Merry Christmas!!

Merry Christmas!

We hope you are all well this holiday season.  We thought it would be fun to post the kids' thoughts from our Christmas letter this year.  Enjoy and stay in touch!

Love,
The Pringle

http://youtu.be/RMGxUNDrAoA

We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

2012 has been a wonderful year for the Pringle family.  We have enjoyed watching the kids grow.  For a change this year, we asked the kids to write about their own highlights for the year.  Here is what they have to say:

Sarah, 10:  I am in 5th grade . I love to read and dance.  I am in full-time Aiming High and I do not like math.  I danced in Coppelia and the Nutcracker with Northwest Ballet this year.  Later in 2013 I will be dancing in Cinderella (I hope).  I have been playing the violin for two years now, and recently began playing with my elementary school orchestra.

Ryan, 16:  Sophomore.  Went to Districts for track, and placed 5th at Sub districts in the 100M dash and 3rd in the 200M.  He plans to go to State this year and started training in September.  He continues to pursue his true love: Theatre, and recently finished performances of "A Christmas Carol".  He was also cast as the male lead (Link Larkin) in Ferndale High School's production of "Hairspray", as well as the shepherd Amon in "The Savior of the World" production.  He has been taking voice lessons for 3/4 of a year, and is in FHS concert choir and the Talons (a guys-only singing group).  He plays the drums, as well as the Ukulele.  He also discovered that he has a talent for art (why are all of his skills not useful?!) and did a painting of Mt. Baker.  Ryan began his third year of skiing, and enjoys skiing switch to skiing while facing the right way.  (In regards to any of you skiers from Utah, Mt. Baker has the most snow... IN THE WORLD!!!  Take that).  Ryan's favorite TV show is Top Gear (UK), because he wishes he was British.  He likes drinking milk.

Nathan, 12: I am in seventh grade.  I like to play the piano and to read books. I was recently playing soccer, and want to play wrestle for Vista Middle School. I have bought Minecraft and enjoy playing whenever possible.  I like to draw Jedi and Darth Maul. I also like to watch the TV show "The Clone Wars".  I am the boy Ezra in "The Savior of the World" production. I enjoy Christmas.

Katie, 14: This year I am a freshman at Ferndale High School and I love it (sort ofish)! It has been fantabulous to go to school with my friends who went to the other middle school in lil ol Ferndale, as well as Rihan. This year, my life has consisted of four things: Church, music, theatre, and food.  As always, I have been busy with Church activities, as well as our stake's production of "The Savior of the World" (a portrayal of the events surrounding the life and death of Christ). It will be an absolutely beautiful show when we perform. I am also on my third year of voice lessons, and my ninth year of piano. Both take a lot of practice and commitment, but I love it anyway. I have been able to learn so much from my teachers just in this last year. Theatre. What can I say. This year has been a whirlwind of shows: The Music Man (I played Marian :) ), High School Musical, and a Christmas Carol.  I have just started Hairspray at FHS, and in the spring I am hoping to do Peter Pan at Northwest Theatre Group. This summer I also hope to scurry down to Utah and participate in BYU's Theatre camp. And finally, food. What is there to say, other than I have found my soul mate in the kitchen? (just kidding :0). Have a Merry Christmas and a great 2013!

Collin,4 (almost 5!):  (OK.  I am going to write for Collin.)  Collin is the cutest tornado on the planet.  He is in preschool and is VERY excited about Kindergarten next year.  Collin loves everything that his older brothers love.  He especially loves spending time with his friends and sitting on daddy's head during family scripture study.

Rachel and Don:  We are doing the best we can to keep up with the kids.  It is scary to think that we will have three teenagers in the house next year.  Rachel has had some amazing opportunities to use her talents in choreographing, costuming, and assistant-directing a number of productions this year.  Don, for his part, is learning to be supportive of her and the kids while balancing work and Church responsibilities. 

We are so grateful for our good friends and family and feel bad that we do not connect with you often enough.  Know that you are in our thoughts and prayers.  We wish you a very Merry Christmas.  May the Lord bless you in 2013.

Happy New Year!!!

