New Year, New Beginning!

I won't even say that I will do better job updating this year! Thank you for visiting our blog! Here is a letter that I sent to friends and family for holiday grettings! I am sorry I missed some of you! Josiah and I will do better with cards and hopefully they will be all sent by Christmas!!!

Dear family and friends

2011 was another exciting year for the Halverson’s. We thank many of you for the kind words and prayers as we were figuring out where Josiah would get his job. We are very excited that we get to stay in Utah and stay close to our family and friends. We can’t wait for this New Year to come and all the adventures that await us. We can’t thank you enough for all of your friendship, love and support throughout us trying to get through school. We must admit that it was not easy for us especially for Josiah, but we are glad that he did it. We hope that we may be a support to others as much as you have been to us.

Here are 2011 happenings at Halverson family

Josiah- It was another year of staying in his office all day to do his school work. Even though he was at home everyday doing schooling, I didn’t get to see him out of the dungeon playing with us till late evening. He worked very hard all throughout the year. His “stick-to–it-ness” to reach his goal, his mom calls, is truly amazing. With wife and two kids and all the responsibility he has, I am sure he had a lot on his shoulders for all these years as he tried to get through school. We are very thankful for his strength and his love for this family. We are very proud of him for his accomplishment. He also enjoyed being a scoutmaster as his dad had been for years while Josiah was growing up. He is getting a whole bunch of new scouts next year and excited to work and play with all those great boys in our ward!

Yuki- as I reflect my days, I don’t have big accomplishments or new excitements to share. But I have learned what it is like to be a mom of kids in school! And I enjoyed seeing kids learning and growing each day! With Kai starting preschool and both kids in Japanese school trying to get my schedule straight for driving, house work, homework with kids and playtime was not easy. I am sure many moms can agree that some days there was no “rest on the couch” till kids are ready to bed! I know it will just get busier as the kids get older, and I am bracing myself for the New Year!!! I also love being a primary chorister. Trying to figure out how to get those older group to be interested in songs, to sing them, and trying to help the younger ones remember the words were challenging. Yet it is my favorite part!!!

Kai-He had a great summer starting with spending fun time with grandparents and cousins in Utah! He loved every chance he had to be with cousins!! He also got to visit Japan to spend some time with his family there! There he acquired the taste for raw salmon and that is his favorite ever since. This fall, he started his preschool and he absolutely loved everything about school! He has started Karate class because of the influence of the power rangers we watched everyday in Japan!! I must say he has pretty strong kicks! He still has his high energy moments, but I can tell that he has matured a lot and is turning into a very good big brother!!!

Lily-She also had a great summer with family! She just loves everything Kai and their cousins are doing and tries so hard to be a big girl, and she really has been growing like crazy! Kai and Lily went to a Japanese preschool for a month while they were visiting Japan. She learned the language so well that we could tell she had a hard time switching to English when she came back here. Kai and Lily have been closer this year. She is getting older and is able to play with him better, they play together all the time! They call themselves “best friends”, and I am touched how much she loves and care for him. It was a hard day for her when Kai had to start his school. She also did a good job with tumbling class this fall, but she decided she likes dancing better!
Oh, she now wants people to call her “sprinkles” ;) She says it’s her new nickname!

and here is Japanese letter to friends and family!

