Blast From The Past...

 This morning i happened to stumble across our family's OLD CHristmas letters and they really made me laugh. I would like to share with you what my mother wrote about child Kate.  It is pretty funny...some things never change.  ENJOY

1992: Katelyn is now four years old and happy to be attending preschool.  She definitely lives in her own little world and has quite the imagination. We're never quite sure who she is, but lately Belle (from Beauty and the Beast) is a pretty safe bet.  Thank Heavens Ariel is old news as we were getting a bit sick of that little mermaid.  I don't know why i even bother getting her dressed in the morning as she is in and out of "Dress-Ups" all day.

1993: Katelyn has pretty much split her time (and personality) this year between Snow White, Dorothy, and Jasmine.  Not exactly a good year for blondes, but she has improvised.  Now she not only changes her clothes several times a day but she has poor Jace in and out of Tutus and such also.  I'm afraid she has already warped his sense of reality.  She has become quite the swimmer and spent most of her summer underwater and Pa and Grandma Jean's house.  She is "Pint Sized" for a five year old but that doesn't seem to slow her down one bit. 

1994: Katelyn turned six this year and finally gets to go to Kindergarten, which she loves.  She is the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers biggest fan and spends her time karate chopping around the house as Kimberly, the Pink Ranger.  She is very creative and loves to pretend.  She also likes soccer, dancing, and best of all Barbie.  We've decided that Barbie should have a room of her own in our new house.  This due to the fact that she has more furniture, clothes, and friends, than any of the rest of us.  I was just sure we had every Barbie ever created, but oh no, in this year alone she became a doctor, a gymnast, and the president of the United States.  Next year i'm going to market a reality Barbie.  She'll dress frumpy, have saddle bags and not even Kate will want her.  

1995: Katelyn turned seven and is in the first grade. I didnt think i would loose control over her at such an early age.  She is now beginning to alter the perfectly matched, color-coordinated outfits that i lay out for her each day.  YIKES! She gawks at hair bows and doesn't understand why i need to comb her hair when she can do it herself.  I'm not really doing well with all of this.  I've tried everything short of throwing myself in front of her as she leaves for school, begging her not to go out that way. She has a style all her own. I guess it's good that the "I just woke up and threw this on" look is in right now.  She was Pocahontas for Halloween, along with about 55 million other girls.  She loves her doll Samantha and having friends over.  She plays soccer, started piano, and is looking forward to little league baseball this spring. Michael's goal is to teach her what a baseball is sometime before the season starts. She is doing well in school and we are all very proud of her.  

1997: Katelyn, our third grader, turned nine in september.  She's sweet, kind, and loving....AFTER out morning clash of wills over hair and clothing choices.  It's a small price to pay for her usually pleasant nature.  Perhaps the same persistence that exhaust me not will someday exalt her.  This past February she spoke at stake Conference in from on hundreds of people and wasn't even a bit nervous.  She loves dancing, swimming, piano, and the American Girls. She is an avid reader and is always engrossed in a good book

1999: Katelyn turned 11 and is in the fifth grade. She started playing the clarinet this year, but seems more fascinated with taking it apart and putting it back together than with actually playing music on it.  She too, takes piano lessons and especially loves dance.  We've decided she must be preparing herself for an excellent career as a lawyer. This due to the fact that she can reason or argue her way out of anything and often does so on a daily basis.  I don't think i can adequately express to you how much fun this is! She's an outdoor kind of gal, who prefers bare feet, bike riding, and jumping on the trampoline.  Katelyn loves to read and is often loosing herself in a good book....and in the mall.....and at DisneyWorld.....and in the Water Park.....and in our house.  She is harder to find than Waldo and we're constantly asking "Where's Kate?" We rarely find her in trouble because we are rarely ever find her.  But despite the occasional frusteration,we appreciate her good nature and ability to entertain herself.  She is a good student, friend, and baby sitter.  

2001: Katelyn is 13 and in the 7th grade.  Absolutely, without a doubt she is my mother's revenge on me.  I look forward to our daily confrontations, as they challenge my wit, my patience, and my intellect. At least we are communicating. She plays the clarinet, is a good student, and read more books this summer than i can count.  Recently we read Jane Eyre together and had a fun time expressing this bizzare and enchanting novel.  She was on a all-star softball team this summer and just finished up her first season of volleyball.  She gets tired of waiting for the phone to be free and spends much of her time chatting with her friends online. 

2005: Katelyn turned 16 in September and celebrated in style with a Friday night post-football game party that many of her friends and classmate attended.  After much stress and anxiety on my part she passed her drivers test and became on official licensed driver. She doesn't actually get the car away from Riley long enough to go very far, but she is being patient as she knows his days around here are numbered.  Come to think of it, she may even actually know that exact number of days. She is enjoying, or enduring, depending on the day, her Sophomore year and is a conscientious student.  She is on the dance team, played soccer this fall, and plans on doing softball in the spring.  She attended EFY with three of her cousins and looks forward to every visit to Utah visit with her aunts, cousins, and grandparents there. 

2007: Katelyn spent much of this past year riding washington state on a float as Royal City's Jr. Miss.  Her arms and cheecks got a workout from waving and smiling so much.  Hopefully, she enjoys these few brief minutes of fame, because Jace and Lindsey refuse to acknowledge her princess status as home, so her everyday life continues to be uneventful.  She kept busy this year preparing for the state Jr. Miss Program; being a mayor of  a city at American Legion's Girls State; cheerleading; and studying for college entrance exams.  After weeks of disappointing trips to the mailbox, she received an early christmas present...her acceptance letter from B YU Provo.....PHEW!!! Now we can all rest a little easier.  Altough she may not believe it, we'll miss more than just her shoes and jewelry all over the house when she leaves. She is a kind, compassionate, and caring daughter, sister, and friend.  

2009: Katelyn's Top Ten of 2009 

1. Mission call to Houston, Texas

2. Holidays at the Missionary Training Center leaning Spanish

3. Especially For Youth Counselor at BYU

4. Sleeping all weekend to recuperate

5. NYC for a week in September with mom and dad

6. TEN seconds of fame on the Today Show

7. Surviving bargin shopping on Canal Street

8. Searching for "fashionable" sister missionary clothing

9. GREAT friends and roommates

10. Completing Sophomore year at BYU

2010: Katelyn's time as a missionary in Houston is quickly coming to a close, as she will be returning home this Spring. She loves serving the Latino people and learning the Spanish language. She has experienced the joy of seeing people's lives changes by the gospel of Jesus Christ. We have cringed at the thought of her driving in the busy metropolitan streets of the big city and laughed at her stories of little backwoods, cowboy hat wearing country boys talking about "skinnin' coons." She is currently living adjacent to the campus of Texas A and M University in beautiful College Station. We are all looking forward to hearing her "Hi Y'all" Texas drawl Christmas day. 

Hope you all enjoyed this blast from the Ghost of Katelyn's past : D