Merry Christmas & Happy New Year (if this ever gets out). I can’t remember when I last wrote a Christmas letter…maybe you do! I figure the least I can do is to let you know we moved, again.
So, you have noticed the address was from Eastvale, California! A place that was never really on my “places to live before I die” list, but it seems to be working out. We are actually 30min from Disneyland, 45 from the beach (or so), 1.5 hrs from San Diego, 4 hrs from Vegas and an hour inland from Los Angeles – the Inland Empire. You may have seen our airport – Ontario – in “Catch Me if You Can”? It is a good place to fly in if you are visiting! Quite convenient, small…
Our Baltimore/East Coast bucket list seems to get longer all the time….We did visit the beach in March for Spring break – Ocean City, Chincoteague, and Virginia Beach – in the rain. We miss NYC, DC, the green trees and hills, snow days (soon), friends…the list goes on and on.
All is well. Jeff took an opportunity in March to be a controller for a company Black & Decker bought that makes bolts for the aerospace industry. Then Stanley bought B & D. Keep buying B & D and Stanley products to support the family! He really likes the machine shop and the business. The commute can be long and he misses the boys. Me too, I suppose. He isn’t enjoying putting in the yard or repainting the house, but is glad to have one. “He is old, fat, ugly and tired” or so he says.
We were able to buy a house and move the family out (after a wonderful, brief stop in Utah) in May. Jaren finished 8th grade in Utah, then moved out here to make friends at the ward’s scout troop High Adventure trip to Beaver, UT! He did have a good time, but missed football 2 a days and the opportunity for more opportunity. He was placed as a slot receiver on the freshman squad. He flew back to Baltimore (missing 10 additional days of practice) to go with a troop to the 2010 National Scout Jamboree. That was FUN! He did register for school and start in August at Eleanor Roosevelt High. He is doing well there, keeping up his excellent grades despite football. He played a bit and is deciding whether to remain on the meat squad for next year (no soph team) or to quit. Coach says he has good hands. He hopes to play golf in the spring. He misses orchestra, but continues to play violin and has really improved on the piano. He is usually a pleasure to have around, even as a teenager.
James will be 5 in January and start school in the summer/fall. They are in year round school here and may start as early as June or as late as September. He is in preschool with 7 other kids from church rotating from house to house. He enjoys the social time. He was the “star” of the primary program this year, or so most everyone says. He sang like a champ! He is an active boy continually in mischief when not playing legos or dressing up in his Luke Skywalker outfit (tan shorts and white T). He likes to play in the dirt outside, often bringing it inside. He loves his brothers and is often too busy to slow down. He is constantly in motion – or else he would fall asleep!
Jacob is 15 months and running the house, literally. He seems to be really good natured and loves James. They will be quite the pair in another year. This year as you might expect has been full of first foods, first teeth, first steps, etc. Only a few more teeth and we’ll all sleep through the night! Nothing is better than a snuggle and a hug from Jacob after a good night’s rest! He is good to play in his crib until Mom is ready to face the day. Often he and James are in the crib together for a bit in the morning.
I (Tara) am trying to keep up with it all. That is enough challenge for me. I forgot how much it takes to keep a large home clean with growing children and a dog and failed to realize what having kids ranging from 15 yrs to 15 months really means. I occasionally delve into my genealogy; I’ve almost finished the cross stitch I started during conference in Texas and I sometimes look at my blog, until I am interrupted or surface to fix dinner. Jaren says I am awesome (what does that really mean?). He probably wants a ride home tomorrow! Somehow there isn’t enough time and I am always tired, and it is time to start it all over again.
We have had a few visitors already and hope to have more. You are welcome to stop in when you come this way. We have room for all and have hardly had time to see anything, so whatever you want to do will be new to us as well. We aren’t ready to be tour guides yet. Maybe next year?
We hope this finds you well and that we get a return note or photo of you and yours as we realize how much you have all influenced our lives. Thank you for being our friends and family, especially when we have been away from “home”. Merry Christmas! Be of good cheer and of “a good courage”.
Love,
Jeff, Tara, Jaren, James, & Jacob
The Passey’s
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| California Christmas Eve in bare feet and shorts |
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| Our Dec 27 View in Joshua Tree with the Bates Family |
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| The Passey's and Isaac Seymore |
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