Dick and his little buddies!
These little squirrels will chase us down to get the peanut!
The little female, Molly, always puts her little paw
on your hand before taking the nut.

All the Grandchildren -2008 Family Reunion in Park City, Utah
All 14 grandchildren had a wonderful time at our reunion this summer.
Here all of them gather with grandma and grandpa.

The Cottrell Family 2008
Kevin - Jadeyn - Rebecca

Written by Jadeyn Alexander Cottrell:

My parents were extra excited when I came along to take over the job of writing their annual Christmas letter. This is my first time, so hopefully I do good! My name is Jadeyn Alexander & I am my mom and dad’s biggest news this year. I arrived on April 18th & have made their lives so wonderful / very interesting ever since then. And because I am so cute, I know how to get what I want; I even convinced them to take me to 4 national parks this year & I’m only 8 months old. We have been tent camping, camping in Yurts, caught a lot of fish, & hiked waterfalls. I’m happiest outdoors I think!

My dad finished the big remodel of his office & boy does it look fancy. We spent a lot of time there. I even rolled over for the first time there! Mom was up on a ladder and looked down at me & I was on my tummy! I’m an active little guy. They tell me I never stop moving. I’m all over my crib & can’t wait to walk (but they tell me I have to learn to crawl first, whatever that is!) My talents so far are wiggling, flapping my flippers (all my appendages), clicking my tongue, smiling, raspberries & squealing, oh & I’m working on my consonants.

I love my “brothers” Dozer and Newt and they of course adore me! I heard that my mom used to do a lot of scrapbooking before I came along. But since then, she has been working on a family blog with me as the star! You should check it out to see what else we’ve been up to! www.ColoradoCottrells.blogspot.com.

Anyway, I look forward to the years ahead & I wish you all a very Merry Christmas & hope to see you all soon!

The Morgan Family 2008

Jared - Skyla - Eliza - Mikayla - Jericca - Julie

Once upon a time, in the Kingdom of Twin Falls, Idaho,
lived a royal family.
They lived in a small castle filled with love.
The royal family consisted of the
King, the Queen, and four Princesses!

King Jared spends his days caring for animals in need of a doctor. His patients, though they may scratch, spit, and bite, are grateful after their visit with him. He is the master hairdresser of all the Princesses, as he is the only one who can tame their wild tresses. This year he also finished the construction of the castle’s dungeon, which is now a happy playrooom for the Princess’ toys, two bedrooms, a theater room, royal pantry, bathroom, and furnace room.

Queen Julie spends her days changing diapers, cooking, cleaning, and entertaining the four Princesses. Although her tasks can at times feel menial, she realizes that her position places her in the heart of the castle and her mood overlays the climate of the royal family, whether for good or evil. She tries not to be the Wicked Witch and takes great pride in overseeing all activities, disputes,

Princess Mikayla (8) spends her days learning much in the royal class of Second Grade. She is also the official caretaker of the Royal Family’s pets, which are many and abound throughout the castle. She was baptized this year and got to attend the Twin Falls Temple dedication with her royal parents.

Princess Jericca (6) is the artist of the Kingdom. She delves in scissors, glue, and a trail of glitter usually follows her. She is learning to read in first grade and her acrobatics on the fort and trampoline in the royal yard, have earned her quite a name.

Princess Eliza (3) spends her days laughing, spinning and dancing around the castle. She loves to go to the royal academy of Preschool, doing art projects, and helping the Queen care for her little sister. A sparkly princess dress is her favorite adornment and she is never caught without some kind of magic wand. She is unquestionably the Princess of the castle.

Princess Skyla (1 and ½) is into Everything. She can be the happiest and grumpiest kid in the Kingdom and these moods change in a matter of seconds. Her favorite activity is to have one of the older princesses read to her any of the royal manuscripts, in particular Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See? She also has constant entertainment in watching and playing with the older Princesses

The Royal Family wish to send their love to you. At this time of year, their thoughts turn to the King of Kings and the Prince of Peace. They celebrate His birth, His exemplary life, and His Resurrection - renewing their commitment to Him and His Kingdom.

May each of you have an Enchanted Christmas season and
Live Happily Ever After.
Love, The Morgans

The Johnson Family 2008

Spencer - Shelly - Gavin - Annalee - Doran - Ryan - Malia - Derek

Dear wonderful family and friends,

What a glorious Christmas week!

We hope you and your family have relished time to relax, read Christmas stories
with hot chocolate,
sleep in, reflect on the miraculous birth and life of Jesus Christ,
and be with loved ones! What a blessing.

