Christmas Reflected in a Child's Eyes

Having a pre-schooler and a toddler in the house this year has brought back the wonder of Christmas.   Watching them experience the pure joy of seeing the Christmas tree put up; their excitement of watching for Santa Claus in the Candy Cane parade, playing with the wooden Joseph and Mary tenderly, has helped us to see the season from a renewed perspective. Seeing through a child’s eyes helps us to focus on the simple joys of the season.

Our family is all gathering together for the holidays.  It will be exciting to have everyone together.  Our family is increased by one: Benjamin Nikolas Barnard was born April 7, 2011.  He was born exactly one year after Gavin.  Having two grandsons born on the same day will make remembering birthdays easy!

Lyndy and Nik are preparing for a new adventure in their lives. They are preparing to move to Nashville, Tennessee in the new year.  CMA- here I come!  They are looking forward to a new chapter in their lives.

Russell continues his studies at SUU in Cedar City, Utah.  He is writing, reading and studying hard. We enjoy seeing him every now and then.  He spent the summer in Utah, proving that he is a new Utah resident.  We are looking forward to welcoming Janae to California to celebrate the holidays with us.

Nicola and Danny are busy chasing their two active boys.  Noah is now 3 ½ and in pre-school.  He loves the animals and helping daddy in the yard.  Gavin is now 20 months old.  His passion is cars, then balls- and of course the new kitten that adopted us- Oreo! 

Lee and I think being grandparents is the best job in the entire world. Our lives are busy with work, church and keeping up with family members in all places.

Last May we took a memorable journey.  Lee, Russell and I went back to Germany to visit the places Russell served on his mission.  It was such a spiritual experience for us to meet the families Rusell served in Germany.  Traveling up and down the Rhine river, we visited Frankfurt, Mainz, Koln and many cities in between.  It whetted my appetite for more traveling.

It is time to reflect on the meaning of the season.  We wish you joy and pray you are surrounded by the spirit and love of your family and friends at this time of year and always.

Christmas Letter

I am starting a new tradition this year for Christmas. In 1974 I wrote my first Christmas letter to family and friends. In 2007 I wrote my last one! I am now going to use my blog to record our family moments from the past year. It will make for a long blog- I will do my best to be succinct!

It seems strange to Lee and I to be empty nesters. We don't think of ourselves in this way- but here we are, the proof is in our empty rooms. As we reflect on the past year, we find we have much to be thankful for! The Lord has truly blessed our family. Our circle of love grew exponentially when Noah was born. Having a new baby in the family brings us closer to God, and to each other. There are plenty of pictures of Noah in the slide show.

Our family had a memorable vacation this year. We

took a family vacation to Cancun, Mexico this past summer. We spent a week relaxing in the sun and beach. We visited the Inca ruins of Chichten Itsa. They were fascinating. A turtle farm, and dinner at sunset were also memorable experiences.

Russell has been on his mission to Germany for 10 months now. He has been serving in 3 cities; Darmstadt, Wesel, and now Koln (Cologne). You can keep track of his mission through his blog at www.elder-ram.blogspot.com .

Nicola and Danny are enjoying being parents. They live and work in the Bay area. They are glad to have family near by- aunts and grandparents to babysit! We wish we were closer to babysit more too!

Rachel has moved back to California from Cincinnati, Ohio. She is working for a textbook publisher in the Bay area. She lives about 45 minutes from Nicola and Lyndy.

Lyndy is in her second year of graduate school for her masters in social work. She will graduate in June. She is looking forward to this very much! She has been blessed with many experiences as she has worked and gone to school this past two years.

Lee and I are still working hard in developing our new internet business. It seems to be going well. It is growing, and we are adding services. It is a challenge in this economy to have a new business, but we feel we will be able to weather the storm. Lee still works full time for the college, which he enjoys. I still work as a consultant for AVID sometimes, and do private college counseling. I have had the opportunity to work with some amazing and wonderful students this past year.

As we watch the Christmas lights sparkling in the night, we are moved by the gift we were given years before time. The gift of a tiny babe born in a manger, known only to Mary and Joseph and the shepherds. The angels declared to the shepherds the message of "Peace on Earth, and Good Will to Men". We may not have physical peace on earth- but if we follow our hearts, and follow the promptings of the Holy Ghost, we can have spiritual peace in our hearts.

May you be blessed this Christmas season. May you know you are loved by family, friends, and your Father in Heaven. May His blessings be with you this season and throughout the upcoming new year.