Our Family Circle

KAY & NED – Kay is still teaching 11th & 12th grade English at Northridge High School in Layton, and keeping busy with extra-curricular activities at school. She is still active in DUP; taught 9-yr-olds in Primary the first half of the year, nursery the second half, and is now Junior Primary Music Leader. Ned has been serving as assistant to the High Priest group leader. We both sing in the ward choir.

Ned stayed with Angie in PA for two weeks in Feb. After her baby was born May 22nd, we drove to PA for a 3-week vacation including church history sites in New York. The Hinckley seniors’ trip to Southern Utah and to Father’s home was wonderful. We gained three more grandchildren, born July 29th; a total of four in 2010 -- what joy and increase in love!

Just after school started, Kay had partial-nephrectomy surgery the 1st of September, which removed a non-cancerous tumor (good news!) From discovery, through remedy and recovery, the whole process was a miracle!

The BC trip last spring with Louise and Sue (and husbands) was unforgettable! We took the ferry to San Juan Islands and Butchart Gardens & Victoria on Vancouver Island. In Vancouver BC we visited Queen Elizabeth Gardens, the mission home, Stanley Park, Capilano Suspension Bridge & Tree Adventure, and had dinner with old friends. The temple open house was a thrilling grand finale. We fell in love again with the breath-taking beauty of British Columbia; and enjoyed good weather! It was as beautiful as Kay remembers it.

During the holiday season we were inspired by the Carl Bloch art exhibit and the Tabernacle Choir concert with David Archuleta. “... we rejoice in Christ” (2 Ne. 25:26)

Angie & Chris Mee – We are still living in the wild, wild East -- good ol’ Pennsylvania. We live in the town of Waymart, a small town in a heavily wooded, hilly area, 40 minutes from any real shopping. In February, Chris was sent to Georgia for a 22-day training “vacation” at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center, while Angie was snowbound at home. We are very grateful that Dad Cannon was able to come out and help her! In March, Angie’s pregnancy was progressing in a big way. Nevertheless, we visited the Washington DC Temple (heavenly!) and Gettysburg (awesome!) The miserable winter finally ended in April, and Angie cut her bank teller work to part-time. In May, two days after her due date, Angie and Chris made the 40-minute trip to the hospital in Scranton for an early-morning induction. Twelve hours later, Nina came bursting into this world, screaming her head off and flailing her arms. Her parents cried, seeing how perfectly beautiful she was. It was truly a joyous moment. June was filled with visits from Nina’s proud grandparents. Chris left for training in Denver two weeks after the baby was born! July was consumed by a move from the apartment to a cottage on the shores of Elk Lake -- a fixer-upper requiring months of remodeling work. In August, Chris had another training in Denver. This time though, we made a family trip of it. Nina did super on the plane. Angie got caught up on her TV watching in the hotel (no TV at home), while Chris went to class every day. We spent the next week in Utah! Oh Zion, dear Zion. We loved seeing all our friends and family! In October, General Conference was inspiring. Chris and the Young Men (or rather “Young Man”) hosted lunches between Saturday and Sunday sessions at the church. It was a great success! We also traveled to Palmyra for a stake youth conference. In November we made the long 8-hour trip to Grandma and Grandpa Mee’s for Thanksgiving. Nina did super in the car. While there, we saw Harry Potter 7. We were shocked out of our minds! I guess we won’t buy that one! Two weeks before Christmas, we flew to Missouri to visit Mom and Dad Mee and other family members.

It’s January and Nina is starting to crawl!!! Gazing out the windows of our storm-cloud-gray cottage, we watch the moonlight rest upon the lake and the geese glide across the water. Ahhh ... sweet serenity. All too soon, the silence is broken by our bundle of screaming joy! We pat her and tell her that everything is going to be okay. If there is one thing we want our little Nina to know, it is that when we put our trust in the Lord and do His will, then everything will be okay. As the good book says: “... all things work together for good to them that love God.” (Romans 8:28). We know this to be true. We have seen the Lord’s hand in our lives throughout this year. We know that He lives and that He loves us! Happy New Year. [Insert from Ned & Kay: Angie is still a remarkable and highly spiritual Primary president, and Chris continues to be a dedicated Young Men’s president. We witnessed that they are great blessings in their little ward out there.]

