The following was written by Katie:

Thanksgiving- Aunt Mary, and her family, and Kathryn and her family all came out to see us for Thanksgiving and we were so thankful for that. We had lots of fun and things to be grateful for. We had a great Thanksgiving dinner there was turkey (of course!), mash potatoes, broccoli salad, rolls, veggie tray, candied yams, stuffing, and of course we had pies we had chocolate, apple, and heath bar pie and I forgot the rest of the food but we had an awesome Thaksgiving! On Friday we had pictures taken by a beautiful waterfall. Katie found two baby frogs! On Saturday for breakfast we went to Bass Pro it was a lot of fun. Santa was there but we didn't get to see him; it was to crowded.



Christmas- We are so excited to come to Utah for Christmas! We can't wait to see everyone and spend time together! We can't wait to see all the snow, we don't get a lot of snow here in Missouri. We almost got to fly out there but the school wouldn't let us because of our attendance policy number one; and number two by the time we decided we weren't going to listen to the school they had run out of tickets. Instead of driving strait through we are going to stay at motels. We can't wait to be there!

Happy Labor Day, Columbus day, Halloween and every other day that we have not written about in awhile...

We figured that if pictures say a thousand words, we could just post pictures and you could fill in the blank...I have been informed that is not how it works. So I will do my best to catch you up with everyone in the family...

Katie-

Katie is beautiful. She is really doing well in school and her teacher loves her. She was a little nervous to start the school year because she got a teacher that other kids said was very strict. However, Katie and Ms. Hayter (funny name huh? Its pronounced "Hi-ter not Hay-ter") have really gotten along well.

Still with all the success Katie has had in school, she is very concerned about not having a "best friend" like she believes the other kids have. She has a wonderful ability to see others who do not have friends and she goes out of her way to help them feel better, yet finds herself in the same perdictament as the kids she helps. She makes this a matter of prayer. As a side note, it is interesting to see a child move from a phase of childish problems to problems that seem to be more serious in nature.

Katie still is in love with every dog she sees which baffles Liz and I because the HUGE amount of fear she had toward even the smallest dog when she was younger.

Katie played "Fur Elise" in her piano recital and I will post a clip of her playing it on the blog. She is not always sure if she likes the piano, but she is sticking with it and is doing a good job.

Anna-

Anna is loving life. You will rarely find her without a smile on her face...though it can happen. Sam loves her guts and Anna is usually more than willing to sit with him and read to him.

Anna just got baptized and it was a special experience for the whole family. Just going down into the water with her I was able to sense her purity and our Heavenly Father's love for her.

Anna recently received the Student of the Month award the first month of school. She loves homework though she feels obligated to feign disappoinment and she reads soooooo much.

She is a very competitive little gal and super fast. Further, she is as strong as an ox. She must get it from her mother. For comedic purposes only, I will often arrange arm wrestles between Anna and boys who are 2-3 years older than her. She never loses, even against some boys that you would figure she would not have a chance against. Katie cannot figure out why Anna can beat her every time, but they laugh about it. We can't convince her however to get involved in sports but I think she is coming around. She likes soccer and I think will play this spring.

Sara

If ever there was a little girl made for school it is Sara. Liz and I crack up a lot when we go to the school or the store and Sara knows every little kid there. She has no fear around those who are her age. She loves to talk with other kids. She can talk and talk and has a deep concern for those around her.

Again, as a side note, I guess it should not be as amazing as it is, but nevertheless, I am amazed at how much kids do that does not seem to come from any training their parents have given them.

With that said, Sara loves to sing and she has a really good voice. She has volunteered to sing solo's and she and Katie also sang beautifully at Anna's baptism.

Sara also has a bit of a temper on her that can also, in a strange way, be kind of fun. She can be sooooooo mad but when you make a face or tease her right in the middle of her anger, she will begin to laugh. Pretty soon the anger will subside or she will try to make it worse and it get even funnier.

Emily

She is done being the baby. It is really a lot of fun to be able to have conversations with her. Last night I asked Emily if she would like to wear her Halloween costume to Church. She said while laughing, "No dad, everyone will laugh at me." Somewhere along the way of being able to run naked down the street and sleeping on the floor in primary, she has decided she does care what people think.

She also is best friends with Sam. It is fun to see them play together. She can just look at him and get him laughing.

She is in a pre-school that meets once a week. She loves going and seems to be a brilliant little child thanks to Liz and PBS.

Sam

This kid is giving us a run for our money. He has an attitude, (gets it from his mother no doubt). He has 4 little mothers that beckon to his every call and if they don't give him his way, we all hear about it.

He is also not afraid to give you a dirty look or two if he finds your work not up to proper standards.

On the other hand, he can be really fun too. Every morning as I am getting ready to go to work, he steals my shoes and runs around the house with them. He does this every day and is mad if I ever get them on before he can steal them.

John and Liz

We still love each other. We were very blessed to be able to go down to Dallas last week and spend some time with each other and think about, pray about and talk about our family. We love being with our kids and with each other.

Liz works with the YW in the ward and I am with the YM. Liz is loved among the youth of the ward more than I am. I know this because when they see her they say, "Hi Sister Awesome" When they seem me they say, "Hi Sister Awesome's husband".

Liz is very busy running kids all over the place and spending a lot of time with Sam and Emily. She is an impressive lady that is capable in so many ways yet will admit to none of them. My favorite thing is hearing her play duets with the girls. I love her sincerity in her desire to improve our family and to focus on eternal things.

Work is very enjoyable to me and really hard. Figuring out how to teach Young Single Adults is the hardest teaching I have ever done and it is very rewarding.

So that is it for now- thanks for checking in on us and you are welcome to stop in anytime you find yourself in southwestern Missouri like I am sure often happens.