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

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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

2010 A Pringle Odyssey

Where did the year go? Somehow time and space have been compressed in such a way that 2010 came and went and we just hung on for the ride! Our family reached critical mass about the second week in December and some things (like Christmas cards) just didn't happen; hence the very late Christmas greetings to all of you. So, Happy New Year?! Here's what we've been up to:

Collin (almost 3), the human tornado, is a big Toy Story fan and frequently can be heard announcing "I'm Buzz Lightyear. I come in peace." He received a Buzz suit for Christmas and immediately upon putting it on dove into the air in an ill-fated attempt to fly. He is full of energy and noise and hugs and demands and funny things to say ("Girls aren't my friends. They're for dancing.")and huge blue eyes and dimples. It's a good thing he's so cute, 'cause he's certainly a handful (or three).

Sarah (8), is funny and opinionated and sparkly and so sweet. She insists on giving and receiving multiple bedtime kisses every night. She's also becoming quite a snappy conversationalist and it's fun to watch her personality develop. She has been working very hard at school and in her ballet classes and began violin lessons last Fall. When music is on (and sometimes even when it's not), she is dancing and moving around with amazing grace and rhythm. She seems to have dancing in her blood. She is also excited to be in her first play this spring ("Beauty and the Beast" at the high school).

Nathan (10) has recently developed a fixation with architecture and design. His most beloved Christmas presents (besides his 6-book set of science encyclopedias) were a book of graph paper and a protractor. He loves Math Olympiad team at school and is often caught hiding in the bathroom reading when he is supposed to be in bed. He loved being an urchin in "Oliver" last spring and is excited to be in "Beauty and the Beast" this March. He has continued to play soccer, but got brave and decided to try basketball this winter. And despite not being of great stature (can you say point guard?), he really likes it and shows a lot of hustle on the court.

Katie (12) is turning into a young lady way too fast. She's grown two inches in the last 6 months! Always a great helper at home, she loves being in the Young Women's program at church and is having a great year so far in 7th grade. She especially enjoys starting each day with one of her favorite classes, Choir. She went out on a limb and tried Cross Country last fall-it was definitely a growth experience! She performed in "Alice in Wonderland" at school last spring as well as "Oliver" and will be in "Beauty and the Beast" and "Into the Woods" at the middle school this spring. Music (piano and singing) and theater are her passions and we all get to enjoy her talents.

Ryan (14) is becoming quite the young man and definitely keeping us on our toes. He had a great football season again this year and looks forward to wrestling starting in just a few weeks. It went very well for him last year (Rookie of the Year), as did Track, where he placed in every one of his events at the county meet. He's working hard to save up enough money to attend EFY this summer (lots of manual labor like cutting and stacking firewood and yard work) and should also be doing his Eagle Project in a few months, with a lot of, uh, nudging from his dad. He's sticking it out for one last year on the piano and was recently called as an assistant ward organist.

Rachel (the mom, of indeterminate age) does lots of running kids around, signing permission slips, and flogging at the piano and such, as well as trying to keep Collin out of the street and the cookies and to please take a nap so she can get something done(or occasionally snuggle up with a good book). She is really enjoying her service teaching the Young Women at church (especially because she gets to share that with Katie) and is looking forward to assisting with the middle school musical this spring.

Don (the dad, we jokingly call him "El Presidente" around here)works so hard for all of us- long days at school as well as taking on extra responsibilities to keep our family budget on track despite state funding cuts. He would love to tell you about his enjoyable leisure activities, but they seem to be limited to "finding peace" amidst the chaos of 5 wacky kids going a hundred directions, an overscheduled wife, and heavy church responsibilities.

We are truly grateful for so many things, our friends and family among them, and look forward to this new year and the adventures it will bring.

May 2011 be a wonderful year for you and your family!

With love from

The Pringle Family

Pringle Blog Semi-annual Update

As I find myself with a few minutes on this Memorial Day, I thought I would take a few minutes to "update" the family blog. It has been a while. Sorry... I has been a very eventful six months in our family. We have celebrated some exciting moments with our children but have also been saddened by the passing of my Grandmother Mac Donald. So, without further ado, let's get down to updating the blog!
We Mourn the Passing of Great Grandma MacDonald
On April 18th we were saddened to receive word that Grandma MacDonald has peacefully passed away at home. She was had been living with my parents for the last two years and it was our priveledge to get to visit with her each time we went to Maple Valley. She was a very sweet person and we will miss her. I have uploaded pictures of grandma to a Picassa web album at http://picasaweb.google.com/demagnete/GrandmaMac.

