Christmas Letter 2003

Happy Holidays from Our Family to Yours

The biggest news of the year has to be our move from Missouri to Minnesota. Gary received a great job transfer offer (still with 3M), and it was too good to pass up. So... telling him once again that I must REALLY love him, we packed up and moved north in July of this year. We found a house in White Bear Township, where 80% of the homes have a white bear statue somewhere on the front lawn. In New Ulm it was gnomes; here, it’s bears. Must be a Minnesota thing. The previous owner took the bear that was on the lawn of our house when he moved. If he had left it behind, I was planning on taking black paint and turning it into a panda. Sarah would have loved that.

Six Year Old Sarah
likes:

• playing computer games
• Sesame Street beanie babies
• riding in Daddy’s truck
• pandas
• taking a bath
• homework (that will change!)
• spinning on her Sit ‘n Spin
• making (subtle) jokes

dislikes:

• Madilyn’s tantrums (don’t we all)
• friends so far away
• answering any question that includes the word “why?”

Bottom line: She’s made great progress in the last year! Moving was hard (for all of us), but she’s bouncing back.

Two Year Old Madilyn
likes:

• growing taller (wears size 4T already)
• using the word NO
• talking continuously
• jumping
• Spongebob Squarepants (don’t ask)
• playing with her friend Molly
• Dragon Tales
• randomly screaming
• smiling all the time

dislikes:

• being told what to do
• sharing
• sleeping in her own bed

Bottom line: completely normal (adorable) 2 year old – something we’re not used to!! Because we’re the P---, there’s always a home improvement project (or two, or three) underway, but don’t let the construction stop you… we love to have visitors! Our doors are always open, and no one has to work if they don’t want to. Honest!

Wishing you peace, joy, and love in the coming year. We miss you!

Christmas Letter 2002

(note: this year's letter was written by Gary)

We hope this letter finds all of our family and friends happy and healthy as we begin a new year.

The focus of this year was to get Sarah ready for Kindergarten. Sarah is 5 1/2, and started school this fall in Mrs. K's kindergarten class. Her school preparation was a little different from most kids... in addition to the standard series of required shots and check-ups, Sarah added a few extra doctors. She visited a new cardiologist who confirmed that her heart is full of love and is just fine the way it is. We were so relieved to find that heart surgery was not on the agenda this year. Sarah didn't completely escape the hospital ... she had one surgery to correct her strabismus (drifting eye) and another to reduce her drooling. Both were a great success. Hopefully next year will be a piece of cake without all the medical issues. Sarah has really made great progress in all her therapies and school during 2002... we're so proud of her!

Our daughter Madilyn, newest addition to the P--- family, has been growing like a weed. She turned one in August and has remained on the top of the growth chart all year. She is at about the 95th percentile in every category… she may be big, but at least she’s well proportioned! At sixteen months she wears size 2T; at this rate she’ll be sharing clothes with Sarah within a year! She has recently learned how to walk and has decided that when she walks, she'll do it her way. No more hand-holding for her! Where as Sarah likes to snuggle, Madilyn just smiles at you and keeps moving. Her favorite pastime when forced to sit still in church is to go fishing for smiles. It’s easy to tell when she gets a bite (someone smiling back) because her smile gets even bigger… which we didn’t think was possible.

Laura's had some new responsibilities this year… in addition to mommy duty and chauffeuring, she’s been handling some referee responsibilities as Sarah and Madilyn learn to live together. Sarah seems to (understandably) resent the intrusion, and won’t willingly be in the same room with her sister...and Madilyn won’t let Mommy out of her sight. We hope this is a short term problem… but it’s made the last 16 months rather tough! In order to have a legitimate reason for spending time on the computer, she’s a volunteer for Chromosome Deletion Outreach, a web-based support group for parents of children with rare chromosome disorders. She answers e-mail inquiries from around the world. She also attempted to expand pg ink, her small craft business, but later decided to discontinue it while the girls are young. Right now, they need her more than the craft world does! Laura has also been working the last half of the year as a leader in our church’s young women organization. She works with the 14-15 year olds… and is getting quite an education in teenage psychology.

My year has been a year full of travel. Unfortunately, most of it has been to Minneapolis, MN or Austin TX... nothing exotic. I’ve also been doing a lot of local travelling as a function of my church calling, which has me speaking in different church units around mid-Missouri every month. I must admit that even though my ability to speak in front of an audience has improved, my ability to write an enlightening speech still stinks! This summer I was on a quest to develop the perfect salsa. We (again) had far more tomatoes than we could pawn off on friends and neighbors, so we took up salsa-making. After meticulous refinement, I’ve learned that the secret is in the cilantro. Looks like the beginnings of a “secret family recipe” to me… I took the opportunity again this year to travel to Utah for the deer hunt. We saw lots of deer, but nothing that we could shoot at. Even though I came home empty handed, I had fun spending time with my family.

Overall, it’s been a year of learning and growing, and we’re so grateful for all that we have… especially the love and support of our family and friends. Merry Christmas to every one of you.

