Peirce Profiles 2011

Earle & JoAnn:  This has been an outstanding, memorable and fun year for us.  Highlights of the year:   We celebrated our fiftieth year of marriage.   In April, our entire family converged at Capistrano Beach in California for a week to celebrate our anniversary.   We stayed in a wonderful gated beach house just 15 steps from the ocean.  All 34 of us were most comfortable in the 9 bedroom, 6 bathroom, and 2 large family room house.  Evenings were spent enjoying one another, including programs, tributes and skits in regards to our 50 years as a family.   The familys’ thoughts were sweet and touching and sometimes rib-splittingly hilarious.  Indeed, precious remembrances!!!  The Southern California attractions the family took advantage of were:  Legoland, Sea World, Disneyland, San Diego Temple, San Juan Capistrano Mission, Mormon Battalion Monument, Old Town San Diego, Knotts Berry Farm, San Diego Zoo, and the U.S.S. Midway (on which Ed had served while in the Navy).  We also made sure we saved plenty of beach time.  The grandchildren loved the hot tub, building sand castles, swimming, riding the waves, and seeing porpoises and dolphins, and thousands of sea birds right from our private beach.   The beach house was in an amazingly beautiful location.  There was such a sweet spirit the entire week.   We did not want to see that choice and precious time together end.  Soooo, we are planning another family trip for the year 2013!   Possibly at the same place! 

We spent our actual anniversary at the Zermatt in Midway (a gift from our children) and had a wonderful relaxing couple of days just enjoying the quiet and beauty of one of our most favorite get-away places. 

In August, JoAnn’s siblings honored us with an evening at Lon’s home.   We enjoyed the luscious food and sweet tributes.  We were especially pleased to have Jessie and Don and Louise and Richard there.   What a remarkable group of people.  No one could have finer siblings.  We love you!!! 

Later in August, we flew to Kona, Hawaii for a week and did all the fantastic things you do at a luxurious resort, as well as doing much sight-seeing.  However, the most memorable will be our experience attending the Kona Temple, and then church the following the day.   The spirit of the Hawaiian members is extraordinary! 

This year, on July 13th, we were blessed with another adorable granddaughter. Megan Lydia was born with the thickest and longest black hair (3 inches long).  Her dark hair and olive skin made her the perfect baby Jesus in our Christmas nativity.   Megan was named and blessed on the same day that her brother Landon was baptized.   

We continue to enjoy our monthly family get-togethers and are so grateful the children and grandchildren love them as much as we do.  We consider these times highlights as well. 

We reviewed our comments of this last year, and not much has changed.   Earle is still the High Priests Group Leader, and recently planned, organized and carried out a wonderful Ward Christmas Social.   It was the best social the ward has had in a long time.   He continues with his tennis, exercise, and temple work.   He recently spent several hours recording a CD of some of his favorite piano, ukulele, and voice musical numbers for his children and grandchildren for Christmas.  He has experienced frequent heart atrial fibrillation this past year or two; so this past week, he underwent surgery (ablation) to hopefully correct the problem.   JoAnn still patronizes Curves several times a week and then walks the treadmill at home.  Earle’s committment to exercise is rubbing off on her.  Now, if she could just eat as healthy as he does!!! She continues teaching Primary and serving as an ordinance worker in the Draper Temple.   We are looking forward to traveling to Germany and Switzerland this summer.   We are most envious of Jean and Rex serving a mission.  They are and will continue to be in our prayers.   We already miss them so much.

Ed & Marsha and Family:  This past year is almost a carbon copy of our previous report, so I will start off with our big events, and then do a refresher on each of us.   Our big event was our family vacation to California to celebrate our parent’s 50th wedding anniversary which I am sure is the highlight of my parents and all the Peirce kids.  No matter how fun all the amusements parks were, the most favorite part was just hanging out at the beach house with family.   Even though we were there for a week, it was way too short.

The other big event for our family was that Marsha’s mother returned to her homeland, the Philippines, in November.   It was wonderful having her in our home for such a long time and she is greatly missed.   She missed her homeland and her friends there and felt she needed to go home.  Also, at her age, she needed affordable access to healthcare, which unfortunately our nation does not provide to legal immigrants who are not citizens.  She has a medical condition that can be treated there.