Dedication of the Vancouver British Columbia Temple
We were very excited when, early this year, it was announced that the Bellingham Stake was going to be included in the temple district for then new Vancouver British Columbia Temple in Langley, BC. To visit the temple, our family has had to travel 2 hours south down to Seattle. If the border was favorable, the Vancouver temple would only be 45 minutes away!



Temple Youth Celebration
As part of the dedication of the new temple, Ryan, Katie and Nathan had the privilege of participating in major cultural event called the "TYC" or Temple Youth Celebration. Ryan participated as a "dancer" in two acts of the TYC. The open act of the event was a reenactment of the creation with all of the youth from the Bellingham, WA Stake participating. Ryan was a tree. He had some good laughs during the practices leading up to the performance. He had to learn how to "run like a tree," "stand like a tree," and (most importantly) how to "shimmy like a tree." He was also in a specialty dance where he got to do some martial arts stick fighting as part of a Filipino Tinikiling folk dance. Very cool! Nathan and Katie were members of the Children's Choir. They played an important role during the "First Peoples" number and in other parts of the TYC. (Nathan was not thrilled about being a flower during the Creation number.) The most amazing part of the entire performance was the finale. If you can imagine 1,200 youth joining hands in the arena, facing the temple and singing their hearts out. It was a wonderful experience for all of the kids. An experience I hope they will hold on to for a long, long time.


Sports, Sports, Sports...
Ryan and Nathan have both enjoyed busy winter and spring seasons. Ryan had his first experience with wrestling at Vista Middle School. Though this caught Rachel and I off guard, Ryan now considers wrestling one of his favorite sports. He enjoyed the mix of individual achievement while working with his teammates. Though he won eight out of twelve matches, he made incredible strides through the season and is looking forward to next year. This spring Ryan ran track and enjoyed himself again. Track was another new experience for him (Yay Middle School!). His season ended well. He was the only 7th grader from his team qualifying for the district meet (our district runs 7th and 8th graders together) and he finished 3rd overall in the 200m and 4th overall in the long jump. His 4x100 and 4x200 relays took 1st at districts with the 4x200 setting a school record. Speedy feet!

Nathan's spring put him on the soccer field again with coach Dad excited about his team's prospects. The boys played well and won the opening game in the "Whatcom Cup" recreational tournament at the end of the season. Nathan is turning into a solid goalie (he has no fear) but enjoys playing on the field too. He is a lot of fun to coach. He keeps us smiling!

Alice in Wonderland
Rachel and I were very happy for Katie who had the opportunity to play Alice in Skyline Elementary's Alice in Wonderland. She did an incredible job as "normal" Alice. There were actually a number of girls who played Alice in the play. Katie's role required her to sing (which she did very well!) and act. She really enjoys being on stage.

The Pringle Family Year in Review 2009

Just what you've been waiting for- all the latest at the Pringle house coming to you and yours! We hope all is well and wish you a very Merry Christmas. We've had a good year, and look forward to the adventures we'll find in 2010. Meanwhile...

Ryan is loving 7th grade this year. He played football for Vista Middle School in the fall, is playing basketball now, and is looking forward to wrestling and track still to come. He's still studying piano and seems to appreciate the more intricate songs he's learning now as well as playing for the jazz band at school. He also plays the cello in the school orchestra. He's got music coming out of his ears, which is fine, because it seems to come naturally to him. He's working hard at earning his scout ranks (with a nudge or two from dad) and had a great time at Camp Parsons last summer.

Katie is having a great year in 6th grade. She played Veruca Salt in the school production of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory last spring, and the acting bug bit her hard! She was fabulously obnoxious in her role (yes, sweet, mild-mannered Katie) and is looking forward to the spring play this year as well as being in the chorus of "Oliver" at the high school. The highlight of Katie's year was going to see "Wicked" in Seattle for her birthday. She continues to dance and is really enjoying the piano (She plays spontaneously! All the nagging may be worth it in the end!) as well as her musical theater class. She is also learning to play the clarinet.

Nathan, 4th grade, has declared his life's goal is to be "a nerd," and works very hard to achieve that goal. He has continued to play soccer and has developed into a good little goalie as well as scoring lots of goals. He recently played the role of an Italian puppeteer in "Pinocchio", complete with accent and twirly mustache. He loves Cub Scouts and is working to finish up his Bear rank. He's trucking along at the piano and finding satisfaction in his improved sight reading skills. Nathan hasn't yet decided if he will break away from soccer and try baseball this spring.

