Merry Christmas

We've had a wonderful Christmas. Here are just a few pics. We are off to MN tomorrow to visit my sister. There will be Aunts, Uncles and cousins galore!! We are so excited!

Christmas morning! Ready for presents!

Our Easy Bake oven girl! She loved to bake and how cute is that hat!?

T'was the night before Christmas and all through the house every creature was stiring!

Christmas Update

It has been quite a year for our family. We started last year in a home and
town surrounded by people we admire and love, comfortable and so happy to see
family on a regular basis. As the year progressed it became obvious that we were
going to have to leave our happy comfortable life and start again in a new
place, something none of us wanted to do.

Chad was offered and accepted a job with ConocoPhillips, helping start and
build an alternative energy business for them. He started with Conoco in mid
May and we moved as a family to Houston as soon as the school year ended.

The move was heart wrenching for all of us and many tears have been shed
over this change. Chad misses the camaraderie of his Priesthood Quorum in North
Salt Lake, Carolyn misses all the wonderful women and young women she was
privileged to know there, the kids all miss their dear friends, Cousins, Aunts,
Uncles and Grandparents. We feel, in many ways, we left our ideal life behind.
We, especially at this time of year, miss the close association we enjoyed with
our families.

That being said we feel very blessed that Chad is gainfully employed during
this very difficult time in our country. We feel the Lord has watched over,
protected and guided us as we have made this change. We have a new home that
fits our family very well. Our new Ward is wonderful and the school system here
is amazing! The kids are learning a lot.

Jer, Jesi and Coy all feel very keenly the pressures of being one of very
few LDS students at their school. Jer and Jesi have made many friends from
different backgrounds and are learning to stand tall in what they believe. They
both really enjoy the Youth program at church, they have the exact same schedule
at school, they are both on their 7th Grade basketball teams and in Drama Troupe.
It seems that all the effort they put in avoiding each other's interest so as not
to compete against each other, has not gotten them very far. They are, as always,
great friends and it is a joy to watch them grow up together. I hope they
realize what a blessing they are to each other.

Coy is struggling. He has made a couple of friends, but mostly he feels
very much on the outside. He is a sad, lonely boy. He feels very strongly about
right and wrong and when he has voiced his opinion to others at school, he has
been teased, ridiculed, and bullied. This is a very difficult time for him and I
wonder why it is he has not been able to find friends with high standards and
open hearts, like Jer and Jesi have been. There are a lot of tears shed and he
misses his sweet friends in Utah a lot. I believe with all my heart there is a
wonderful life lesson for him in this, but that doesn't quell my aching heart
on his behalf. Coy was placed in the GT program here and he participates in the
school choir. Both have helped him, but he still is having a hard
time.

Caleb (KK) is as exuberant and full of life as always. He loves soccer and
has finally started to really play instead of just running around the field.
School here is quite a bit more demanding and moving was the equivalent to
skipping a grade. He has at least an hour of homework every night, plus he has
had to play catchup on things covered in First grade here that he had never seen
before. He is almost up to speed now and has never complained. He just takes it
all in stride.

Samantha started Kindergarten this year, which is full day here. She loves
it, but it wears her out. She is so tired when she gets home from school! She
too has regular homework. She is learning so fast! I the first six weeks of
Kindergarten she learned more than my other kids did in a full year. I guess
that is what a full day does. I'm still not sure it is worth it in the long
term, however. (I'd still like to have her home.) Nanna started soccer this year
too and was able to play on the same team as KK. She loved it! She especially
liked playing goalie. She is so cute, sweet and full of love that we have a hard
time not spoiling her, but her siblings will make sure that never
happens!

It has been an adjustment for me to have all the kids gone. I volunteer at
the school a lot so I can see them. I am at the elementary school three days a
week and I am on the Jr. High PTA Board. That, along with keeping up with the
kid's activities, house, yard, and pool maintenance, I stay pretty busy. I now
realize why my Mother left the TV on all day whether she was watching it or not.
It is way too quiet during the day around here!

Chad has a adjusted to his new job. He is learning a lot about alternative
energy and we are all enjoying the major drop in his stress level that this new
job has brought. Chad continues to play guitar and we run together. Our plans to
do a marathon together had to be put on hold when Chad pulled up with a stress
fracture, but we are starting over again now.

We feel extremely blessed in all we have. We have been privileged to meet
and associate with some of the finest people this world has to offer in many
different places around the world. We feel especially blessed to be related to
many of these people. We are so grateful to all of you for your love,
friendship, the lessons you have taught us and the many happy memories we have
enjoyed.

May the Lord watch, bless and keep you safe throughout the new
year!



Much love,

From the Gardners

Chad, Carolyn, Jer, Jesi, Coy, KK and Nanna

This is Samantha and her friend, Evan, at the Kindergarten Thanksgiving Feast.

Caleb's Second Grade Dance!

We are ready to trick or treat!

KK and Nanna, ready for soccer!

Let's go play!

We always have crepes on Conference Sunday! YUM! YUM!

Caleb had a great time playing with the mirrors at the Drs. office.

It has been a while

I haven't been keeping up with the blog very well, but here is a quick update for the last couple months.
Jer and Jesi, both made the Jr. High 7th grade basketball teams. Neither one of them have ever played before so we were surprised and excited for them! They are both on C teams, but like I said they haven't every played organized ball before, so we think it is great! Most importantly, they are having a blast even with 5:30 am practicing!
Coy boy is in the school choir. He hasn't liked doing things like this in the past, but he wanted to try it and is really liking it.
KK and Nanna are just finishing up soccer season. Ike pushed the season back a little, but the weather is still beautiful and they love playing. They are on the same team which is so fun and great for scheduling. Caleb has made a lot of progress this year and is really into every game. The past couple of years he hardly knew where the ball was, but he is really focusing this year. Nanna just loves to run around and kick the ball.
Chad and I are doing great! Chad has recovered from his stress fracture and is back running up to six miles. The stinker is getting fast, too. If I don't start to pick up the pace, I'm going to be the third fastest in the family, behind Jeremy and Chad. (Jer runs about a 7 minute mile right now.)
When I'm not running erans or doing chores, I'm usually at the school. I volunteer a little three days a week and then I'm on the PTA Board at the Jr. High. I really like being more involved and getting to know people. With all the kids in school I have been able to go on all the field trips so far this year! I love that!

We have purposely tried to slow life down since moving and it has been a huge blessing for us.

At any rate, life is good and we are having fun.

We love this time of year when we celebrate the birth of our Savior. This year has seen many unexpected changes for our family. We were very sad to leave behind wonderful friends and frequent contact with our dear families as we moved to Texas, but we have met wonderful people here and we are very aware of the many blessings we have. We have been blessed, watched over and protected in so many ways. We have nothing to be but grateful!

We hope all of you have a wonderful holiday season and we hope to hear many wonderful things from you over the next year!

I will be e-mailing this and posting it on my blog with pictures, if you want to check it out! www.ccgardner7.blogspot.com

Love,
Carolyn, Chad, Jer, Jesi, Coy, KK and Nanna