Marsha is still working at our local elementary school as an para educator in special education.  It’s nice for her to be able to walk with the kids to school and be in the same building as they are during the school day.  I don’t believe I have mentioned this about Marsha in past newsletters, but she is a great cook.  In our home the microwave is hardly ever used. Instant and frozen meals are very rare.  Marsha cooks dinner from scratch every single night.   At the grocery store, the produce section is the most important.  I mention this because I think we are so lucky to have her prepare our meals, not just because of the great taste, but for our health.   She’s a great wife and mother.  

Garrett is almost 11 years old.  He is our shy boy.  He won’t talk to most people, but we are hopeful he will break out of his shell one day.   He loves music and got an electric guitar from Santa on Christmas.  The only obstacle now is how to play it.   Garrett and I have started to learn with DVD lessons.  If anyone knows a good guitar instructor who works well with special needs kids, let us know.  Garrett is a bright boy and is at the top of his class in everything.  However, he does have a condition that holds him back from learning to socialize, but we are hopeful we will see some improvement in the future. 

Meadow is 7 years old and is bubbling with personality.  She is shy with new people, but once she gets to know you, she is all laughs and smiles.   Like Garrett, Meadow is at the top of her class.   She especially loves reading.  I would have to give Marsha the credit since she reads with the kids every night.  Meadow is our artist.  She is extremely creative.  I am amazed at the  things she makes with glue, paper, scissors, etc.  

As for me, I am still working at the Post Office as a mechanic.  I see my cousin Curtis there often.   I am impressed that he is such a hard worker and so likeable.  I am approaching my 50th birthday and find that quite depressing.   

Lynda and Scott and Family:Dallin is now 11 years old and in the sixth grade.  Dallin is a good student and has a funny sense of humor.   He also has some awesome dance moves. 

Nick is 16 and loves having his driver’s license and also loves his job working at Payson Jr. High School cleaning after school.   He got his braces off this past year and has shot up in height and now is the tallest in our family.  He’s quite a handsome young man!

Lauren worked most of the year as a care giver for an elderly woman making fairly good money.  In October she changed to Heartwood Hospice where she cares for several elderly patients.   She has quite a knack and talent for this type of work.  Her patients love her!

Eric works early mornings at Old Navy and goes to school in the afternoons at UVU.  He is a great student, getting all A’s.  He is the salt of the earth kind of young man and will be a great catch for a lucky lady some day.

Lynda found a new love by taking tennis lessons in the spring.    She and a friend play tennis 2-3 times a week.  She’s now determined to get good enough to beat her dad.   

Scott turned the BIG 50 in October.  In celebration, Lynda and Scott enjoyed the most amazing week in Maui, Hawaii.  They spent a lot of time snorkeling (a new love of theirs).  They loved beaching, including watching the many sea turtles.  Scott was  particularly excited to golf on some of the beautiful courses on this island.   He was called to be the Gospel Doctrine Teacher recently and is starting to enjoy it.   

In April, we enjoyed spending a week in Capistrano Beach with the entire Peirce Family to celebrate mom and dad’s anniversary.   What an amazing trip we all had together!

Nathan & Robyn and Family:  Our clan has survived another year and we’d like to give you a short summary.  Consistent with past years, we stayed busy with work, scouting, karate, reading, board games, video games, and church activity.  But we also had several new developments in 2011 that combined to suck up every last minute of our collective free time.   Collin entered high school and began seminary.  Cora became a curious toddler.   We finished two big home improvement proects.  Nathan got into adventure cycling.  Sydney and Owen took after-school Spanish.  Randy played tennis.  To top it off, Robyn signed us up for a summer exchange student.   Nils came to us from Germany for five fun and informative weeks.  

Nathan remains with Intel and Robyn is a full time mom.  Our kids Collin, Randy, Owen, Sydney, and Cora are 14, 12, 9, 7, and 2 respectively.  We feel blessed to have this group of children.  They bring something different to the family.   Dad has to fight dirty rooms and mom has to fight homework procrastination, but for the most part they are good kids.   In addition to what was mentioned above, here are a few more things of interest.

