d c m
Glenn Family Christmas Alphabet o k s
Adventures-this year has been all about adventures and
taking life one stride at a time. It has been about cherishing the moments we
are given and enjoying each season of life as it comes.
Backpacking-Dan and Brittany went on a backpacking trip
without the kids! However, what they hoped would be a relaxing getaway turned
into a hard, cold, foggy, and painful trip. Brittany twisted her foot about ¼
mile from the lake and where they ended up setting up camp. In the morning she
had to hike 3.5 miles back up and down the mountain with a badly sprained foot.
Canning- this year was a big year for canning. Brittany
canned applesauce, apple pie filling, green beans, salsa, grape juice, pears,
peaches, jam, and chicken. Whew! It was a lot of work but boy it feels good
seeing all those filled jars.
Dentist Appointments-Emma saw the dentist for the first
time this year. It wasn’t an official visit but she got to sit in the dentist
chair and let the hygienist look in her mouth and feel around. She is getting
to be a big girl these days.
Exploring-Emma has grown so much this year. She is now
running around and does pretty well keeping up with Kiera and Ethan. She is
finding her voice these days and is our little monkey. She climbs on everything
and does all she can to keep mom and dad on their toes.
First Grade-Kiera is now a big first grader! She is
doing well with her letters and is getting good at reading and sounding out all
sorts of words. Her teacher says she is a joy in class and is a big helper. We’re
so proud of her! She has also gone through a huge growth spurt. She went from
being a size 6 to a size 8 within the first couple months of school. Wow!
Goodbyes-We had to say goodbye to some very dear
friends of ours. Brittany is taking it pretty hard. Our good friends the
O’Neil’s moved to Germany for 4 years. Don’t know if they’ll be coming back to
Arlington but we sure hope so! We wish them the best and they can be sure we’ll
be keeping in touch.
Halloween- this
year our family went as the Muppets.
It was a lot of fun. Brittany was Animal, Dan was Cookie Monster, Kiera was
Kermit the Frog, Ethan went as Big Bird and Emma was the cutest Elmo you ever
saw.
Involved-Just one year ago this October Brittany
started fundraising efforts for her friend Lauren who was diagnosed with breast
cancer. This October was the one year end mark! Lauren is cancer free and is
doing fabulous. It was a busy busy year. But, being involved in so many events
and efforts on other’s behalf has reaped its own rewards. We are truly blessed!
Jealousy-it
is a challenge at times to balance fairness with reality around the Glenn home.
If one child gets something whether it is food, and outing with mom, or a
simple piece of candy the rest of the troops immediately demand their “fair
share” We are trying to learn the lesson that sometimes we don’t always get
what we want and that it is ok for someone else to be rewarded without you
reaping their rewards as well.
Kisses-Emma has gotten the hang of blowing kisses to
everyone at bedtime. She is the sweetest little girl and is always trying to
please. She is our snuggle bug.
Lying-we are working on lying these days. The kids have
come a long way and are getting better at telling us the truth when they’ve
done something they probably shouldn’t. We are trying to teach them that even
if you make a mistake, when you tell the truth it will all be ok. Mom may even
forgo a punishment as long as you told the truth! It is amazing what a little
hot sauce can do.
Manager- Dan made a big jump in work this year. He
moved to a new facility in Everett and was promoted to Quality Manager. He
works very hard and is very dedicated. He is also very good at pointing out the
strengths of those who work for him. His leadership skills shine through and
his co-workers never have anything negative to say about him. This next year
Dan will have the opportunity to travel to the Philippines to help the facility
they have over there. Brittany isn’t looking forward to that so much but she is
excited about the frequent flyer miles he’ll be racking up. We are so proud of
him and the hard work he does to support our family.
Nephews-Brittany’s younger brother recently had a
little boy named Paxton. It is nice to have nieces and nephews on both sides of
the family and we look forward to all the future nieces and nephews in the
works or who will be in the near future.
Origami-for the past 4 months or Dan has helped the
kids make it through sacrament meeting by making origami fortune telling boxes.
It has become an expected use for the ward bulletin each week. Mom’s job now is
to try and keep daddy from folding paper airplanes.
Preschool-Ethan is attending his second and final year
of preschool before he heads to Kindergarten next fall. He loves it and is
learning so much. He impresses us with how well he already knows his letters
and numbers. He is quite the creative little man and has the biggest
imagination. He has also grown so much. He is now in a size 6X!
Quiet-what quiet? It is never quiet around here
anymore. There is always something going on and the kids are constantly running
around with the neighbors. I do love living in the fun house most of the time.
Reality-Mom is trying to come to terms that her house
will never be the immaculate one like she sees in magazines, the kids will not
always be well kempt during morning errands, and dinner will consist of cold
cereal and toast on occasion. It is life and it is reality. But the reality too
is, because things aren’t perfect the family is happier and has more time to
spend on what’s really important.
Stain-during the summer we were able to tackle the back
deck and fence. We had everything stained and re-graded so this winter the rain
and snow can fall AWAY from the house. It looks awesome and it is a nice
feeling knowing it is done.
Two Wheels-Both Kiera and Ethan learned how to ride
their bikes without the training wheels this year! They both now take off and
fly around our cul-de-sac. Good thing we don’t have to fight them on wearing
helmets.
Umbrella-we’re still in the shower state. We’ve gotten
used to the rain and don’t let a little drizzle ruin our fun anymore. We’ve
been to the zoo, pumpkin patch, the park etc all in the rain.
Voice-Emma has found her voice. She likes to mimic the
alphabet song and tries to imitate mommy and daddy. It is fun to hear her pick
up a few words here and there. She definitely has the word “no” down.
Wicked- For Brittany’s birthday this year Dan’s parents
got us tickets to see the play Wicked. We traveled down to Portland and the
kids stayed at Grandma and Grandpas while we stayed in a hotel down town. It
was nice to get away.
Xylophones-We took a trip down to Boise this year at
the end of June to visit Brittany’s family. One of the kid’s favorite parts of
the trip was going to the splash park with fountains galore and even xylophones
to bang on and make music. Now we just need to get Emma used to getting wet and
loving it. Still working on that one.
Yardwork-this summer was full of improvements to our
yard. We laid bricks around the garden boxes, and built a berm in the front
yard. We also made improvements to the playground by adding on a fire pole and
building a bigger platform with a roof. It even has a steering wheel! The kids
love it and our yard had become the neighborhood playground.
Zumba- Brittany does a lot of dancing these days. She
has been teaching Zumba 4 times a week and attends two classes on top of that
to keep her choreography up. She loves it and has lost a lot of weight this
year. She even got to her pre-Kiera weight!
Now we’ve
said our ABC’s
Have a Very
Merry Chirstmas!
Love,
The Glenn’s
Dan,
Brittany, Kiera, Ethan and Emma
m
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