Sarah, in 2nd grade, is the little princess of the house. She really enjoys some solitude in this noisy house and loves to hide away in her room and play with her Littlest Pet Shop and Polly Pocket dolls and read on her bed. She loves to dance, dance, dance! She started at a new "serious" ballet studio this fall and seems to love to stretch further and higher and watches carefully to make things just right. She has a special musicality and loves to put on shows.

Collin, almost 2, has changed so much from his first birthday in February. He's very active and clever and is turning into a little chatterbox. Unfortunately, he has developed a love for "Blues Clues" and frequently drags one of us over to the TV for "a show! a show!" He is irresistibly cute with his dimples and big blue eyes. He loves to run and jump and climb and get into things he shouldn't, but he also likes color and to hide under blankets and snuggle and have stories read to him.

Mom and Dad are busy keeping up with everyone! There's a whole lotta music practicing and lessons, sports practices and games, church and scouting, dance lessons, school and homework going on around here! We're healthy and happy, though not always energetic, and enjoying our crazy family. We feel very blessed and look forward to a little down time...someday.

With love to you from the Pringles

Collin and the Train

This evening Rachel took the older kids to a church Christmas musical program while I stayed home with Sarah and Collin. To pass the time, I took out my old train set and we played with it. Sarah thought the set was "really cool." Collin also enjoyed himself. I shot a little video of his subtle train enthusiasm. Enjoy!

Fall Update!

This fall has been busy but a lot of fun. The kids are growing up and it has been fun to watch them start to come into their own. I have tried to capture a brief snapshot of what has been going on in our lives since we last updated our blog.

Birthdays
Fall brings multiple birthday celebrations to our home. In September Ryan turned 13 (Uh, oh...) and Katie 11. Katie's favorite thing about her birthday this year was, "getting my own tub of CoolWhip and getting to see Wicked." Rachel took both Katie and Sarah to see the musical Wicked at the historic Paramount Theater in downtown Seattle.

Halloween
Always a festive affair, Halloween took on a special light this year as we had a little person who was enjoying everything as if it was for the first time. Collin enjoyed the slimy pumpkin guts, the costumes but, most of all, he LOVED the candy. Here are some photos from our Halloween.













Thanksgiving
Our Thanksgiving feasting this year featured three (Yes, three...) turkey dinners. Though we were a little tired of turkey before the end of the weekend, we did enjoy spending time with family. Collin's highlight was getting rides on grandpa's tractor.

Collin, The Beast
Collin continues to grow and develop. He is a very sweet little boy and a lot of fun to have in our home. He seems to be picking up new words daily. Our next big Collin adventure will be "The Disappearance of the Binky" to be shortly followed by "Hello Mr. Potty." More to come...

Babysitting
Now that Ryan is 13 and "incredibly" mature, mom and dad will occasionally slip away to run an errand or have a short date. "How did things go?" we typically ask when return from one of these little outings. "Everything was wonderful," the children typically reply in unison with angelic faces. Upon going through our video files I uncovered the following video which shed some light on what goes on when mom and dad are away. It also answered the question, what happened to the juice pitcher and why does the zoom lens on the camera not work anymore?

Fall Activities
Once school starts, the Pringle family seems to get into gear. Katie and Sarah both took dance classes at Karen's Dance Studio in Ferndale. Additionally, Sarah took ballet training at the Blaine Conservatory in Blaine, WA while Katie enjoyed a "Best of Broadway" class at the Bellingham Academy of the Arts in Bellingham. Nathan ran his little heart out playing soccer and was "Lorenzo the Magnifico" in his elementary school's production of Pinocchio. Ryan played on both sides of the ball for his middle school's football team but really enjoyed being a middle linebacker. "You get to hit the heck out of people," says Ryan. Ryan continues with Scouting and has earned his Star rank. His biggest achievement was completing the Bicycling merit badge which required him (and Dad!) to do a 50-mile bike trip. He road a circuitous path from Ferndale north through Birch Bay State Park to Peace Arch State Park on the Canadian Border and back to Ferndale. "My legs still hurt," says Ryan.