Dear Loved Ones,
What a year this has been! Our family has grown in leaps and bounds, both spiritually and physically. We started the new year off with me having morning sickness that lasted the entire pregnancy! After a few visits to the hospital, the doctors finally hooked me up with some good anti-nausea medication that helped me get somewhat on my feet. Tanner picked up the slack like no other man I know! There really isn't too many men who work the night shift as well as a Tuesday through Saturday shift during the week, play “Mr. Mom” on his weekend and evenings before work and get 5 kids to church ON TIME for 8 am church meetings. And help get the kids set up in a new school just days before the first day of school completely BY HIMSELF. I have to admit that I definitely have THE BEST husband!
Krista did a plenty of growing up this year, too! She helped with all the “mom jobs” when I was unable to move very far or fast without being sick. She has become fairly proficient at changing the laundry, getting it folded and put away. She does better at getting herself ready in the mornings, well, she's taking more time to comb her hair and try to use a bit of make up now that she's old enough to. She does dishes and bathrooms and can boss her younger sisters and brother around like any oldest sister should. She was an AMAZING help this summer! I don't know what I would have done without her! She took a turn playing soccer in the fall and absolutely LOVED it and has now started playing basketball. Between new friends at her new school, Young Women's, sports, piano practice, and chores at home, she is one busy girl and loving every minute of it! I love our busy Krista Loree!
Brianna had an amazing year, too! She helped with the dishes, taking out the trash, scrubbing bathrooms, and reading. For somebody who absolutely hated reading last year, she has totally taken off and reads nearly everything in sight now! She loved spending time outside playing in the water and taking advantage of our neighbor's pool as well as helping Krista “practice” babysitting her younger sisters and brother. Brianna chose not to play soccer, but to show her support from the sidelines and help me out while Tanner was working his nights and Tuesday through Saturday schedule. She was one I could count on to come snuggle and comfort me when I couldn't get too far from my bed. She also is enjoying school. She's in the 4th grade this year and is the classroom “Zoo Keeper” for their class pet Harley (a Cacatua alba -white cockatoo). She has totally thrived with Mrs. Chudler and having this responsibillity. She loves reading her scriptures and sharing her testimony with anybody who will let her write it out for them. She works very hard to keep her part of her bedroom clean and she loves wearing jewlery. I love our sweet Brianna Rae!
Well, Deandra. Deandra is the biggest reason we moved to a new school. We love Benjamin Franklin Charter School. It did AMAZING things for our girls. The girls were kept on their toes and had to work very hard to keep up and excell. Unfortunately, it was too much for our lively Deandra. So, after lots of phone work, research, prayer and discussion we chose to enroll our girls at the American Leadership Academy this year. Boy has it been worth it!! Deandra has totally caught up with her classes that she was lagging in and she has an INCREDIBLE teacher, Mrs. Schneider, who understands the need for wiggles! Deandra is enjoying school this year and has a lot less homework which is good for her short attention span. She now likes trying to read and figure out words and doesn't fight me going to school! What a differance it has made in her! She's such a happy girl who loves life and everybody! She too, played soccer this fall and loved running around a field chasing the ball and the other kids. How I love our energetic, zestful Deandra Nicole!
Amanda. My little sweetheart. While I was laid up being sick Amanda took care of me while the older girls were at school. She brought me cups of ice without being asked, she made sure the front room had a pathway to the bathroom and she had lots of fun playing with Cameron and snuggling me for nap time. Then she started Kindergarden. She didn't want to leave me at home by myself. She loves her teacher, Miss Still, but getting her to school is quite the chore. But once she's there, that's a whole other story! She absolutely loves being there! She comes home singing a new poem that she's learning in class, she shows me all the papers she writes on and how well she can write her name, alphabet and numbers! And she makes sure Cameron knows that he can't learn any of these things unless he goes to school, too. Amanda also did soccer this season. She wasn't too sure of it at first, but once she met the other players and saw how much fun they were having, she just wouldn't stop playing!! I love our helpful and sweet Amanda Lynn!
What can I say about Cameron other than he is ALL BOY!! He has his moments when having four big sisters show through, but he definitely is a boy! He enjoys getting into Daddy's tools in the garrage and using them. He always needs a screwdriver! Whether he's taking apart the barbie doll house or uncovering the “child safe” outlets, he is always using a screwdriver! And he's smart, too! I do believe he knows how to use my smart phone better than I do! He likes Angry Birds, and lives for Go-Diego-Go. Every once in a while we can sneak in a Bob the Builder, but not very often! And he is most definitely the biggest snuggler in the house. If I am sitting down, he has to be on my lap sucking his fingers and having things his way. He's not spoiled, not one bit! I love our little man Cameron Miles!
This year we welcomed Alea Jane into our family. And she broke the mold! She has huge blue eyes and what looks to be red hair. She is growing, finally, after scaring my doctor into delivering me at 36.5 weeks (still full term, but not the average 40-42 week pregnancy) and weighed in at 5 lbs. 5 oz. Then she continued to be stubborn and didn't gain weight for a good 2 ½ weeks after being born and scared her pediatration. She is now gaining weight steadily and is a very happy and good baby! She's been sleeping through the night since she was 2 weeks old and I am very grateful for that. She loves being held by her sisters and Cameron (who absolutely dotes on her) and has lots of smiles for anybody who looks her way! I love our adorable Alea Jane!
