The Comeau Family: Christmas 2011 Update

Dear Friends and Family,

How is it possible that another year has come and gone?!? We have had quite an eventful year and I promised myself I would get updates sent out. I know you probably thought you were escaping us again, but no such luck! Here is a snapshot of our past year.

On our 18th wedding anniversary, August 6th, 2011, Doug and I packed up our family and left our home in Eagle Mountain, Utah to head out to the great Northwest. Doug accepted a promotion with the Boy Scouts and we are now Oregonians. But don't worry! Even though we live in Duck and Beaver territory, we still bleed BYU BLUE!

About 3 weeks after we moved into our new ward (church congregation), Doug was called to be the Young Men's President. This means he gets to work with the Scouts at work and at play. How lucky can he get?

Since Oregon, like much of the country, has had major budget cuts, it is extremely difficult to get a teaching job here, so I (Alicia) am now a stay-home mom with 17-month-old Joshy keeping me busy and mostly out of trouble. I am teaching primary though, so my teaching skills don't get too rusty!

Mikayla just turned 17 on January 4th. She has had her driver's license for a year, which has been awesome since she and Jordan get to attend early morning seminary and have to leave home at 5:40 a.m. every morning. She has done an amazing job adjusting to a new high school as a junior and is serving as the Laurel's
president in our ward. She is still playing the flute and her band director told her she is one of the best flautists he has ever heard. Now if we could just get her to practice. . .

Jordan is 14 and loves everything football, especially the Oregon City Pioneers, BYU Cougars, and Dallas Cowboys. He was voted the most improved player on his freshman football team by his fellow teammates. He is 6'1" and LOVES towering over the rest of the family. He is the president of the Teacher's Quorum and has not missed a single day of school or early morning seminary this year. He plays the drums and is hoping someday to get his own drum set. Thank heavens we have two garages, one which is located on the back acre of our property!

Alexia is 12 and in 7th grade. She just started playing the trumpet this year and has already marched in her first parade. She is still our social butterfly even though the move has probably been the hardest for her. She is a Beehive and was able to attend Girl's Camp for the first time this summer before we left Utah. She adores her baby brother, but still begs frequently for a baby sister. (Too bad, Lex, life is full of disappointment!)

Hunter is 11 and in 5th grade. For the first time since kindergarten, he had to go to school without knowing Mom was just down the hall. That was pretty tough on him and me, but he has adjusted well and has made lots of new friends. He is an 11-year-old Scout and should be a First Class before he turns 12. He still loves bugs, snakes, lizards, and anything else that is creepy-crawly. He has also been teaching himself to play the guitar.

Joshua is into everything. It has been a LOOOONG time since we have had to redecorate our Christmas tree multiple times during the season, but eventually we were able to get all of the ornaments moved up to the top half where they were safe. He has been such a fun addition to our family. He is a very happy baby who rarely cries. He doesn't walk yet because his siblings adore him and he doesn't get much floor time. In fact, he didn't really start crawling until they went back to school in August. His instrument of choice is any pot, pan, bowl, utensil, etc. that he can pull out of a cupboard and bang on.

We are so grateful for all of you and for the opportunity we have had to remember our Savior during the holiday season. We are so excited for the opportunity we have to start this year with a clean slate. We hope 2012 finds you all healthy, happy, and looking forward to new life experiences.

Lots of love,

The Comeaus

Searching for our Christmas tree at the tree farm