2019 in Review

(11 minute slideshow)

It boggles the mind to think that this isn't just the end of a year, but the end of a decade! How quickly it has passed! Looking back on the memories from 2019, I am filled with gratitude. We had deaths (Jason's Aunt LuRae and Margaret Ann, my Aunt Cindy, and our 16-year-old dog Sydney). We had struggles and trials and heartaches. But we also had hope and peace and love through and because of our Savior Jesus Christ. We pray at this time of year that all may feel that pure and holy love. Merry Christmas from the Hamilton family!

FAMILY:
-Our big family trips were Oregon in April for Spring Break and Texas in October for Aunt Margaret's funeral. In Oregon, we played in the ocean. We found treasures in the sand and in the tidepools. We gaped at the giant Redwoods. We ate yummy food and watched movies and just enjoyed being together. We even got to take the dogs and it was Sydney's first, and last time at the ocean. We enjoyed seeing our Texas family in October and had fun checking out the blue pool in New Mexico on the way home.

-Summer was a crazy traveling time for us! We missed daddy who had to work, the girls and mom headed up north and enjoyed using our get out passes that included going to Cowabunga Bay, Seaquest Aquarium, and the kids climbing place in Lehi. We also had a great time hiking in Millcreek Canyon. After our SLC fun, we headed up to Lava Hot Springs for the Potts family retreat, where we had fun in the hot springs, at the pool, in a horse-drawn wagon ride/dinner, and just enjoying being together, playing games, watching movies, and having fun. After the retreat, we headed to Uncle Burton's for water skiing! We had so much fun, but were so glad to make it back to be with daddy.

-Our goal of getting an outside entrance in the basement was finally realized this year! It's on the south side of our home, and has been nice for the renters (Brookelynn and Ivanan) to have more privacy. We even turned the unfinished side of the room into a makeshift kitchen for the girls, complete with full-sized fridge and oven.

-Another thing that has kept us really busy was changing the downstairs of the SUU rental from a couple unit to a student unit to accommodate Tiarra coming to SUU. We have 4 girls downstairs and Truly & Levi upstairs. Because it's a student rental, we also Airbnb'd it for the summer and that was a learning experience. But it allowed the girls to earn money for cleaning, so that was great!

-We still LOVE watching Studio C, even though it's not the same with the new cast. Still so funny! We almost always watch Studio C after our movie on Friday night :)

-For fall break, we headed to the Pine Valley Guard Station and had such a great time camping for a few days.

-We have loved having 4 missionaires out right now! Sedona in Anchorage, Camri in Sacramento, and Grandma & Grandpa Potts in Cape Girardaux, Missouri. We miss them all so much, but love getting their e-mails and we pray for them every day.

-MORE, so many more changes in the church, especially for Heidi who is in Young Women's. She's excited for the changes (For the Strength of Youth in the summer, flexibility in classes, new theme, etc), we're also excited as a family to start the new Youth Program, where the girls can choose their own goals in 4 categories.

-We have LOVED the new Come Follow Me program for the New Testament this year. We have all learned and grown so much & coming together for discussions are always such a treat to hear everyone's insights. It has totally changed our scripture study for the better, as a family and on a personal level! We are STOKED to read the Book of Mormon Come Follow Me in 2020.

JASON: No fires for Jason this year - good news for the forests! Unfortunately, the extra income is missed, but we also were so glad to have him home more than last year.
*When we were in Texas, Jason was able to work capture some old pictures, help his family get some old reels digitalized, and visit with Granmda Hamilton's last living sibling, Lula Pearl. We missed out on interviewing Margaret Ann, but we are thankful for her life and legacy and the information we got while there.
*Jason is always the homework hero in our home and stays up late many nights a week helping the girls out. He is such a good daddy!
*Jason's favorite memory of 2019 is Oregon, he is looking forward to Alaska in 2020.

HEIDI: Heidi turned the big 4-0 this year! Jason somehow managed to pull off a huge, wonderful surprise party at a church near our friends' home. He even put together a wonderful slideshow - it was awesome. And the awesome-ness contintued with a weekend in St. George with Heidi's sisters. What a great way to embrace aging! :)
*Heidi's big brave thing this year was doing the Half-Ironman triathlon in California at the beginning of March. It was a LOT of training, but she felt so thankful to be able to complete it and do well. After that long race, she didn't do any more races, but enjoyed the freedom of choosing what she wanted to do and doing it.
*Heidi continues to read physical books and listening to audio books. She has loved
reading biographies, autobiographies, inspirational books, and novels.
*Heidi had fun at girls camp this year, getting to know the leaders and girls more.
*Heidi wanted to work on bringing a LITTLE extra money in this year, so she is going to Grifols and earning some spending money and that's been nice.
*Heidi is now on the Share Board (pregnancy and infant loss support group), so she can help out more with the fundraisers and hospital needs.
*Heidi's favorite memories of 2019 are of our family trip to Oregon and even though the funerals were sad, she loved seeing family she hasn't seen in a while. In 2019, Heidi is looking forward to re-reading a lot of books, going to Alaska with McKinley & Jason, and doing Come Follow Me for the Book of Mormon. Her goals are to work on the attritbute of humility, take better care of her body, skin, and mind, and do a race of some sort.