Another addition to our family this year is a puppy we named Pepper. She joined our family the first part of December and is about 4 months old. She is a Black Labrador mix (with what we don't know). She is very well behaved and amazing with our children. As Cameron will tell you, she has sharp teeth, but she has yet to bite anybody. She is playful and loving and seems to be enjoying the busyness of our home and little ones. We love Pepper!
Tanner is still working at TemyaUSA in Gila Bend, Arizona. He is very blessed on his 4 hour commute to and from work on a daily basis with no harm or accidents. He and his carpool team are awake and alert and safe drivers and their vehicles have all run properly without leaving them totally stranded. Tanner's amazing and we are so lucky to have him as a husband and father! As I said before, he's picked up the slack and made mountains move! He is a comfort and great strength to me and is, without any doubt, the head of our family and keeps us together on the right path! I love my Tanner.
As for me, well, after being sick and naseaus for so long, I'll be ever grateful to never be nauseas again! Unfortunately we can't control the stomach flu. This pregnancy was not fun for any of us, and ended ith quite a bang! Just after delivering Alea, the nurse found me bleeding out and the doctor came back to find me minutes from death with a ruptured uturus. Being an amazing doctor with talent, skill, experience, and open to spiritual guidance, he was able to repair my uturus and keep me here with my family for a bit longer. Upon coming home to start healing and preparing our girls for their new school, I start having flu-like symptoms which landed me back in the hospital with a blood clot. As incredibly frusterating as that was for me, Tanner yet again picked up the slack and took our active children school shopping for the first day of school. He spent several hours with the girls getting notebooks, pencils, papers, binders, meeting the teachers, and finding classrooms. He took the girls to the first day of school and then picked me up from the hospital (the doctor FINALLY released me!!) and we took Amanda to her first day of Kindergarten. What a whirlwind that week was!!
Our family is incredibly blessed. These trying experiences strengethened our testimonies and taught us to ask and recieve help when needed. We pulled together as a family and grew closer to our friends. It prepared our family for the shock of the death of my youngest brother Joseph who was flying with some co-workers/friends from Mesa to Safford and crashed into the Flatiron of the Superstition Mountains. Joseph has been such a great example to our family and to me. He grew into an amazing man while serving a mission for the Lord and I miss him so much! His death brought my siblings, parents, cousins, aunts, uncles, friends and his friends so much closer together. We are so very blessed to know of Heavenly Father's gospel teachings, and of eternal families. This knowledge has helped lessen the hurt and pain of Joe's parting. We look forward to being in our Savior's presence together as a family again with our Joe.
As you can, tell our family has had quite the year, and hope this next one is a bit less trying. Nevertheless, we will continue to grow stronger and together, as we pray you will as well.
With hearts full of love and gratitude,
Tanner, Valerie, Krista, Brianna, Deandra, Amanda, Cameron and Alea Potterf
Brianna had an amazing year, too! She helped with the dishes, taking out the trash, scrubbing bathrooms, and reading. For somebody who absolutely hated reading last year, she has totally taken off and reads nearly everything in sight now! She loved spending time outside playing in the water and taking advantage of our neighbor's pool as well as helping Krista “practice” babysitting her younger sisters and brother. Brianna chose not to play soccer, but to show her support from the sidelines and help me out while Tanner was working his nights and Tuesday through Saturday schedule. She was one I could count on to come snuggle and comfort me when I couldn't get too far from my bed. She also is enjoying school. She's in the 4th grade this year and is the classroom “Zoo Keeper” for their class pet Harley (a Cacatua alba -white cockatoo). She has totally thrived with Mrs. Chudler and having this responsibillity. She loves reading her scriptures and sharing her testimony with anybody who will let her write it out for them. She works very hard to keep her part of her bedroom clean and she loves wearing jewlery. I love our sweet Brianna Rae!
Well, Deandra. Deandra is the biggest reason we moved to a new school. We love Benjamin Franklin Charter School. It did AMAZING things for our girls. The girls were kept on their toes and had to work very hard to keep up and excell. Unfortunately, it was too much for our lively Deandra. So, after lots of phone work, research, prayer and discussion we chose to enroll our girls at the American Leadership Academy this year. Boy has it been worth it!! Deandra has totally caught up with her classes that she was lagging in and she has an INCREDIBLE teacher, Mrs. Schneider, who understands the need for wiggles! Deandra is enjoying school this year and has a lot less homework which is good for her short attention span. She now likes trying to read and figure out words and doesn't fight me going to school! What a differance it has made in her! She's such a happy girl who loves life and everybody! She too, played soccer this fall and loved running around a field chasing the ball and the other kids. How I love our energetic, zestful Deandra Nicole!
