Christmas Letter
King Family News 2009
Christmas News for 2009
Best of Christmas greetings from Ronda and Art King! This years’ Newsworthy Events chronicled here:
Jan Taylor breaks his arm snowboarding and sadly misses most of his basketball season.
Feb Sierra and Hannah’s PAA basketball team makes the state playoffs.
Mar Sierra spends two life-changing weeks in Ethiopia building a school. Hannah reads the book “Do Hard Things” and decides to spend two months at a mission school in Honduras with her sister Bethani. Art takes six children to visit Grandma and Grandpa King in Bozeman. We swim in Boiling River, Yellowstone Park.
Apr The Balasingam family visits and we renew a great friendship. Ian undergoes burn repair surgeries on his face and hand. 30 years on, Art plans an Engagement Re-enactment in an apple orchard. Many friends help with planning and keeping it a secret from Ronda. Pictures: photos.app.goo.gl/YLKE66US2hgmB3Gq8
May Tracey, our exchange student from China, decides to stay for the summer and spend another year with us. She’s part of the family now.
June Bethani and Hannah return home from Honduras. Sierra graduates from 12th grade at PAA, Taylor graduates from 8th grade at TVA and gets his drivers permit.
July Theron, Ian, and Art enjoy a backpacking trip in stunning Eagle Cap Wilderness. Rylee teaches herself to read.
Sep Brenden takes a big trip to Thailand. We get the exciting news that Elissa is pregnant, due next April! School starts. Rylee, Willa, Theron and Caleb are homeschooling, Taylor and Ian at TVA, Hannah and Tracey at PAA, Sierra and Bethani at WWU, Brenden at MSU and David at LLU. Theron thrives in his weekly art class.
Oct Ian passes the written tests and receives his Oregon drivers permit. All the teenagers learn to drive a stick shift while Dad complains of whip-lash. Bethani chooses a sunny afternoon and the cold Walla Walla River for her baptism. We celebrate! Video: tinyurl.com/yasznw2
Nov Willa turns 10 years old. Rylee writes daily letters to big Sister Sierra, away at college.
Dec In August Caleb and Willa audition with violins to play the National Anthem for the NBA Trailblazers. They are selected and perform on December 15th at the Rose Garden in front of 20,000 basketball fans. Video: tinyurl.com/y86yrof
Wrap-up With almost our entire family together for Christmas, we are reminded of just how blessed we are! Our sincere wish is for you to have a very Merry Christmas!
With Love from all of us; Art & Ronda, David & Elissa, Brenden, Bethani, Sierra (19), Tracey (18), Hannah (17), Ian (17), Taylor (15), Caleb (13), Theron (12), Willa (10), Rylee (5), Mossen (1)
Favorite Books of 2009
- Art: Mawson’s Will by Bickell
- Ronda: Ordinary Days by Smucker
- David: Culture Warrior by O’Reilly
- Elissa: Camel Club by Baldacci
- Brenden: Of Mice and Men by Steinbeck
- Bethani: Guns of Navarone by MacLean
- Sierra: Purpose Driven Life by Warren
- Hannah: Do Hard Things by Harris
- Caleb: Flight of the Fugitives by Jackson
- Theron: Ghost Town at Sundown by Osborne
- Willa: Stranded by Mikaelsen
- Rylee: Little House in the Big Woods by Wilder (read-aloud)
- Mossen: Polar Bear What Do You Hear
