Christmas Letter in September

Not really. I don't do the Christmas letter thing ever, and I hardly read the ones that come my way. I need to place my family in time and space, so that later I'll remember who they are. The good thing about blogs is you don't have to read them.

My four sons and their wives are "in the thick of life," as I like to say. Two of them have teenagers and younger children. Two have toddlers and are still changing diapers.

Jon and Julie in Nampa, Idaho have Liam (1) and Katelyn (4). Julie teaches first grade while Jon runs his Afterhaul business. His trailer had a fire in it a few weeks ago and he has had to reconstruct it. Jonathan also builds the loveliest sheds. The kind of sheds you could live in. If you're Dutch.

Ed and Dede are moving this month from Millburn, New Jersey to the Pittsburgh area. Hank, age 8, may have to reevaluate his passion for the New Jersey Devils (hockey) and consider instead the Pittsburgh Penguins. I can hear him say, "Blech!"

I know Rian is reinventing herself to become the Pittsburgh Rian and leaving behind New Jersey Rian (I've always liked New Jersey Rian).

Samantha will smile through it all and play that old out-of-tune piano every chance she gets.

Erica (Utah) has begun teaching ninth grade English and is determined to have her students read and write and maybe even like it. Charles is working full time and in his second year at the U of U in the MFA program for fiction writers. Anne and Harrison are at the brand new Herriman High School (Go Mustangs!). Harrison is in the marching band on the drums; Anne has already found and befriended the exchange student from Germany.

Murgatroyd and Maximus Major are in elementary school wowing everyone with their map making and song and dance routines.

Sam and Sarah (Utah) have the 5-year old Elliot starting kindergarten this week while the incomparable Louis (2) gets to stay home with Mom and the two dogs, Olive and Oscar. Sam works full time at AmEx and is finishing up his masters in education. What is that? M.E.?

How do they do it? How did we do it?

The best thing is we gave our dog away. Cute, fuzzy, annoying Alice is now Kristen's dog (my niece). Sometimes we will take care of her when Bob and Judy and Kristen go on vacation. We'll be glad to see her and we'll be delighted when she goes.

We work in the temple on Saturdays. We write and take photographs. I'm teaching gospel doctrine every other week. We drive erratically. We take our medications.

I'm living dangerously. I've given up sunscreen. In Europe, all the old women had dark brown tans. I like that leathery look.

Geez Louise.