Annual (or whenever I get around to it) Christmas Letter

Dear Friends and Family,


It's been another big year for the Stone family. For those who missed last years update, don't worry, I didn't do it. We moved into a new home in April 2010, and so the last 18 months have been full of yardwork, decorating, and correcting builder errors (like NO insulation over the master suite). We were finally able to finish the front and side yard this year, yay!!

Now we get to move on to the back yard, but first we have to finish the basement before spring, but more on that later. We have enjoyed our new home, and love the area. It's only 5 miles from our old house, but seems so much more removed. We have a constant stream of wildlife visitors, pheasant, quail, deer, squirrels... Some are more welcome than others, but I have been feeding some cats that seem to have adopted us. They do help keep the rodent population down.


We didn't have much free time this year, but the girls, their husbands and I were able to visit Disneyland in May to celebrate Jayme's graduation from UVU. It was Adam's first time, and the first time that Jordyn could remember, so we had lots of fun. It was also good to be able to spend some time with Cassidy and get to know him better.




Speaking of Jayme, she's had HUGE changes this year. As I said, she graduated from Utah Valley University with a degree in Integrated Studies, emphasizing on dance and english, her two passions. In July, she married her best friend, Cassidy Swallow, and they moved to Cedar city for Cassidy to finish his degree in Political Science. We are thrilled for them, and pleased as can be to have Cassidy join our family. They were married in the Salt Lake Temple, and were able to take a short vacation in Park City and St. George before settling back into reality. Jayme is working as a special ed aide at the Middle School in Cedar, as well as teaching dance at a local studio. Cassidy is working for the housing department at SUU while attending school there.


Jennifer and Adam continue to live in wedded bliss in our old home in Provo. They have both been working full time and going to school full time, so they keep pretty busy. Quite often when they come for Sunday dinner, all we see is Adam behind his computer screen, trying to finish his homework. Adam is studying Chemical Engineering, and was recently able to get an internship with DOW Chemical. They will be starting their rotation in January by moving to Marlborough, Massachusetts for one semester. They will then be coming back home for Spring/Summer semester. Since it would be hard for them to find an apartment for just the summer, and silly to pay for one they weren't using, they will be living with us for the semesters they are here, thus the need to finish the basement by spring. They will do every-other semester for three rotations, going a different place each time. I'm only a little (a LOT) jealous of the opportunities they will have to travel and visit so many places, but very excited for them.


Michael left in August 2010 to serve a full-time mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in the Cleveland, Ohio mission. He is doing great, he loves the work, and loves the people. We have seen much growth in him spiritually and as a person. We are very proud of him, and pleased that he is doing so well.

Ammon is a Sophomore at Maple Mountain High School this year, and will be 16 on the 27th of this month. He is a great kid most of the time, and very involved in social as well as athletic pursuits. He can't wait to get his drivers license, but Dennis and I aren't so sure. He's already wrecked my new (to me) van, on the first day we had it no less, and some of his friends were in a more serious accident. Hopefully that has sobered him to the fact that driving is a serious thing with serious consequences. After wrestling for the high school as a freshman weighing 189, and qualifying for and winning a match at the state tournament, he kept wrestling during the team season. For the first time, he attended a regional wrestling tournament in Pocatello, Idaho this summer and was able to place 2nd in freestyle and 3rd in greco.

He worked hard all summer lifting weights and going to football practice. He played on both the JV and sophomore teams this year, and did really well both defensively as a linebacker, and offensively as fullback. That is, until he tore his quadricep, and was out for a couple of weeks. He was able to come back strong though, and even scored a touchdown in his last game.





He is full swing into High School wrestling now, and looking forward to a great season.

Matthew graduated from 6th grade this past year, and is loving being at the junior high. He has made lots of new friends, and is trying lots of new things.

He played basketball last winter, and did quite well. After all, he does stand head and shoulders above all of the other kids.

He played soccer this fall, and had a fun time, even if his team was pretty pitiful. Sometimes it isn't about winning and losing, sometimes you just have to have fun.

This year, Matthew decided that he wanted to give wrestling a try. He's done really well, and we are proud of him for trying something hard and sticking with it. He's learned a lot, and I can see a change in him from this experience.

Matthew still plays the piano, when I make him, and is taking band class in school this year. He's been able to play the piano as well as learn several different percussion instruments.

Jordyn is six, and in the first grade. Woo-hoo! Freedom for mommy!! Shhh, don't tell her I said that! She loves everything. She loves school, her teacher, and her friends. Jordyn is taking dance class and doing super well, she loves that too!

In the spring, she decided she wanted to cut her hair, so we went with a cute a-line, and she was able to donate her hair to locks of love.