 McKINLEY (14): McKinley is in 8th grade this year at Cedar Middle School and queen of the school :)
*McKinley has REALLY excelled in cello this year! Her teacher, Mrs. Carrigan, thinks very highly of her and talks about what a great cellist she is. A couple weeks ago she was in a quartet for their Christmas concert with 3 other kids who had been playing from the time they were tiny and their parents are music teachers. McKinley is really amazing, especially coming from a non-musical home!
*McKinley aslo continues to take piano lessons - from Jessie now (who also teaches her cello), and McKinley also picks up the guitar whenever she can to work on that, too :)
*McKinley is a wonderful student and continues to excel academically. We are very proud of her. McKinley loves all her teachers! Newmann, Rowland, Steele, Carrigan, Black, Hirschi
*McKinley played Maleficent, one of the main roles, in CCCMT's Once Upon a Time. It wasn't easy for her to act evil, but she did a great job & it was so fun to watch her.
*McKinley is the secretary in her young women's class, and loves the girls in there. Karmiyah and Emma and Olivia are some of her best friends.
*McKinley went to Oakrest girls camp in Kamas this year with her good friend Addison Bealer. She had a really wonderful time!
*She also went to our ward girls camp and had a great time :)
*McKinley has worked SO HARD these past few months to accomplish her Young Women Personal Progress before the program ends and we start the new youth program. She will earn her medallion in the next couple weeks! This is a huge accomplishment and we are so proud of her.
*McKinley's favorite memories of 2019 were Oregon & girls camp, she's looking forward to going to Alaska with mom & dad, starting high school, the new youth program, her goals are getting good grades in HS, doing the new youth program, get into symphonic orchestra.

IRELAND (12): Ireland is in 7th grade & likes it a lot more than 6th grade. She also has done so well academically, throwing down those 4.0s. She's in honors society and has fun at their activities. Her favorite teachers are Mrs. Walquist, Mrs. Allred, and Mrs. Esplin.
*Ireland continues to play the flute this year and has improved a lot! She's in JV band & it's so fun to come to her concerts & hear her play.
*Ireland also continues with gymnastics & is in level 4. She is working on her arials and back hand springs on the floor.
*Ireland turned 12 this year and so she got to start wearing make-up and have
a birthday party! Her party was at Fiddlers Fun Center and there was much fun to be had watching a movie, doing laser tag, playing the arcade games, and then going to DQ for an ice cream cake & presents. So much fun!
*Some of Ireland's favorite friends: Mahina Vogt, Sienna Gardner, and Sariah Bailey.
*Ireland is still in the unfinished room downstairs. Hopefully in the next couple years we'll get it done, but in the mean time, she's made it so cute, with lots of posters and drawings on the walls. She got a loft bed for her birthday with a futon on the bottom, so that's been fun. Ireland even put fairy lights on it and it's so cute. A couple weeks ago we even put up a hammock chair that she can use.
*Ireland is SO good about setting out all her clothes for school the next day and waking up at 5:30 the next morning to get ready for school. We are so impressed with her progress with keeping track of her homework and taking responsibility for the things she needs to do. We are so proud of her.
*Snow skiing is still one of Ireland's all-time favorite activities. She also loves to ice skate, and this year she went tubing for the first time on the lake and had so much fun.
*Ireland's favorite memory of 2019 was Oregon and Cowabunga Bay. She also had fun at girls' camp. She is looking forward to Bear Lake with the Tews in 2020. One goal she has for 2020, she really wants to be better about practicing gymnastics.

KEZIA (10): Kezia is in 4th grade this year (Mrs. VanArdsale and Senora
Engst), still in the dual immersion program and doing so well. Her teachers just rave about what a good student and friend she is.
*Kezia was Snow White in CCCMT's Once Upon a Time. She was so cute and great and fun to watch!
*Kezia's special friends are Macie Mitchell, Addy Price, Elizabeth Niles, and Sophie Burgess.
*Kezia did her 4th year of soccer this year and they were the pink tigers. She had a lot of fun, scored some goals and loved being goalie!
*Kezia's big dream this year was realized when she got chinchillas! She got her first chinchilla, Wolf, in February and she earned all $100 for her. She had so much fun putting Wolf on her head & shoulders and watching her play in her cage. Sadly, Wolf passed away in September after an accident :( Kezia got 2 new chinchillas around her birthday, a female (Fox) and a male (Coyote) and she's hoping she'll be getting some babies next year :)
*Kezia turned 10 this year and got her ears pierced as per the Hamilton rite of passage :) She insisted on opal earrings.
*Kezia decided to try something new this year and tried out for the Midsummer Night's Dream ballet even though she's never ever danced. She had a great time & is now taking ballet lessons every Thursday, and practices for the Midsummer performance on Saturdays.
*Kezia still takes piano - now from Jessie - and doing really well! She also sings in the ward choir and we love to hear her practice her songs.
*Kezia decided she wanted to be Anne of Green Gables for Halloween this year. She even made homemade raspberry coridal! Mom posted about it on the Anne of Green Gables Facebook page & it got almost a thousands likes and almost a hundred comments! Everyone said how she looked just like Anne! It was so fun, she even got a letter & an address book from a woman in Australia who loved her costume :)
*We did a 5k race in September & Kezia did so good, she ran with mom the whole way & never stopped! She did 10 min/miles and mom was impressed! Kezi started running with mom on Tuesday mornings. It's been fun :)
*Kezia worked hard and was completely self-motivated in completing her Faith in God! We're so proud of her!
*Kezia still loves to write and wrote a story called "Dalace and the Unicorn" (inspired by our renter) that she submitted to the Reflections contest and won first prize. She is a girl of many talents!
Favorite Memories: Getting chinchillas, Oregon, Cowabunga bay. Looking forward to doing MidSummer Night's Dream ballet porformance in 2020.  Her goals are to continue doing ballet, and possibly play another instrument.