Wishing You Peace, Love, and Happiness...

Christmas Letter 2000

Sarah SpotlightSarah is 3 3/4 years old this Christmas! She's 39" tall, weighs about 30 lbs., and is just a happy little camper.

Health-wise, Sarah is great. She's running, learning to jump on the trampoline, and once a year takes therapeutic horseback riding. She's talking a lot more, and we have come to learn that she understands far more than she lets on...

After a rocky start, Sarah has decided that she loves preschool. It's 4 days a week, and she rides the bus. It's a reverse-mainstreaming program, that has both special needs kids as well as peer models. She is making incredible progress - this year, Sarah's biggest accomplishment is probably her improvement in social skills. She is making eye contact, can be around other kids without crying, attends Nursery without one of us there, and is learning to be sensitive to others. She's finally decided that giving kisses is OK, and so if you ask, she'll slobber one on you. (We love it.)

We were actually relieved when Sarah was diagnosed as PDD-NOS (an autism spectrum disorder) this fall. It means that she qualifies for programs both in the school and here in the community, and so we'll finally be able to get the help and support we need to deal with some of her unusual behaviors. We're currently signed up for a 3 week autism training course - 8 hours a day, 5 days a week for the whole family. It should be a great help. If you're interested in learning more about autism/PDD, check out this website.

Daddy's Doings
Daddy earned himself a new nickname on the Utah deer hunt this October. Seems the men had just stopped the Jeep at a new spot when Gary spotted a buck. He jumped out, positioned himself for the shot, released the gun's safety, pulled the trigger, and ...click. Apparently, guns are more effective with a shell in the chamber. No buck, and now his CB handle is "Click".

Gary's still with 3M and he still travels... when he's home, he's busy with his church calling as Executive Secretary to the Bishop, or finishing the basement with whichever visiting relative he roped into service. If the visitors keep coming, he should have it finished soon!!

Once again, Gary led the P--- Packing Company into uncharted waters with the introduction of jams to round out the product line. This year saw the debut of strawberry, blueberry, blueberry lime, and peach jam. The blueberry had to be re-marketed as "topping", since it was a little too soupy to qualify as "jam", but it cleared our shelves quickly anyway! All in all, a good year for gardening and canning.

Mommy's Meanderings
I've had lots of opportunities to improve my computer skills... I was called as the Relief Society secretary at church, and I publish the weekly bulletin as well as the annual handbook. Starting next year, we'll be publishing online at www.squeakertimes.com. At this point, my web publishing experience is ZERO, so I guess I better learn fast! Visit our site anytime, but don't expect much until February or later. Maybe by then I'll have things figured out. I hope.

This year I bought a Handspring Visor (handheld organizer). It's great at letting me organize all the data that seems to clutter my life. I even persuaded my sister to do the same. Now I can't live without it.

I did some "crafty" things this year, and completed a baby quilt (with help from my mom & sister), diaper stacker, and dust ruffle. Hopefully I'll finish the crib bumper before my newborn nephew turns two...! I also did some personal and household redecorating (new haircut / painting our room & bathroom). Next year, the basement!

Family FoiblesTravels this year included Michigan and Utah (no surprise). In February, Sarah stayed with Grandma & Grandpa K--- and Mom accompanied Dad on a business trip to Vermont. It was a great get-away.

This Christmas, Sarah and I volunteered for a shift as Salvation Army bell ringers at a local grocery. Sarah lasted the first hour, and I finished out the final hour alone. I must admit, donations were MUCH higher when she was ringing the bell!

Merry Christmas to all!
Gary, Laura, and Sarah

Christmas Letter 1999

Merry Christmas from the P---!

We hope this letter finds all of our family and friends happy and healthy as we end the millennium.

The most wonderful thing about 1999 was that it was a lot like 1998. We didn’t move, Gary didn’t change jobs, no new kids, etc., etc. A wonderfully stable year.

Sarah is 2 ½ and doing well – she’s happy and there are no major health problems. She continues to charm (and ultimately manipulate) her parents, grandparents, doctors, and therapists. Everyone is very pleased with the progress that she’s made in the last year. She’s walking now without the aid of braces. The concept of language seemed to just “click” at the beginning of the year, and she began to understand when we spoke to her. Recently she’s begun to be able to express her own ideas in two or three word sentences, and things are really getting interesting. Oh what goes on between those two cute ears! Sarah will probably remember ‘99 as the year she started horseback riding. There’s a wonderful therapeutic riding center here, and believe it or not, 2 year olds on horses is not unusual! Sarah LOVED it. Her horse’s name was “Moonshine”.

Gary and I are doing fine. Gary is really happy at his job; it’s a great mix of office work and travel. I’m doing well with my job as “mom the taxi” for all of Sarah’s therapies, but I’m strongly lobbying for a minivan!

We didn’t seem to find much time for hobbies this year, but we did have a big garden. Our “P--- Pickle Company” continues to gain fame amongst family and friends… so much so that we’re planning on doubling the cucumber planting in 2000! This year we added salsa to our list of canned products. We’ve received so many generous donations of canning jars that we actually could go into production (if we had the time!) but for now it’s just fun to make pickles, tomatoes, chili sauce, and salsa to keep and to share.

