felt like after the flowers died
and the business of dealing with his estate started, that everything would be
normal again. In the end, after 12 months of ups and downs everything has
changed. I think when you lose a parent it simply can’t stay the same. Because
there is this piece gone. It is torn from the center of puzzle and the picture
looks incomplete. For us there are two missing pieces and the puzzle feels
fragile now. It is truly surreal sometimes to move forward after this.
Losing Dad and Mom so early in life has been a
difficult trial and I will not sugar coat the basic fact that it is an ongoing
one that will take much more time. Maybe it will take the rest of my mortal
life. I do know in my heart though, that they are okay. That they have peace
and will not struggle anymore. There is so much comfort in that single truth.
Cheryl, told me about a dream she had and I hope she understands my need to
share. She told me she saw dad, “he was walking in a field on a
path toward an opening in a two rail, white fence, his clothes were tattered
and warn. When I awoke I thought about what a beautiful picture that was of a
man who had given everything he had to this life and was walking toward the
next.”
What a sweet story this thought
is for all of us. That our lost loved ones gave everything they could. That
they did their very best in this game we call life. That they move forward with
more to share, more love to give, and more wisdom to teach. Then As I started to acclimate to the missing piece of my
father Amy lost Frank, and I was once more reminded how fragile this life is. I
often wonder now, more than I ever have before, if I told people
how much I love them each day, if I stood up for someone who needed it,
or if did enough service each week?
As I ponder these things, I understand that I am
learning to appreciate life and want to make the memory of mine a good one. It
will not be the house I own, the car I drive, or the job I held that will make
my children remember me fondly. Instead it will be the things I stood for, the
love I gave them, the kind words I spoke, and the example I set. If I have
learned anything important in my life I pray it will be these simple truths and
that I will embrace them until it is my turn to return home and greet my
parents. Because in the end I see the truth is not in the loss of the pieces
now, but in the faith I have knowing they will always be a part of the puzzle.
It is freeing to understand that the pieces were never lost, just simply moved
over by the puzzle master to the permanent frame that is being rebuilt on the
other table close by.
I have also learned this year the value of
supportive family. I am not sure I could have survived without all of you.
Especially, my Aunts and Uncles. You have been there for all of my siblings
more times than I think we even realized. More times than I know I expressed my
gratitude for. I am so blessed to have cousins and aunts and uncles, and a
grandma that would so quickly jump to our aide. It is an amazing thing to make
a call to Aunt Diana and within 24 hoursshe has mobilized the entire Bateman clan to
help meet any needs that can possibly be fulfilled. I love you all dearly and
thank you once more for your prayers, kindness, and service.
Now on to my kids and such which is what you likely
really what to read about. What can I say, we still plod along trying to keep
up in a crazy busy world. We love living in Salem now and are finding new
camping spots for fun all the time. We got a new puppy that I am certain is
mixed with a raptor since she tears into any helpless stuffed animals on site.
Poor Emily, who collects them will never be able to forget the loss of some of
her favorites. And I think she has a special place for all the veterans
of battle that have lost an eye, nose, or ear to the carnivorous puppy. Since
we already had a dog named Lady, it only seemed logical to name the new puppy
Sif. So we officially now have Lady Sif. (If you don’t understand watch Thor)
With Aunt Melissa having a dog named Thor it seems we just need someone to buy
a male Yorkie and name it Loki. Any takers?
Seriously though, here is the quick rundown. The
kids are all great. Kalie is 16 now and driving. The newness of running
errands for me has not worn off yet, so I hope that will last till at least the
end of the summer. She wants to direct films or be in film production and is
working on her own youtube channel that includes funny skits for geeks. Cassidy 13,
is still a budding soccer star. However, as strong Utah fans it is hard for us
to openly admit she is making plans for drafting or art at BYU. She loves them
and even decorated her room with posters. We have considered an intervention until
we realized BYU soccer shorts are more modest. Emily 10
this July is still bouncy and energetic. She loves the piano, and has started
Irish step dancing. It gives her a reason to jump around the house now. When
the other girls get annoyed with her jumping everywhere these days she simply
smiles and says, “What? I’m practicing.” My girly, tough, bright, brawling Aspen has
also started the piano, and wants to do karate. To which my older children
replied, “Why? Are you trying to make her effective? At least now we have a
fighting chance, even if it is a small one.” While Aspen’s only concern is if
her outfit will be cute. Kendra is spunky and full of personality. She is 3 now, and
is simply happy she can do things all by herself, and will remind you of which
any time you try to assist her with almost any task. Unless she needs a drink
then she is happy to “demand” a drink from her sisters.
