Bullock 2011

I have not gotten Christmas cards out yet this year and in all reality I'm not going to. I just cannot muster up the time or umph to do it. So here is my Bullock Christmas newsletter for 2011.

The biggest news for our family is our daughter Gillian Rose. She was born in October and looks just like the rest of our clan. She's a good baby who doesn't cry too much. She seems to have a favorite in Brandis mostly I believe because he is the quietest of the family. The others adore her and want to entertain her constantly. She has a great smile that melts all our hearts.

Our other little girl Taygan is growing up well. She loves anything girly. Because she is two she likes to get into everything. Most of my day is following after her putting things away. She has turned into a huge Daddy's girl and loves to climb on him like a jungle gym. Even though she is very girly she also likes to wrestle the boys. They don't fight back so she can really take them down. She likes to dance and sing the songs she learns in nursery.

Brandis is four and he is our happy boy. He's very quiet but when he does say something you know he put a lot of thought into it. He says I love you 20 times a day and is just about the cutest boy I've ever seen. I'm really glad I didn't put him into preschool this year because I know I would miss my little buddy too much. He also likes to sing and dance.

Dougan is six and he is our reader. He reads constantly and is blasting reading levels left and right. He is also our most social. Dougan has never met a stranger, everyone is his friend. This includes girls and adults. At church people come up to me every week to tell me the funny thing Dougan said to them. I am so interested to see what he'll be when he grows up. He entertains us all with his made up songs and stories.

Eades is eight and he was baptized this year. He took it very seriously and he still does. Eades is our more thoughtful child. Lessons he learns in church and school have a great impact on him. He remembers things well and I am amazed at his ability to recall facts and stories that I know would have gone in one ear and out the other when I was that age. I call Eades my little hero because he fights injustice when he sees it. His teachers have told me that he encourages others to choose the right when they are doing something wrong.

Koen is nine and enjoys being the oldest and first to do everything. He is my right hand man. He helps me out with cooking, cleaning, laundry, gathering children and getting them ready, and he's my gopher. I appreciate him very much. He definitely makes my life easier. He also likes to read and do sports. He has a lot of talents which he's usually too shy to share with others.

I spent my year doing regular mommy stuff. This summer the kids and I enjoyed participating in the summer reading program. We also spent a week at the fair. We went everyday but Sunday. Our highlight was the reunion. It was great to see my parents, some of my siblings, and my nieces and nephews. Hopefully next time all of us can be together. I also went to girls camp this summer. I love girls camp and had a great time. My kids also had a great time with their babysitter. I was pregnant most of the year but this one was pretty easy. A sister from the ward took care of the children while I was in the hospital and even after I came home for a couple weeks. She has become such a dear friend to our family.

Tony is still working for Atlas Oil. He enjoys it and he's good at what he does. He was called into the elder's quorum presidency this year. He really likes planning activities and doing guy stuff with his friends. He's a really good dad and is the much cooler parent of our family. He likes taking the kids to movies when I need a nap, which is really brave because even I wouldn't take five kids to the movies by myself.

We've had a happy year. We're glad we moved to Huntington where we have met so many great people and the town is just awesome. We're also not too far away from all of our friends and family in Niles who we got to visit this summer. We're hoping 2012 is just as good to us. We give are love to all of you. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Love, The Bullocks