Christmas newsletter

I was so bad, I didn't do Christmas cards last year. Something had to give for me to stay balanced and that was it... I felt guilty for a little bit, but realized that it was okay for me to take a break from doing cards for one year. Here is the newsletter I'm putting in my cards this year...


Merry Christmas 2009!



Warmest holiday greetings! I need to get caught up on two years this time… the last couple of years have sure been full, challenging and eventful! Through the good and the bad, we are truly grateful for these times of growth and development in our faith and family relationships. Here is our update in a nutshell…

Spencer has been wearing many hats. Not only is he serving in the Sunday School Presidency (often teaching a last minute lesson), but he has also been heavily involved in Cub Scouts. Spencer has been a Cub Committee Member, Webelos Assistant, and Scoutmaster—simultaneously! It has been quite a load at times, but Jared especially appreciates and enjoys his hard work and selfless service! Spencer has also been devouring books about our Founding Fathers and the Constitution--he is a lover of FREEDOM!

Tamra has tried lots of new things over the last two years! Home-schooling, canning, putting our house on the market--twice! (…only to be thwarted by bad timing and a tumbling economy! We want to get land so we can have chickens, maybe other animals and a big canning garden!) Tamra had to give up the at-home abstracting job last Fall (due to a lack of reliable income…), and finally got a “real” part-time job at Ancestry.com in Feb. of this year. She loves her new job, but still wishes that working outside of the home was not needed. Tamra is also a Cub Scout Den Leader for the Wolfs and the Bears.

Hanna is 12, blossoming into a young woman--and we hate it! We love watching our kids grow and develop into their own independent selves, but miss them being little… Hanna is enjoying Junior High, continues to excel in piano under her Grandma’s tutelage, and loves being in Young Woman’s at church. She also loves to read, be with her friends and do anything creative. She worked hard for several months this Summer and finally had enough money to buy her own ipod!

Jared is 10, and thriving at Freedom Academy Charter School. We decided together that he would go into Fourth grade this school year. It has turned out to be a great decision for him and his confidence is soaring! He is doing awesome, getting A’s and B’s in most subjects! We are so proud of him! Jared’s favorite things are: Scouts, being outside (and everything that implies…), playing with friends and weapons. The highlights of the year for him were going on the shoot-out and our family trip to Moab.

Owen is 7, also at Freedom Academy and doing very well. Owen’s health has made drastic improvements over the last year thanks to his proactive dad finding natural solutions for his reactive airway problem. He has thickened up quite a bit and now loves playing outside! Owen also loves to build things with magnetics and legos, play video games, and play with our dog, Candy! He is looking forward to being baptized in April and being a Cub Scout!

We hope that this letter finds you well this holiday season! We are so grateful for the blessing of family and friendship that we share with you! We are especially thankful this Christmas for our savior, Jesus Christ and his atoning sacrifice! Merry Christmas!

All our love,
Spencer, Tamra, Hanna, Jared and Owen Ockey