LINK: Link would have had his magical/golden birthday this year - turning 7 on the 7th. To honor the day, we had printed a picture we've been looking forward to for quite some time. A man in our ward, Jeff Brunson, is a photographer and Heidi asked him to look for a rainbow coming to the temple. We are SO thankful for that amazing print and it is so special to us! It is hanging in our front room and we think of our sweet boy every time we pass by that room.

NOELLE (5): Our cute Noelle-my-Belle/sunrise girl graduated Mrs. Shirley's preschool this year and started in Mrs. Nakken's Kindergarten class! She loves Kindergarten and is doing awesome! In the first couple months she passed off all her sight words for all of Kindergarten, and she's almost done reading level B in the take-home books. She says her favorite part of Kindergarten is math :) She also loves going to comptuers.
*Unfortunately, the take-home Kindergarten bus wasn't a great experience for a couple months for Noelle. We eventually called the bus garage and they changed seating arrangements and it's been much better :)
*Noelle has turned into the quite the responsible girl. She doesn't ever forget to read her book-in-a-bag every night. And afterwards, she puts it right in her backpack. She wakes up right at 7 (or before) every morning and is fully ready to go - dressed, hair, backpack, coat - usually 30 minutes before we
need to leave to head to the bus stop.
*Noelle is sure mom's helper! She is so good about setting the table without being asked, even getting everyone their hydroflasks! She is great at cooking tortillas and helping bake, too. We are so thankful for her!
*Noelle started lessons this year! In the summer she took swimming lessons at the Little Shark Academy at SUU, and in the fall she started ballet with Kezia. She is doing great and learning lots!
*Noelle has such awesome primary teachers, the Comps - Gunner's parents. They teach her on Sundays, then on Thursdays they have an activity at their house & it's so much fun. Noelle loves it!
*Noelle continues to be our pickiest eater and only wants everything plain - but with ranch. One night mom made fajitas and Noelle wrote her a note that said "I can not handl this food" (did we mention she's getting really good at writing, too :)
*Instead of movies, Noelle is now preferring to play computer games on pbskids or starfall. She's even started figuring out the xbox!
*Noelle's special friends are Sam, James, Katelyn,  and McKai, Marybelle, and Jessie from school.
Noelle's favorite memory of 2019 was Cowabunga Bay. She's looking forward to swimming next year, being in the same school as Kezia.  Goal - tie shoes, ride a bike with no training wheels, and multiplication up to 5.

OAKLYN (3): Where did our baby go? She has grown up so much this past year and we are so sad, but so happy to watch her grow. She is just the CUTEST.
*Oaklyn loves to go-go-go, which is great because that's what we spend most of our time doing! Thankfully, Oaklyn has been so good to go to nursery, or gym daycare, of Grifols daycare, or run errands with mommy. She was so sad this year when she didn't go to school like her sisters, so we call it "gym daycare school" and she brings her backpack :)
*speaking of backpacks, Oaklyn went through a phase where she wore her little backpack everywhere, and wouldn't take it off, even to sleep!
*Oaklyn is at a point where she can take a nap, or not. If she does, we have to make sure it's not too long or she won't go to sleep at night.
*Oaklyn & mommy time usually consists of having a tea party, playing with play doh or sand, coloring, putting together her huge United States puzzle, or playing her Hungry Caterpillar game :)
*Oaklyn still comes in mom & dad's room once/week or so at night. When she does, she usually sleeps on the floor, but she is not a quiet sleeper! She yells, screams, cries, and laughs loudly & mom & dad are usually pretty tired in the morning.
*The week of her 3rd birthday, Oaklyn decided she didn't want to wear pull-ups anymore. It wasn't all roses, but she's done pretty well & we can hardly believe that after 14 years of diapers, we are done!
*Oaklyn is a STRONG girl! Like, if she wants to resist you getting in her carseat, it takes almost all your strength to strap her in!
*She is still SUCH a sweet thing, but has definitely shown her anger in inappropriate ways lately, including pushing and biting!
-Oaklyn still LOVES babies! She has her tiny baby, and her backflip baby, and every night she has to make sure that her backflip baby is tucked into her carseat (her bed) JUST SO and that she has the exact right blanket on her. Then she sings her "baby go to sleep song."  She takes her on lots of stroller walks and is such a good mommy.
*Oaklyn also still LOVES "helping" mommy and whenever mommy pulls out the vaccuum, broom, or mop, Oaklyn is right by her side with her mini versions :)
*Another not-so-fun phase of hers right now is locking doors. She goes in rooms and locks the door immidiately, or locks people out. Or locks the van (about a month ago mom had to call the police to unlock the van door)
*Oaklyn loves Daniel Tiger, Dora, and Minnie Mouse!
*Oaklyn's special friends are Charlotte Price (her best friend!), Tucker, and Thomas. She also loves talking about her cousin Rachel.
*Oaklyn says her favorite memory of 2019 was Dora ;) In 2019, Oaklyn looks forward to the possibility of starting preschool and being in Sunbeams in 2020, and her goals are to ride the bike with training wheels, know all her ABCs and their sounds, count to 20, and write more letters of her name (she knows the O really well :)

2018 in Review

(10 minute review slideshow)

We are so thankful for all of you, and hope and pray that this Christmas season finds you all in good health and possessing a sure knowledge that you are loved by the very person who's birth we celebrate, Jesus Christ. 2018 was a wonderful year for the Hamilton family and we feel very humbled to have such wonderful blessings, most especially our Savior and our family.