• Randy ordained a deacon

• Owen won both the pinewood derby and the space derby

• Our big vacation was a visit to San Diego to celebrate my parents’ 50th wedding anniversary

• Sydney learned to ride a bike

• Nathan and Collin did several 50 and 100 mile cycling trips

• Cora started talking

• Collin played in the marching band

• Robyn continues to volunteer at school 

Shanna & Tom and Family: The highlight of our year was celebrating our mom and dad’s 50th Wedding Anniversary in Southern California.   We had such a blast being together with the whole family to honor our parents.  The beach house views were incredible and having the ocean as our backyard was absolutely amazing.  We enjoyed SeaWorld, LegoLand, and some way-too-scary thrill rides at Knottsberry Farm.  But the most fun we had was being all together!   We are so thankful for our parents and their legacy of love that they’ve given our family. 

Here is a quick update of our kiddos.   Sage (age almost 14) started a new adventure at a charter school in Herriman, Providence Jr. High.   She has really enjoyed it so far, uniforms and all.   She plans to go there next year also.   She’s a talented dancer, singer, and when she has time, she practices the piano.  Tanner (age 11) is our little drummer boy (well..he’s not so little anymore).   He started playing percussion in the school band and is quite a natural.  He, like most boys his age, really enjoys playing video games!  He’s also into sports, i.e. basketball, flag football, and is a very good swimmer.   Brynn (age 7) is our star performer...she loves to sing, dance, and do gymnastics.  She also enjoys her soccer team...especially when they dressed up in costume for one of the games right before Halloween.  How fun, huh?  Little puppies, princesses, and even Harry Potter were running down the field to try and make a goal!  I think she’ll always remember that.   Grace (age 2 1/2) is our little ‘free spirit’.  She’s so adorable and fun; she gives great hugs and kisses and says such cute things.  (This definitely makes up for the spilled nail polish all over the carpet or the permanent marker drawings all over the house.)   Lately, she’s really into animals and likes to pretend she’s a puppy.   We are so thankful to have her and all our children in our family!

Tom has been able to spend a lot more time outdoors this year...backpacking, hiking, four-wheeling, mountain biking, and skiing.   He plans these fun outings to do with our kids.   I think they are pretty lucky to have a dad like that!  I did a little of my own outdoor adventure by completing a Spring Triathalon.   I took on this challenge with several neighborhood friends and it was a great experience.  I hope to do another one this spring.  I am still enjoying teaching preschool and serving in the young women’s presidency.

Sherman & Jocelyn and Family:  This year finds us bigger (Sherman) and better (everyone else).  On July 13, after struggling for two years to get pregnant and stay pregnant, we finally welcomed our 4th child into the world:  Megan Lydia.   Megan came with a calm personality IF everything is going her way, but when she’s mad, she’s really, really mad.   There is no in between with her.   Her brothers and sister adore her.   She is definitely going to be spoiled!

Braden is 10 1/2 years old, and in the 5th grade.  He is a great student, always working hard and having fun.   His favorite subject in school is math.  He is really developing his sense of humor, and it is fun to watch him grow up (although it is a little sad, too).   Braden loves cub scouts and can’t wait for his last pinewood derby race this month.

Landon is 8 1/2 years old and in the 3rd grade.  He was baptized this summer.   It was a special day for him because he got to share it with his baby sister.   Megan was blessed on the same day.   Landon is still in the Chinese immersion program at our school.   He seems to really enjoy it, though I still wonder if it’s worth it.  I do enjoy hearing him speak Chinese.   He looks forward to participating in his first pinewood derby later this month.

Madalyn is 4 1/2 years old and in preschool.  She is thrilled that she finally gets to go to school like her brothers.   She has always strived to be like them.   Maddie is our little star.  She shines wherever she goes.   She wins over the hearts of the people with whom she speaks with her bubbly personality and the pure joy that she exudes.   She is always singing songs that she makes up - what a joy she is in our lives. 

Jocelyn is trying to survive with a baby and 3 other children.  It is hard to keep track of the day-to-day activities and schedules, but she loves being a mom.   Her children are what keep her going.   She is still serving in the primary presidency, and still loving it.   What a great place to be!