Dustin and I are good too, except Dustin is not
loving the idea of dating since Kalie is old enough to do so. He tries to avoid
any conversations that involve dance plans or group dates. Dustin still manages
the Payson Walmart and really likes it. I am still working for BZI
Construction, and still trying to write. My first book is newly edited, and now
on Audio, while my second undergoes editing to follow suit into the audio
world. I am sorry those of you who have supported me had to wait so long, but I
am happy to tell you I have a goal for the end of this year for the third and
final book in the series. Thanks for being patient there’s been a lot going on
to keep me away from it. So all and all we are doing good. We are pursuing
goals, spending time together, and making memories. I hope you are all doing
the same!
To be Continued in 2017.
Melissa, Robert, and kids Christensen (Dean, Wayne,
Melissa)
Wow where do I even begin? This past year has
been so full of heartbreak, blessings and new adventures. Loosing our Dad has
been so hard on our family, some of us have been able to come together and make
new and even stronger bonds which has been wonderful. While we have had
struggles with other relationships. Despite all the heartache I still
love each of my siblings and would do almost anything for them. Thank you so
much for all the support all of you have given to our family this year, we
truly couldn't have made it through some of the challenges without our extended
family. We love and appreciate everything everyone has done for each of
us.
My little family has had such a big year, it
all started with the chance to buy my parents home after my dad passed away.
Buying the house has been such a whirlwind of projects, hard work and so many
blessings. My kids are loving all the space and being together as a family. We
have had so much fun making the house ours. The girls and I have planted some
gardens and can't wait to see what we get out of them. We have work so hard to
fix the house up and make it feel like our home. I am so blessed and grateful
that I get the chance to make my childhood home a great place to raise my own
kids. My kids love to hear about things I remember growing up here. I know in
my heart my parents would be so proud and happy with the way the house has come
together.
After we bought the house and a long
crazy winter of snow removal Robert was offered a job that he decided to take.
His new job is great and he is so happy with it and is so glad he found
something he loves. His new job does have one downfall though he spends a lot
of time out of town away from us. While he is out of town it is a big
adjustment for us all but thanks to things like FaceTime we are all making it
work. The upside of this job is the weather doesn't predict his work and it is
consistent.
We also got a big surprise and found
out we are expecting another baby! We thought we were done and even made an
appointment to make sure but, this little blessing decided she really wanted to
be a part of this crazy family. This little girl is set to arrive in October
and we can't be anymore nervous and excited to meet her. Now naming this baby
is so far proving to be impossible so if you have ideas we are open to
them.
Grayson is now officially a teenager
and makes sure everyone is well aware of this. He is all boy and loves that he
is finally getting his Mario mustache, he says he has been waiting to grow it
since he was Melainas' age. He is getting ready for 8th grade and can't wait.
He still loves Special Olympics and loves learning about new sports. Although
he would much rather talk about the sports then actually play. He comes so far
every year and never stops surprising us.
Alyia just finish kindergarten and
loved it so much. She has turned into this beautiful little soul that would do
anything to make someone happy. She is always wanting to help and always
looking for ways to make everyone happy. She started the year off so quiet and
reserved and has ended it with so many friends. Her teacher tells me she always
made a point to play with the kids that seemed to be feeling left out. I am so
proud of the sweet compassion that she seems to naturally have. She is the same
way at home, always looking for ways to put a smile on anyone's face. This
leads to a bunch of notes and picture in any given room at all times. We are so
lucky to have such a sweet soul around.
Miss Melaina just hit 3, although she
is absolutely sure she is a big kid. She is so full of sass but wears her heart
on her sleeve. She will tease her brother all the time but if he gets annoyed
her heart will break. She is so fun to have around and has a personality that
is contagious. You just can't seem to be anything but happy when she is
around.
Hadley is 15 months and still loves to
be babied, she is lucky to have her siblings because they love to baby her. She
loves to play and chase them around the house. Alyia has this ability to get
her to do almost anything they can think of including dress up and playing
house. Hadley fits in with the girls so well and has proven to be my easiest
baby. She is such a perfect little addition to our family.
