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Things are winding down for us in Elko. Durinda and Shawn's band concert were last week, so was Cody's strings concert. He is in the 6th grade advanced strings and they got to play with the 7th and 8th grade strings. The very last song, he played with, along with everyone else, the high school strings. It was very nice. Tonight is the chorus Christmas concert. Durinda is in the advanced choir, and she is playing flute accompaniment with the piano for one song. She is nervous but ready. She has been practicing very hard. I'm sure she will do fine. Shawn is done with jr.high basketball, but start pal basketball and church ball after the first of the year. Durinda has started pep band and will start concert band the first of the year. Things will be calm for at two weeks.

Merry Christmas!!

Well Christmas is finally here and I am so excited!! I'm looking forward to you guys coming down to little old Elko and celebrate Christmas with us. We weren't together last year so I'm so happy that we are going to be together this year. Ya I know most of you have little ones, but let me remind you that the ones that live in Elko had to travel to Logan with smaller cars and tons of presents also. I can't wait to see you guys down here for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day and have a great Christmas dinner. I know Brain has worked hard for us be together at this great time of the year and celebrate the birth of Christ. Hope to see you soon!!!
Love your niece,
Durinda

Alright so I heard some people are looking for something new to read so here are some good books and series:

Of course at the top of my list is

Twilight ( ya i know most of you have read it)

The Wicked Years(warning this is an adult series with adult scenes but really is good)

description: This is about the lif and times of the wicked Witch of the west and it also explains why she became so Wicked. It is by Gregory Mcguire.

Vampirates
description: This is a series about vampirates, it is about two twins who become separted in a terrible storm and the brother ends up on a pirate ship and the sister ends up on a vampirate ship. It is by Justin Somper

Dracula
description: You should know what Dracula is about

Dragon Rider
description: This is about a dragon who must find the rim of heaven before humans take over the area where the dragons are hiding right now. The Rim of Heaven is said to old othe dragons. Firedrake(the dragon) is accompanied by a brownie and a boy. It is by Cornelia Funke.

Inkheart
description: This series is also by Cornelia Funke. If you haven't seen the movie yet this is a great book to read even if you have you have seen this movie you still need to read them. It is about a girl whose father has the power to read characters from a book and she might also have this power also.

The Thief Lord
description: Also by Cornelia Funke. This is about two orphan brothers who find find a group of children who commit petty crimes and is lead by the Thief Lord.

tennis Shoes among the Nephites
description: most of you should know what this is about.

Well that's all the books I read that comes to mind so far. I put more up as more comes to mind.

Cody (Bear)

Cody is looking more and more like his father. He acts like him and and has the same interests as Ruston. He loves to fish and be out doors. He is going up the ranks in scouting as well. He has his Tenderfoot and is working on his second and first class badges. Now that school is out he can get more done. This year in school he decided to learn the violin. he did pretty well. He seemed to enjoy it. He is currently playng baseball. He is now in his first year of the major level (Major level is the last in little league). He likes baseball but not as much as Shawn. He has done some pitching, infielding and outfielding this year. He has a good coach who is fair and nice. Cody will be working with Shawn this summer for Jeff and Dessa. Cody is such a good kid even though he can be shy and rebellious at times.

Shawn

Shawn is growing so tall. I think he is 5ft. 8in. I now have to look upto to him! He has so much fun teasing me and Durinda. If Ruston isn't home and I need something that is a bit out of reach, he will come to the aide of his mother. Durinda is always calling him her big little brother and hugs him. Her arms reach under his armpits. It is so funny. Shawn has been busy with baseball. He is now in Babe Ruth . He wasn't sure if he would like it at first, but now he loves it. He had to get use to extra 30 feet between each base. They look like little dots out there on the field compared to the little league fields. This summer he will be dong little jobs for Jeff and Dessa, so that he can have a little extra spending money. He will be attending a scout camp down in Ely in a couple of weeks. He is getting really close in getting his Life badge. In October he will become a Teacher in the church. He is always on the go.

Durinda

Durinda will be celebrating her 17th birthday on saturday. It is so hard to believe that she is that old now. Starting out at 2lbs. and 4oz. we weren't sure what would happen to her. She has grown into such a beautiful young woman. She has such a strong testimony and is such a dear and dedicated friend. She has so many. As you all know, she has been in the Elko High School marching band for the last two years, and looks forward to the next two. She recieved her letter for the jacket she is saving up for. Her senior year she and the band will be going to the Tournament of Roses Parade in California. As of right now, her plans for college is to go to BYU Of Idaho and to pursue a music and English major. Things could still change, she still has two more years.

Well, I guess it's time to join the rest of the family and start a blog. I'm very new to this so forgive me if I make a few mistakes.

School is over for the year and it seem to have drag on this year.
Durinda is now a junior in high school, Shawn an 8th grader and Cody will be in sixth grade. Cody had a hard time adapting to the new 5th and 6th grade middle school, but he managed to pull through pretty well. It should be easier next year for him. Shawn blossomed in jr. high school, and looks forward to 8th grade. Durinda can hardly believe that she is so close to being done high school. She is already making some plans for after she graduates in 2011. She did very well in school, but struggled a little in math, but she really improved her grade in that class.