Christmas holidays!

We had a wonderful holiday with fam and friends.  Ashley and Mike came into town from Rochester New York for two weeks to recover from med school finals.  His first semester was a total success and he completely loved it.  Ashley looks beautiful. She is 32 weeks pregnant and doing amazingly well.  She even went skiing twice with us! We had a wonderful shower for baby Haven, and Judi and Ashley spent some time shopping for baby stuff!  With all the pink we have, we can only pray that the ultrasound reading was correct!!
  Sophie's goal was to read Harry Potter by herself by Christmas day if she wanted to get a WI game.... With long reading sessions with Ashley, Mike, James and Katie- Christmas eve, 8pm she emerged from the study with an enormous and proud smile.  Suffice it to say, Santa complied...
  Katie has one week until she leaves for Jerusalem.. She is calm and happily anticipates making 80 lifelong friends, studying the gospel thoroughly and growing in many ways.  Judi remembers her own experience as being life altering in all good ways, and she still stays in close contact with about 8 of her old room mates.
 Emily called us from her mission in Chile on Christmas eve.  She sounded amazing, strong and happy.  She cried when Mike and Ashley told her their daughter's middle name would be Emily... Her cousin Hal was on the phone and said her Spanish sounded perfect- great accent.  She bore her testimony to us in Spanish and we had a prayer over the phone...Tender and sweet and we miss her dearly.
  James-got back country skis for Christmas and spent a day in the back country with Michael and a day on the slopes with us.  So great to have him home too!  He is taking on leadership in the animation dept as the layout guy for a couple of student films. He has begun his own personal film in the hopes that Pixar will hire him as an intern this spring.  He and Mike Sr. have an adventure planned  for Spring.  They're going to hike the Inca trail and end up in Maachu Picchu!  Lots to look forward to..
   Judi is joyously anticipating her first grandchild, and preparing for the phone call that sends her at light speed to Rochester to help out with the first week home!! Could there be anything more exciting than loving the child of your own child?  Mike is working so hard as usual, holding the Stake afloat and all that entails, and working at St. Marks.  Katie often works with him and brings home funny stories of him "playing all day with his patients'.  He really loves them and they love him right back.  There is a hefty amount of verbal sparring that goes on to keep things light and fun..
   Life seems to just keep surging forward at a speed we cannot comprehend.  Seems like yesterday our little kids were all snuggled in close- warm and needy and within reach of our arms constantly.  Now we find them scattered to New York,  Chile,  Jerusalem,  Provo/California and our hearts yearn for simpler times.  But we are so proud of each of them as they move forward-achieving the dreams they nurtured in childhood. As they say, "the only constant thing in life is change" so we hope to be graceful and embrace the many new experiences that lie ahead for each of us.  Our goofy "family mission statement" has always been: "We're the Bournes.  We're not much, but we're all we've got!"  That's true.  We are all we've got, and I am grateful to walk side by side with each of you!  Love, Mom
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