While Robert is out of town or at work
I stay pretty busy. With summer brings my awesome nephews (Chad's boys) during
the weekdays. They are so fun to have around and help me a lot. I also can't
seem to help myself and keep finding projects around the house or in the yard.
I am sure this pregnancy will slow me down at some point so I keep thinking I
better get it done now. I did find out this year, after some health struggles,
I have rheumatoid arthritis and it has been a hard diagnosis to take. I now
realize I have my Bateman genes to thank for it, so now I know I am not the
only one and I have support when I need it. When I have a flare up I am always
reminded of how much my dad struggled with pain and how blessed he is to be
with my mom pain free and happy. I miss them everyday but know in my heart they
are happy and I will get to see them again.
For the people that keep asking here are a few
pictures of the house and our family.
Natalie and Brett Loveland (Dean, Wayne,
Natalie)
Another year has come and gone, and the Loveland
family is still going strong! Of course it's been a hard year for all of us
since dad died, but we try our best to keep moving forward..even when it seems
impossible. We miss him so much and still shed lots of tears, but we try to remember
all the great times we had with him, and all the amazing things that made him
such a great man. We are blessed that all 4 of our girls have personality
traits that remind us of him everyday, and they love hearing and bragging about
how they are like their grandpa Bateman... With sad times came good time,
though and we've had a lot of both this year.
Our youngest daughter Kennedy turned 3 in June, and
wow was she a perfect way to complete our family! She is such a spunky little
lady. Kenna loves to make people laugh, She is basically your average 3
year old, except she's a bit more sarcastic which we can only assume she
got from my dad. Kennedy is a little Natalie, she looks just like me as a kid,
and it can be scary how much her personality is like mine! With turning 3
she also got to start an activity, and it was a hard choice between gymnastics
and karate for her, but chose to start karate with her big sisters, and lives
being in the same class as Canbree. We sure love having her in our family,
and being able to call her ours.
Cambree turned 4 in March, and she keeps us on our
toes. She is a very tough, emotional, girly, tom boy, energetic, fun, sassy,
and strong little lady. Like her little sister, Cam has some of her grandpas
traits too... She got his temper!! We recently found a picture of my mom as a
toddler and realized Cambree look like a little Ranae clone! Cambree asked to
start karate this year, and has excelled in it. She loves going to karate twice
a week, and it's a lot of fun to watch how easy it all comes to her! We love
the respect, responsibility, discipline, and work ethic it teaches them!
Cam is taking her belt test this week to earn a higher colored karate
belt. We love her so much and we are grateful God gave her to us!
Quinn turned 5 in January, and she's anxious to
start kindergarten this fall (I'm not so anxious because this means she's
growing up) she's a very smart girl, she loves to tell silly jokes, something
she must of learned from my dad. She has a contagious smile that lights up a
room, so it's definitely hard to see her struggle and cry for grandpa the
most. Quinn likes to be called Dr. Quinn, we got her name from the old
T.V. Show Dr. Quinn the medicine women and grandpa Bateman called her Dr. Quinn
from day one! She wears her heart on her sleeve, and she was alway a grandpas
girl, so she has really had a hard time with his death and holds on tight to
anything and everything that reminds her of him. She loves to hear story's
about him, and see pictures of him as much as she can! She strives everyday to
make grandpa proud. Quinn started karate shortly after Cambree did, and
although it doesn't come as easy to her, she really loves it! Quinn has worked
hard and is about to take her belt test to earn her next color belt. Quinn
is such an amazing kid and we love seeing the little girls she's growing into,
she's an important part of our family.
Brynlee turned 6 in November, and passed
kindergarten with flying colors. That's the trait Brynlee got from grandpa
Bateman, his love to learn and his amazing ability to remember so much so
fast. Brynlee is always eager to learn and she learns FAST, infact
she was ahead all year in kindergarten and although they wanted to put her in
1st grade in September we have tried our best to keep her in the same grade as
kids her age, and of course with all her friends. Next year, Brynlee has been
put into the daul immersion program. She will spend half the school day
learning in French, and the other half learning in English. Our hope is this will
challenge Brynlee a bit more and be what we need to keep her from needing to
skip a grade. Bryn has been a busy girl, she has stated horse back riding,
gymnastics, and karate this year. She is our little cowgirl, she wants to do
barrel racing in rodeos one day, but she also practices her roping skills. Her
biggest dream is to become a rodeo queen. She is also quite the
little gymnast, but she does have to work harder then most because of her
pigeon toes, but we are hoping gymnastics and karate will help correct that.
