(If you would like a pdf version of this emailed to you (if I already have your email it is coming soon) let me know and I'll send it. It is loaded with pictures!! Or, I've included a Holiday 2007 photo album here on myspace too so you can check out those pictures and then read this. Happy Holidays!)
The Tim & Loreen Bliss Family 2007
Dear Family and Friends,
We all need to band together and start a new tradition of Christmas letters in July. This time of year there is so much going on it's difficult to do one more thing. Since we never got cards or letters out last year however, we figured better late than never! Oh, wait, Christmas letters in July won't work either... July is going to be a busy month for us this next summer... Loreen is due around July 2nd with our fifth child! We are all excited for this edition to our family. Hmmm, we'll plan on birth announcements for next year!
This holiday season has been packed with concerts (Loreen with Blue Notes), caroling, recitals (both Julaine and Kylie with Delta Dynamics, a children's singing group, as well as Loreen's voice students' recitals), care center visits (they do love holiday music), and school performances (Kylie's 3rd grade Christmas program). We thought it would be less busy without Loreen's Old Fashioned Country Christmas Concerts (She had two last year, one here in Delta, and one at Thanksgiving Point in Lehi, which was the main reason why nothing got mailed out!) and the fact she hasn't been in the recording studio this year (last Christmas she completed her second album, a Country Christmas album titled "The Perfect Gift" - yet another reason nothing got mailed out!!!....listen and buy online at www.loreenbliss.com), but it seems life still hasn't slowed down!
This year has been a fun and busy one for us. We've been able to take several trips, for vacations as well as for visiting family. We've also loved having family visit us so much this year. On January 6th Kylie was baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day-Saints. She had turned 8 back in November 2006, but waited until January so more family could be there for her special day!
Also in January we took the kids to Disneyland! California is one of our favorite vacation spots. It was great to meet up with Tim's sister Lindsey and her kids there. Logan was almost one year old so he was so alert and excited with everything!
In February we started construction on our attic. And by May we were happy to be out of our tiny bedroom and have our own master suite. (Yea!! Really handy with a new baby coming! Now we've just got to get Logan out of the crib and in with Jaren. He likes playing in the bunk beds.) February started swimming lessons too which sporadically continued every month or so and into the summer. Kylie, Julaine, Jaren and Logan all love the water and are already looking forward to lessons once more.
The spring had us running with all three older kids taking soccer (plus the girls still had dance). Loreen felt like a major soccer mom, running everyone around to practices and games. They had a lot of fun so it is worth the headache to give them good experiences, plus Tim and Loreen enjoyed watching them play. The kids also enjoyed watching Tim's eggs hatch out at the dairy. They have chickens, turkeys, guineas, and pheasants.
Delta turned 100 years old this year so there were many centennial celebrations throughout the year. We had an enjoyable time at the park with the Bliss family taking pictures around the new statue that the elementary kids bought the city for the occasion which was presented during the spring celebration. All the kids' names were on this wonderful statue of two kids reading.
Another big centennial celebration was during the Fourth of July. Loreen's parents and sister Alayna (and Dan and Kylan of course) were able to visit for the festivities. Loreen was performing in the park so her mom was able to see her with the band for the first time. Plus Alayna and Dan got to join us for the Bunny Hop which made them lucky enough to be a part of making the Guinness Book of World Records for the "Worlds Largest Bunny Hop." (Funny, I know, but we ARE the Delta Rabbits after all.)! Yep, Delta, Utah is now on the map with 3,841 people all hopping down Main Street. Plus we were able to take my folks and Alayna & Dan skiing, which made Alayna all the happier. Watching the fireworks from Tim's parents home during their 4th of July Party is always fun. "The more the merrier" is definitely Bob and Judi's motto.
July also turned our twins, Jaren and Julaine 6 years old! How time flies.
We had fun camping up Logan canyon in July with Loreen's sisters Alayna and Melanie (and their families). The kids love to camp! It was so funny to watch Logan's look of ...."I'm getting dirty and you're not getting mad?" Parents are great at confusing their kids.
In early August we were able to spend some time with Loreen's 96 year old Grandma Muhlestein while she was in Ogden Regional Hospital. The kids always love to see their Great Grandma! We are all glad she is out of the hospital and back in Brigham City. August also took us back to California with a combined beach and Sea World trip. We really enjoyed the ocean beach on Coronado Island and loved staying at Paradise Point on Vacation Island. Going sailing was Tim's favorite activity, while the beach and playing in the waves was Loreen's (Jaren was a little dare devil in those waves, while Julaine preferred creating in the sand). The kids say they loved the whole trip, watching Shamu, etc. but riding the cool six passenger bike around the island was Kylie's favorite!
