Dear Friends & Family ~
I didn't quite get a “real” letter out last year (2006) as it was a long & tough one – but we are grateful to announce the floods have dried up, the termites have been treated, vehicles are up & running, we have finished many projects around the house, & our health has significantly improved. We have been greatly blessed this past year. Here is our individual report :)
Garrett being our oldest just turned 12 this fall & continues to be a wonderful young man. (Wow – we are getting old!) Garrett has grown like a weed! A few weeks back he was wrestling Dave & Dave realized it won't be much longer till he is going to have some real competition on his hands! Garrett enjoys borrowing his dad's clothes & shoes, I have noticed that Garrett also sneaks up to use
Dave's hair gel & cologne (watch out girls!).. at the rate he is going I am afraid he is going to outgrow our home considering he is only in the 6th grade!! He & Tyler both took on many lawn mowing jobs this summer & money soon started falling off the trees (or so it seemed.) They were able to save lots of money for their future & also bought some big items (another lawn mower & trimmer - so they didn't have to share anymore, bikes, phones, etc.) & helped pay for some of their own camps. They were becoming so rich, I mentioned that they could start paying rent or help buy groceries now & then... they didn't find that to funny! Garrett is a great Football player & Dave truly loved being able to help coach his team into their 7th Super Bowl win this year. He also had a wonderful season playing Jr. Jazz Basketball – once again with Dad by his side! Garrett succeeds in everything & anything he does! He enjoys singing, he has found a new love for musical theater & received his first speaking part in Honk Jr. this past summer at WWCC. He continues to do wonders at school & loves to read (we are amazed & wonder where he gets all his smarts!! :) He was nominated for Who's Who among America's Middle School Students & Student Ambassadors of America. He was selected to go to KEY camp this past summer at CCC– where he studied DNA & learned a lot more about science, learned how to design websites, & was chosen as the lead part in the musical. He is active in several clubs at school & is an active Boy Scout. He continues to play the piano & is excited to be able to help play at church/YM now too. He decided to take band this year & become a percussion player. I love listening to him play the bells & grateful we have a silence pad for the drums! He loves technology too & so we have a lot of fun together, as we have been learning how to design & make Power Point presentations together this fall. Garrett was very successful with his 1st hunt this year and shot his 1st deer, on his 1st day, with 1 bullet right in the neck... we will not go hungry now that he is of legal hunting age!! Along with all the great things he does – he is a great help at home & is a wonderful babysitter when we are away from home too & I sure appreciate it! We are so proud of all his accomplishments & are tickled at what a wonderful Young Man he is becoming!
to such wonderful teachers & school support. He is excelling in school & comes home with perfect scores on almost all his work. He is being moved up a level in Math & he is totally tickled! We are so excited to watch his self-esteem develop as he is reaping the rewards of all his hard work. His teachers can't brag enough about him & how well he is doing. He was selected as the Patriot of the Year at school again - which was an amazing honor for him. He is a wonderful help around our home & to any friend, neighbor, teacher, or stranger. Our phone rings quite often for his assistance – wither it is for help with cutting or stacking wood, raking leaves, mowing, trimming, weeding, taking care of animals, etc. You can count on Tyler with his big heart to be right there to help do any task or chore. He has a wonderful mind & has some of the best ideas. He loves to take things apart & find out how they work (that is o.k... till ½ the screws come up missing - I vaguely remember doing that myself a time or two!!) He also enjoys removing batteries from every toy & appliance we own – I don't know why & that does tend to drive me crazy! He loves being outside & I don't think that will ever change. It was great this summer when he was finally strong enough to start the mower by himself & actually push it with no effort!! It has been very hard for him to be 2 years behind Garrett & wait for his turn to do all the fun “Grown-up” activities . He continues to take Piano lessons from Grandma Doreen & I am amazed to listen to him practice each morning & am excited to watch his talent continue to develop. He also played Jr. Jazz Basketball this fall & loved it!! He was the tallest on the team which had several benefits. Most of all he enjoyed handling the ball & made several wonderful shots this season, which made us all very proud!!
Madison... oh Madison!! She just turned 5 & is all girl!! She can climb trees, play in mud, ride a bike & hike a football... but when it comes to being a girl... watch out!! Emotions can run high, PINK might as well be her middle na
me, frills are on almost everything she wears :), Barbie's, Strawberry Shortcake, Care Bears, drawing, coloring, Cheer leading camps, & dance lessons are amongst her favorite past times... beads, fancy shoes, pretty hair, dress-up clothes... this is our Madi! She is always on the go & into everything... very, very busy! Dave loves it when someone from Evanston or my mother comments... “she is just like we remember her mother being!!” (What is that suppose to mean? Smiling all the way!!) She is a sweetheart & gives the best hugs & kisses. She is the 2nd mom at our home & takes great care of her brothers. We can always count on her letting us know if they do anything wrong while we are gone. She is a great help around the house & can't wait to have a 100 of her own babies (I CAN wait!!) On her Birthday a few weeks ago she told me... “Mom, my feet don't look like they are 5 yet!” She also wanted to make sure she would never have to be 4 again? (Like 4 was all that bad!) She always has many interesting things to tell me & ponders about her future quite often. She loves Pre-school & bringing home homework to do so she can sit at the kitchen table at night with the boys & work with them. She has grown up so much & I am glad there is one more female in our household.... even though we do have to battle the emotional roller coaster now & then! We wouldn't trade her for anything!