Sherman is still working very hard to grow his practice.   Things are going well, and we see evidence that things are picking up.  He loves his job and is good at it.   He is currently serving as the ward executive secretary.   When he isn’t working on his practice, he is working on his calling.   He is very busy, and sometimes his kids wonder where their father is, but we are very grateful for his great sacrifice and service.   We know we are being blessed.

Besides having a baby and Landon being baptized, the highlight of this year was a family trip to California to celebrate our parents’ 50th wedding anniversary.  We stayed in a house right on the beach and it was so much fun!   We enjoyed going to the amusement parks and the countless activities.  I think the best part was just being together for a whole week and celebrating what our family has become, thanks to our wonderful parents.

We are grateful for our family and the blessings that come from being a part of this wonderful family.   We recognize the strength that comes from such strong family ties.  We hope this newsletter finds you all healthy and happy!

Brian & Becky and Family:  2011 was a wonderful year for the Brian Peirce family.  Becky and I started 2011 with a brand new baby girl that we named Ella.   She is our first child and she gets all of our attention.  So far everything she does is just simply cute.   We even love her cries.   She took her first unassisted steps on Christmas day while we were with mom and dad.  It thrilled us all.   She loves to talk and look at herself in the mirror.  Perhaps she gets the latter trait from her father!  Prior to Ella, Becky and I were free to do as we wanted, but we don’t mind at all that our baby has curtailed our adventurous activities a bit.   However, we did go on two wonderful trips this year: my parents’ 50th wedding anniversary celebration in California and Becky’s parents’ 40th wedding anniversary trip to Florida.  We had a lot of fun with our families and we are mindful about how wonderful it is that both sets of our parents value marriage and each other so highly.   We did go on our annual Hebgen Lake trip with Becky’s family as well.  I am still trying to get accepted into a radiography program.  It has taken a little longer than we had hoped.   I have taken a number of college courses to enhance my chances of getting accepted.   In the meantime, I am still working full time at the Department of Workforce Services - Unemployment Insurance Office as a benefits auditor.   Becky is working part-time as a dental assistant for her father.              

JOANN & EARLE: As we think of this past year, we are again grateful for our relatively good health and physical stamina, for our own dear children and grandchildren, and for the joy they bring to us daily. And we are thankful for the gospel that gives purpose to all that we do. We have had a good year!

Church responsibilities: Earle continues to care for all the high priests and their wives. Since our ward is an older ward, he keeps quite busy with all the illnesses, blessings, etc. We were thrilled recently to have had an entire Draper Temple session filled to capacity with just our ward members. Earle almost single- handedly organizes the annual ward breakfast, the ward temple nights, all service opportunities (which we seem to get assigned more each year), and the annual High Priests’ Christmas party. JoAnn teaches Primary, a calling she truly loves! She’s also a Visiting Teaching Supervisor. Both Earle and JoAnn continue to serve as ordinance workers in the Draper Temple.

Extra-Curricular activities: Earle, in retirement, has come to love to work in the yard. He now instigates yard projects more than JoAnn does. Earle’s passion is still tennis. He has a great group of older men in their 70s to 80’s that he plays tennis with 2 to 4 days a week. He also took on the project this year of reading the Book of Mormon, Bible, D&C, and the Pearl of Great Price simultaneously. His project is in its second year now. He loves reading the scriptures. He also enjoys playing the piano most days, and sometimes puts JoAnn to sleep at night with his piano playing. Earle has another hobby that is very helpful, but sometimes frustrating to JoAnn. He likes to shop for groceries! Yes shop! Several times a week! He does most of the grocery shopping, and often comes home with a new health food to try, usually expensive. JoAnn thinks the grocery bill is more now than when we were feeding eight! JoAnn still exercises at Curves, acts as project director of home redos, repairs, etc. does some reading, watches the Nate Berkus show, and enjoys some of the reality TV shows. She also loves to organize the monthly family get-togethers. Serving at Janiel’s and Bill’s will always be a highlight in her life. She truly observed the miracle of all miracles. Thank you, Howell Family for that beautiful experience.

