Happy Holidays 2007

Merry Christmas!

It is December 2007 already. Dustin graduated from high school back in June, turned 18 in July, and then enlisted in the Air Force. Right now as I write this, he is in San Antonio, Texas, at Lackland AFB enduring the rigors of boot camp. We got to spend Thanksgiving with him and then a few days later, he was gone. We miss him terribly, but we will be flying to San Antonio in January for his graduation. Then only after spending a couple of days with him, he will then leave from there to his advanced training. We are not sure where that is yet, as it depends on what job he gets. He will spend anywhere from 6-9 months in advanced training and then he will get to come home for 10 days before shipping out to where ever he will be stationed. He has grown into such a smart and mature young man. We are so proud. I know everyone here, his family and friends, all miss him very much.

Kenny is busy in the 9th grade. He turns 15 this month. FIFTEEN! where did the time go? He is playing basketball in a league and working on keeping his grades up. He too is growing into a nice young man. Very funny and polite and not your typical "teenage" boy. He is very involved in the jr.high/ high school program at church; taking leadership classes and attending camps. The Sunday before Dustin left for boot camp, both he and Kenny were baptized in front of the church. It was an emotional time for Mom! It was all I could do to hold myself together. Kenny had been ready to get baptized and then with Dustin leaving thought it would be great if Dustin did it with him and Dustin agreed. It was awesome to see. I think that now Kenny is thinking seriously about joining the Air Force like his big brother, whom he misses more than he realized he would.

Cameron is turning 12 this month and in 6th grade. Yes, he and Kenny both have birthdays 2 and 3 days before Christmas! It is a busy time for the family. We call Cameron our cuddle bug. His favorite thing to do besides playing video games, is sitting on the couch and watching movies with his family. His favorite thing to watch now is Hell's Kitchen and Kitchen Nightmares with Chef Gordon Ramsey. With Sandy being a chef for so many years, I think Cameron has taken a liking to cooking and loves to help in the kitchen. I think we may have another chef in the family one day! He too likes playing basketball and will shortly be playing on the school team. Cameron is a sweet boy with a sweet disposition. All his teachers love him and he has many friends.

Last but not least is Patrick. Anyone who knows this 8 year old will tell you they think he is the funniest thing ever! He is in the 3rd grade but you would think he was 18 instead of 8. He keeps us cracking up all the time. He is the house goofball. He doesn't skip a beat when it comes to having a comment on something or replying back to a question. He always has a funny remark to make. He too is smart and teachers love him, but they love him for his wit and charm. He is playing basketball on a team for the very first time and doing great. Last week he made a basket and immediately ran over to me and said, "Can I celebrate with a milkshake now? Uh..no Patrick..the game isn't over...get back out there! So he skipped back onto the court with all watching him. That's our Patrick!

Sandy is still working as a project manager in construction and I am still working part-time from home doing medical transcription. We will be celebrating our 20th wedding anniversary this April.

I hope this letter finds all of you healthy and happy. Merry Christmas and have a very happy and prosperous new year!