Christmas 2007 Family Letter

Dear Friends and Family,

First, let us tell you how much we have loved receiving the family newsletters and cards! We don’t even wait to get home to rip them open and see what everyone has been up to! It has been many a funny faces staring in at us as we sat in the store parking lot, finishing the letters! Each one lets us feel like we are a little closer in distance after reading about the adventures of one and all.

For the McDonald's, that’s us, we have had a very crazy year and it feels like I was just cleaning up after last Christmas! I don’t know where the time has gone, but I definitely know that it has been marching in and over us, as all the kids have quickly outgrown shoes and are ready to pass up their mom in height….which is scary in its own right!

After fifteen years of marriage, Mack decided that he could live with (and stand me) me for the rest of eternity and we were sealed in the ST George Temple with our children on July 7, 2007! We were thankful that we had friends and family there and for the ones that had to travel many miles to be with us for a day!

As many of you know, we spend every 4th of July in Kanab, and this year was no exception, as we packed in the Temple Sealing and the Eddy Family Reunion, we also took a trip to the emergency room for a broken arm after an ATV rolled on Mackelle up on the Sands (Southern Utah).

This would be closely followed (two weeks) by a torn meniscus (knee) after Chayce fell off of a porch while working with his grandpa Jay. This would prevent Chayce from starting the football season on time with the Farmington Black Eagles team, eager to prove himself and get back in the game after being cleared by the doctor in September, he would take on the biggest kid ( an x man—weighs over 100 pounds and you have to remember that this pee wee football) on the team, Chayce would crack two ribs before he even got playing time in a game! Talk about being bummed! The family would have to bear the brunt of his non-ability to play until he was cleared again and allowed to play the last two games before the team went on to take 1st place for the Northern Utah Region and would loose the championship game. As much as Chayce (and Dad) love football, I was more then ready to have the games end as we were also doing double duty being avid (I said avid, not rabid!) fans of the Utes, who once again would rip out our hearts as we lost to the team down south. A game, that for the second time in two years should not have been lost, but we will wish all you BYU fans a Merry Christmas and let you know, that once again, we handed you the game, hope you are happy! ;-)

But not to be outdone, by those two incidents, Chayce broke his arm at the first of December! He has
been in a cast up over his elbow (as he still tries to skate after the temporary cast was put on!) and has been pretty bummed not to be able to snow board with his friends as Utah has received so much snow in the mountains! There is always next year! Carrisa and Ashlee will be starting basketball, so lets hope that we can be injury free!

Our house is organized chaos and we love every minute of it (that’s a lie, but it sounds better in a Christmas letter!) Between piano, violin and cello lessons, we throw in a couple of sports, school, scouts and young women and mix it all with Jay D, our two year old who LOVES to be a part of any and every mess that can be found! We couldn’t live without him and his dimpled smile pretty much keeps him out of trouble! Chayce (13 1/2), Carrisa (12), Ashlee (9), Mackelle (7) and Jay D (2) keep us young; of course, I don’t know when I started growing up, all I know is that strange gray hairs on my head keep popping up! (Can anyone explain those—aren’t I too young?!)

As of November, I quit working as an HOA property manager to be at home and manage the “organized chaos” as Mack takes on a new adventure! Mack has spent December in Washington DC, preparing to go to Iraq as a Senior Economic Advisor. He will be leaving on the 28th of December, and we are very thankful that he will be able to spend a few days home at Christmas time. Once in Iraq he will be helping the people of Iraq by handing out small business loans and developing economic plans and democratic strategies to use the money sat aside by the US government. We feel very blessed and confident that Mack has an opportunity to serve his country in rebuilding Iraq and teaching the people the opportunities that come with freedom and democracy. He will be there for one year, which we hope will fly by!! Much prayer and thought has been put into this decision, but the prayers of all those that read this letter will be well received and hoped for!

We close this letter to you this Christmas season by letting you know how much we love you and are so blessed to have you as a part of our lives as family and friends. Many of you, we may only communicate at Christmas, but want you to know that you are never far from our thoughts through out the year and know that we are a better person and a family for having known you! May the Light of Christ be with you this Christmas season and that the New Year will bring family and friends close. Please email or call us anytime!

Lots of Love