Jordyn also played probably her last season of soccer. She had fun, but just kind of followed the pack around, and didn't really understand what it was she was supposed to be doing. I think we'll stick with dance.

Dennis and I are doing great. Dennis is still corporate counsel for DTI and Liberty Press, and I am fortunate enough to stay home. I have been teaching the 3 year olds in primary for the past year and a half, but was recently released and called to work as humanitarian/compassionate service leader in the Relief Society. Dennis has been working with the young men, but will be getting a change in the next week or so. Our greatest joy is having our family around, we love spending time with them, and seeing the lives they are making for themselves.

At this Christmas season, we are grateful for all of our many blessings, especially for the blessing of our Savior, Jesus Christ. We wish everyone a wonderful holiday season, may you all find the peace and happiness you deserve in your lives. We are grateful for having you in our lives, and hope you know how much we love and appreciate you.

Love always,
Dennis, Beth, and family

Another Year, Another Stocking!

As you all know, I have continued my mother's tradition of making felt embroidered, stuffed and sequined stockings for our family. Last year I was relieved to finish Adam's on time. This year, you'd think I'd have learned and started Cassidy's earlier, but no. It's finally finished and we now have a collection of 10 stockings hanging above our fireplace. Wonder how many I'll need to make next year???

Giving Thanks

Where do I even begin? I have so many things to be thankful for, it would be impossible to list them all, but I will give it a shot. I was blessed to be born into a family with wonderful parents, who loved me and raised me well. We didn't have much in the way of material things, but I always felt safe, secure and loved. They also blessed me with the gospel of Jesus Christ, and I am forever grateful for that strong foundation they gave me. I am grateful for my savior, for his sacrifice, and for my membership in His church.

I was blessed with a terrific man, who loves me despite all of my weaknesses and faults, and is a wonderful husband to me, and father to our children. I am so grateful for all of my children, and the joy they bring into my life. I am thankful for the good choices they have made, and for the people they are. Each one of my children is a special blessing, and I am so grateful for each and every one of them. My blessings have only increased as my daughters have both chosen wonderful men of their own. I am so thankful that they have both found men who are faithful, honorable priesthood holders, who cherish my girls and love them so much. All of our lives are better because they have become part of our family.

I am grateful for the freedoms we have in this land, and for the men and women who have sacrificed to ensure those freedoms. I am grateful for the privilege I have to exercise those freedoms, to worship freely, to share my thoughts and feelings freely, and to state my opinions without fear. I am thankful for my home, and for all that is in it. Not the physical "things" so much, but the safety, security and peace we have here.

I am grateful for extended family, most especially my brother and his children, my dad, my nieces and nephews, aunts, uncles and cousins. No less important are those who have gone before. I am so thankful for all those who are no longer with us, and for the influence they have had on my life. My grandparents and my mom, most of all, and I can't wait to be with them again. All have a special place in my heart, and I am thankful to have them in my life. I cherish the memories we share, old and new, and look forward to many, many more. I am glad to re-connect with some extended family we have lost contact with through the years, and love being able to share our lives again. Our families are our most important gift that has been given to us, and I love and appreciate mine.

I have been blessed with a few choice, special friends, and for that I will be eternally grateful. They have been with me during hard times, and during good times, and I love them like sisters! We have close, family friends, and they have provided extended family for us, when ours haven't been around.

I'm sure I have missed so many things, but on this day of Thanksgiving, I had to at least try to express my immense gratitude for all that the Lord has blessed me with, even when I don't deserve it. I'm glad to know that He loves and protects me, and that He will never leave me alone. Happy Thanksgiving!!

We Went to Cedar City or National Lampoon's Stone Family Vacation

Our family doesn't have a very good track record with vacations, it seems something always goes wrong, and this time was no different. It was fall break, and the kids had a couple of days off of school, so we decided it would be fun to go down to Cedar City and spend some time with Jayme and Cassidy. We decided to take the Astro van, which we've had for 10 years and 100,000+ miles, so the kids wouldn't be too crowded in the Cruiser. Well, we left as planned, and as we hit the freeway, it was stop and go traffic for an hour and a half. When we finally started moving, we noticed that the engine was running hot. So, we turned of the air and turned on the heater, still running hot. We pulled off in Fillmore and Dennis decided it was the thermostat. He wanted to turn around, but since we were already halfway there, I convinced him to go the rest of the way and fix it there.

Thursday afternoon we hung out with Jayme, went to dinner and went swimming at our hotel. Friday we decided to stay close because Cassidy had classes and couldn't do anything with us. First we went to the Iron Mission State Park and Museum. It was kind of interesting, with lots of displays from the early settlers. Then we went to a park and played, and then we went to see Footloose. I loved it!! Caution: the preacher's daughter is much more skanky in this version -- may not be appropriate for small children. After the movie, we went back to Jayme's and played Just Dance. When Cassidy was done with his stuff, we went to dinner, and swimming again.

