Erin

Erin is a crazy 8th grader that is constantly making us laugh. She is playing the Bass Clarinet this year and currently trying out for the track team. Erin is a cuddly girl who always likes to be close to those she loves. She got braces this year and loves her new and improve smile in spite of all the metal. She is looking forward to attending girls camp again this year and also going to EFY for the first time.

Erin also loves going new places and is constantly changing her mind about where she wants to live when she grows up. Currently she wants to live in London and go to Oxford. She loves animals and wants to work with elephants someday (not sure how that will fit in with an Oxford education). Over Christmas she got to touch and feed some sting rays and now she hopes to travel somewhere exotic this summer where she can swim with them.

Rachel

Rachel has a vibrant personality and a blast to be around. She is our social butterfly who seems to be gone more than she is at home. She is still playing the tuba in her high school marching band. She has two leadership positions in the band and is involved in several clubs at school. Rachel is also super smart. She has a pretty tough schedule at school and works hard to stay on top of Physics, Pre-Cal and her AP classes. This past fall she was inducted into the National Honor Society.

Last summer she worked at Sonic Drive In and loved having lots of spending money. She has been too busy with school and all her extra curricular activities to work during the school year, and is starting to worry about what will happen when all her money is gone. She is hoping to find a job she can work a couple of hrs a week in order to keep her social life funded.

Joseph

Joe decided not to go to college this fall, and instead focus on getting his mission papers completed in hopes of getting out in the mission field close to his birthday. We soon discovered that everything took twice as long as we expected to complete. But he persisted, and finished all the requirements, including having all 4 of his wisdom teeth removed. This was one of the funniest experiences we have had with Joe. After he came out of surgery, he was singing to the radio and waiving to people out of the car window. He entertained us for about half an hour before he went to sleep. It was only after he woke up and the anesthesia had worn off that we realized we should have video taped him. Probably could have made a lot of money on America's Funniest Home videos. Oh well, at least we have a good story for parties.

Right after Christmas, Joe finally received his mission call. He will be serving in the Colorado Denver South mission and will report to the MTC on March 5. He is very excited to start his mission, and is actively preparing for his new routine. His morning schedule includes a lengthy study period followed by exercise. Then he even helps me around the house. He has a strong testimony and we know he will be a great missionary!

Melissa

Melissa is an amazing woman. After a challenging year as coxswain on the woman's varsity rowing team, she decided she needed to leave the team and focus on Dance, which is her major at UT. Training with the team took a toll on her knees and prevented her from participating in some dance programs she would have liked to be in. She spent last summer working as a nanny and also returning as a counselor at the American Ballet Theatre's summer intensive at UT. She is now looking past graduation and making plans for life after UT. She has some amazing goals--we'll keep you posted as she reaches them.

Our kids

It is really hard to believe our kids are so grown up. Melissa is 21 and finishing up her Jr. year in college. Joe is 19 and waiting to leave on his mission (more on that to come). Rachel is a Jr. in high school. And Erin is in 8th grade. Where did the time go? They are all wonderful kids. We have truly been blessed to be their parents!