January 2025

Happy New Year!  We kicked off the new year with lots of family time, including games and snuggling with our animals! Eve and I enjoyed putting a pretty puzzle together on New Year's Eve (thanks to Annie for the great gift!) We have really enjoyed the time to relax!

We got a big snow storm which cancelled school. Christian and his friends had a great time playing in the snow!

We enjoyed our warm, cozy home too!

We made this fun banner together.  It says "Remember Him" on the snowflakes. This is our Christmas to Easter initiative for the North America SW area of our church.

Christian started his winter session of indoor soccer and we love to see his fast footwork along with his determination and stamina. He isn't afraid to challenge an opponent for the ball!

Sheri had her All Region Band Concert. The music was very cool and it was neat to see all these musicians play so well after only a day and a half of practicing together! 

January is always our Youth Theme Kickoff activity.  The kids had a great time with mini workshop activities and uplifting thoughts.  The theme for this year is "Look Unto Christ."

This month our friends were selling their drum set and and so I thought it would be a great opportunity for Christian to get his own set.  He has been enjoying playing with the different drums and this is what he developed within the first few minutes.

Meanwhile Eve went back to BYU for her second semester of her junior year. She sure is cute when she is all bundled up!

She started a support group for students with period pain and related issues.  This has been a major challenge for her over the years and she so is creating connection with others who struggle and may appreciate sharing ideas and uplifting activities.

Eve continues to enjoy going to the temple!

Eve got dressed up and went to a concert on campus put on by a grad student featuring Janice Kapp Perry's music. It was a lot of fun to connect with Janice afterward and make the connection with her that her grandma is Janice's collaborator and close friend.

This semester Eve is taking Bio 350- Ecology where she learns about organisms and their interactions with the physical and biotic components of the earth. She is also taking Bio 220 - Biological Diversity of Animals. Here she is studying jelly fish. She is also taking Policies and Laws of Terrestrial Systems, folk dance, and a religion class. She continues to work in the Soil Science Lab.

Sterling has been doing well serving in Brazil. We enjoy his weekly calls and the updates that he sends. In January Sterling got very sick, probably due to bad water, and lost about 10 pounds in 24 hours.  He went to the hospital and got an IV but we are still unclear if he got the medication he needed because he continued to be ill and in pain for a few days. He was able to feel well enough to see a few of his most progressing friends before he was transferred from Mongagua to Iguape. Now he is the senior companion and is having a good experience in his new area.

Matt has been working in Utah quite a bit this month as the new plant gets up and running.  The equipment is new and very efficient. He has enjoyed seeing it all come together!

I have been staying busy with my callings. This month I helped to host the Martin Luther King Jr Day of Service project which was another blood drive with Coffee Memorial Blood Center. We had 23 donors! The same day I went to the stake youth activity from 2- 5 PM. I have also had ward conferences, committee meetings, and service projects. 

Well, January was a great start to a brand new year. We are excited to see what else the year will bring.