Saturday we were going to go down to St. George and Snow Canyon to hike in the lava tubes. Dennis got up early to replace the thermostat on the car. Unfortunately he discovered water in the oil. He replaced the thermostat, filled the radiator, and had the oil changed. We decided it would be best to head straight for home. The car was running great and stayed cool until we stopped in Fillmore for lunch. After that, it started getting hot again. We pulled over and put in more coolant, but it stayed super hot. Finally we decided we weren't going to make it home. Good thing, as we pulled off the freeway in Nephi, the car seized up and we coasted into a parking lot, where we left her. Scott came to rescue us, and we made a donation to Kidney Kars.

It was great to get away for a couple of days, even if it wasn't exactly what we had planned. I love spending time with my family, and we don't get to see enough of Jayme and Cassidy, so that was wonderful! Unfortunately, now we are in the market for a new family car.

Ammon Football

Ammon started out having a great year playing football. He played a lot of Junior Varsity, and a fair amount of sophomore ball. There were lots of weeks that he played most of both games. He was playing linebacker and fullback, and doing well at both. He had several tackles each week, and quite often had a couple of good carries. Everything was going great until the Timpview game. In this play, he pulled the other kid onto his knee and tore part of his quadricept muscle.


Fortunately, one of his team mates has a dad who is an orthopedic surgeon, and he was at the game. He was kind enough to come look at it, and was concerned with the large amount of swelling in his knee. He sent us to his office the next morning for an x-ray, and then an MRI. Lucky for us it wasn't severe enough to require surgery, but this is what it looked like.







After two weeks of intensive physical therapy, he was able to go back to practice and played the rest of the season. After his break, he decided he would rather just play sophomore, so he didn't really play much JV after that. He finished the season with a touchdown in his last game. Yay!!

Matthew Soccer

Matthew had a fun year playing soccer, but it was a little challenging for him. First of all, there weren't enough coaches (are there ever?), so his was a dad who knew nothing about soccer. He asked for help, and even though there were other parents who knew something about the game, they wouldn't step up. I'm not faulting the coach, at least he tried, but it was disappointing to have a season where he learned nothing at all. Then, there were only four teams in Mapleton this year, so they played each other over and over again, that was fun. All in all, I think he had a good time, and he played pretty well, scoring in most of his games. Matthew doesn't think he is ready for club soccer, so maybe we'll go back to SF next year, I just don't know what to do exactly. At least it was fun, and he did well, right?

Jordyn Soccer

This year was Jordyn's second, and likely last year playing soccer. She had a lot of fun, but well.... When you have a co-ed team with mostly boys, guess who never gets the ball? There is a reason that little kid soccer is called "gather ball", it is because they all swarm around the ball and try to kick it at the same time. Not Jordyn. The mob of kids would all be running together, trying to kick the ball, and then about 10 yards behind them would be Jordyn, trotting along. She never even knew where the ball was, she would be following the crowd! Then, when she did get the ball, it was inevitably taken from her by one of her own team mates. Her coach tried really hard to actually teach them something about the game, but it just wasn't sinking in. I think we'll stick with dance. :)

Family Reunion in Arizona

Over Labor Day Weekend I was able to fly to Arizona to visit with some of my cousins and family there. First I went to visit with my Aunt Evelyn and Uncle Bob. Things have always been a little strained between Aunt Evelyn and the rest of the family, but my mom always tried to keep communication open with her, so I felt like I really needed to try and visit with her. I was pleased that she was willing to let me come and see her. I was hoping to be able to see her kids that still live in Mesa, but they weren't able to be there. We had a really good visit, and it was fun to see them and catch up. The thing that shocked me the most was how much she looked like my Grandma, it made my cry to look at her and think about Grandma.



I don't know why I didn't take more pictures, I guess I was just too busy visiting and enjoying the visit. I spent a lot of time with Carolyn, Craig and Kristin and their families. It was such a good weekend for me. Uncle Paul and Aunt Dema were there on Saturday night, and we had a ball listening to their stories. I only wish more of the family had been able to be there.

