Christmas letter and fun

Merry Christmas to everyone!!

We skipped our letter last year, so let's just sum it up by saying, it was not a great one!!

This year we moved in July to a house with lower rent. I was contacted by a friend to do some data entry for his company, and I must have impressed someone, because that turned into a full time job for me!! It has been the hardest, but most rewarding thing I have done outside of the home. I generally work a 8-10 hour day, and come home and collapse!! I am not used to this hard working all day schedule. I really need to get into a better dinner routine, since we are not eating that great these days...

I have new empathy for single working parents. It is hard being a working mom. I think it would be a lot more doable with a maid and personal chef!! Until we can afford those, we will settle for training our kids. They are not loving the added responsibilities they have, but will appreciate the knowledge when they are older and have their own families.

We went to Utah right after we moved into our house, and had a great time with the Gresko side of the family. Nathan worked a lot of it, but was able to come up and spend 2 days with us. We were there for the 4^th of July weekend, and had a family reunion with all the in laws and cousins, minus Josh Crowther, who was still on a mission in Korea. We came home and did our best to unpack before getting into the school routine.

Colby is in 6^th grade, and is doing pretty well. He plays the piano, and surprises himself a lot at how far he has come. He turned 12 in September and was ordained a Deacon in our church. We are very proud of the awesome, and sensitive young man he is growing into. Rebekah is in 5^th grade, and turned 10 this year. She is officially taller than Colby, and loves to wear heels to rub it in! She is in orchestra, playing the violin; and plays the piano as well. That is one busy girl we have!! Between Achievement days, homework and instruments, she doesn't have much time. Then comes our Caleb. He was baptized this July, as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. We are very proud of him and the choice he made to join us as members of the church. He is now 8, and in 3^rd grade. What a character he is! He is still tiny, but has grown a little in the last little bit. He is just a funny, crazy, bouncy kid. He loves to show off and perform songs for us while jumping around the room. He cracks us all up. Then last but not least, comes Rachel. She turned 5 in June, and has always had such a strong and distinctive personality. She is usually happy, and has developed quite the sassy attitude since starting kindergarten. She is always up for snuggling, and comes to sit by or on our laps all the time. She is learning to read, and loves how the world is opening up around her with words, and notices phonograms everywhere. They are all growing up so fast!!

Nathan has had a hard time finding steady work since the Post Office cut our contract last August. He has had several jobs lasting from a few weeks, to several months. Nothing has panned out like we hoped it would, and we have been frustrated about what to do. After a lot of fasting and prayer, he has decided to completely switch fields, and become a high school science teacher. He is back in school for his Masters of Secondary Education. He is working weekend nights from 10pm-10am at a computer company monitoring their servers. He makes sure everything works right, or fixes problems as they arise. He is doing well, and being given full time hours at the start of the year. His program is supposed to last 13 months, so hopefully, by the time our next letter rolls around, he will be close to done!! It is hard work, but we are so proud of him for all the sacrifices he is making for us!!

Then, there's me. I have had a hard time this year. I spent the first few months of the year on the couch, trying to let my compressed and painful discs in my back heal. When that didn't do much, other than make me crazy, I sought out many other kinds of help. I have tried chiropractors, myopractors, acupuncturists, and doctors. Epidurals, trigger point injections, numbing creams and medicated patches. None of them provided much lasting relief. I have been pretty discouraged, but try to trust in my faith in Heavenly Father, that in time, I will be free of pain and able to be the mom and wife I want to be. I work at Rehab AZ, where I get physical therapy and massage and other treatments to get me through the day. The people I work with have saved me on more than one occasion. I am very blessed to be where I am, and I count my blessings every day for my family and friends who help me and my family.