FAMILY: 

 *LOTS of hiking & exploring this year in our area! Including Toquerville Falls, Red Cliffs Recreation, Middle Fork Taylor Creek, Capitol Reef National Park, Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument, Cascade Falls, and Mammoth Caves. So much fun & so many beautiful places we want to go back to. We love where we live!

*Our big trip for the year was our drive with the Potts to Minnesota to see the Checketts. Highlights: Seeing Martin's Cove, Mt. Rushmore, and Walnut Grove. Backyard memories - playing in water, roasting marshmallows, jumping on the tramp, and playing on the swing set. Jason & Adam's air guitar concert. Exploring Mall of America, a children's museum, and Duluth. We loved it!

*Potts Retreat at Brian Head this year. Memorable moments: Watching the stars come out at the peak - gorgeous, Shakespeare Green show, Mammoth Caves, the pond at Brian Head, and lots of games, arts, crafts, and yummy food!

*Camping! With daddy's fires we didn't get out this year as much as we'd hoped, but we still did Mapleton, dry camping at the top of Cedar Mtn, and staying at the Podunk Guard Station by Bryce Canyon. We enjoyed all of that great, non-electronic family time! 

*Lots of summer fun! Make-it Monday (pull-string art, shrinky dinks, see-through cards, sharpie funny t-shirts etc), Taste-it Tuesday (churros, chaco tacos, frozen lemonade, lemon creme puffs, etc), Water Wednesday (backyard fun, swimming pool, lake @ the hills, splash parks in St. George), Thinking Thursday (science experiments, read-a-thons, etc), and Forest Friday (Navajo Lake loop, Alpine loop, Hidden Haven, Thunderbird Gardens)

*We have 2 new SUU renters living with us this year - Jessie and Dalace. We've loved getting to know them & grateful they're here! 

*Our niece/cousin, Sedona Reed, got called to Anchorage, AK on her mission! We've loved getting to watch her open her call, attend her first time at the temple, and go to her farewell. She left at the end of November. 

*Grandma & Grandpa Potts also got their call! They are going to St. Louis, Missouri and will leave on December 31st! 

*We have LOVED having our Cedar City Temple this year & have almost met our goal of 75 times going to the temple! 

*So many changes in the church this year!!! The EQ and High priests combining, new ministering program, 2 hour church, 11-year-olds moving up in January, just to name a few! President Nelson is sure shaking things up :), but we are blessed to be a part of the church at this exciting time! 

*Jason & Heidi have stayed pretty busy with the rentals this year - we are managing four! SUU upstairs, SUU downstairs, Potts' St. George place, and our basement apartment. Busy!

JASON: 

*Jason has worked for the Forest Service for almost 8 years now. He is the administrative operations specialist. He went on 2 fires this year as a time and equipment trainee- one over the 4th of July in Pine Valley (he was so sweet & got special permission to come home to surprise Ireland for her birthday) and one in Hoopa, CA (Horrible, devastating fires in CA this year). Jason learned a lot and the team he was on had a lot of good to say about him! We sure missed him, grateful for his hard work, though and being able to earn some extra money for our family. 

*With the announcement of the combining of Elders Quorums and High Priests, Jason was released as the Elder's Quorum President. And immediately got called as the 2nd counselor :) It's busy, but he enjoys it and the new changes. 

*After years of pleading & cajoling, Jason finally agreed to coach Kezia's soccer team. He actually had a lot of fun - he was a great coach & the girls really listened to him. We even got to go to a coach dinner at the end, which was a lot of fun. 

*He is a wonderful, fabulous husband & father & we are so blessed to have him in our lives!

HEIDI: 
*Heidi's word for 2018 was CONNECTED. She really has tried to be more connected to her loved ones - here and on the other side.  She attended a family history conference in St. George in September and loved it - though there is so much to learn! 

*She also has tried to feel more connected to nature and started trail running this year! She LOVED it! She likes to take Daizy and go hard. Hard hills, but the payoff is amazing with beautiful views and solitude. She will definitely be doing more of that in 2019!

*Heidi ran the Snow Canyon Half marathon at the beginning of November and immediately started training for her half ironman, which will take place in March of next year.  It's taken a while to get comfortable on the bike again, but she is pushing herself and feeling stronger every day! 

*In September, Heidi got called to be the 2nd counselor in the young womens, over the Beehives. She was previously the Primary Secretary, so she went from busy to busier :) She loves getting to be with McKinley, though, and is loving the new Come Follow Me curriculum. 

*Heidi accepted President Nelson's challenge in October to read the Book of Mormon by the end of the year. It was not easy, but SO worth it! Her testimony is so much stronger & she truly feels changed and blessed by that amazing book!

*Next year, Heidi is most looking forward to our Oregon Coast trip (she's always wanted to go!) and 2-hour church :) Her goals center around being brave and getting outside her comfort zone - a huge one of those being the half ironman in March! 

McKINLEY (13): 

*McKinley was in CCCMT's mini-play Peter Pan with Kezia in March. She was Tiger Lily. It was SO fun to see & hear her - she did awesome & had a lot of fun!  

