Merry Christmas!!

I am trying to gather all of your addresses to send your Christmas card/newsletter/picture. So if you haven't heard from me and you have a new address, please send it to me.

Meanwhile, I thought I'd post our newsletter and Christmas pictures. So...sorry if some of you are getting this twice. I'm really considering just emailing it out next year and posting it on the blog--it's a lot of time and money to send out 75 Christmas letters. Anyway, here it goes:

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all of our Family and Friends!!

We sure hope this letter finds all of you happy and healthy! I can’t believe it’s already this time of year again. We want to give you an update on our past year (and for a more detailed account you’re welcome to check out our blog: ticklishtangerine.blogspot.com).

This year has really brought some big decisions, big events, and a lot of “firsts”. We started out the year in Florida, until the end of May, when Ty GRADUATED from dental school!! We are done with school once and for all!! It is such a good feeling after 7 ½ years of marriage to finally move on. We moved back to Idaho—it was very bittersweet. We sure think about and miss our friends in Florida. On the other hand, being back by family is priceless. We bought our very first house and are absolutely thrilled with it! We have our first yard, and love working and playing in it. We love our neighborhood and new ward. Ty’s job is fantastic, and we just feel so blessed and happy in our lives right now. Now for a little individual update:

Ty spent the beginning of the year doing job interviews, finishing requirements, taking his dental boards, applying to residency programs, and working nights at the airport so we could have flying benefits. He is so thrilled to be done with each and every one of those things. After much prayer and fasting, we decided to take the job with Family Health Services. Ty loves the challenges it has brought, and has learned a lot. His job has great benefits, and we are really enjoying them. Right after we moved here, Ty got called to be the assistant executive secretary in the stake presidency in our church. It has been a huge learning curve and kept him very busy, but a great experience to rub shoulders with such great people.

I (Kyla) started out the year at girls camp. It was a riot! I did the crafts again for 100 girls for 5 days. I sure love those girls, and have shed many tears over not being with them anymore. Then I was put on the enrichment committee for our last 5 months in Florida. I ended up being over crafts, as it was our most requested class. So we did 2 big craft nights, and although it was fun, I’m a little “crafted out”. I got called to be a primary teacher for the 4-5 year olds soon after moving here—it has actually been really challenging for me, although it doesn’t seem like it should be. I have really enjoyed decorating our new house, building up our food storage, and hanging out with family this year. I love having seasons, being by mountains, and country living.

Marissa is 6. She finished Pre-Kindergarten, and absolutely loved it. She tearfully said goodbye to friends and the only life she remembers (she was not quite 2 when we left Idaho). She enjoyed and excelled in swimming lessons this summer, then started Kindergarten in the fall. She absolutely loves it, and she is doing fantastic. She has made lots of new friends at church and school, and loves having grandmas, grandpas, aunts and uncles nearby to dote on her. She had a dream come true for her birthday—she got a baby kitten! She named it Pinky-pie, and adores “s”mothering her. Every waking moment she can, she spends it with her kitty, and weather permitting, playing in the yard. She had a solo song in the primary program for church, and was amazing! She loves being read to and reading on her own. Her favorite movies are “Tinkerbell” and Barbie movies. She loves coloring, crafts, singing, unicorns, hearts, butterflies, animals, and flowers.

Chandler is 3 ½. His big accomplishment is being potty-trained this year. He was remarkably easy, thank heavens. He loves playing outside, playing with pinky-pie, playing in the dirt, and loves wrestling. He is all boy. He also loves being adored by family that lives nearby. He chipped two teeth recently, and luckily daddy is a dentist. It took some bribery, but we managed to get them fixed. Chandler really enjoys helping mom while sissy is at school, and having her full attention. Then he is always excited to have Marissa home to play with. They play well together—mostly Marissa tells him what to do, and he plays along. Chandler loves singing, reading stories, watching Backyardigans, and anything PHYSICAL and rough. He loves his tool set, train set, and balls. He can dress himself and make his own bed. He always surprises us with big words, interesting insights and analyzations, and his ability to memorize things. His favorite song is “I am a Child of God”. He is very thoughtful and sympathetic.

We want all of you to know that each of us in our family believes in Christ. We rejoice in this time of year that celebrates his birth and life. We are grateful to be part of our church—the church we know to be the only true church. We are grateful for the prophet and apostles that have God’s priesthood and authority to lead us in these unstable and evil times. We truly know that God watches over us, protects us, knows us individually, and guides our lives. We feel His help and His spirit daily. He constantly blesses our lives with tender mercies beyond what we deserve. We love the temple and the blessings of protection and promise of eternity as a family that it provides, and enjoy the convenience of having one 40 minutes away now. We sure love our family and friends, and hope you have peace and true joy in this upcoming year. May God bless you and your families.

Take care, keep in touch, and you’re welcome to visit anytime!!

Love, The Bodily’s

Our new address:
1049 Zion Drive
Burley, Idaho 83318

Our home phone:
208-878-4821