On Sunday, we drove by my Grandma and Grandpa's house in Mesa. I loved that house as a kid and have so many memories there. The house had a central vac, and we loved talking to each other through the tubes. The only room in the house with cooling was the family room with it's swamp cooler, so that's where the adults congregated. We kids loved Grandpa's enclosed patio in back. We would shut the doors and have our own world back there. It's a good thing we were good kids, the adults never even checked on us, we could have been up to all sorts of mischief and they never would have known. We'd play truth or dare or charades, we loved playing in Grandpa's huge shed in the enormous backyard. We'd climb the giant tree and play hide and go seek, we'd even climb the fence into the alley which was strictly forbidden. In my child's mind, everything was so much bigger than it is now. We'd go in and take the empty coke bottles from the grown ups and take them to the Circle K on the corner to trade them in for penny candy, but we were never allowed any coke of our own. It was a little sad to go see the house, I almost wish I hadn't. The neighborhood has really deteriorated, the tree in the backyard is gone, as well as the shed. The yard is much, much smaller than I remember, and the Circle K is gone, not to mention the fact that it wouldn't be safe to let kids walk down the street alone anymore. Maybe I should have just left my memories alone. At least there's still a pick up truck in the carport, we loved to play in the back of Grandpa's truck too. I guess it's true when they say you can never go back.



Next year, we're having the reunion at my house, hopefully I won't be the only one here! :)

Jordyn's Stitches

My poor baby!! In only the second week of school, on the day before school pictures, Jordyn fell and split her lip open at school. Four stitches, two fat lips and a skinned chin later, she was sitting at home with an ice pack on her face. I guess she was in the classroom before school started when she fell. The teacher was outside, so Jordyn just got a wet tissue and held it on her lip. The principal came in and found her and took her to the nurse who called us to come and get her. When I got there, she was just sitting in the nurses office with a book and wet towel on her face. We went to the insta care for stitches and came home for the rest of the day. Jordyn was so brave, I was so proud of her! She never cried and didn't even whimper while she got her stitches. Good thing kids heal fast!

Sod, Finally!!

After nearly a year and a half, we finally have sod in the front yard!! It's been lots of work, and taken much, much longer than we ever thought it would, but it looks great!! Here's my dad, supervising the work crew, doesn't he look great?



Scott, Scout and Bella came to help, and two of Ammon's friends stayed over the night before just so they could help us. I am so glad we had so much help, it made the job go much faster.




Now all we need to do is finish planting the hillside with shrubs, bark that area, build the sand volleyball court, put in the stepping stones and pathway down the hill, add on to the patio, build a block planter, refinish the deck floor, add a staircase down from the deck, plant trees along the back property line, put in the rest of the sprinklers, finish planting the "forest", concrete the pathway from the driveway to the patio and fire pit, put in the fire pit, plant more shrubs, bark that area, put in the basketball hoop and garden archways/gates, and grass the back yard, then we'll be done. Thank goodness we aren't still trying to have a wedding here! Maybe by the time Michael gets home next summer? Tell me why I thought an acre was a good idea?? It will be worth it in the end, and if the front is any indication, it will look great when it's done!! Love it!

The Wedding Reception

The reception hall had been booked and paid for, but we were a little nervous as to what we were getting. The owner/manager was not the best communicator/business person to deal with, but we were getting a bargain. Fortunately for me, my good friends arrived before I did, and were getting things handled. The tablecloths were on the tables, but several of them were stained. The serving table skirt had chocolate dripped on it from a chocolate fountain, and the floor was filthy. None of the serving pieces I had asked for were out, so we had to scrounge in the kitchen and back room for them. We also had to wash them all before they could be used. Apparently all we had rented was the hall, tables, chairs and linens. The owner was under the impression that we were doing everything else ourselves, and she was doing us a favor by 'letting' us use her dishes. Thank goodness for friends that had my back! Wedding days are stressful and emotional enough without adding any unnecessary drama!! In fairness, the owner did fix the problems and make things right, and by the time we returned for the reception, everything was beautiful.

The guest book table

The food table. We kept it simple, chocolate covered strawberries, cupcakes, and dole whip! The dole whip was definitely the biggest hit!

Centerpieces

Who are these good looking guys?

Practicing with the bubbles for the big send off!

In the end it was a beautiful evening. We felt loved and supported by our family and some of our dearest friends. We couldn't have done it without their help. We ended the festivities with the traditional things: cutting the cake, throwing the bouquet and garter, father/daughter, mother/son dance, and the couples first dance. Then they left through an archway of bubbles to begin their "happily ever after."

As a mom, it's hard to turn your daughters over to someone else to take care of. As any parent, it's hard to let your children go. I feel so fortunate and blessed that both of my daughters have chosen such wonderful men as their eternal mates. Even though it's hard for me, I know that they have wonderful lives ahead of them, and that all of our lives will be blessed by the choices they have made. We are glad to have Cassidy join our family and know that we have many more special times ahead of us. This is only the beginning for their family, and we look forward to see what great things the future will bring!