Travels: In June, we took three of our grandsons, Braden, Landon, and Dallin, with us to Fort Collins, CO, for the baptism of Owen and for his eighth birthday party. This was our family’s only baptism this year. Also in June, we loved being with JoAnn’s siblings and spouses as we remembered our beloved father (100 years old) by visiting Cove Fort, Kodachrome Basin, Bryce Canyon, and the small town of Hinckley where our amazing father was born and raised. In July, the Peirce Family had their annual campout. We camped near Snowbird and spent the days doing all the activities that Snowbird has to offer. The nights were spent around the campfire playing games, etc. The favorite game of this campout was ‘A Minute to Win It’ organized by Shanna. We certainly enjoy our family get-togethers! In August we traveled to Pennsylvania -- more specifically Philadelphia and its surrounding environs; such as Independence Hall, Liberty Bell and most of the well-known historical sites of Philadelphia. We also went to Valley Forge, Audubon Center at Mill Grove, Daniel Boone homestead, and a Quaker Cemetery where some of Earle’s ancestors are buried. However, the highlight of the trip was our visit to Longwood Gardens, a world-class arboretum, conservatory, and gardens started by the Peirces in the 1600s and later more fully developed by the wealthy Pierre duPont Family. Earle has always wanted to visit these gardens that he has always heard so much about. We were not at all disappointed in this beautiful and expansive place. It covers over a thousand acres and is visited by over a million people yearly. It was really special to walk through the preserved home of George Peirce, Earle’s direct ancestor of eight generations, the first Peirce to migrate from England to Pennsylvania and obtain land from William Penn. In September we headed to Yellowstone Park by way of Idaho Falls and Rexburg, ID. We visited the beautiful new Rexburg Temple, and then tried to find where Ed and Lynda had lived while they attended college there for 2 years. The campus had changed so much, we had no success. It is a beautiful campus. We stayed in Island Park and each day traveled from there to the various Yellowstone sites. Yellowstone is not quite like we remembered it as kids, but we loved it anyway. We also spent time in the Grand Teton National Park. Those mountains are so majestic and glorious. I think I love them as much as mother did. We made stops in Jackson Hole and Afton as well. We even tried to get to Intermittent Springs where mother had spent much time in her youth. It had become dark, and we were a bit nervous about driving that narrow canyon, so only made it 3/4th of the way, but yet it brought fond memories back. We had forgotten that the cheese factory was no longer a cheese factory…only a little gift shop and small lunch counter, so we left Afton a bit disappointed, However, Afton will always hold a special place in our hearts. We’ve loved our several visits there over the years. .

The Year’s Highlights: 1) The baptism of Owen Nathan Peirce on June 5 in Fort Collins, CO and . 2) Our youngest child, Brian, became the father of the most beautiful little baby on December 3rd. Her name is Ella Lucille Peirce. She is our 19th grandchild. She was named and blessed in our home on January 2nd by her father. There were approximately 60 family members and friends in attendance. Ella was just precious in her long flowing white blessing dress.

Ed & Marsha and Family: This year Marsha’s mother has lived with us since March. Her name is Lolita Sillorar. We love having her with us, but she feels a bit out of place in the U.S.A. so her stay here is not permanent. But since she is living with us, and is really a part of family, we want to introduce her to the Hinckley Family. Lolita is a widow, and has three children. She has a son and a daughter in the Philippines. In 2006 she was diagnosed with breast cancer and had a mastectomy. Luckily, there has been no recurrence of cancer, and this will mark her 5th year since her diagnosis. She likes playing with Garrett and Meadow. She helps out a lot around the house and enjoys gardening when the weather is good. And like Ed, she really enjoys action movies. As for the entire family, we went low budget this year on our family vacation, after going to New York City in 2009. We saw Bryce and Zion National Parks and enjoyed that beautiful scenery. Last summer, Ed, Marsha, Lolita, and Garrett saw Paul McCartney in concert. This was such a thrill for Ed who really enjoys the music of the Beatles. Ed and Marshastill work at the same places. Ed at the Post office, and Marsha is at the kids’ elementary school as a special ed. para educator. The economy has taken its toll a bit. Ed rarely gets the overtime he used to, and Marsha’s hours were cut at the school district, but we’ve been able to make ends meet so far. Garrett is now 9 and is a brilliant little boy. He is in the access program at school and has received several awards such as high honor roll, the Iowa (standardized test) in the top 10 percent, and a citizenship award. Garrett is very shy and won’t talk to most adults, but he’s gradually improving. He loves playing Rockband with his sister and/or dad. He really wants to learn to play ‘real’ drums. Meadow is 6 and is very spunky. She started Kindergarten this year, and loves going to school. She has made lots of friends and always wants to have whatever her friends have, whether it’s a toy or a brand of shoes. Meadow is doing very well learning how to read and is heading towards the top of her class in that department. She is an excellent swimmer. She loves anything to do with Disney princesses or fairies. Her birthday party was a fairy party where all the attendees wore their fairy/princess outfits.

