King Family
Merry Christmas from Ronda and Art King! Newsworthy events from our year found here:
Last Christmas (94): We enjoy a wonderful Christmas & family reunion at our house. Art's Mom & Dad, all four sons, their wives, and all fourteen grandchildren spend a week together enjoying Scott & Julie's wedding and Christmas.
January: Ronda takes Taylor & Hannah on a quick trip to Phoenix to see Grandma Betty & Grandpa Grover. Art flies the "island hopper" in the cockpit jump-seat of a 727 from Honolulu to Guam (brother Alan the pilot). Stops on 7 beautiful islands along the way. What an experience.
February: We spend a weekend at Newport Bay on the Oregon coast, return delayed by several inches of snow. We love a moonlit night on the beach covered with new snow. Taylor gets his first tooth. Seven year old Bethani listens carefully to the pastor's message about sharing our gifts, and carefully fills out her response card. Under "My skills" she writes:
"music, reading to little children, creative dancing..."
March: Elissa takes a pre-teen getaway weekend to the coast with her Mom. They go through the tape series "Preparing for Adolescence". Playing house with Hannah, Sierra turned to inform her Mom about the state of things "We have babies and books in our house! That's all, just babies and books!" (as she's arranging her babies and books she says) "We don't even have any beds-so we just stay up all night." Then she turns with a worried look on her face and asks "Or is that yielding to temptation?".
April: We attend both our 20-year high school reunions and enjoy reconnecting with many friends. Taylor is crawling better each day and eating table food. Hannah can sing two new songs, Sierra can write her name, Bethani has begun piano lessons, Brenden has a breakthrough in reading, Elissa drives dad's car sometimes on back roads.
June: We enjoy guests, Taylor's 1st birthday, and eating 12 flats of fresh strawberries! Taylor learns to walk, Sierra masters a two-wheel bike. FaxBack, Inc. celebrates its 5th anniversary with a picnic and baseball game.
July: Ronda gets very sick with the early weeks of pregnancy. We ask Sylvia VanWinkle to come and work for us while Ronda is sick. Art attends a weekend "Promise Keepers" convention at the Seattle King Dome - an awesome experience.
August: Despite Ronda still being sick, we take a long-planned vacation to a cabin on Cultus Lake in central Oregon. While there, Ronda gets feverish and we rush to the Bend hospital. An emergency appendectomy in the middle of the night removes a badly inflamed appendix. Our prayers are answered, both Ronda and unborn baby are OK. By month end Ronda is well and we rejoice.
September: Elissa gets a Saxophone and starts 6th Grade at Tualitin Valley Junior Academy. Taylor falls and knocks out a brand-new front tooth. Holding her hand on Mommy's tummy and feeling the baby kick, Hannah gets a look of rapture on her face; "Oh Daddy, ders a baby in dere!".
November: Taylor snoops through the pantry's hidden corners, then runs out wailing with a mouse trap on his thumb. Only Mother can comfort him.
WRAP-UP: Ronda's growing curves bring joyful anticipation for a new baby in February. Art thinks it's a girl and Ronda thinks it's a boy. We will surely be happy with either. We wish the most wonderful of Christmas-times to each of you.
Art, Ronda, Elissa (12), Brenden (8), Bethani (8), Sierra (5), Hannah (3), and Taylor (1) & ?
FAVORITE READ-ALOUD BOOKS OF 1995: Early Thunder by Jean Fritz Matthew Mark, Luke & John by Pearl S. Buck Shaking the Nickel Bush by Ralph Moody Carry on Mr. Bowdich by Jean Latham The Witch of Blackbird Pond and The Bronze Bow by Elizabeth Speare
Art's favorites: Genius by James Gleick The Last Lion, Vol 1 & II by William Manchester
Ronda's favorites: The Other Mother by Carol Schaefer Paris Underground by Etha Shiber