Merry Christmas

            As we think over this past year, we realize how blessed we are.  We have had some wonderful times we’d like to share with you.

The biggest blessing was the birth of our second son, Raiden Scott Adams on June 21^st.  He weighed in at 8 lbs. 2 oz. and 21” long.  Raiden has been such a delight and an easy going baby.  He learned to roll over on Halloween and got his two bottom front teeth a few days after Thanksgiving.  We’re pretty sure he’ll be crawling for Christmas, since he travels all over the living room floor looking for toys.  He’s going to be our big boy, as he is consistently 2 months ahead of Cohen at the same age.   Cohen has been a great big brother.  He gives great hugs and soft kisses to Raiden.  He loves getting up close to him and saying, “Hi Raiden.”

What a blessing it is to finally be a two car family.  Through some friends, we were able to find a 2008 Toyota Sienna at a Wisconsin auction in June.  We flew Tennille’s Step-dad out there to drive it back for us.  Even after his expenses, the auction fees, licensing and taxes; it was still cheaper than the listed prices at the car dealership.

It was so nice to have a new van as we headed up to Moscow, ID for the Raiden road trip review when he was only two weeks old!  TJ’s mom was visiting with us after Raiden was born and we decided to meet his dad & youngest brother in Moscow for a few days, then TJ’s folks drove back to Oregon from there.  We enjoyed visiting with family and seeing some college friends.  On our way home, we camped overnight in Cascade, ID with Tennille’s mom & Scott.

            The first weekend of August, we headed to Southern Utah for an Adams family reunion.  We were able to stay with some friends and re-connect with family.  It was wonderful to hear stories and have lunch at the Adams family cabin in the mountains of Parowan, UT.

            Tennille got to spend some fun time with her mom in Meridian, ID and they also drove to Pocatello, ID the beginning of June for a Time Out for Women Conference.  Sharon was able to be here when Raiden was born and come back in July to help for a few more days.  TJ had a conference in Meridian at the end of October so we spent a few more days with them.

We had another successful garden this year.  I was able to can 30+ quarts of salsa, 30+ quarts of peaches, 20+ quarts of applesauce, apple butter and apple pie filling.  We picked the apples from small orchard in Filer.  Plus, we were able to score about 30 lbs. of potatoes for free.  What a blessing!

TJ continues to plug away as a 6^th Grade Science teacher.  Each school year has a different set of challenges and rewards.  This year he has added a Science Club and has been tutoring in Math for some extra cash.  TJ still helps out in the C.O.P. (Citizens on Patrol) program; mostly he is crowd control for big events/parades in the area.

Tennille continues to serve on the Twin Falls Parks & Recreation Commission.  We both keep busy working on our family history in our spare time and serving in church.

We wish each of you and yours a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

 ~TJ, Tennille, Cohen & Raiden Adams~