Happy New Year!

Here is our annual family letter. I e-mailed this to many of you, if you didn't get it I didn't have your e-mail address. Please send me your address if you didn't get the letter and I'll have it for next year. Send it to my old address coppx5@yahoo.com.
The pictures were taken up in Utah over Thanksgiving. We had the whole family together so we took a whole bunch and they turned out great. Thanks Kale for setting it up!!
(sorry if my layout is sloppy, I'm still learning.)

Happy New Year!!!

I had every intention of getting this letter out before Christmas, but as it always does time escaped me once again. Yet another adventurous year has come to an end for our family. It started with A LOT of snow and much grumbling about shoveling, living in 600 square feet, using a camp shower for all most 6 months and just being tired of building a house. After what seemed like forever, we moved in around Easter. We love our house even though it was sometimes a pain; it was worth the entire struggle.
We’ve all grown, especially the kids, and are excited to share what we’ve been up to this year!
Michael: Has become very independent this year. He is “too big” to go by Mikey and prefers to go by Michael. I can get away with calling him Mike, but he doesn’t like to hold my hand in public (but he’ll hold his dad’s.) He loves 3rd grade and he and his teacher have just clicked. This summer Mike spent two weeks away from home going to MDA camp and then to “Grandma” camp with his cousins. He came back and seemed like a different little boy, older to mom! Mike is currently into Bakugans (did I spell that right?), Lego’s, Cub Scouts and just being a boy! He is still our little comedian and loves to tell jokes.
Health wise he is doing great! We are hoping to have him participate in a promising new study this year for a new drug that may stop the progression of his Muscular Dystrophy. We are very excited about this new development! Some other exciting news for Mike is the chance he will have this year to have a wish granted by the Make-a-Wish foundation. Mike has chosen Disney World and we are all excited to spend some time smiling and laughing together and forgetting about the challenges we face. I’m most excited to see Mike feel special for a few days and maybe forget about the struggle he’s had this past year.
Olivia: Is still taller than her big brother and as energetic as always. After some apprehension about going to 1st grade again she is doing very well. She has confidence and loves to read and write; a big improvement from last year. She tells me her favorite thing about school is Math just like Mom! She started soccer this fall and had a blast. It was funny to watch them learn to play; she is all ready asking to play again. She is constantly singing, drawing, writing and making new friends. She is very excited to start guitar lessons and start teaching mommy everything she learns.
She constantly surprises us with what comes out of her mouth. Things like “life is full of happy little accidents,” and her latest “that was totally awesome!” She makes us laugh daily.
Emily: Has gotten very tall this year and is standing more and more. She’ll come over to you and try to climb your leg if she wants your attention. In the past month she has become quite the Daddy’s girl which has really surprised us. She will scoot over to him and climb up his leg until he picks her up. She is very adamant that Daddy, not mommy, comforts her. She is very quick and always busy. She has achieved all her goals this year at school so we are starting to focus more on communication. She is a joy and continues to fill the house with laughter each day. She has also managed to break all of my dining room chairs!
Kirk: Is busy with work as usual. The future is a little unclear with the economy, but we feel lucky to have a job when so many don’t. When he’s not at work, he’s busy reading (or listening to books on his iPod), working on honey-do’s or just playing with the kids. He’s been reading Eragon to them in the evenings and really enjoys sharing his love of books. He also adopted a new puppy, without telling me. I was very upset with the boy until he brought her home and my heart melted. Of course that has long since worn off and I’m ready to kick her out. She is a pure bred German Short-haired Pointer and will be a great dog if she ever grows out of the puppy phase! Stay tuned for next year’s letter, she may get fed to the coyotes before the month is up!!
Susan: Loving my new house, especially my HUGE kitchen; (which I have to share with Kirk.) I also appreciate being able to take a real shower and have a real toilet. I still wonder how we did 6 months in that little shop without choking each other! I am still working on painting the interior and putting up trim and plan to start landscaping in the spring.
When I’m not working on the house I’m busy chasing the kids around or being chased by them. Running them here and there, helping with homework, trying to teach them all they need to be good little citizens and every other job a mom does. I am still working on my guitar skills, got addicted to blogging and twilight and just recently have started woodworking with much supervision. (I still have all 10 fingers!) At church I have just been called to serve with the Young Women. Of course I’m still the Primary Chorister until they find someone new and officially call me to Young Women’s. I am going to miss the primary, but I’m excited for a change and some new challenges.
We are grateful for our family and friends all over the world and hope you are all well. We feel blessed for the time we can spend with you or just having the chance to visit with you by phone, e-mail or by blogging. As always you are welcome to come visit us anytime, we’d love to show you around Southwest Colorado; one of the most beautiful places in the entire world! (No we are not biased at all!!!!! :) )
Love The Coppingers