We’re looking forward to another wonderfully stable year in 2000… but who knows what the future holds? Merry Christmas and Happy 2000!

Christmas Letter 1998

Happy Holidays from the P---!
1998 has been quite a year at the P--- household! Sarah, travelling, and settling into our house (landscaping) have all kept us very busy!

February --, Sarah turned one. We had a small celebration, and she enjoyed her cake, as you can see from the photo! Sarah’s second year has been a busy one - in April, genetic testing revealed what we already knew – that our daughter is one in a billion! She has an extremely rare chromosome abnormality (“2Q35 deletion with material of unknown origin” – not very catchy). This is the reason for her low muscle tone and delays in development. Sarah has a wide following of doctors and therapists who find her irresistible. She attends several types of therapy sessions each week, which keeps MOM THE TAXI very busy. Sarah hasn’t realized that she’s working; she just thinks she’s the center of attention and everyone wants to play with her! She is making wonderful progress, and keeps the therapists busy writing new goals for her. She’s cruising around, and getting more confident every day. Mom is just trying to keep up with her!

Sarah (and her parents) certainly hasn’t suffered a lack of attention in 98. In March, Grandma and Grandpa K--- visited. In April, Nana P--- stopped in. In May, we took our first family vacation – an overnight trip to Nauvoo, IL where they have a restored Mormon pioneer settlement. In June, Sarah experienced the great outdoors in her first campout. She was a little confused – the tent seemed like a place to play, not a place to sleep! July was very busy – Gary spent most of the month on a business trip to Singapore, overseeing the installation of equipment in a new 3M plant. My sister Karen and her husband Bob came to visit while Gary was away, and Sarah and I drove back to Michigan with them. In August, we went to Utah to see the P---, for a mid-August day at the Pineview Reservoir, and some more grandparent spoiling. In September, Gary returned to Singapore for 3 weeks, and near the end of the month,
Sarah and I joined Grandma and Grandpa K--- at their timeshare condo in Hilton Head, SC. Over Thanksgiving, Sarah and I went back to Michigan to cheer up Great Grandma G---; Gary stayed home and laid sod in the backyard – all by himself! This Christmas we head to Michigan.

When we were not travelling, we were trying to finish our backyard. When the year started, we had nothing but dirt… and now, a sprinkler system, 17 pallets of sod, 3 garden boxes, 3 landscape beds, and 22 trees later… we have a YARD. Lots of work, but definitely worth it. It looks GREAT.

Gary continues to enjoy his job at 3M, especially the travelling. I’m doing well, grateful that I’m able to be home with Sarah. My old job at 3M was a piece of cake compared to this one, though! In our “spare” time, we’ve been busy with church. Gary is the Young Men’s president, and is responsible for all of the youth activities. I’m the Activities Committee Chair, so I organize and plan all of the church socials. Our callings have been a wonderful way to get involved and meet people. We’ve made some really good friends, and really feel like a part of the community here.

In summary, 98 was a great year, filled with family, friends, and LOTS of new experiences. We’re looking forward to 99!

Christmas Letter 1996

Greetings and Merry Christmas from the P--- Family!

This year has been a year of settling in. We moved into our new home last December, and since then we've worked on putting in our landscaping and driveway. It's starting to look like a home!

We have another project under construction this year - we're expanding our family. Laura is due in March. The clinic has a policy of not telling the parents whether it is a boy or a girl so ... Gary thinks it's a boy, Laura thinks it's a girl. One will be right!

We also planted a garden this year; we might have overdone it a little with 12 tomato plants... the abundance continued when a neighbor gave us an ice chest full of pickle cucumbers! After a donation of 20+ canning jars from a co-worker, the P--- Pickle Company was formed. We both agree that our favorite are the bread and butter pickles. Fun, but tiring.

Both of us have been busy when not working around the house. Gary was called as ward Cubmaster and Webelos leader. But, he now has the responsibility for calling someone new to those callings, since he was recently called as 2nd Counselor in the Bishopric. Wow! Talk about a busy life! Laura continues her calling as the Stake Primary Secretary. There's lots of travelling - our stake is several hundred miles wide - which may have to be put on hold during late pregnancy. It's a wonderful calling, though.

Travel this year was mostly family-related and Utah-bound... Last Christmas with the P--- in Utah, Gary's brother's wedding in Salt Lake in June, and the traditional P--- family deer hunt in August. While out for the hunt, we were also sealed in the Salt Lake Temple (or, did Gary go hunting on our trip out to be sealed..?) Either way, we've been so blessed this year. This year's Thanksgiving and Christmas will be spent with Laura's family... with travel to Michigan for Christmas.

We're looking forward to a 1997 filled with new experiences, and a definite lack of sleep. Maybe we'll be blessed with a quiet little one...!

Have a happy and blessed 1997. Love, Gary and Laura