Dear Family and Friends,
Well... It has been awhile since we have updated the ol' blog. We sincerely apologize to the one or to people who occasionally read it. We are still going strong up here in Ferndale. The kids continue to consume food and grow. We officially have two teenagers in the house now and life is generally good. We are currently "snowed in" and have been enjoying a surprise week off from school. Rachel and I are looking forward to getting the kids back into the school routine as they have just about had their fill of being home. It's been great to have them around and together though.
For your reading pleasure, I will paste our annual family newsletter below. Enjoy!
Sincerely,
Don
Merry Christmas to All!
We are all doing well here in rainy but green Ferndale, Washington. Life is definitely very full with good things- a little too full at times- and challenging and rewarding in turn.
Ryan (15) started high school this fall- played freshman football and is now beginning rehearsals for the school production of "West Side Story" with plans to run track in the Spring. He looks forward to getting his driver's permit and taking driver's ed later this year. His favorite class at school this year is French. He discovered skiing and drumming last year and has added both to his hobbies.
Katie (13, 8th grade) has grown about 4 inches this year. She's now a couple of inches taller than Mom. She is taking challenging classes at school is doing a great job of managing the work load and balancing it with her other interests (piano, singing, and theater). She has a great group of friends that she loves to be with. The highlights of the year for her have been the plays she has been in and she looks forward to the next one this spring.
Nathan (11, 6th grade) has the opportunity this year to participate in a full-time highly capable class, and he is loving it. Always a bit quirky that way, he is particularly fond of lots of homework and big projects, so he thinks he's in heaven. He's still playing soccer, though he often has to be dragged away from his book to go to practice. He prides himself on being a bit geeky. We are grateful that he is very self-motivated academically but encourage him to have some balance, though we think video game time shouldn't count.
Sarah (9) loves her ballet classes, playing the violin, and the Tuesday highly capable class she gets to go to with her favorite school friends, but she does not love math. Unfortunately, her teacher is very fond of it, so they do lots. She loves to be at home reading and loves to draw. She just danced in her first Nutcracker, in the party scene and as an angel, and truly enjoyed the magic of it all.
Collin (almost 4) is a whirlwind, but cuddly and cuter than cute, too. His favorite day of the week is Tuesday, because that's the day he gets to go to the moms' co-op preschool with his favorite friend, Ben. He gives mom a run for the money. He is known for having interesting conversations with people who call on phone, that Mom doesn't know anything about until later...when they call back and tell her the funny things he said to them.
Don keeps busy with his church calling (overseeing congregations in our county), responsibilities at work, and the zany family. He's definitely a hands-on dad, and we are so grateful for that. The highlight of his year was visiting with his former mission president, Elder Anderson, at an area training meeting.
Rachel continues to put her fingers in too many pies, but loves supporting the productions the kids are in by helping with costuming, choreographing, assisting directors, and whatever else is needed. Plenty of chauffeuring and juggling of schedules are always in the mix as well. She loves teaching the Young Women's group at church.
We feel so blessed, especially at this time of year, for family and friends, for having what we need, for opportunities to grow, and especially for having the Gospel of Jesus Christ in our lives.
May His peace be with you now and always,
With love from The Pringle Family
