Merry Christmas 2015

2015 has been an eventful and happy year for the Garn family.

Elizabeth 

  

• Completed preschool at Holy Trinity Parish Preschool.  We loved her school and her teachers.  She learned some wonderful things at school.
• Turned four in June!
• Was happy to move to Utah and be close to grandparents and BYU
• Got a bike and can ride pretty well with training wheels on.
• Started another year of preschool at Chrysalis School.  She is learning so well and now can often be heard around the house singing songs that she learned at school (particularly Christmas songs that she learned for her program).

• She tries to learn as much Chinese as Matthias will teach her.
• She has been excited for Christmas for the last three months.  During that whole time she has wanted a "mermaid tail" and recently decided she also wants another doll.

Matthias

•  Completed Kindergarten at Glennwood Elementary in Decatur.  He made some great friends and is a good little reader.  He also did really well at math and his engineering brain is good at figuring out the basic math principles.
• Played soccer in the spring and had fun chasing after the ball
• Turned six in July!
• Was happy to move to Utah and sad to leave Georgia.
• Got a bike and learned how to ride without training wheels (though he sometimes needs a push to get started).
• Started first grade at Wasatch Elementary and is in the Chinese Immersion program.  He is getting better and better at reading (English) and at math.  He has also started randomly writing and speaking to me in Chinese!

• He love to write stories in English.
• He has been excited for Christmas and is looking forward to getting more legos!  (He's positive that's what Santa will bring.)

Josh

• Defended his dissertation at the beginning of March.  He was supposed to defend at the end of February, but because Atlanta was threatened with getting snow everything shut down (we didn't even get any snow!).  He did successfully defend!
• So in May he walked for graduation and was hooded.  YAY for being done with school!
• Now doing a post-doc through Emory and is continuing to study the effects of water, sanitation, and hygiene in academic and health outcomes.
• Drove the moving van with car attached the whole way from Decatur to Provo.
• Was able to go to several home BYU football games with Paul (thanks Paul!) and all of the BYU home basketball games.  He has loved being so close to BYU sports. 
• Has been working hard to renovate our new house.  He has good skills and good taste and our house is looking amazing.
• Is so kind to watch kids after school while still working.  It's a tough job, but he's able to manage.
• Plays piano in primary for the second hour and is an assistant 11-year-old scout leader in church.

Cheryl

•  Matched for internship at BYU's Counseling and Psychological Services Center.  Started working at BYU in August and it has been a dream job.  

Internship cohort from GSU

• Drove the van with the two kids in the car from Decatur to Provo.
• Helped Josh with house renovations (but doesn't really know what is going on) and is happy with how things are starting to come together.
• Has enjoyed going with the family to all the BYU home basketball games.
• Helps kids with homework after work and is having fun practicing Chinese with Matthias.
• Teaches the marriage and family relations class in Church.

More Family Pictures

Trip to Tallahassee in May

Trip to Lake Powell in June

Hiking in Provo Canyon in July

Listening to October Conference at the Mount Timpanogos Temple grounds

Yay for first snow!

We are so grateful for family and friends and the joy that you bring to our lives.  At this season, our minds and hearts also turn to our Savior's birth.  We are grateful that He was born, set the example, and atoned for each of us.  We know that through His love and grace we can return to live with him again someday.

Merry Christmas!