*McKinley was a big part of meeting our family goal to go to the temple 75 times this year. She's so good about going - especially if a friend can come along. She usually goes Wednesday mornings when it's late start. 

*McKinley started 7th grade in the fall & likes it SO much more than 6th grade :) Her fave teachers are Mrs. Allred, Mrs. Walquist, and Mrs. Jolley. She loves her career class and has even had fun in her PE class which she wasn't looking forward to. She keeps getting those 4.0s & is in the Honor's Society:) McKinley ran for and made Student Council this year - as the service captain. She has fun going to the meetings and events. 


*McKinley is the Beehives president and does a great job & is a great example to the girls she serves. They really love & look up to her. It's also been fun that mom has been in Beehives with her the past few months!


*McKinley has switched from loving the piano over the cello to spending most of her time with the cello and very little time with the piano. It may have something to do with the fact that our renter (Jessie) is going to SUU on a cello scholarship (McKinley LOVES to play with her and get lots of tips and advice) combined with the fact that her old piano teacher isn't teaching anymore. At any rate, she IS sounding amazing on the cello!! So much improvement! We love to go to her concerts and hear their beautiful music. 

*McKinley got a once in a lifetime opportunity this year that we think she'll never forget - she got to go with mom & grandpa to see STUDIO C - LIVE! They only allowed children 12 & up, so it was sad her sisters didn't get to go, but it really was AMAZING! So hilarious, high-energy and fun. 

*McKinley still LOVES Brandon Mull and has now read all but 3 of his published books and owns almost all of them, too! She also read the entire Acadian Song series by Janette Oke, which she really liked, too. She also read The Giver in school, and a Christmas Carol. 

*McKinley's good friends: Karmiyah, Olivia, Micaela, Lizzy, Addison, Jacie & Irene. 

*McKinley still LOVES her dog, Daizy, even though she is a naughty girl & loves to chew books and shoes and paper and toys. McKinley & Daizy are so excited to see each other at the end of every school day and McKinley has taught her to sit, roll over, fetch, and shake hands :) 

*McKinley says her fave 2018 memory is Studio C. She is most looking forward to being in 8th grade & choosing more of her classes in 2019. And her goal is to earn her Young Women Medallion. 

 IRELAND (11): 

*Ireland finished elementary school and started at Cedar Middle School this year as a 6th grader. She has the exact schedule (except orchestra) that McKinley had. It's been a struggle to get used to the busy-ness of middle school and keeping track of so much more, but she has done terrific and her latest quarter was a 3.9 - we're so proud of her!

*Ireland has had fun in gymnastics! She's done really well, but thinking she may switch lessons next year. We'll see! 

*We all love to see Ireland's artwork and designs. She has a great eye for colors and patterns!

*Ireland had fun going to Minnesota. Her cousin, Maddy, adores and idolizes her and loved to follow her around and be near her. Ireland was cute with her and it's fun to see their connection. 

*Ireland decided (after much thought and debate) to do the flute in middle school. She had never played any kind of instrument or sang in any choirs up to then. We bought her a flute and away she went. Her flute was not working correctly at first, but after it got fixed, Ireland sounds amazing! She is diligent with her practicing and is in advanced 6th grade band. Great job Ireland!

*A new girl moved into our ward this year - her name is Sariah and she was over almost every day in the summer. Ireland and Sariah had a lot of fun! Mahina is also still Ireland's good friend. 

*Ireland continues to love to read and has read most of McKinley's Brandon Mull's books and Percy Jackson books. She also still loves Harry Potter books. 

*Ireland got her room back for the summer, but gave it up again to the new renters, Dalace & Jessie. We did make her a temporary room across from McKinley's room, though. We threw some sheet rock up and put some foam squares on the floor and whala! She has her own private room, even if it's not finished yet. 

*Ireland's best memory from 2018: Going to Minnesota & going to Mall of America. For 2019, Ireland is looking forward to entering Beehives with mom and going to the temple. One goal for 2019, finish the Book of Mormon!

KEZIA (9): 

*Kezia is in her 3rd year of the dual immersion program & is doing muy bien!! She has 2 male teachers this year - Mr. Neibar and Senior Niles. She & Jason still talk in Spanish a lot and we love to hear her read and sing in Spanish. She still excels in school and most of her scores are off the charts. She is at an 8th grade reading level and into division in math. 

*Kezia also continues to wow us with her thoughtfulness. She is constantly doing amazing things for her sisters, family, and friends. And she held a hot cocoa stand to earn money for children's hospitals. She sent part of the money to CHOP (the hospital where Link was) and even got a letter back from Surgeon Dr. Adzick! She has made multiple "romantic" dinners for her mom & dad and has woken up early multiple times to surprise the family with breakfast.  She is such an amazing big sister & steps in to calm little sisters even when mommy & daddy fail. We love & appreciate her so much!

*In June, Kezia's pet bunny, Rainbow Truck, died. It was a really hard day for Kezia and she was heartbroken for days and days. Eventually she started asking about a new pet and worked out an agreement with mom and dad to earn one. 

*We are also amazed at Kezia's entrepreneurial spirit & mind. She has sold dog treats, helped dog sit, sold lemonade and baked goods, and done extra chores for mom. 

*Kezia & McKinley did CCCMT's production of Peter Pan in the spring. Kezia played Michael & had SO much fun! She was SO sad when it was over & can't wait to do another one. She got really close with her Darling family - Lelia (John) and Lizzie (Wendy)

*Kezia also did soccer again in the spring and this year daddy FINALLY agreed to be the coach. They were the Golden Warriors. This was the first year that Kezia was on the big field and she did a great job! Especially since most girls were older & taller than her. Her friend, Paige, was also on her team, so that was fun!

