Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 2009

To those of you who are visiting as a result of our family holiday card, welcome!
I will be updating the blog to include photos about Peter's junior high football and basketball season, Emily and my participation in Fiddler on the Roof, Thanksgiving and other fall news. My camera stopped working in November soon after my Halloween post. I had slacked in my postings anyway, but this development really shut me down. I pay respect to both Diana and Ciara who are doing a wonderful job managing their family history and also to Diana who has helped me so much this year with my family blog.
On to the latest news. We have had so much fun this holiday season! One of my happiest memories occurred soon after Bryan and Kevin returned home. I am the room parent for Emily's fifth grade class. Emily really wanted her family to come to the class party, she even asked for it in her prayers! Diana, Bryan and Kevin all helped with both the preparation and the execution of the event. We invited all the students to bring a traditional dish from their family's culture (we sent Muddy Buddies!) to share. The feast was amazing! That reminds me, there are recipes I still need to get! We wrote letters to soldiers in Iraq which will be delivered by an Army chaplain and we hand knotted quilts to be donated to children in the hospital. We played a soft "snowball" game using socks stuffed with plastic grocery sacks. The photos are courtesy of Barbara Jo Taylor who joined in the fun!
Here are some other moments not to be forgotten:

• Hosting Emily's friends for a various playdates, including going to see Christmas lights wearing special glasses;
• Receiving lots of help from everyone with the meal preparation, serving and clean up which never seems to end (favorite new food discovery: my recipe for minestrone soup);
• Baking with Ciara. We taste tested two Snickerdoodle recipes with everyone in the house and the neighborhood. The Martha Stewart recipe beat the Relief Society recipe.
  
• Falling asleep watching Emmet Otter's Jug Band Christmas--I think it's time to take that one out of the "must see" category
• Ciara and my gingerbread creations--Emily was too busy playing her new Pokeman Platinum game on her DSi to help this year
  
• Bowling with everyone
• Kevin and Bryan watching Steven Segal's reality TV show
• Scientific rootbeer taste test, organized by Lyle
  
• Family talent show: Kevin's amazing song, Ciara's demo of how she entertains toddlers, and Lyle's paper airplane seminar. Diana and Mac sang a duet-they sounded really good together! Peter and Emily presented Christmas violin selections. I must say Bryan touching his tongue to his nose and Dad's demonstration of eye crossing were unexpected treats as well.

I must also mention we were honored to have Grandpa Schofield visit for Christmas. We celebrated his 85th birthday a day early on Saturday by having a pizza dinner with Patricia, Ashley, her boyfriend Christian, and Josh while Grandpa watch the USC/BC football game.
I truly appreciate all of you friends and family who have taken the time to send cards, emails or give a call for the holidays.
Below are posts from the family members. Best wishes for 2010!Lyle - I spent this year learning about the wonders of the oral cavity. NYU College of Dentistry has a demanding program and it takes a considerable effort to excel. My efforts, though, have been rewarded: I'm in the top 5% of my class and just received a $10,000 scholarship for the Spring 2010 semester. I love dentistry and hope my success can continue for this, the most important, semester of my education. Apart from school, I enjoy spending time with my wife Ciara at the gym, at the movies, at NYC's restaurants, and doctoring up our apartment. I hope all the best for you, family and friends, in 2010.
Diana - I love being a full-time mom, spending time with my hubby, blogging obsessively about how adorable I think my kid is, and doing some crafting. One of the things I'm most proud of from 2009 is my weight loss- since having Luke (13 months old) I've lost 50 pounds. This is due, in part, to my new running hobby. I never thought I would actually look forward to running, but I like getting out and pushing myself. In 2010 I'm hoping to finish my student teaching, and finish losing those pesky 10 pounds!
Here is a fictional piece from Bryan:
Bryan - This year, Bryan has unfortunately been sucked into a downward spiral by his involvement in the illegal botany circuit. What started as casually changing Wikipedia entries on well-known plant forms soon led to more and more dangerous activity, and culminated in his arrest on charges of his alleged cross-pollination of flowers in China’s beloved Nanjing Botanical Garden. Having been convicted and sentenced to death by Round-Up injection, Bryan has appealed the decision and awaits a hearing at The People’s Supreme Court. Other than all that, his life has been pretty uneventful. We wish him all the best.
In reality, Bryan had an amazing year, supporting himself in LA with both his catering job and the business writing company he and some friends started. He works very hard at job hunting and helps with anything he can around the house when he comes home to visit. He plays drums with the band Leonine. Bryan and Kevin, who is the band's bass player, share a house with two of Bryan's former UCLA roomates, Mark and Bobby. Bobby's dad, Lee, helped the boys adapt the garage of the house to include room for their band equipment and a bedroom for Kevin.
Hi. This is Kevin. I'd like to be the first to welcome you to The New Year. I'm not sure what it will bring for you, but I think we can confidently say that it will be better than the ruddy year that preceded it. For me, it's going to include a lot of studying, working, filmmaking, and of course, rocking out. And if those don't sound like good prospects for a new year, then I don't know what does. May The Force Be With You, Kevin.
A note from mom about Kevin: I have bragged to everyone I can think of, so I think most of you know Kevin was accepted to and began the Film program at USC in the fall. We received word this month he had straight A's for his first semester! He continues to be vigilant about his health and he's doing fine.

Peter - Christmas was really great. I got a pool table from "Santa Claus" and an iPod dock from Mom and Dad. I recently finished playing on the school (7th grade) basketball team. Soon the Hotshots basketball team will start. I'm pretty sure that our team is going to do well. Overall I'd say I've had a pretty fun year.
Mom's two cents about Peter: At age 12, Peter is working very hard in his first year of Junior High. In his first trimester he had all A's except a B in Science. He learned to dress in a shirt and tie on game days for football and basketball. He's got great friends. He played with a travel baseball team in the fall and keeps up his hitting by working with a coach named Richie Kimm who has been a big help. Peter is a self starter; he added doing his own laundry to his chores without mom even asking. He doesn't need prompting to keep up with homework, but with scouts and sports he has had many late nights. He is a Star Scout on track to receive his Life rank in the spring if all goes well. It's a joy to watch him grow up, and it's happening too fast! He enjoys being an uncle to Luke, who is also a big fan of Peter.
From Emily: I have to say, I had a really good Christmas! I got an iPod touch and a bunch of other cool stuff I enjoy. The thing I enjoyed most was having my brothers and sisters with me on Christmas day! I will be sad when they leave. It also makes me sad to think that there is a WHOLE more year until next Christmas! Christmas really is "the most wonderful time of the year"!
And mom says: At age 10, Emily loves her friends and her fifth grade class with Mr. Nichols. She was happy to try life in LA and did well at auditions, but her heart is at home in Granite Bay. She is a great student, just one B like Peter, and has talents in so many areas--swimming, gymnastics, performing arts. She is a terrific aunt and entertains Luke on a regular basis. I'm happy she has become proficient at washing dishes and keeping me company during kitchen clean up this year!