Katie & Jared Costley – What an eventful year for the Costley clan. The year began with an inconceivable announcement. In January, 2010, Katie and I went to her first doctor’s visit to find out the news on her pregnancy. As the doctor prepared to perform the ultrasound, we all laughed as she made a joke about us having twins. “Wouldn’t that be fun,” she mused. “Yeah right,” Katie and I thought to ourselves. “That would be the day.” Then the news came. Doctor Lochner looked at us and said, “I guess it wasn’t a joke after all.” Katie and I stared at the monitor as the doctor showed us one heartbeat, and then the other. It became a reality; Katie and I were going to be parents twice over. Come July 29th, 2010, exactly 29 years after I was born, two beautiful angels came into our lives. Our family doubled in size in one day with the arrival of our identical twins, Jeremy and Jonathan. Since the announcement last January, the Hinckley Family has been greatly blessed with multiples.

It has been a wonderful year. Katie has learned a new talent called juggling … too bad she had to learn to juggle babies before anything else. The twins have been more than a handful of work and joy. We have been blessed in that Katie is able to stay home with the children while I go to work. I am currently working at Hill Air Force Base as a Program Manager in the F-16 office. Often I come home to two screaming babies and an exhausted mother. What a sacrifice Katie is making to care for our two bundles of joy. We truly have been blessed in all things in 2010. We look forward to a great 2011, to watch our two infants turn into two roadrunners. Katie will certainly have her work cut out for her.

Quinn & Barbara – Wow, another year has come and gone and we are as busy as ever.

Quinn is finishing his prerequisite classes for Pharmacy School, working as a Pharmacy Technician at Walgreen’s, and teaching biology classes at Salt Lake Community College. He did well on the PCAT (the Pharmacy School entrance exam) and has applied to 11 Pharmacy Schools so far. He is working on applications for several more. We should know by early summer at the latest if and where he will begin Pharmacy School this fall (or summer). As most of them are outside Utah, we are excited to learn where we will be living for the next several years.

Dallin is 7 and in 1st grade. He is excelling in the program for gifted children in our school district. He has recently learned to play chess and is already very good at it. He proudly lost his first tooth just this morning and is already excited about being baptized this year - he’s growing up!

Gabriel is 5 and in pre-school. He stills loves trains and sports, especially when he can get us to join him in his play. He seems to have a gift for comedy and loves to make us laugh.

The newest member of our family, Camille, joined us on July 29, about 2-1/2 hours after her twin cousins were born. Camille is a chubby, beautiful, sweet baby with a heart-melting smile. Her older brothers adore her so much that she sometimes needs to be saved from their smothering love and given a little quiet time.

I stay busy trying to keep up with everyone and everything at home, helping my mom, and serving in the Primary. We are grateful for our blessings and experiences over the past year and look forward to new adventures in 2011!

Spencer & Ann – Spence, 36: I am still loving my career and working hard in my business as an independent sales consultant for offshore BPO service providers. But my true calling as an inventor has yet to come to fruition. Turns out that every idea I think of has been invented just six months earlier. I am an entrepreneur at heart and am always eager to explore the next great idea.

Ann, 29 and holding: She has had her hands full with the growing brood of children. Ann continues to be the glue that bonds this family together, and works hard to ensure we all receive the greater rewards of this life.

Bryon, 13: He is finally at the age where he openly admits that girls are cute and that showering regularly is a good thing. Bryon has successfully competed in gymnastics this past year, which has required serious strength training; it is starting to show. We are so proud to see this strapping young man mature in his school and church service.

Preston, 12: They say, “Hire a teenager, while they still know it all.” If you know anyone hiring, Preston would make a fabulous employee as he relishes in his superior knowledge on everything. He is a voracious reader, blasting through several books a week, often reading into the wee hours of the morning. Preston is also becoming an incredible artist. He is taking lessons from a BYU art professor in our neighborhood and is blossoming into a little Monet.