October took us to Park City where we relaxed and had fun just hanging out at the resort, swimming in the indoor/outdoor pool (with snow... the kids loved having a snowball fight in the outside hot tubs! Crazy!), participating in the kids' activities, and simply walking around the town. We were able to visit the Olympic Park too! The kids don't remember the Winter Olympics held in Park City in 2002, but they really liked sitting in the bobsled.
When we found out Loreen was pregnant, it was time to take a break from the family while we still could, got a sitter, and we (Tim and Loreen) took a trip to Las Vegas. We enjoyed seeing The Phantom of the Opera (simply called "Phantom" there in Las Vegas). Even though it was October the sun showed us mercy and we were able to hang out in the pools too.
November took us to Washington to spend Thanksgiving with Loreen's family. We figure it's been close to 10 years since we've made it there on a holiday so with Loreen's dad's 70th birthday coming up (Jan. 3, 2008) we combined Thanksgiving with a little early birthday celebration (Mom's too, of course, since her birthday is December 11th - Hey mom, your big 7-0 is next year!). Everyone but Melanie and her family were able to be there (We missed you all!) It was great seeing Kerry, Mylan and Alayna and their families and celebrating how old (oops, I mean young) Loreen's dad still is. Kylie turned 9 on this trip so the party continued the day after Thanksgiving for her! Another big event on the 23rd besides Kylie's birthday was that Jaren lost his first tooth!
Less than a week after we returned from Washington we took the kids to the Anderson Dairy's annual Christmas party (we ship them milk).... so ...back to Vegas... except this time with the whole family. And I mean a whole bushel of Bliss's with many of the extended family there. We enjoyed the party, the clown, the balloon creations (even Tim got one!), Santa and his presents, and especially the hayride down the strip. The lights sure fascinate the kids and it's fun listening to Christmas music during the ride.
Whew... such a crazy, but fun year. It has been nice to stick around home for a while though, even with the busy holiday season.
Kylie (9 yrs. and in 3rd grade) continues to read even more and more. Chapter books have been a favorite of hers. She is still singing and is enjoying her Delta Dynamics singing group that she and Julaine are taking together. She is such a good big sister and helps her mom out a lot.
Julaine and Jaren (our twins) are in first grade (6 yrs.) and are really taking off with their reading skills! Julaine (3 min. older!) loves to draw and is a good mommy to all her toys (and mommying Logan too.) She likes to dance and sing and is very considerate of others. With how dainty she is it was a hoot watching her be so aggressive out on the soccer field last spring.
Jaren is just as inquisitive as ever and likes to take things apart (hopefully he'll get around to enjoying putting them back together again someday). He is looking forward to soccer starting again and wants to take swimming lessons just as soon as he can. We love his hugs and sweet personality.
Logan (22 months) thinks he is just as big a boy as Jaren and tries to keep up best he can. He too is a little daredevil! He loves anything with wheels on it, loves music, drawing, and loves being outside.
Tim is busy with the dairy, but still has time to enjoy racquetball, reading, movies, his model planes and trains (he got a new Hogwarts Express for around the Christmas tree this year), and spending time with his family. He loves bow hunting and enjoys his annual hunting trips to Kiabab with his dad. He also bought a horse this year and has been busy building a horse barn for the many horses that are now out at the dairies. (His Dad, Mike, Nathan, and Justin all went horse crazy this year! His Dad even bought a couple of Belgian horses complete with a wagon!) Tim still is in the Elder's Quorum presidency at church so that keeps him busy too.
Loreen keeps up with the four (for now!) kids, is still writing music and performing when she can, as well as teaching voice lessons. She enjoys maintaining her many websites, including her main one at www.loreenbliss.com as well as www.myspace.com/loreenblissmusic and www.reverbnation.com/loreenbliss to name a couple more. She enjoys walking, the outdoors, water sports, performing, playing her guitar and singing, reading, movies, and spending time with her family. She is looking forward to when the pregnancy nausea will go away too! She is still the primary chorister and loves sharing music with children.
We are so grateful for all our blessings. For our families and friends and the time that we get to share with them. Most of Tim's family live so close and we love that our kids can really know their cousins. We do such fun things throughout the year with them. Annual Easter Egg hunts, Fourth of July fireworks, trips up the canyon, and with so many nieces and nephews there always seems to be a party going on! We really had a fun time at the Bliss Family Christmas party this year. The kids looked great dressed up for their nativity program. They do a wonderful job bringing the spirit of the season to us.
We wish you all that same spirit of the season. We hope you enjoyed your Christmas and wish you the happiest New Year!
With Love,
Tim and Loreen
Kylie, Julaine, Jaren, Logan & baby 5 BLISS