Lynda & Scott and Family: Our family started 2010 by celebrating the New Year in California. We visited Disneyland, Universal Studios, SeaWorld, and the San Diego Zoo.

In July, Scott and Lynda combined a sales meeting in Phoenix, AZ with a visit to Lynda’s childhood environs including the apartment and home Lynda lived in as a little girl. We also visited and decorated the grave of Lynda’s older brother, Steven. Then we flew to Hawaii (our first time). We enjoyed visiting Pearl Harbor, Waimea Falls, Polynesian Cultural Center, and snorkeling at Shark’s Cove and Lanikai Beach. Hawaii is gorgeous and our week there could not have been more perfect. A good portion of the summer was spent in landscaping (sprinkling system, sod, fire pit, fence, storage house) our newly acquired acreage. . .

Wolter Family Highlights:

• Scott enjoyed a January getaway to Marco Island, Florida for a sales meeting

• Lauren and Eric enjoyed taking two college classes together

• Nick began his first year at Payson High School and loves it

• Dallin took break dance lessons

• Lynda successfully completed her goal to ride her bike to work all summer

• Lauren spent 7 months working in Richmond, Virginia. She made more friends than she did money.

• Eric went on a three-day canoe trip down the San Fafael River with his Uncle Tom, and cousin Sage

• Lauren works around the clock for three days straight for an elderly women as her care giver

• Eric works at WalMart, but is searching for something better

• Nick is doing weight lifting each morning before his classes start

• Lynda loves being room mother for Dallin’s 5th grade class

Nathan & Robyn and Family:

Nathan

• still enjoys working for Intel in Fort Collins, Co

• had laser eye surgery (no more glasses)

• after 6 years was released as Cubmaster

• always involved in a home improvement project; this year’s projects included building and installing a shelf all the way around the girls room – then painted pink and white stripes all around the room; designed a driveway extension and walkway to the backyard, installed insulation on the garage door, and built a closet system in the girls’ closet.

Robyn

• watched with the family as a grizzly bear crossed the road in front of us at Yellowstone

• said yes to being a last minute host family to a 14-year old Japanese boy for 4 weeks; shed some tears when it was time to say goodbye

• finds time to read between doing typical mom activities

Collin (will be 14 in Feb)

• his Lego Rototics team won 1st place in a scrimmage tournament and 2nd place in the qualifying tournament for Robot Design and was able to participate in the state tournament

• auditioned for and made it into the middle school musical, Willy Wonka

• earned his red belt in karate along with Nathan and Randy

Randy (will be 12 in Jan.)

• started 2010 by earning the Arrow of Light and joining the Boy Scouts where he will soon be a 1st Class Scout

• chose to learn the cello as he entered the middle school music program and thinks it is neat he can share music with Collin who plays the trombone

• got 2nd place for boys in the 6th grade tennis league

Owen (8 years)

• was baptized on his birthday, how cool is that!

• won our Cub Scout pack’s Veggie Regatta with his cucumber canoe

• spent a week and a half at cousins’ homes in Utah by himself just for fun during the summer

Sydney (6 years)

• also loved spending a week and a half at cousins’ homes by herself

• entered 1st grade and is becoming quite the reader

• got the Chicken Pox along with Cora who got it from Owen (who might have gotten it when Randy was immunized)

Cora (1 year)

• spent the year entertaining the family as she grew, learned new things and passed all those 1st year of life milestones

• got 3 stitches in her forehead after hitting the edge of a bed during her “just starting to walk” phase in November

• has learned a few signs to communicate with us in addition to occasionally saying “bye,” “hi,” and “boo”

Shanna & Tom and Family:

Tom (age 42): Keeping busy at work as the Storm Water Utility Manager for Riverton City, had a great time hiking Mt. Timpanogos in the summer, busy in the Bishopric, enjoyed snowshoeing in Yellow Fork Canyon!