Her favorite thing to do in gymnastics is the beam and she's amazing at it and
makes it look so easy! She also started karate a couple months after her
sisters and we were amazed at how much she had perfected just from watching her
sister. She loves karate and in just a couple weeks has earned all her tips to
move on to do her belt test! She's had a great and accomplished year, but
because of multiple cases of strep throat and too many school days missed, we
are planning to have Brynlee's tonsils removed this summer. Brynlee never
ceases to amaze us with her love to learn and amazing memory, she is becoming
such a beautiful kid inside and out. We love her so much!
Brett is still working at rio Tinto kennecott Utah copper, he's been there for 4+ years now. He still loves his job, but has been applying for other positions at other mines owned by Rio Tinto in hopes to find somewhere he can move up more, without as much of a worry of lay offs that kennecott has had on their higher positions since the slide. He works very hard, usually working 2 or 3 overtime days on top of the 4 14 hour mandatory shifts he always works. Brett is very excited that after 7 years of trying, he finally drew a limited entry archery elk tag for this fall!! To my delight (not really) all four of our girls have been practicing their elk calls since he found out he got the tag in May. They have also been practicing their own archery and rifle skills with us everytime we shoot. Brett is really excited to have this amazing experience with his daughters, and his daughters are counting down the days till the hunt begins. Bretts is an amazing dad and husband, and we are lucky that he takes so much pride in teaching all us girls everything we need to know about hunting and loves to make these fun memories as a family as much if not more than hunting alone.
Brett is still working at rio Tinto kennecott Utah copper, he's been there for 4+ years now. He still loves his job, but has been applying for other positions at other mines owned by Rio Tinto in hopes to find somewhere he can move up more, without as much of a worry of lay offs that kennecott has had on their higher positions since the slide. He works very hard, usually working 2 or 3 overtime days on top of the 4 14 hour mandatory shifts he always works. Brett is very excited that after 7 years of trying, he finally drew a limited entry archery elk tag for this fall!! To my delight (not really) all four of our girls have been practicing their elk calls since he found out he got the tag in May. They have also been practicing their own archery and rifle skills with us everytime we shoot. Brett is really excited to have this amazing experience with his daughters, and his daughters are counting down the days till the hunt begins. Bretts is an amazing dad and husband, and we are lucky that he takes so much pride in teaching all us girls everything we need to know about hunting and loves to make these fun memories as a family as much if not more than hunting alone.
Last, but not least... Me. I've certainly been busy,
between Brynlees first year of school, all 4 girls in activities, all my
doctor appointments, all this kids doctor appointments, a little work, keeping
up with things at home, and babysitting at least one more kid a day I can
easily forget to breath sometimes. I don't work with the same company as
Camille anymore, but I do some side jobs helping some guys that use to or
still do work for that company. They are such great people, and I'm really
grateful for them and always willing to do anything I can to help them out.
It's been almost 4 years since my original cancer diagnoses, and it never gets
old saying I'm NED (no evidence of disease) there is still constant doctor
appointments and CT scans and things I have too keep up with to maintain the
remission, but it's a small price to pay to be alive and able to raise my
daughters and watch them grow. I'm not as lucky as Brett, but I did draw
my own general rifle deer tag this year. I'm most excited about all the meat
that will be in our freezer after the hunting season with Brett's elk and my
deer. My tag is for the wasatch mountains, which is never an easy hike, so
the girls won't be able to join us for my hunt, but fortunately the wasatch
mountains are close enough that we can let the girls go play at their grandma
Loveland for a day while we hunt and get back the same night to put them to
bed. I'm planning on using my dads old rifle to bag my deer, it will mean a lot
more to me that way. My dads death brought a very hard battle with depression
for me, but I have so much to be grateful for, and so many reasons to be happy,
so no matter how low I get I always remind myself of that, and that dad would
want me to be happy. I miss him more than I can even express, even after almost
a year since he passed, but I'm comforted by knowing he's pain free for
the first time in a long time, and he is enjoying being back with two of the
most important people to him, my mom, and his dad.
We have had a busy, fantastic, hard, long, fun, and
blessed year. We can't wait to see what this next year holds for us, and I know
that with the husband and children I have as long as we have each other we can
get through any trial, and together we will enjoy all our triumphs to the
fullest. We have definitely learned never to take anything for granted and that
tomorrow is never promised. Life is never perfect, and it gets hard sometimes,
but I'm so glad I have Brett to share my life with, and our 4 beautiful
healthy and happy daughters we get to raise together. Happy 4th of July!!
