(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:
*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.
*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:
*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 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.
*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 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.
*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.
*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 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. *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!
*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!
