This year KC has been our rock! Normally I just call him a tree trunk, but this year he has been promoted to "rock" ;) In February, he broke his leg, tore all his tendons, and the mesh of tendons that keep the tibia and fibia together. It was a LONG recovery process, but he's finally back to work and has been working long long long hours to make up for lost time. He's now the Mormon Doctrine Teacher, which keeps him on his toes, but I think he's up for the challenge :) What little spare time he has is spent hanging out with the kiddos and supporting us in all of our massive number of activities going on around here.
As mother, I seem to be the glue that holds the family together. I'm busy running the kids to and from school, numerous therapies and doctors appointments, transporting Elisha to all of her athletic stuff, doing all the domestic stuff, helping my sister to run her business, helping my parents with their business, and a bazillion other projects that seem to pop-up when you have 6 active people at home. My goal for 2012 is to go to bed before 2 a.m. each night. I had a moment of insanity towards the end of the year and told our bishop that I thought Jacob was healthy enough for me to take on a job at church. Luckily they saw through my insanity and now I'm teaching Sunbeams (3-year-olds) with Jacob in tow terrorizing those poor little kids every step of the way. Church has never been so exciting. Luckily I bring snacks :)
Elisha is in "Beast" mode. This year she became a Sophomore, turned 16, started driving, started her 2nd year in Varsity Volleyball and broke her foot in the 3rd game. But of course, being Elisha, she didn't let that stop her. As her team was practicing each day for 2 hours, she was either in the weight room lifting or in a corner perfecting some of her skills preparing for the day she could play again. She missed the season but gained massive amounts of strength and skill as well. She's now playing club volleyball and the track coaches are salivating over her. Last summer she qualified for Nationals in the Junior Olympics in discus, but we weren't able to go due to time (we had a week's notice) and finances (babies with holes in their heart are expensive!). This year she plans on going and competing. And, based on the numbers put up from last year, she will be an earnest contender to win Nationals this year. Needless to say, some of the local colleges (WSU, ISU, and EWU) have already begun to show interest. So these next couple of years should be interesting with her.
Nathan turned 12 this year and immediately became a pre-teen. He now passes the sacrament at church and looks very dapper in his first real suit. He also looks like the spitting image of his FATHER!! He took a year off of sports to nurse his foot after surgery to lengthen his Achilles tendon and re-construct the arch in his foot. So, to fill the time he took up reading which he has devoured!! He goes through about 3-4 books (big ones - 500 - 700 pages each!) per week, and we just can't keep him stocked with books! He's already as tall as his mother and stands almost a full head above everyone in his grade. He's hoping to be able to play on the Church Basketball team this winter, and test his skills at basketball and football next year. I have a feeling the coaches will be very happy when they see HIM show up to practice!
Courtney is our little gladiator/roller-derby/princess. You will either see her twirling around in a pretty dress, buck naked, or in various stages of undress - and often all three of those several times over the course of an hour. Like her older brother, she stands several inches taller than her 2-year-old counterparts. She loves singing along to the radio, watching Beauty and the Beast, Megamind, or any number of movies, climbing things like chairs, tables, counters, shelving, etc. and listening to her family gasp and scream as she teeters precariously over the edge. She's definitely a daredevil and I have a feeling that 2012 will be no different. She certainly keeps a day from being boring! But with a smile like hers how can you not love her?
As a whole, it looks like our family has successfully learned to navigate all of the crazy obstacles and potholes life could throw at us. We're looking forward to 2012 and all of the adventures it will bring with it.
We love you all and have appreciated all of the support you have given us in thought, prayer, service, notes, and so much more! We have truly been blessed with an amazing group of friends, family, co-workers, and support system. We would never have been able to do it without all of you.
We hope that last year was a good one for each of you and that this year brings you much peace and joy.
Very sincerely,
The Allreds
Sue, once again thanks for the update. Wow, your kids are getting so big. I had to do a double take with Nathan's picture. That is seriously your 12 year old (which makes me feel really old that he is 12. Can't believe it). Here's hoping your 2012 is a good one.
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