December 2008 Family Newsletter

Happy Holidays! December 2008

This has been a good year for the Gardner family. We have been in our home for a year now. It is nice to have our own place and something that is truly ours. Where we can make whatever changes we want! Although we are now tired of remodeling with plenty left to do.

Brandon is busy with work. He still works as an apprentice plumber. He is on his third year of school for plumbing, and can’t wait to be done. He is also being kept busy at church as the assistant ward clerk. This year he got his wish to have toys… he got a 2008 Kawasaki Brute Force and he loves it. We also got an older Yamaha Kodiak; this is supposedly Jen’s but more often than not, one of Brandon’s buddies is driving it. He is always taking the opportunity to go riding…rain or shine or snow it doesn’t matter to him. The kids are quickly following in daddy’s footsteps. Cooper can’t see a 4-wheeler without begging to go for a ride, and Kyleigh already wants one she can drive. Brandon has also taken up duck hunting this year, and was surprised to find that he really enjoyed it.

Jen is busy at home. With our own kids, and some of our friends’ kids that she watches while they work. It is fun, hectic, and often crazy at our house, but the kids enjoy having other kids to play with. Jen is the secretary in young womens, and enjoys getting to spend time with the girls and getting to know them better. This year Jen has tried to become more domestic. Don’t laugh, its true :) She has been busy this summer and fall trying to learn to can fruits and vegetables. Thanks to all the phone calls to her mom, everything turned out great. We now have beets, pears, peaches, and applesauce. It has been great to see our food storage grow, and know that all of that hard work was worth it. Jen is also attempting to learn to sew (it’s a stretch I know) but with some luck she can accomplish her desire to make a quilt, or maybe some jammies for the kids.

Kyleigh just turned five! She is in preschool, having just missed the kindergarten cutoff, and she loves it. She is learning so much and loves to go and be with her friends. Right now in school she is learning how to sound out words and how to write. It won’t be long before she is reading. Kyleigh is also in dance and tumbling and loves to go and be creative. She is quite the little dancer and loves her tumbling class. She is always showing us the dance moves she makes up, or trying to do handstands and cartwheels in the house. She has recently become interested in craft projects and cooking. We try to help her make things, and let her help do things in the kitchen. She is mommies little helper and loves to do anything mom is doing. She loves to sweep and mop, and help with Cooper and the other little kids we watch.

Cooper just turned 2! He is busy exploring everything and trying to figure out how things work. His new love are cars, trucks, and 4-wheelers. He is always vroom vrooming around the house. He is starting to talk more, and is learning new things everyday. He likes to do things on his own schedule and doesn’t like to be pressured into anything. He loves babies, and is surprisingly very gentle. He is a sensitive little boy and is sensitive to other people’s feelings. He loves to get you to chase him, and loves to be tickled and teased. He likes to be with his daddy at all times. If daddy is at home, Cooper is bound to be right there next to him.

This year firsts: Brandon ran his first marathon, and then also his second marathon. He is addicted to running and is already planning more marathons for 2009. Jen ran a ½ marathon and is planning to run the full marathon with Brandon in 2009. We took a family trip with Jen’s family to San Carlos, Mexico. The first time the kids have been out of the country! The first time Cooper has been to the ocean! Cooper wasn’t so sure he liked the ocean at first, but it didn’t take long and he was loving it! The first time Jen went Scuba diving in the ocean! It was an awesome trip, and we had so much fun. Scuba diving was awesome! It was not the least bit scary, which is monumental for Jen who doesn’t like the water. This year has been a great year, even if it did fly by…We are hoping next year will be just as great!
We hope you have a wonderful Christmas!
May the true meaning of Christmas be not only in our hearts but in our actions as well.
Best wishes in the year to come and we hope to hear from you soon.
Love,
The Gardner Family