Pictures from top left:

Lara loses a tooth

Adelaide in her cool hat

Sadie wonders what will happen next

Our family, less baby, in a tube on a perilous slope

Adelaide in her most common environment

Dear Family and Friends,

            Where to begin?  Our family rotated through sickness from Thanksgiving to Christmas, but we finally got better.  We had Christmas here, and after Santa got done at our house, it looked like a pink plastic bomb had exploded.  There were dollies, castles, and hair accessories galore.  David, my big brother, was appalled when I told him what Santa had brought to our house.  “What did you get?” he asked hopefully.  I got just what I wanted, a set of hard-anodized titanium/aluminum alloy cookware that is durable and nonstick to the extreme.  My brother was not impressed with my masculine acquisitions.  I told him I also got some dark chocolate.  He is probably still worrying about me as I write this.  He will probably never understand my world in a house full of estrogen.

            Diana also got the cookware, and we are both happy with it.  We enjoyed getting lots of family pictures and newsletters.  Thank you.

            We left Christmas day and drove through a blizzard.  We were the only tire tracks in the snow on the road through most of Wayne County. We finally arrived at Dan and Lisa’s house at 1:30 in the morning.  The next day we were able to see Lorelei and Jason, Roger and Johanna, David and Ginger, and Melanni, so the adventurous trip was worthwhile.  I should add that we drove through snow and ice almost the entire way and the Blue Bullet didn’t slip once.

            There was one interesting aspect of driving.  I was asleep as we drove toward Capitol Reef National Park.  When I woke up, Diana was driving our packed minivan at over 50 mph around the tight corners that feel dangerous in dry conditions at 40.  She was doing this through five to six inches of freshly fallen snow.  I couldn’t believe it!  She usually drives too slow for my taste, especially when it is dark.  I thought she must me living on the edge.  We would hit the curves which come every two or three seconds at that speed at about 45 miles per hour, then she would floor it and accelerate through the curve like she expected to come out on the straightaway at the Indianapolis 500.  I sat with muscles clenched and eyes wide.  She later claimed that she thought the road was covered in dust or just looked a very uniform gray.  Imagine her surprise when she stopped in the middle of the road when I insisted on driving and she was standing ankle deep in powdery snow!

            We spent a fun and eventful week in Kanosh for the break.  Highlights were test driving cars in Utah Valley and our 8^th anniversary, and of course, spending time with family.

            I really enjoyed hanging out with Steve and Roger, and learning all kinds of cool stuff from Steve that I would have never even thought of. 

            It was fun to see everyone else too. 

            Well, time flies.  Gotta run.

Love you guys,

Lewis, Diana, and the girls