King Family
Merry Christmas from Art and Ronda King! Newsworthy events from our year can be found here:
January Art & Ronda leave the kids with friends and take a fine weekend ski trip on Mt. Hood. Art takes Elissa skiing for the first time. She learns fast. We drive to Walla Walla and celebrate Grandma Rigby's 90th birthday with all the family.
February Ronda, Elissa, and Sierra spend two weeks in Guam visiting family and enjoying tropical island life. Art and the twins rejoice on their return with renewed appreciation for regular balanced meals.
March Art skis Mt. Bachelor with brothers Ray and Alan. Sierra gets the chicken pox. We rejoice in the news of a new baby, but struggle for weeks with Ronda being very sick.
April Ronda gets well, we celebrate by purchasing 4 acres with dreams of building a house.
May Bethani and Brenden celebrate 5th birthdays and graduate to 2-wheeled bicycles. Art's work takes him to Tiawan, Singapore and Hong Kong for two weeks.
June Summer is on, 55 pounds of cherries are canned for winter enjoyment. Ronda and Art fly to California to enjoy the wedding celebration of Jim (Dick) and Ellen (Balk).
July Following the tradition of her sisters in earlier years, 2-year old Sierra enjoys snacking on sun-softened fallen apples under our back-yard tree. At her 5-year medical checkup, Bethani is a healthy 44 pounds and 44 inches tall.
August Art is in his office only 12 days this month. We take a wonderful 10 day get-away vacation to a secluded cabin on Mt. Hood.
October Art and Ronda take their now-traditional weekend get-away to finally settle on a name for the soon coming baby. The "naming wars" end peacefully at a bed-and-breakfast on the slopes of Mt. Adams.
October 19, 1:06PM To our great joy, rapture and enchantment, Hannah Leah King is born! Elissa bravely cuts the cord. Ronda and Hannah come home the next day. The whole family celebrates a new sister.
November Brenden says bedtime prayers with Dad: "Dear Jesus, Thank you we had a good day. Thank you that Noah's Ark didn't sink. Thank you for saving us. Amen." Art's Mom and Dad come visit us and share in the excitement of our new baby. Dad goes roller-blading around the neighborhood.
December We thrill to the inspiring Singing Christmas Tree concert in Portland. Elissa picks out a fine Douglas Fir for our Christmas Tree. The children unpack and hang ornaments, exclaiming a fond memory about each one. Mom thanks Brenden for helping with chores. Brenden replies: "Mom, if you didn't have us kids, you'd have so much to do!"
WRAP-UP Our Christmas promises to be especially joyous this year. Hannah is a healthy, contented baby in our arms and hearts. Life rushes on, but we stop to savor the special spirit of Christmas. We sincerely wish the very best of Christmas joy to our friends near and far.
With affection and warm thoughts to you
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Ronda, Art, Elissa, Brenden, Bethani, Sierra, and Hannah
Favorite Books of 1992 Family read-aloud Old Mother Westwind, Stone Fox, Number the Stars, Cotton in My Sack, Kavik the Wolf Dog, The Trumpet of the Swan, The Way Things Work, Bears on Hemlock Mountain, Sign of the Beaver Ronda: A Lantern in her Hand, Laddie, For the Childrens' Sake Art: Cerebral Symphony, You Just Don't Understand, The Boy Who Felt No Pain