Brenda and
Gary Jeppson (Dean, Brenda)
Chris
and Allyson Jeppson (Dean, Brenda, Christopher)
The
Chris and Allyson Jeppson family has had a very eventful year. We transitioned from almost three years in
Moscow Russia and moved the family home to Wellsville for the next year. Chris is serving an unaccompanied assignment
in Baghdad Iraq while Allyson and the three boys are living in our newly
constructed house in Wellsville. Shortly
after Chris left to Iraq, a plumbing leak flooded the finished basement of the
new house. Insurance denied coverage for
ridiculous reasons. After a bitter
fight, a tantrum and threats of legal action, Chris convinced the insurance to
reconsider and they covered the damage.
Allyson
is working at the local high school and the three boys are loving an American
experience back in their hometown.
After a wild cultural experience in Russia, it feels good to get back to
our normal, yet the family will never be the same. We find ourselves full of gratitude for the
simplest of life’s comforts. We love
that our kids understand and appreciate how blessed we are as Americans and the
how rare and precious the life of ease and excess is.
Chris
has returned to his art in an interesting way that has helped him stay
connected to friends and family far away by sending old fashioned postal mail
to them with pieces of art on the envelope.
Below is a picture of the one he recently sent to Grandma Bateman.
We are grateful to Heavenly Father for all the blessings we
feel so lucky to live a life filled with all of the most important things –
family and the gospel.
Next summer, we move to Lisbon Portugal where we will live
for the next three years. Plan a visit
to come visit us!
Love, Chris, Allyson, Ethan, Dalton and Seth.
Brad
and Myrissa Jeppson (Dean, Brenda, Brad)
2016 History of the Brad and Myrissa Jeppson Family
This year has been a lot of work for us. By day, we are an
Engineer, a Teacher, and 4 students. Myrissa is a brilliant high school theater
teacher and the boys are all brilliant in their own ways. By night and
weekends, we are farmers. We are raising boys, cows, chickens, goats, berries,
hay, and weeds. And everything seems to sell well except the boys and the weeds
(maybe if I just advertised “weed” I would get a better response…hmmm, I’ll try
that).
Actually, we are in the process of selling the farm and moving
into Boise because that’s where we commute everyday to work and school, and
I’ve decided I don’t want to be a slave to the farm anymore. It was an amazing
experience for our family which I wouldn’t trade for anything, but perhaps the
most important thing I’ve learned in the last three years is that life should
be a healthy mix of work and play, and the play part is what I was missing. My
family will be glad to have Dad back in place of “Slave-Driver” monster.
We are glad to have such great extended family with such an amazing
legacy of faith and hard work! Thank you all!
Diana and
Ralph Parker (Dean, Diana)
What
can we say. We took care of Grandma,
tried to write the family updates every once in a while, threatened my brothers
that is Grandma got worse and I called them and said, “Come!” They dang well better come. When Brenda and Gary got home I was able to
relax a little and told them they wouldn’t have to show up for 2 hours instead
of 1.5 hours. Ralph still works at the
church, but received an advancement: he is now a supervisor of some kind, we
just don’t know what he is supervising.
Job really didn’t change, except he has to go to more meetings and he
got a bit of a raise! Diana now teaches
at Cyprus High School, though she didn’t change buildings or even rooms
(Brockbank Jr. is no more, it was absorbed, building and all into Cyprus). Ralph is still in High Priest’s group
leadership and I am still in primary.
Cushy jobs! The most exciting
thing we did this year is forgo all traditional birthday presents and took each
of our kid’s families on a 3 day trip of their choice (but reasonable). Much fun.
We loved having them all to ourselves.
We are thankful, more and more, for our great heritage and the blessings
of the gospel. We belong to a really
amazing family.
Anne
and Mike Sampson (Dean, Diana, Anne)
Like most years, the Sampsons had a little bit
of everything in the last 12 months. We will, however, now attempt to
omit anything that will make us look like the ordinary human beings we are
99.5% of the time. That leaves us with exactly six things to mention from
the 2015-2016 year.
