Dean-2011

2011 has been a wonderful year. I am in my junior year at the University of Washington, one year closer to my degree! I live up in Seattle and enjoy my time up there and coming home on occasion for family events, holidays, or whenever I need Mom’s cooking in my life. I am blessed to be in a house that we have dubbed the “Manor House.” It has 10 guys, 9 bedrooms, 5 george foreman grills, 4 bathrooms, 3 fridges and x-box live. It IS college and I love it!
This summer I was able to work at the UW Medical Center as a sterilization tech and I loved every minute of it. This year I also completed a year long internship with the UW Department of Surgery doing research on the quality and outcomes of surgery. I was able to learn a lot and meet some great doctors who I so want to be like someday! I also enjoy volunteering with the HOPE Heart Institute and have landed a gig to be their mascot where I appear at community events as “Captain Cardio!” It is so fun and seriously one of the best ways to distress from school.

This summer I accomplished one of my goals and completed my first triathlon! It was a small one (a sprint), but I finished strong and felt that competitive adrenaline rush that I have missed so much since high school sports are over! I will be looking forward to doing more in the future.

At school I have the blessing of being the Seattle Institute of Religion president this year. I also am part of the campus’ Interfaith club and really have enjoyed working with the awesome students from mine and other faiths.
All in all it has been a glorious year. I love school, sports, serving, and yes even searching for the future Sister Spencer. This Christmas I hope you all will feel the love of friends, family and our Savior, Jesus Christ. With love, Dean

The Cox Family

We are celebrating our second Christmas in our house here in WA. Steve continues to work as a Orthopedic Physician Assistant. He had his 3rd year as the team physician for a local football team and they went to the playoffs this year. Steve and I took a trip to Wisconsin this fall to visit Neil and Amber and for Steve to attend an orthopedic conference. We took baby Jakob with us and we got to meet baby Preston who is just a couple months younger than Jakob. Work and the kids keep us busy. Steve is currently the elder's quorum president at church and I serve with our young women's youth group.
Jaxson just turned 6 and is enjoying kindergarten. He loves to learn and is reading and doing math. He loves to ride the bus, play cars, and write on everything.
Ehlana is 3 and is going to Grandma's preschool. She loves being a big sister and playing with her doll house. She is fun and happy. Her and Jaxson play well together and have all kinds of exciting adventures.
Jakob is 8 months old and is crawling and babbling. He says "dada" and "mama" and he loves his big sister. Having three children hasn't been too hard of an adjustment. Jaxson and Ehlana a great helpers and Jakob is a sweet and mellow baby.
I love being a wife and mother. I enjoy decorating the house and cooking. It's nice having Jaxson and Ehlana in school at the same time for 1 hour and a 1/2, 2-3 times a week. I usually spend it at the gym or running errands.
We are truly blessed and our grateful to our Heavenly Father for all of our blessings and for this wonderful Christmas season.
Love,
Steve, Delee, Jaxson, Ehlana, and Jakob Cox

Gerritsen Family Newsletter

Our big news this year is that we finally bought our first house. We now live on the Draper/Riverton, Utah border on an acre of weeds and clay soil. We've been busy making the house our own and working on landscaping. We were excited to find a 50-year-old well and now have plans to have an orchard, big vegetable garden and grass for the kids. We were sad to leave our old neighborhood and ward, but are loving the extra space and great location. We're always up for visitors and guests!

Jeremy is still growing his Optometry practice in Riverton. He's also been very busy doing scouting with the young men in our new ward. He took a shoe-shoeing trip last spring and led our family camping trips and annual Lake Powell vacation. He also cheered on the Utes in their Pac-12 debut.

Terra is loving having a whole house to paint and decorate. She spends her time cooking, cleaning, gardening, refinishing furniture, reading, volunteering at the elementary school, and serving at church. She's always busy keeping up with three little kids.

Paul (7 tomorrow) started first grade and is gone all day at school now. He has become a great reader and does well at school. He is very social and has lots of friends. He is very active, loves bike riding and playing sports, including co-ed soccer this fall. He enjoys playing Super Mario Brothers on the wii and watching Phineas and Ferb. He is a kind, empathetic and helpful big brother.

Sam (4) is doing "home" preschool this year, including spanish school one day a week. He is starting to read and loves books. He had a hard time with the move, but he's been making lots of new friends too. He learned to ride a bike (with training wheels), but still prefers his scooter. He also played co-ed soccer this fall and had a great time. He loves watching shows and being with his dad. He is super funny, imaginative, generous, and compassionate.

Audrey (2) loves babies and doing whatever her mommy is doing. She is very observant and caring. She likes to sing, dance, look at books and play in her kitchen. She is funny, sweet and adorable.

Merry Christmas! Love, the Gerritsens

Darwin and Margaret News for 2011

Our year, in looking back, had some challenges but nothing too big and full of many blessings.
We got to send our youngest off to serve the Lord and put him in his care totally. A big relief to us, yet a new growing time to rely only on the Lord ourselves with joy and faith in Carl being the fine man he is growing to be. We are proud of him and enjoy hearing how he is living his exclamation point life in Brazil. ( It's a joke we have since all his letters are filled with multiple exclamation points!!!) Anyway, we truly are empty nesters and enjoying our freedom as well as being reminded of those first few years of marriage before children.
We got to go to the Midwest this year in welcoming Preston to our family. It's a joy to watch our children become parents themselves. The Midwest was a beautiful place. One of the times we went, we flew into Minnesota and went around where Dean had served his mission. He was to come with us but got a job at the hospital last minute and decided to be responsible instead. So off we went with his map of where to go and who to met. We also all went to Nauvoo Illinois and totally enjoyed church and family history. Then back to Wisconsin for Preston's blessing. Great times! We also got in a trip to Utah to visit Ter and Jer and kids. It's always great with them too.
Darwin has been mostly been busy with work and farm life. He was a great help trying to keep up with everything when I was down with my back. He resently went back to Wisconsin and did the road trip thing with Neil in driving to San Fransico stopping in Utah to see Terra's fam.
Margaret has been busy with great kids for preschool again this year, learning to knit, doing her "Happiness Project" group and "21 Wishes" group, water aerobics (you can laugh out loud on that one but you don't want to visualize it) wonderful friends to play and learn new things with, and Delee's kids to enjoy. My big challenge this next year will be that I've been accepted into the "master gardener program". I will attend WSU extention ( but I will remain a Husky). I am looking forward to getting some scientific knowledge to help with my experience of gardening all these years.
So much to be thankful for and if you reading this you are one of those blessings! Thanks!
Merry Christmas..... Love Margaret and Darwin