*Kezia's good friends: Macie, Sarah, Addie Price, Ruth, Baiza, and Angeles. 

*Kezia started piano in September is is already good!! We love to listen to her play her Christmas songs. 

*Kezia's best memory from 2018 is her Peter Pan Play. Kezia is most looking forward to more plays and races in 2019. Also getting a pet and getting her ears pierced.  One goal for 2019: finish all the Kate DiCamillo books. 

LINK: 

Link would have turned 6 this year and started Kindergarten. That was a hard day for mommy :( We know he would have been so handsome in his new school clothes and he would have done so well with his class & making new friends. Link continues to let us know that he loves us with rainbows, and also hearts and shooting stars! We love you forever our duder-dude and are so thankful for every second we got to spend with you here on earth and every second we will get to have with you in the eternities! 

 NOELLE (4): 

*Noelle turned 4 this year & got to have a party at the aquatic center! We had a pinata, games, cake & ice cream and lots of fun swimming! 

*Noelle started preschool this year at South Preschool and LOVES it! Her teacher is Mrs. Shirley.  Every day she's excited to go and has so much to tell us about when she comes home. She goes 4 days a week and her favorite part of preschool is going outside with her friends where they have special "missions" :) 

*Noelle's special friends are Sam (he's our neighbor & is in her preschool class), James, Kali, Caleb, Kaitlyn, and her preschool friends: Jackson, Caroline, and Maggie. 

*Toward the end of the year we received a notification from her school that Noelle had failed her eye screening. We took her to the ophthalmologist & it turns out she's far-sighted, most especially in her right eye. So, our cute 4-year-old, has adorable, sparkly blue glasses :) 

*Noelle is reading BOB books pretty well now-days and knows about 10 sight words. We're hoping her new glasses help her not tire out from reading so fast. She is also writing pretty good - she can write her name pretty good and is writing MOM and DAD and sounding out other words to write. It's very cute! She loves books and games. 

*Noelle loves Daizy almost as much as McKinley. They spend a LOT of time in the backyard together. She shows Daizy where to dig and Daizy digs while Noelle sifts the sands, looking for worms and roly polys. 

*Noelle still has quite a vocabulary and is very articulate for her age, and an enormous personality to go with them. It's quite the combination and we get frequent comments about her big personality :) 

*Noelle gets first prize for pickiest eater of our family, which we have a few of them, so that's saying something :) There are only a handful of dinners she will even touch and goes without eating a lot of the time! 

*Noelle continues to have a special connection with her brother Link and prays for him and talks about him a lot. She wishes we could all be together in heaven a lot. We love that she is so close to him. 

*Just a small sampling of Noelle-isms:
                  “I hate cats! I’m going to growl them out of the world!”
                “I can’t see the milky shake!” (way) 😊
               “Your breath smells like dog food!"
                 "Have a crunchy day!"
                 "Are you kiddin me?"
                 "Watch my secret super speed!"
                 "Why did Heavenly Father make _________ ?" (sugar bugs, dinosaurs, etc)
                 “You made my feelings feel bad!' 
*The shows she's loving right now are Tumbleleaf, Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood, and Dinosaur Train. She also loves to watch the classic Disney movies, especially Toy Story. 

*Noelle & Oaklyn started a music class and it was a lot of fun. They sang songs, learned basic notes and learned about instruments. Noelle wasn't very much of a participator for most of it, but by the end of the semester she was in there and fully participating!

*Noelle's favorite 2018 Memories: preschool and going to the bouncy house with Caden. In 2019 she's looking forward to starting Kindergarten! Her goal for 2019 is to ride a bike and learn to zip! 

OAKLYN (2): 
*This 2 year old is just that - TWO! And with that comes all the chaos, irrationality, and messes that we can handle! We have had to put handle covers on all the indoor handles (including one on the inside of her door) and one on each of the front doors to keep this girl contained! She is constantly in mom's room and painting herself with mom's makeup or dumping out bottles of shampoo. She has cracked about 15 eggs on the countertop & one day she dumped paint in the pantry that the dogs walked in and tracked all over the house. This girl is a handful!!

*Oaklyn finally will watch movies if a sister watches them with her. She LOVES to watch Boss Baby and Tumbleleaf. 

*Oaklyn had a lot of fun going to the music class with Noelle & mommy and would dance & sing & participated so well! 

*Oaklyn also does so well at nursery. Her favorite little friend is Charlotte Price - they love to give each other hugs. 

*Oaklyn loves to sing and it's SO cute! Twinkle, twinkle, Jingle Bells, ABCs, and Baby Bumblebee are some of her favorites. 

*Oaklyn isn't fully potty-trained, but she goes quite a lot by herself! She also stopped using a binky and stopped sleeping in a crib a few months ago. She's getting so big! 

*She is already prepping pretty well for being a mommy one day! She LOVES to help sweep and mop & we finally got her a set with a broom & a mop so she wouldn't keep taking ours. She also got a little vacuum to help mommy. She also is right there whenever anyone is cooking or baking asking to help. And she helps mommy put groceries on the conveyor belt at the store. She also LOVES babies and usually has one or two constantly with her. 

*Oaklyn also loves to brush hair, which is like a miracle from heaven for mommy! 

*She LOVES her grandparents!! She will run to them and not even want mommy after that! 

