Dear friends and family,
It is hard to believe that we have lived in Utah for over a year now - it is starting to feel a lot more like home. The kids have great friends, we love our neighbors, we love our home, we love the view of the mountains from our back window and love the fact that we have enough room to host friends and family for events.
On that last note it has been an eventful year:
- We were able to get Dot (our horse from Idaho) back in May and put her on a shared pasture in our neighborhood.
- We purchased a home about a block from the rental home we moved into when we came to Utah that has a pasture in the back for Dot – for those of you who may not have our new address it is: 6022 Thornton Lane, Highland, Utah 84003.
- In early November my mother moved down to a new assisted living center just 10 minutes from our home, which has been a HUGE blessing and so much fun. She decided she wanted to be down here in Utah where her youngest 3 children and the respective grandchildren are living and having life activities, now she is at concerts, games, plays and all the fun things her grandkids are doing down here in Utah.
- Later in November Lareen’s mother moved down to live with us and work on recovering from a deficiency in her blood platelets. She assumed she would be here short term, but it looks like she may be here for a while, and we love it. She’s a great addition to our home and brings a wonderful spirit.
Lareen is doing very well but is very busy helping both her mother and mother-in-law adjust to their new lives here in Utah. She’s helping them with doctor’s visits, paying bills, banking transfers, errands, haircuts, shopping and everything and anything you can imagine, while helping both feel loved and appreciated… oh and by the way, she doesn’t skip a beat at home helping all of us feel loved and taken care of. She absolutely gets more beautiful every year as well – just look at the picture!
I’m enjoying my job with ZAGG – it has gotten more intense and I’ve had a lot more travel of late, but it is great to have a good job in a tough economy with a company that isn’t just healthy but thriving. I really feel blessed though every day when I come home to a beautiful family and a home that is full of love.
Logan turned 16 this past year and has NOT wasted time getting very interested in boys. She dated up a storm for the first 6 months then has been dating the same boy for the past 6 months. She is going to have the strongest thumbs around from her constant texting… I’ll just say she isn’t lacking a social life. She is driving very well and she’s become quite adept at getting around – which is a big deal for a girl who wasn’t sure how to make it home from church after living in Greenleaf for 7 years. I’m very proud of her.
Jarom is 15 and has found a new love (no this isn’t another girl that he’s crazy about) he’s loving choir and singing. He’s in the school and ward choir and is a great tenor. He’s found another love as well (again, not a girl) and that is history. He was even willing to drop ballroom dance (yes, with girls and everything) to take World War History as an elective and he’s thinking he’d like to become a history teacher and coach as his current career of choice. Just so you aren’t worried that he’s been abducted and swapped by an alien imposter – he’s still girl crazy.
Hannah is our 3rd teenager after having turned 13 in August. She’s an excellent student who either gets straight A’s or something close to it, every semester. She is first string, second chair in the orchestra as her violin playing has really improved this year as well. Fortunately for Emma, she’s still enough of a little girl to play with Emma and they have hours of fun being little girls together. But as you can see from the picture, she’s becoming a beautiful young lady and has really developed a style as a little fashionista.
Emma is has successfully been a star in a school play this year, sung a solo today in the Christmas program in church does well in school and has more friends than you can shake a stick at. She’s a lot like her mother J. In all of the ways that she reminds me of her mother I think my favorite is how she can make friends with those who may struggle with friendships, and who may not have many friends. Emma just loves them easily and makes them feel comfortable. What a wonderful gift! She has an incredible capacity for love and I’m grateful for the zealous way she gives me a hug as I come home from work every day.
With much love, and a heartfelt wish of a Very Merry Christmas – The Packer’s
Brian, Lareen, Logan, Jarom, Hannah and Emma
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