にっぽんの大切な家族やお友達へ
今年の1年も我が家は色々とありました。こうしてまた1年健康で幸せに過ごせられたのもいつも支えてくれている両親、家族、友人たちのおかげです。本当にありがとうございました。日本での震災の時は、皆さんや友人達の家族の安否がとても心配でした。これからも、被災された方たちの1日も早い復興と皆さんの安全な毎日を私たち家族は心からお祈りしています。カイやリリーが、夜寝る前に家族でお祈りする時に、いつも日本にいる家族や友人たちが安全で守られるようにとお祈りしています。子供の素直な神様への祈りが皆さんにも届きますように。皆さんの来年がより良い１年となります様にお祈りしています。
では、今年のHalverson家の出来事をさらっとまとめました！！
★ジョサイア★今年も去年と変わらず、毎日勉強勉強の日々でした。その甲斐もあり、今年いっぱいで大学院も卒業です。(今ちょうどラストスパート中です)　長かった学生生活でした。でも一生懸命がんばったダディに私たちはとっても感謝です。子供たちはお父さんの宿題をしてるところを見て育ってきました。いつも勉強で忙しくて、なかなか遊んでもらえなかったけど、カイの父への尊敬している姿を見て、勉強も、教会の責任も一生懸命がんばってる父の姿を子供はしっかり見ていたんだと思いました。今まで応援してくださった皆さんありがとうございました！教会ではボーイスカウトの指導者に召されて、大雪の中キャンプに行ったり、サバイバルスキルのクラスなど、アウトドア大好きなジョシーにぴったり。でもスカウトの知識があるのと子供に教えるのは全く違って大変といつも色々調べながら良いスカウトマスターになれるようにがんばってるところです。
★ゆき★今年は特に新しいことや達成したことが無いような気がしますが、でも今年は子供たちの学校が始まったり、習い事があったりと今まで以上に忙しい毎日でした。子供たちが何かを学んで帰ってきて、それを楽しそうに話す時に“あぁがんばって連れて行った甲斐があったぁ”って思います。子供たちが大きくなればなるほどもっと私も忙しくなるんだろうなぁ。母の仕事って地味なことや達成感があまりないような事毎日ですが、でもこうして家族が笑ってるのを見ると、私の役目もとっても大切なんだなぁなんて思うこのごろです。私も今年から教会の子供たちの音楽の指導者になって、最初はどうやったらいいのか悪戦苦闘でしたが、最近はどうやったら小さい子が歌詞を覚えてくれるか、高学年の男の子たちが歌ってくれるか考えるのも一つの楽しみになってきました。
★カイ★今年のカイを始めと今とで比べると、心も体もかなり成長した気がします！ズボンも靴も何回買い換えたことか。沢山ご飯も食べるからいつも元気だし、やっぱり伸びるんですね！今年の夏はアメリカでも日本でも沢山家族との時間をすごしました。いとこたちとのお泊りや、山登り、パレード、キャンプ。日本では幼稚園やいとこ達とのお祭り、新しいお友達と言葉が通じなくても遊んで沢山の楽しい思い出を作りました。おじいちゃんと夜中に起きて市場に行ったり、おばあちゃんにゴーカイジャーショーにつれてってもらったり、おなかいっぱいサーモンも食べて、とっても楽しい夏でした。秋からはプリスクールも始まって、学校に行くのが楽しみでならない毎日です。日本語の学校にも通い始め、少しずつ日本語が話せることの楽しさを覚えてきてくれているようです！帰国してから戦隊ものの影響で、空手も始め、来年はイエローベルトでがんばります。
★リリー★リリーもビックリするくらい大きくなって、言葉もお兄ちゃんに負けないくらい！まだ小さいベビーと思ってたらもう３歳になってしまいました。やることなすことお兄ちゃんの真似で、小さいのに近所の男の子たちが遊ぶのに一生懸命くっついていってます。リリーも日本の幼稚園に泣きながらも毎日行って、カイと同じクラスでがんばりました！お歌も沢山覚えて、まったくだった日本語も会話が出来るくらいになり、帰ってきてからはちょっと英語と日本語で混乱してたみたい。ジュースの自動販売機とお店のおもちゃの販売機が大好きで、見つけるたびにそこから動かず何回おじいちゃんおばあちゃんのがおれたことか。(笑)　秋から体操のクラスに挑戦しましたが、やっぱりダンスがいいみたい。来年はバレエを始めてみようかと言っているところです。いつもひょうきんで、家族みんなを笑わせてくれるかわいいリリーです。