2011 Christmas Letter

Out of the mouths of babes: Winward Family 2011

How do you feel about moving from California to Arizona this year?  Peter- I really missed my best friend, Zachery and I really feel like I should send a lot of letters to my friends in California, and I really miss the park at California where our favorite climbing tree was and where I climbed to the tippy-top.  I really miss California.  It’s really nice being close to Grandpa Winward and I really enjoy being close to Uncle Tosh.  And I like playing games with him.  And I like wrestling with my cousin Jake.  Rebekah- I feel sad when I miss my friends, but I feel excited to be close to family.  Carol Lynn- Happy, and I really love to going to see fun people.  That makes me happy to see them, super happy.  I love having dates with my grandma.  I feel a little bit sad when my cousins, Amanda and Gabe fight over me, but I feel good when we play nicely.  I feel good today about my new friends and I really love having new days with my mommy all the time.  Eric- No! 

Tell us about Rebekah’s baptism.  Rebekah- I was pretty excited, like I was jumping around the whole building.  I felt a little bit nervous of people watching me, but I felt special and brave during my baptism.  When I went down in the water, it was like a lot of memories were wiped out and a whole new memory came, but as a good feeling.  I was proud to get the Holy Ghost.  Carol Lynn – Her really closed her eyes so good!  And her really had a very pretty dress, her baptism dress was so pretty.  Some happy tears came out of my eyes and I really love her so much and she’s my best big sister I ever had.  Peter- It was really fun being there and seeing cousins.  And I really liked to see Rebekah get baptized and I felt the feeling of the Holy Ghost when she got baptized and I felt really happy for her.  And I was really thankful that she gave me two of the marbles that Grandma Hurst gave her.  And she’s the best sister in the universe!  Eric- No!

What is one of your favorite memories from this year?  Rebekah- My favorite memory this year is my baptism because it was really special.  Carol Lynn- When my big sister was so sweet.  And her always gives me big hugs and piggy back rides and I really love her so much and she gives me great hugs and her really the best ever!  Peter- My favorite memory was seeing the black and white Pokemon cards at Target and I’ve always wanted to see the black and white Pokemon cards!  Pokemon rocks!  Eric- No!

How do you feel about a new little sister being born this April?  Rebekah – I feel excited and not so excited because it’s going to be like a zoo inside our house, all this craziness around.  But at least I’ll have a lot of people looking up to me, so it’s a big responsibility.  I love ALL of them!  Carol Lynn- Excited and feeling so good going shopping with a new baby sister.  And she might pull Rebekah’s hair when she sits in the back [of the car] and I love having a baby sister after all.  Peter- I’m going to feel really happy because I’m going to be a triple big brother by then and three people are going to look up to me.  And I’m going to really like them copying me and I don’t know why.  And I’m going to be terrified because she’s going to pull my hair a lot and it’s going to be really noisy and it’s going to be like a fire drill when the bell is ringing in how noisy it is.  Eric- No!

What is your biggest accomplishment this year?  Carol Lynn – I went potty all by myself and I played with my big sister all by myself and I very want to see my baby sister so very much!  Rebekah – At school I wanted to make friends with a girl and I did.  I also solved some problems with my friend Vanshee.  And I also finished reading the whole Book of Mormon by myself, which is a big deal to me.  Peter- Making friends with my whole entire class, all the new kids, and even the really mean kids.  And the best accomplishment is making my very best friends inside Arizona: Eli and Caden (he says I’m his brother).  And I like Eli because he always plays with me and we always agree and we do everything together.  And it’s really fun having a best friend in Arizona who you can always count on to play with you.  Eric- No!

As you can see, we have a full house that’s getting more full and fun every year!  We have loved living close to family this year and Paul has been enjoying his new job.  Now that the weather has cooled off again, we are loving being back in Arizona.  We feel so blessed and hope that you are all well.  We are so grateful for the many friends and family that have blessed our lives.

Merry Christmas!  Love, The Winwards:

Paul, Christine (Wilcox), Rebekah (8), Peter (6), Carol Lynn (4) & Eric (21 months)