Merry Christmas!

Here we are at Salmon Creek Beach in California, August 2010.

Dear Family and Friends--

I hope you'll forgive me for this short-cut method of newsletter-distribution, but I figure if you've gone as far as to get online and read this, you must be one of those folks who genuinely care about our family, thus you won't mind that I have taken such drastic sanity-preserving measures this season, in fact, you'll be glad I did!

So, with no further fanfare, here's a little news about us:

Amber (20) is a junior at SUU in Cedar City, majoring in creative writing and minoring in vocal performance. She's aiming for a study-abroad in London this summer and is still the book-and-movie-trivia buff of the family.

Shannon (18) graduated high school a year early and started BYU this fall. She's aiming to be done with her Sociology degree in record time, hoping all the hard work distracts her a little from missing her missionary boyfriend.

Emma (14) is enduring high school with a 4.0, missing her broken camera, toting a sketchbook everywhere, and picks up after everyone in the house even more than mom does.

Adam (12) is Dad's right-hand man on every project. A typical 12-year-old boy: works on merit badges, tries to avoid homework, eats a lot, sleeps more than ever, and wants a cell phone in his stocking.....

Bridget (11) is Mom's right-hand man, I mean, GIRL! Super responsible and the best helper around, she's gonna be a great mom someday. She is reading the Harry Potter series like mad, hoping to finish volume 7 in time for the midnight movie premier next July. I'm confident she'll make it!

Joey (7) is a sensitive little fellow who wants to be in on all the action no matter what it is! He loves reading, keeps insisting he's "not a little kid anymore," and is so cute that his school teacher compares him to a "little Brad Pitt."

James (5) can't get enough of playing with the posse of little boys around the neighborhood. They are double-, triple-, and quadruple-trouble (but they're so cute, they get away with a lot). Hits the pillow and falls instantly asleep each night.

Julia (2) Those big blue eyes and long brown curls keep us all wrapped around her little finger, even when the terrible-two attitude shines forth loud and strong! She's gotta be a tough cookie to hold her own in this crazy family. So far, so good.

Norman: got released from our ward bishopric and put into the singles' ward bishopric the very next week. It's opening up a whole new social scene for our family; all 5 of our daughters are engaged (I'm kidding!). He's busy with his job, and there's never a dull moment at home, so sneaking away for lunch-hour rock-climbing and early morning runs keep him going strong: he ran 2 marathons this year.

Ingrid: decided to carve out an hour for reading each day, to renew her brain that has been dormant for too long-- it's a joy and a stretch, and it doesn't always happen, but she's not giving up! Keeping up with all of the kids and household stuff takes the other 23 hours of the day. 2010 highlights include lots of hiking this summer (2 new local peaks!), reading "Les Miserables," and a running half-marathon.

Thanks for taking the extra effort to find our newsletter and hear about all our goings-on. We love and cherish each of our family and friends, and hope you enjoy--with us--the season for its real reason: the gift of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Sending lots of love,
from The Sorensen Family

P.S. Here's wishing you a Happy New Year, too!

After Shannon's graduation in May

In San Francisco in August

Rhubarb

Today I am thankful for many things related to this rhubarb. First, that it was growing in Amber's backyard while she was living down in Cedar going to school. I am thankful that I SAW it growing there, thankful that the owners told her she could take what was growing in the backyard (because they don't take it or use it [refer back to last fall and all those apples I posted about]), and I am thankful Amber had a super sharp knife handy (despite all her stuff being packed up to move home) with which I could harvest this!

I am also thankful that it has survived happily, bagged up in the back of my fridge, for 6 weeks now, waiting til I could bake a pie. Well, I have ZERO time for baking non-essentials this week, so I chopped it up and froze it. But the last thing for which I am thankful is that the rhubarb I harvested yielded exactly the amount I would need to bake 1 pie, AND make 1 batch of one of my most favorite summer-time treats: berry-rhubarb ice cream. It is the BEST! But for now, to the freezer with you, 7 cups of sliced rhubarb! I'll be seeing YOU later!

The Eiffel Tower?

Today I am thankful that Alexandre Eiffel does my dishes. Or someone with his architectural abilities anyway. So when I come home and see the drying dishes stacked on the counter, I get a smile on my face.

Bananarama

Today (well yesterday) I was thankful to find bananas for 20 cents a pound, which is about half of what I usually pay. So I stocked up. 40 lbs. $8.00. 8 gallon-size baggies full of smoothie-ready bananas in my freezer. We're ready for summer! Did you know that a frozen banana can be a fabulous base for a smoothie, adding creaminess and texture similar to adding ice cream, but of course, much more healthy? Yep, I'm going bananas! Come along!

Snow

Today I am thankful for the little skiff of snow that fell during the wee hours of this morning and made everything look pretty again.

Cutie Pie

I am thankful for this little cutie-pie, and my favorite window that great picture-taking light comes in.

Good food!

I am thankful for good food, especially THIS, our traditional Valentines Day breakfast. (I was pleased that Valentines Day was on a Sunday this year, so we had time to enjoy our breakfast and not be rushed, the way we would have been if it had been a school day. Also, it made the wake-up-and-get-it-all-ready hour not so awfully early.) We often have waffles with berries and cream, but I think pancakes are a little more popular at our house, so I went with pancakes this time. Whole wheat, from scratch, of course. Mmm-mmm good!