First,
we felt very adventurous (0.5% of the time) this year and took our three kids
on a three night backpacking trip in the Uintas, where we proceeded to spend
most of our time filtering water and losing all of our fishing lures in the
lake. Seriously, though, very refreshing and very fun! Also, trying our hands at
adventure, we decided to use a gift card Mike won in a charity auction (and
take the kids back later) and put our hearts, sanity, and everything else at
risk while we held on for dear life to a trapeze. Oh, wait. Except
for that moment when you let go and try to grab onto the guy on the other
trapeze! Ahhh! Deep breath.... Okay, last of all, because
"our temple" is closed for renovation, Mike and I have been making
our monthly temple trips to different temples all over Utah. That's only
been four so far, but we've LOVED the extra time we get to be together and
prepare ourselves to serve inside!
Oh yes, the kids. So, Daniel is 13 and having
a much easier time in Jr. High than he ought to. Feeling awkward and
irritable is supposed to be part of the gig and he's just not going along with
it! He just placed 8th out of the seventh graders in the State Math
Competition at BYU. Jonathan is 11 and is driven by fame, fortune, and
winning. At the beginning of year he won honorable mention in the Valley
Science Fair and now he's just performed a clever Rubik's Cube act in his
school talent show and emceed the whole thing too! Ella is 9 and still
the darling of the neighborhood, ward, and grocery store. She can
occasionally be convinced to stop playing, imagining, singing, drawing,
creating, or writing to eat, sleep, and go to school. She also just
qualified for the district's advanced learner program. Even with all the
kids' cute personalities, quirks, and qualities, though, what we love the most
about our family is when we're all together talking, laughing, and loving each
other because that's what we want 100% of the time in eternity!
Lynn and Gail
Bateman (Dean, Lynn)
Kay
and Ryan Pettit (Dean, Lynn, Kay)
This year has been pretty uneventful for the Pettit
family.
Ryan is still driving truck for Handy Truckline, but
is always looking for a better option! He was made the scout master this
year. He's been pretty busy, between work, scouts, fire department stuff,
and search and rescue.
Kay is still substituting for the school district, and
is now the Sunday School teacher for 14-15 year old
class. The cakes have slowed down, but I still get one in occasionally.
Branden is almost 16, will be a sophomore
this fall, and has just started football again. He received his
Eagle Scout Award in November. He was asked if he wanted to play tennis
one day at school, and ended up on the school tennis team. He really
enjoyed learning a new sport, and plans to do it again this next year. Branden
also plays the trombone in the school Jazz Band. His section
was recognized as the most outstanding trombone section at the region
festival.
Jace just turned 14, and will be starting his first
year in High School (9th grade). He Just finished up his baseball season,
and we are trying to find something new for him to try. He is working on
completing his swimming merit badge, then on to his Eagle project! He has
a funny sense of humor, and is fun to have around.
Ashton is 12, and will be starting Jr High this fall
as a 7th grader. He decided to take an after school math test to try to
get in to the accelerated math class next year. After weeks of anxiety,
we received a letter in the mail letting him know that he will be able to join
the class. This means that he will finish 7th grade math, and 3/4 of 8th
grade math next year, and then continue to learn at that rate so that he will
be done with his high school math requirements by the end of 10th grade. He
will then be able to take more accelerated math classes, and even earn some
college credit during the last two years of high school. He is so smart,
and we are so proud that he is excited to challenge himself! He will
also be playing percussion in band next year. He is more than half done
with his Eagle Scout requirements.
Keira is going to be 8 in August, and is really
excited to get baptized! She has it in her head that she is going to be able to
get her ears pierced then too. Mom, however, isn't too sure about that.
She just found out that she'll be able to go to Activity Days
day camp this week, and is so excited. I am not sure I'm ready for
my daughter to get older... She just finished her softball season, and
has really improved this year. Soccer starts in a few weeks! I'm ok
if my daughter wants to be in sports instead of dance.
Tyson, our little man, is now 5, and is counting down
the days till he's able to start kindergarten. He participated in Upstart
(on line preschool) this year, and has done remarkable! He has perfect
participation, and is reading pretty well. He is a smart little guy, and
we are always laughing at the random things he says. Tyson also just
finished baseball, and will be starting soccer soon. He always begs to play,
but then complains the whole season about playing! 5 year olds are fun!
Editor’s note:
We did not have very many turn in their yearly summary this year. This is an important way to keep a history of
yourself and your family. We will try it
again next year. I hope there will be
more that feel inclined to participate.
It helps us stay close as a family.
It builds concern and unity.