Shanna (age still 29): Smiling teacher of darling preschool kids, trying to keep up with a very busy toddler, enjoying texting her oldest daughter on her new cell phone (gotta keep up with the times), so happy to be serving in the YW Presidency!

Sage (age 12, almost a teenager): Talented dancer in many areas of dance including a ballerina on toe shoes, surviving middle school with a 4.0 GPA, enduring piano lessons, enjoyed her first Girls Camp last summer.

Tanner (age 10): Started drum lessons and thinks he wants to start a band, enduring piano lessons, a well rounded sports player in soccer, basketball, and flag football, an expert Band Hero drummer and quitarist!

Brynn (age 6): One of the stars of her soccer team, little gymnast doing cartwheels and walk-overs around the house, finally began taking piano lessons after begging for it for over a year, and has a smile that melts your heart.

Grace (age 20 months): Loves to run around the house, in the yard, down the street, and in the chapel! Is off the charts for her height and in the low percentile for her weight (she burns everything she eats right off), loves to dance to music, has a giggle that brightens your day, and is a miracle to our family!!

Sherman & Jocelyn and Family: We have had a calm year. For the first year since marriage we haven’t moved, changed jobs, baptized any children, had any new children, or even received new church callings. Nothing has really changed for us this year. I guess we’re officially old now.
I am still building my optometry practice in Draper. I’ve been there two and a half years already. My accountant is proud of me for digging it out of debt. Now I just need to figure out how to pay myself enough to transition from 6 days a week of work including moonlighting at other offices to 2 half days of work including free golf with drug reps. Some day. I’m still a cubmaster and I’m certain I’ll be released soon as I’m starting to enjoy it.
Jocelyn has been trying hard to make this year interesting for our family. On Christmas Eve last year she had surgery for an ectopic pregnancy. Many months later and one miscarriage later, however, Jocelyn is now pregnant in the 2nd trimester. At least 2011 will be more interesting to write about next year. Jocelyn is still a counselor in the primary presidency and is already stressing over the primary’s sacrament meeting program.

Braden is 9, and in the 4th grade. He is doing really well, and growing up a little too fast for his mom’s likes. Landon is 7 and is the 2nd grade. He is still in the Chinese immersion program, and amazes his parents daily at his ability to speak Chinese. Both Braden and Landon took karate this past fall and loved it. We hope to be able to continue with that in the near future. Madalyn is 3, and is our little princess. She keeps us smiling. She loves music, dancing, and playing with her brothers.

Brian & Becky and Family: This was a wonderful year as Brian and Becky completed their first full calendar year married. We happily found out in March that we were expecting our first child. Consequently, Becky was sick for the better part of the year, which limited a lot of what we could do. Still, we did enjoy doing some activities such as going to Hebgen Lake in Montana and later a weekend in St. George. We celebrated our first year anniversary at the plush Grand America Hotel in Salt Lake (5 star), which was a marriage gift from a relative of Becky’s. Brian still works for the State of Utah in the Unemployment Insurance offices as a claims auditor. He earns the big buck (I meant to not pluralize this) in finding ways to deny people benefits. Becky worked the entire year, as in years past, as a dental assistant for her father. At the end of the year she decided to stop working full-time in order to care for our newborn baby. Born on December 3, Ella Lucille Peirce weighed in at 7 lbs and 11 ounces, and was 21 inches long. Because Ella’s heart rate was low, and Becky’s contractions were not strong enough, the doctor decided to do a c-section. Needless to say, Becky’s hopes of recovering quickly were dashed. We are loving our sweet little baby girl who, by the way, is the most beautiful baby ever! Really!!! We’re trying to learn how to live on no sleep. Yet we think parenthood rocks!