Amanda. My little sweetheart. While I was laid up being sick Amanda took care of me while the older girls were at school. She brought me cups of ice without being asked, she made sure the front room had a pathway to the bathroom and she had lots of fun playing with Cameron and snuggling me for nap time. Then she started Kindergarden. She didn't want to leave me at home by myself. She loves her teacher, Miss Still, but getting her to school is quite the chore. But once she's there, that's a whole other story! She absolutely loves being there! She comes home singing a new poem that she's learning in class, she shows me all the papers she writes on and how well she can write her name, alphabet and numbers! And she makes sure Cameron knows that he can't learn any of these things unless he goes to school, too. Amanda also did soccer this season. She wasn't too sure of it at first, but once she met the other players and saw how much fun they were having, she just wouldn't stop playing!! I love our helpful and sweet Amanda Lynn!
What can I say about Cameron other than he is ALL BOY!! He has his moments when having four big sisters show through, but he definitely is a boy! He enjoys getting into Daddy's tools in the garrage and using them. He always needs a screwdriver! Whether he's taking apart the barbie doll house or uncovering the “child safe” outlets, he is always using a screwdriver! And he's smart, too! I do believe he knows how to use my smart phone better than I do! He likes Angry Birds, and lives for Go-Diego-Go. Every once in a while we can sneak in a Bob the Builder, but not very often! And he is most definitely the biggest snuggler in the house. If I am sitting down, he has to be on my lap sucking his fingers and having things his way. He's not spoiled, not one bit! I love our little man Cameron Miles!
This year we welcomed Alea Jane into our family. And she broke the mold! She has huge blue eyes and what looks to be red hair. She is growing, finally, after scaring my doctor into delivering me at 36.5 weeks (still full term, but not the average 40-42 week pregnancy) and weighed in at 5 lbs. 5 oz. Then she continued to be stubborn and didn't gain weight for a good 2 ½ weeks after being born and scared her pediatration. She is now gaining weight steadily and is a very happy and good baby! She's been sleeping through the night since she was 2 weeks old and I am very grateful for that. She loves being held by her sisters and Cameron (who absolutely dotes on her) and has lots of smiles for anybody who looks her way! I love our adorable Alea Jane!
Another addition to our family this year is a puppy we named Pepper. She joined our family the first part of December and is about 4 months old. She is a Black Labrador mix (with what we don't know). She is very well behaved and amazing with our children. As Cameron will tell you, she has sharp teeth, but she has yet to bite anybody. She is playful and loving and seems to be enjoying the busyness of our home and little ones. We love Pepper!
Tanner is still working at TemyaUSA in Gila Bend, Arizona. He is very blessed on his 4 hour commute to and from work on a daily basis with no harm or accidents. He and his carpool team are awake and alert and safe drivers and their vehicles have all run properly without leaving them totally stranded. Tanner's amazing and we are so lucky to have him as a husband and father! As I said before, he's picked up the slack and made mountains move! He is a comfort and great strength to me and is, without any doubt, the head of our family and keeps us together on the right path! I love my Tanner.
As for me, well, after being sick and naseaus for so long, I'll be ever grateful to never be nauseas again! Unfortunately we can't control the stomach flu. This pregnancy was not fun for any of us, and ended ith quite a bang! Just after delivering Alea, the nurse found me bleeding out and the doctor came back to find me minutes from death with a ruptured uturus. Being an amazing doctor with talent, skill, experience, and open to spiritual guidance, he was able to repair my uturus and keep me here with my family for a bit longer. Upon coming home to start healing and preparing our girls for their new school, I start having flu-like symptoms which landed me back in the hospital with a blood clot. As incredibly frusterating as that was for me, Tanner yet again picked up the slack and took our active children school shopping for the first day of school. He spent several hours with the girls getting notebooks, pencils, papers, binders, meeting the teachers, and finding classrooms. He took the girls to the first day of school and then picked me up from the hospital (the doctor FINALLY released me!!) and we took Amanda to her first day of Kindergarten. What a whirlwind that week was!! 
Our family is incredibly blessed. These trying experiences strengethened our testimonies and taught us to ask and recieve help when needed. We pulled together as a family and grew closer to our friends. It prepared our family for the shock of the death of my youngest brother Joseph who was flying with some co-workers/friends from Mesa to Safford and crashed into the Flatiron of the Superstition Mountains. Joseph has been such a great example to our family and to me. He grew into an amazing man while serving a mission for the Lord and I miss him so much! His death brought my siblings, parents, cousins, aunts, uncles, friends and his friends so much closer together. We are so very blessed to know of Heavenly Father's gospel teachings, and of eternal families. This knowledge has helped lessen the hurt and pain of Joe's parting. We look forward to being in our Savior's presence together as a family again with our Joe.
As you can, tell our family has had quite the year, and hope this next one is a bit less trying. Nevertheless, we will continue to grow stronger and together, as we pray you will as well.
With hearts full of love and gratitude,
Tanner, Valerie, Krista, Brianna, Deandra, Amanda, Cameron and Alea Potterf
1 comment:
You guys are amazing! I'm so blessed to call you my friend Val! Wish I lived closer during all that. Love ya!
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