Family Christmas Letters
1998 1996 1995 1994 1993 1992 1991 1990 1989 1988
Merry Christmas from Ronda and Art King and our little tiny family. Here's a chronology of newsworthy events from our year.
February: We rent a motorhome and take the family across the snowy mountains to visit Grandma and Grandpa in Bozeman. Skiing with Grandpa fills our week, along with many fine family memories.
March: Caleb now pulls himself up and walks across the room by himself. We rejoice as our friends Bob and Kathy Parish welcome twin baby girls to their family.
April 5th: Ronda reaches a prime 40 years of age. Her husband puts an announcement in the church bulletin and 75 people come to celebrate. Bethani writes a fine poem for her mother, you can read it on our family web site.
June: Early one morning Taylor sneaks past sleeping parents and snatches Dad's car keys. He unlocks the car, turns the ignition and reprograms every button on the car radio. We enjoy a tent camping weekend with our church friends at Merwin Lake.
July: Driving home from church: Ronda - "Everyone should have boys to go along with their girls. Art - "Why so?" Ronda - "Were you listening to the back-seat banter? Sierra just complained that her tights were too small. Brenden immediately asked if he could have them for his rocket launcher. This could only happen with boys in the family."
August: While picking blackberries with their cousins, Sierra, Hannah and Bethani disturb a wasp nest. Many stings result. Elissa thrives in a summer basketball camp.
September: Bethani and Brenden trek to Montana and visit Grandma and Grandpa King for 10 days of priceless memories. The dog has 9 puppies. Sierra learns to read.
October: Ronda and Bethani make a "Preparing for Adolescence" weekend get-a-way. They walk the beach, read books together and talk about life ahead for Bethani.
November: Brenden adds to his cooking skills by mastering homemade bread. We all enjoy the results. Hannah can beat her Dad almost every time at a memory card game (showing a brilliant daughter or dull father, you decide)
- WRAP-UP: We treasure the rituals of cutting and decorating the tree, putting up lights, and abundant Christmas music. Caleb starts to talk, Taylor never stops talking. Hannah and Sierra create much color and beauty with their crayons and paints. The twins thrive in fourth grade home school. Elissa makes us proud with a 4 point GPA and excellent piano progress. Ronda and Art are seven-times blessed.
You, our friends, are treasures to us. We wish you the warmest and best Christmas season! Art, Ronda, Elissa (14), Brenden (10), Bethani (10), Sierra (7), Hannah (5), Taylor (3) and Caleb (21 months)
Favorite Books of 1997
Family Read-aloud: The Golden Goblet, Otto of the Silver Hand, Year of Impossible Good-byes, A Day no Pigs would Die, On My Honor, The Trumpeter of Krakow
Art: Undaunted Courage by Stephen Ambrose, Byznantium by Stephen Lawhead, At Home in the Universe by Stuart Kauffman
Ronda: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith, Jackaroo by Cynthia Voight
Merry Christmas from Ronda and Art King and our wee little family. Newsworthy events from our year can be found here:
- January: Ronda and Art take a weekend getaway to a romantic cabin near Mt. Adams for our traditional "naming war weekend". It snows 2 feet but we are cozy. We come back home with agreement on a boys name and a girls name. Ronda's intuition says it's a boy. Art laughs at her, smugly convinced a girl is on the way.
- February: Feb. 19th, 7:13PM Caleb Steven King is born! Bethani, Brenden and Elissa are present for the birth. Bethani cuts the cord. Caleb is healthy and we come home rejoicing.
- March: On a cold night we get away from the city lights and enjoy a breath-taking view of the comet Kyakutake splashed across the northern sky.
- April: Brenden and I fly to Montana and join my three brothers to celebrate Mom and Dad's 50 years together. Their anniversary party brings many friends to wish them well.
- May: (Elissa with sidewalk chalk in hand): "What shall I draw?" (Dad) "How about a picture of your beautiful mother just before the baby was born?" (Elissa, without missing a beat) "I don't have that much chalk." (Mom) "Grrr...!"
- June: Over breakfast we talk about weddings. Sierra listens a while, then pipes up; "Mommy, when Daddy got down on his knees and asked you to marry him, did you say "yes" because you knew how many nice children you would get?"
- July: Ronda stages a big surprise party for her husband's 40th birthday. Black balloons, cake and fun.
- August: We mourn the passing of Ronda's grandfather, Edwin Rigby at the age of 97. The family enjoys a week in the sun and water at Camp Mivoden in Idaho.
- September: We spend a wonderful week on a houseboat on sunny Lake Billy Chinook. Tranquillity, family reading, jumping off the roof of the boat...a very refreshing vacation. Elissa starts 7th grade at TVJA, the twins start third grade at home.
- October: Zoraida Lopez from Chiapas, Mexico arrives. She will be with us for the school year, teaching Spanish classes to everyone in the family. The Korean foster mother who cared for Brenden his first year of life visits Portland. Brenden and all of us have a very wonderful, emotional meeting with her.