*Oaklyn is getting pretty articulate and can express what she's thinking about feeling pretty well.  Some of her favorite sayings:
                        "What the heck?
                        "I DID IT!"
                         "I don't know!"
                         "Thank you!"
                         "Noelle is copying me!"
                         "Take a picture mom"
*Oaklyn's goals for 2019 are to be potty trained and ride the tricycle and her balance bike by herself! 

2017 In Review!

(7 minute review slideshow)

Hello from the Hamiltons! 

We hope 2017 has found you healthy and happy. We feel very blessed to have such wonderful family and friends. Here is our short update for 2017:

FAMILY: 

*The Potts family retreat was in January in Southern Utah.  We had a wonderful time, including a trip to Tonaquint Park, golfing for the boys, ice skating, movie watching, swimming, playing games, Discovery Park, singing at a care center, going to glitter mountain, and lots of eating and visiting.

*In February, we attended two funerals :( One for Heidi's Uncle Burton's baby, who died at a month old. One for Heidi's Uncle Richard. There was a lot of traveling. We are grateful for family & our knowledge of the Plan of Salvation

*We enjoyed a good amount of "camping" this year :) We stayed in a tiny Forest Service cabin in Pineview in April, we stayed in our old trailer in Mapleton in May, In July, we camped in a cabin at Fishlake for a week, and in October we got to stay in the Benson cabin for a few days. We love spending time in the outdoors!

*In June we went to the Grand Canyon for the day and were left in awe! It was really amazing!

*We did some fun races this year - Mom & Grandpa Potts did the Thanksgiving Point Half Marathon & Cedar Half marathon, while Jason & the girls did the 5ks. 

*We had LOTS of big birthdays this year! Daddy turned 40, Oaklyn turned 1, McKinley turned 12, and Kezia turned 8! 

*In September, after a year of the girls giving up half their birthday $, half their allowances, half their Christmas, and also doing a lemonade stand and selling some things, WE WENT TO DISNEYLAND! We enjoyed 3 days at Disney, 1 day at Universal, and a day at the beach. Mom & Dad just took the 3 older girls & the littles stayed with Grandma & Grandpa Potts. It was a wonderful time & we made so many great memories!

*Added new members to our family - Truly, Zhane, and Daizy the puppy dog!

*Our Cedar City Temple is completed!!!! This is HUGE news for us and we celebrate and offer gratitude every day for this BEAUTIFUL, amazing, blessing! It is only a mile from our home!

*One other fun thing this year - we downloaded the Marco Polo app and have had so much fun sending videos back and forth to loved ones near and far and getting to see what they're up to as well! We have felt so much more connected with family and friends!

*If you know our family, you know we're HUGE Studio C fans. In line at DL, we played "which Studio C episode?" with lines from the shows. It was a lot of fun. We never miss a new episode :)

JASON: Jason turned 40 this year! Heidi threw him a (kind of) surprise party in St.

George at her parents house. Lots of people showed up, we watched a "this is your life" slideshow, we wrote 40 things we love about Jason, and Cindy even made him a toilet cake that said "You're older than crap!" :) For his 40th birthday, we went to the Deff Leappard/Poison concert with Jeff & Keeley. It was a lot of fun! Jason stays busy with his calling (Elder's Quorum President) and work (Admin Officer at the Dixie National Forest), but finds time to be a wonderful husband and dad & we are so thankful for him! At the end of the year, he took on our healthy habit challenge and rocked it! He's hitting the gym almost every day and doing great. We love you Jason! 

HEIDI: In January, Heidi enjoyed kidnapping her sister Cindy with her other sister for a couple days to celebrate her 40th birthday. They saw a play, went shopping, watched movies, went to a bookstore, and just enjoyed talking.  Jason took the girls so Heidi could & she enjoyed it so much! Heidi got called to be the Primary Secretary in June, and has been busy with that calling, but enjoys getting to see her girls in church on Sunday. She also went to her 20-year WJHS class reunion in June. It was fun to see some familiar faces and catch up :) Heidi decided to start a little hiking group and went hiking almost every week for a few months after the girls went back to school in August. It was awesome! Very soul-filling :) Heidi continues to have bad luck in the phone department & went through 2 phones this year. She has been listening to inspirational books, and reading novels, and loving it. For Christmas in 2017, Heidi finally made the Ancestor ABC book that she's been wanting to do for so long & she learned so much! In 2018, Heidi is looking forward to going on more hikes & spending more time outdoors. Her goals are all deeper connections with her loved ones here and on the other side, her home, and her body. 

McKINLEY: At the beginning of the year, McKinley played Mrs. Mayor in her school's production of Suessical Jr! She did so great! McKinley started Cedar Middle School this year! And is in 6th grade. She turned 12 in September and is really enjoying Young Women and she's been to do baptisms at the temple three times already! Her first time going, Grandpa & Grandma Potts & GG Tew came! McKinley got to have a birthday party this year and invited all her friends for her book themed birthday party - it was a great time! McKinley has really been excelling in piano! She played "Baptism" at Kezia's baptism program and did great, and she played a beautiful Christmas song for the Ward Christmas  Party. She also is doing great in cello, making the intermediate orchestra - we love to watch her perform and we love to listen to her practice. McKinley tried out volleyball this year  and learned a lot and had fun with her teammates! McKinley is in the National Honors Society in middle school and she also finished the Book of Mormon this year!! Another amazing thing McKinley got to be involved in this year was the cultural celebration for our new temple! She, along with 3,600 other youth, sang and danced for our church leaders (Elder Eyring, Holland, etc) and it was beautiful! McKinley got her dream come true this year and got a puppy dog! She is a 15 week-old 75% golden retriever and very beautiful. McKinley just loves her and is so cute with her.  We are all so proud of our beautiful, talented, kind, and smart girl and are so thankful for her in our lives.  She is growing up so fast and is only a couple inches shorter than mom! Some of McKinley's favorite friends: Karmiyah, Olivia, Addison, Micaela, and Lizzy. In 2018, McKinley is looking forward to going to Girls Camp. Her goal is to do at least 8 personal progress experiences. 