Emma, 10: Her continuing gymnastic career provides a basis of strength, power and quickness -- all fundamental skills needed to defend herself against four brothers (and future suitors). Her near-perfect grades and happy personality make her such a delight to have around. She is especially good with her new adopted baby sister.

Ty, (Habtamu), 8 -10 (not sure): Nearly two years ago, we brought Ty into our home, as well as his entire emotional and traumatic history. He learned the English language in record time and was able to catch up to his peers in reading and math in a matter of months. We see a very bright future for this growing boy as he learns to love and to be loved by a new family.

Porter, 5: Porter still holds the title for causing the most property damage. It’s a good thing he and Ty survived the fire in their bedroom, because you can’t replace smart, handsome kids like them. On a brighter side, I’m confident Porter may have a successful career as a building demolition expert, pyro-technician, or bomb-squad engineer.

Grace, 12 months: One year ago, we adopted a brand new baby girl whose mother is from Mississippi, and she has been an absolute joy. Her eight-inch afro, beautiful brown skin and forever long eyelashes have made her quite the celebrity here in sleepy Herriman, Utah. As we have had the chance to compare both adoption scenarios, we get to see first-hand how critical the first few years of life are to the development of a child. Moreover, we see the critical role of “Mother” in establishing fundamental morals and principles. Moms! You’ll never know how important you are!!!

We received word last week that we have been approved to fly to Ethiopia to adopt Ty’s sister, Alem (5 yrs). We’ll be leaving the end of January to bring her home. With seven kids in all, we felt impressed to move to a home that was large enough to accommodate a rapidly growing family, both in size and number. We recently moved to a home that was in short sale just a few blocks from our home.

Curtis & Tricia – We have recently been reminded to be grateful for our blessings instead of worry that we might lose them. We are most grateful that we have each other.

Caleb, 12, received the Aaronic Priesthood this year and bore a testimony that brought tears to many eyes. We are proud of Caleb and the reverence and respect he gives to God every Sunday. Caleb loves performing and misses his competition clog team. He’s funny and can sing and dance. He is trying out for his school play in 2 weeks.

Elijah, 11, loves having fun with friends. He also loves having the latest gadgets and works hard for them. In the last 6 months, he’s earned an iPod, a cell phone, an R.C. helicopter, a couple parakeets, and is now working to acquire an ATV. He takes great care of his parakeets and would like to have every other pet in the store. He plans to be a lawyer so he can have plenty of money to have the things he wants. He’s very smart and we believe that he will achieve his dreams.

Hyrum, 9, also loves to have fun. If he’s not out playing with friends, he’s trying to get a rise out of siblings, his favorite pastime. We pray that he’ll find a new love like the piano or a sport. He and Vera played soccer this year. It was good for Hyrum. He will try flag football this fall.

Vera, 7, loves making cards and doing secret services for others. She is a great helper around the house and keeps her room cleaner and her clothes folded nicer than the rest of us. She is a home body. She is best friends with Jaynie and is very kind to her.

Jaynie, 3, is always holding a baby doll and is very loving with her dolls. She is talking so much and so happily, that we can’t help but smile and laugh. She has drawn big sunshines on most of our walls. It is easy for her to spread her sunshine!

Brigham, 2, is still snuggly and needs us to kiss every owie. He is sharing, loving, easy going, and a great friend to Mom and Jaynie. He’s also a definite boy, loving bomb noises and blowing things up.

Tricia is the maid and the cook. She quit real estate, since the expenses were more than the income, and is happy to be home again. She is also very grateful for Curtis who helps out so much with laundry and dishes and picking up. She’s enjoyed being the Primary pianist this year.

Curtis has enjoyed a lot of tinkering and fixing this year. He fixed our dryer twice, Spencer’s dryer, our lawnmower, our computer, phone and Internet connections, our vacuum several times, and many broken doors and handles. He wants to start his own business on the side, in addition to his postal service. We want this to be a family affair, giving the boys an opportunity to work along side their dad and earn their own money. Anyone have business-starting advice? Email TriciaCannonCares@gmail.com. Happy New Year, all!