WRAP-UP: The holiday season is here. We enjoy the annual Singing Christmas Tree concert, and the joyous rounds of Christmas music, celebration, and family. Caleb has joined the family meals in his little chair. His smile brings such sweet joy. Taylor and his tractors fill the house with mischief, Hannah and Sierra add little girl spice, Bethani and Brenden discover a whole new world of books this year. Elissa consistently whips her dad in basketball. Ronda and Art have found abundant blessings in the unfolding lives of each child.
We wish for each of you in our extended family and circle of friends the warmest and best holiday. In the Spirit of the One who brings us all together, We Wish You a Merry Christmas!
Art, Ronda, Elissa (13), Brenden (9), Bethani (9), Sierra (6), Hannah (4), and Taylor (2) & Caleb (9 months)
Favorite Books of 1996. Our family tradition is a half hour of reading together each night before bedtime. We read many good books this year, and a few outstanding ones. We've listed the outstanding ones here:
Family Read-aloud: The Lantern Bearers, Watership Down, The Yearling, Horse of a Different Color, The Cutters, A Wrinkle in Time
Little children's picture books: The Rag Coat, The Potato Man, Wilfred Gordon McDonald Partrige, Grandfathers Journey
Art: The Physics of Immortality, The Bell Curve, The Living Planet
Ronda: Emma, The Pearl, Lord of the Flies
Merry Christmas from Ronda and Art King! Newsworthy events from our year found here:
- Last Christmas (94): We enjoy a wonderful Christmas & family reunion atour 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
Merry Christmas from Ronda and Art King! Newsworthy events from our year found here:
- January: Hannah flips off the diaper changing table and breaks her leg. She is in a cast for 5 weeks and then all is well. Her father (responsible party) remains in the dog house far longer. We enjoy a Chinese Dinner brought out and prepared by the entire Warren Dick family. We feel first flutter kicks from the new baby. Ronda feels sure it is a boy this time, and Art laughs at her. Ronda has a romantic date with Art night-skiing on Mt. Hood.
- February: Ronda, Brenden, Bethani and Hannah spend 2 exciting weeks visiting Steve & Suzanne Rose and family in Singapore. Art, Elissa & Sierra stay home lonesomely.
- March: Bethani learns to read, and dives enraptured into books. We keep the librarians busy staying ahead of her. She declares her intention to "grow up and be an author and illustrator."
- April: Ronda goes into early labor and onto labor-suppressing drugs and bed rest.
- May: Ronda's labor subsides and she is back on her feet. We go away for a "Naming War" weekend while our friends the Parishes take the children. Halfway through the weekend, Brenden falls off a horse and breaks his arm. We meet him at the Emergency Room. He gets a splint, then a cast, and his arm heals well. Cousin Jason visits from Montana to the joy of all the children.
- June:. Ronda's intuition says it is a boy. Art smugly works on girls' names. Naming War armistice signed. - June 11: Taylor Raymond King is born!
Ten pounds, two ounces!
- July: An older sister tells on Sierra; "She found some gum in the dirt, made Hannah lick it off, and then Sierra chewed it." Just goes to show that baby sisters are valuable. You never know when you may need someone to lick off dirty gum for you. The day he turns one-month old, Taylor starts sleeping through the night.
- August: Art gets a new Baritone and tries to re-learn the long forgotten fingering. We enjoy Ft. Steven's park and beach with our church friends. Ronda and the children can peaches, cherries and apricots for winter pleasure.
- September: We take a wonderful vacation to Canada. We rent a houseboat on Shuswap Lake for a week of tranquillity, swimming, and enjoying being together. Elissa swims like a fish. Later 155 quarts of home-made applesauce fill up the pantry shelves.
- November: We now have 8 at the dinner table; Taylor gets a baby seat and joins us for meals. He is growing fast, weighs 22 lb., and wears 24-month clothes.
- December: Elissa takes charge of decorating the tree and the house for Christmas and does a fine job. Ronda and Sierra discuss Christmas, and whose birthday it is. Sierra observes: "Wasn't it nice of Jesus to wait till all our birthdays were over, and he had his last?"
- WRAP-UP Taylor has added much new joy for each of us this year. His smiles and laughter remind us of how blessed we are on this Christmas. We sincerely wish the best of Christmas to our friends near and far. With affection and warm thoughts to you . . . MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Ronda, Art, Elissa, Brenden, Bethani, Sierra, Hannah and Taylor
FAVORITE BOOKS OF 1994 includes three wonderful books by Ralph Moody: "Little Britches," "Man of the Family," and "Fields of Home." "Incident at Hawk Hill" by Allan Eckert was Brendan's favorite, and we all enjoyed another reading of the "Chronicles of Narnia" by C. S. Lewis and "The Little Riders" by Margaretha Shemin. Art enjoyed "Young Men and Fire" by Norman Maclean, and Ronda liked "In the Company of Women" by Brenda Hunter and "Christy" by Cathrine Marshall.