IRELAND: Ireland is "Queen of the elementary" this year at North, and enjoying it very much! She is in Mrs. Brown's 5th grade class & enjoys having her as a teacher. Ireland turned 10 in July and got her ears pierced! She was very brave and has LOVED wearing lots of different kinds of earrings, especially the "3D" kind. Ireland is still loving gymnastics and moved on to level 3 this year! We are so proud of her & love to watch her work on her skills! Ireland read the Harry Potter books to book 4 this year and she is a Harry Potter fan :) Ireland took an art class after school and learned a lot and made some beautiful things! Some of Ireland's favorite friends are Mahina, Hannah, Elle, and Zoe. In 2018, Ireland is looking forward to the Potts Retreat and her goal is to move up to the next level in gymnastics!

KEZIA: Kezia is in 2nd grade and still rocking dual immersion. We love to watch her and her daddy have Spanish conversations and we love hearing her sing her Spanish songs. She is at a 6th grade reading level and very smart! But her teachers always tell us how kind she is, and that we are even prouder of her for that. She did soccer in the spring, and got purple jerseys AGAIN!! :) She did awesome and we love to watch her play! Kezia really got into reading Heidi Hecklebeck books and has read a bunch :) Kezia turned 8 on October 26th and had a costume Halloween/Birthday party that weekend with lots of her friends! We made scary treats, played charades, did musical chairs, ate pizza, had homemade root beer, and did gifts. It was a lot of fun! She got baptized on November 4th and afterwards we went to the Cedar City Temple open house - it was SUCH a special day!  In 2018, Kezia is looking forward to (Maybe!) Lagoon. And a goal she has is in 2018 is earning money for hospitals. 

LINK: Link would have turned 5 years old on November 7th. We continue to send gifts in his name on his birthday, and we continue to do temple work to honor him as well. We feel like the Cedar City Temple is a LOVE NOTE from Heavenly Father AND Link! Mom feels so close to him there - especially as the rainbows shine onto the walls from the stain glass windows :) Mom is hoping to do more in 2018 to assist families to have lost babies to SIDS and hopes Link will help her there, too. We felt Link's love, guidance, and protection on many occasions this year & pray he will continue to stay close to us. 

NOELLE: Noelle turned 3 on April 8th, and she likes to tell everyone that's her birthday :) After she turned three, just to assure us that she was not completely out of the "terrible twos," she decided to "sharpie" the entire basement. Walls, couches, toys, light switches, doors, etc. It was rather amazing the destruction she caused and mom ended up painting the entire basement! She is quite a mischief-maker and continues to keep us on our toes! She is super bright and easily memorizes books. She has started to really "read," though and is working through some BOB books and doing great! She also knows how to write her name, though sometimes she forgets letters :)  We LOVE that Noelle loves her brother, Link, and talks about him frequently. She says "Link is my brother! He loves me, and I love him!" Another thing we love about Noelle is how she LOVES to watch sunrises & sunsets. She will run into mom & dad's room and pull them into the living room to watch the sunrise, or she will pull them to the porch to watch the sun set. Since she is our "sunrise girl," this is very appropriate :) She still loves watching Dora the Explorer, and she loves Daniel Tiger, too.  She enjoyed hikes with mom this year! Noelle is getting bigger and asking more and more for friend dates. She talks a lot about her friends Katelyn, Caleb, Kali, and James. In 2018, she's looking forward to turning FOUR! She's going to get a birthday party and she'll get to go down the big yellow slide! (finally!). She's also looking forward to going to preschool.  One goal she has is to read harder books and ride her tricycle by herself! 

OAKLYN: Ohhhh, baby cuteness! (that's what we call her) We love you! Oaklyn turned one in August and is, of course, the baby of our family and therefore can do no wrong. She says about 15 words, including happy! (she says this one over & over again), mom, dada, Daizy, Sydney, , uh-oh, book, hey, wow, and hi! She was our earliest walker, at 10 months, and now is running all over. She doesn't have the best immune system, and seems to get runny noses constantly, and at the end of the year, got fevers and had issues with her hand being swollen. But overall, she is a wonderful, happy baby. At almost 17 months, Oaklyn likes to play in the dog water, take all the cups out of the drawer again & again, climb on to EVERYTHING (she's had quite a few bumps & bruises), play with the dogs, color on things, and put things in her mouth. Oaklyn is lacking in the hair department at the moment, but it looks like it will be blonde and it is CURLY in the back! We love that & pray she keeps it! She also looks like she's going to have green eyes - they are so pretty :) Oaklyn can point to many body parts and she loves cuddles and kisses. She still does the scrunchy-nose smile that we all can't get enough of. She has started to be picky about eating, but if you put grapes or pancakes or a sucker in front of her, watch out! She wants them - and fast!!