Thank you for all your christmas wishes and photos!
During the holidays, the kids race to our mailbox to collect the Christmas cards!
This year, we opted for the easy way out and put up a brief youtube video capturing
our family's new passion this season--ice blocking in Texas.



Christmas in the Woodlands (ice blocking)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLCZG9D03Z8



Johnson nativity video (and yes, that is a koala Annalee is holding--
at the moment the doll we planned for Baby Jesus was no where to be found.
But Annalee looks at it so adoringly, it is cute.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwgtNebEkzQ



The Joy and Simi Vadakkan family's journey from India and Kuwait to temples in Texas
and Utah to be sealed as a family for time and all eternity (aka "Operation Miracle")

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lyzbHRTySvY



We want each of you to know our limited communication with many of you doesn't
begin to reflect how much we think about you, pray for your happiness and cherish
the memories we have together! (We keep wishing we were better at communication;
maybe 2009 will be the year)

Life just keeps moving along at a dizzying pace; each day presents a golden
opportunity to learn, progress and grow. May we all make the most of each day this
coming year.

Lots of love,
Doran and Shelly
Ryan, Malia, Gavin, Derek, Spencer and Annalee
Jesse (our Cavalier) and Violet (our Irish Water Spaniel)

The Cole Family 2008

Justin - Sheri - Terry - Jennie - Michelle

Terry has enjoyed the stability of his job as a Captain with the Boise City Fire Department, which new schedule of 48 hours on and 4 days off has given him a lot days home to enjoy with the family and other activities. He has introduced Justin to the fun of bird hunting this year and they have spent many hours together with the dogs roaming the fields and hills looking for pheasants and other wild game. He has become a Health Advisor this year and is enjoying helping people get healthy. He keeps busy at church teaching the Youth Sunday School kids ages 14-17 and has up to 20 kids in class each week, including Michelle and Jennie.

Sheri has loved her year of being a full time mom trying to keep up with all the kids' activities. She keeps involved volunteering in Justin's classroom as Art Mom teaching the 5th graders the joy of art. She continues to use her artistic talents in her Window Decorating & Advertising Business painting many businesses around the valley during the year, and sprucing up the town especially during the holidays. After years and years in Young Women's with the girls, this year Sheri has learned the blessing of teaching the sweet little spirits in Nursery. It has been quite a change, but one she has grown to love.

Jennie is 17 years old and has quite the social life. Dating and friends have become a large part of Jennie's daily routine as a Junior at Rocky Mountain High School. She had a wonderful time at her first High School Homecoming this fall. She has continued to play tennis almost every day and is looking forward to the tennis season in the Spring. She works hard to maintain her straight A's in school and still manages to send and receive over 10,000 texts per month. Her favorite class this semester is Anatomy where they are dissecting pigs! ewww! She is hoping this class will help her on the way to becoming a dental hygienist which is her goal after high school. She got her own car over the summer and has enjoyed the new freedom of driving wherever she wants to go.

Michelle is a Sophomore in high school this year and is 15. She too has a lot of friends here in Meridian and keeps up with her many friends in Boise with regular visits. Drama and acting have become a big interest in Michelle's life this year, and has become her "thing." She got great ratings at the District Drama Competition where she and a friend performed in a humorous ensemble which had the audience rolling. She has multiple parts in the high school play this December and is excited to try out for the Spring play "The Music Man." She has also been able to hold onto a 4.0 GPA despite the fact that she will spontaneously break into foreign accents often and sing songs from famous Musicals continuously throughout the day. Michelle's creativity also comes out in her piano playing as she keeps our house full of music and plays beautifully.

Justin is a big fifth grader in his last year of grade school. He graduated from Cub Scouts and has become a Boy Scout this year, where he has enjoyed learning many things. He is a member of the student council and tried out and was accepted into the Paramount Bell Choir, which all the kids want to be in once they reach 5th grade. His favorite hobbies include playing tennis, reading, computer and creating bionicles. He is extremely interested in art and likes to draw pictures all day. Justin earned his hunting license this year, and looks forward to going hunting with his dad, and will even skip school to do it! He has many friends and is famous for being the "nicest boy in his class." He wants me to put in that his favorite animals are sea turtles, owls, and bats.

Welcome to the Johnson Family Blog!
We have so many exciting things going on in our family that we wanted to be able to share them with all of you. Between our four daughters and their families, and our fun travels around the country and the world, we have a lot to share. Please enjoy the many photos and stories and feel free to comment back to us.
We hope you enjoy!
Dick & Lawana