Brady – he is our love bug & our funny guy!! He will be 3 in April & loves to be snuggled by anyone!! I never have to worry much when we are in company of pre-teens or teenage girls as they snag him up & love to tote him around for me! I love waking up each morning & having the chance to rock him & sing songs – his favorite song is Silent Night & he knows all the words by heart & sings like an angel. We get a little worried that he follows Madison a little too much when it comes to playing & dressing up... but I know it won't last forever!! He loves to be outside & can be found doing anything that the other kids are doing. I did finally install a lock, higher up on the door so that I could keep him & Madison from wandering the neighborhood & inviting in visitors while I was showering, out in the garden, or in the basement cleaning (I am glad they weren't kidnapped or really lost – some of those proud mom – moments!) Brady loves wrestling with the older boys & gleams from their attention. He is also content to play on his own, read books, color, & take time out to watch a movie (especially if someone is singing or dancing in it... Wiggles, Barney, Mickey mouse, etc!) We love him bunches & are grateful for his tender little personality in our home!
We are so happy that the kids doing so well in school & in the activities they participate in. We realize we have been so blessed & are grateful to associate with their sweet spirits daily! We were lucky this summer to have the opportunity to visit Martin's Cove when we picked Garrett up from Key camp & spent the day together as a family. We had an amazing time & enjoyed getting to experience a bit of what our wonderful Pioneer ancestors went
through on their trek west.
We also had many fun family reunions with both our families & had several get togethers this past year too. We are amazed at how our 2 families have grown & are grateful for each & every one of them in our lives. By the summer 2008 will have 75 members in our 2 immediate families!! (A lot to keep track of & we are the 1stto confess we don't do very well at that either!) We are grateful for our parents & for all the support we get from them – what would we do without them!
Young Family in 2006 & Welling Family 2007
Dave had so much fun coaching the boys, taking them shooting, hunting, deer watching, & all those things that boys do - this year!! He & the boys went on a 7 mile backpacking trip this summer & 
many other camp outs with the Boy Scouts - they couldn't get enough. One of his highlights was helping Madison catch her first fish. Here in this picture he fishes with Brady. This year Dave decided to start following in his Father's footsteps & has been helping cook/cater for several large groups in our area. They specialize in Dutch oven Chicken/Potatoes & also Roast Beef to die for!! He loves doing this - we love the leftovers! He has been the Lab Supervisor at Church & Dwight for a little over a year now & enjoys the stress :) & many responsibilities that come with the job. We are grateful for the employment. He has been our ward's YM president for about a year now. (I won't complain cause Garrett always has a ride to his activities now & I get a break from being taxi for just a bit.) Dave has an amazing way with the YM in our area & they do look up to him & respect him. We enjoy having them around & watching them all grow up too + so many wonderful examples for our boys to follow. Dave was also asked to head the Klondike Camp for the Boy Scouts this coming year & will do a great job. Dave continues to play Basketball in the early morning hours when the rest of us sleep. He realizes that his ol' knees just aren't quite as good as they use to be, but he continues to push himself & loves the workout! He loves to find new camping gadgets, hunting gear, & looks forward to fixing up his dad's old truck this coming year! He is a wonderful dad & I am so grateful for all he does to help me out around the house too (when he is home)! He is amazing & no he isn't for hire!!
I decided to watch a little one this fall (to make sure I was really done with the baby phase) & also boosted up my Respite/Res. Hab. work – so the extra money has been nice to have to help catch up on a couple things, get our student loans paid off (yeah!), & to do some other improvements on our house!! It has been
hard to cut back on my time at the schools - as I do miss volunteering & being with my kids... but they are doing fine & I am grateful to all my teacher friends who e-mail me when they get a chance. With being home more - I have had a wonderful time arranging silk flowers for weddings & other events this past year. I have also had many opportunities to play around with my camera & love taking pictures, especially of my kids (as you can see!) In my spare time I (still) enjoy tinkering on the computer, sewing, cooking, & all those other things that come with being a mother & wife. I have to admit that I got a little desperate this fall & had to kidnap Dave & take HIM out on a blind date - to dinner & dancing!! (As he had no idea what we were going to do & we hadn't seen much of each other for months it seemed due to sports, work, hunting, etc.) You should have seen his face when they announced for all couples to come out on the floor as instruction for the waltz was now going to begin! It was PRICELESS! We enjoyed a wonderful evening & fell in love with dancing together. (Can't brag that we are any good or that we love all the types of dance... But we are trying!) I am happy to report that we are regulars at “Dance the Night Away” each month & even though he jokes that he has hurt a limb & won't be able to go... he continues to go & we have a great time together. I was recently switched from being the Webelos Den leader (which I miss working with the boys – especially now that Tyler is a Webelo) to the Cub Scout Committee Secretary as we try hard to run our Cub scouts at a Stake Level. I also try hard to conduct music each Sunday in RS – as multitasking (waving my arm, keeping to the beat, reading the words, singing, smiling, etc) – isn't as easy for me these days as it use to seem!! Recently I was called to serve as the assistant YW camp director & look forward to working with the all leaders & girls this summer.
We are so grateful for this time of year & for our Savior - Jesus Christ, for his birth, his life, & the sacrifice he made for each of us.
Merry Christmas & Happy New Year, once again -
Love ~ Dave, Jeanna, Garrett, Tyler, Madison, & Brady
2 comments:
That is a really long entry! Good to have you blogging now. Hope that you have a great Christmas. If you go to Mom and Dad's for New Year's Eve, we'll see you then. TTYL
Let me know if you are coming down to Utah!
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