HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

So I haven't posted in awhile cause I've been so busy with the holidays. I didn't even send out Christmas cards or a family newsletter this year, so this post will have to do. We had a wonderful Christmas as always and have had so much fun just spending time with each other over the Christmas break. We all enjoyed taking turns talking to our missionary on Christmas morning. He is doing so well and was recently made a Zone Leader in the Pasay Zone. He is due to come home in February, but that may change. He has permission from his Mission President to extend 29 days and he is really excited to do that, but is not sure if the numbers will work out right. If there is an odd number of missionaries he will be able to extend but if there is an even number then he will come home. He has mixed emotions about coming home. He loves the Philippines and the people there and can't imagine ever leaving, but at the same time he misses his family and also knows that it's almost time to move on to a new phase of his life. He has grown up so much and has learned so much while serving his mission. The one thing I am most grateful for is his beautiful testimony of the gospel. He sent an email for our ward with his testimony and I've included it here...
MALIGAYANG PASKO AT MANIGONG BAGONG TAON!!!!!
Musta na ang mga banal ng Garner Ward? How are the saints of the Garner Ward? I'm doing great in the Philippines. I love everything here so much, and I'm getting nervous and scared to come home and leave this great land and beautiful people behind. I've never met a more humble, or kind people. It will be so hard to leave them. One of the things i've really learned on my mission is the importance of charity. Other than the example of our Lord and Savior, the Filipino people have shown me the best example of charity and love for all people. Especially at this time of year, more than any other time we should remember to be charitable, and give freely of what we all have been so blessed with, which is....Ang Ebanghelyo ni Jesucristo, or the Gospel of Jesus Christ. As a full time missionary, i've felt the true happiness that comes from sharing our unique and beautifully simple message to the world. It's the best christmas gift we have the opportunity to give. As we celebrate the birth of our Redeemer, lets reach out and lift hands that hang helplessly down, and bring joy into the lives of our family and friends. I testify that we will all be blessed as we all go out and help others to accept the great truths we have. I know that this is the church of Jesus Christ, and that Joseph Smith is the prophet He called to restore His gospel. The Book of Mormon is the word of God, and will lead us to live better lives, and help us to return to the presence of our God. Of these things i testify, in the name of our elder brother, Jesus Christ, Amen.
MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!
Love,
Elder Edmund

Ashley is doing great. She stays busy with school, work, and church. It's hard to believe that she's a junior and is looking into colleges already. She attends seminary every morning and then heads to school for a busy day of honors classes. She also enjoys her drama class and has already performed in a play this year and did an awesome job. She loves being able to drive and having a car at her disposal and is having fun being able to go off campus for lunch everyday with her friends. She has a job at Chick-fil-a and loves it. The owner is a great guy and she couldn't work with better people. We love that it's closed on Sundays.

Kayla is a social butterfly and can't get enough of her friends. She loves school and is in the eighth grade and can't wait to enter the life of a high school student next year. She tried her hand at drama this year as well and landed the lead role of Belle in Beauty and the Beast. She was fantastic! Ashley participated too as the makeup artist for the cast. The drama teacher was so pleased with both my "drama queens", haha! Kayla is also quite the baker. She loves to work in the kitchen and create treats. She does a great job and we're all gonna have to work off a few extra pounds. She also loves to babysit. The kids just love her because she's so much fun and enjoys playing with them. This has made her a favorite babysitter for many of the families at church.

Johnathan is in the sixth grade and has really enjoyed the freedom that comes with being in middle school. He took to it like a duck to water and has done well in all his classes. His teachers love him and for the most part I think the feeling is mutual. He is in beginning band playing the trumpet and really does a great job. His band teacher is impressed with his dedication and he even taught himself how to play Jingle Bells so that he could perform it at our church Christmas party. He enjoys being in Webelos and had fun going on his first Scout campout a couple of weeks ago with his dad. Another Eagle Scout in the making.

Joseph is in the fourth grade and loves his teacher. We do too. She's really great and is so enthusiastic about learning that it rubs off on her students. Joseph participates in Safety Patrol at school and takes his responsibility seriously. He's such a little man!! So responsible!! He loves helping his dad work on cars and has even gotten paid for doing a brake job (with dad's supervision of course) on someone's car. He enjoys being a Cub Scout and loves that his dad is the Cub Master. What could be better than more time with dad!?

Rebecca is in the second grade and absolutely loves Mrs. Kelsch, her teacher. Mrs. Kelsch loves Rebecca too and even made Rebecca her personal assistant. Rebecca loves the responsibility and gets to help out with all sorts of things in the classroom. She's growing up so quickly and is such a beautiful little girl. She's very excited to turn eight in 2009 so she can be baptized and most importantly...she gets to attend the Faith in God for girls class at church on Wednesday nights. She can't wait. She's also a great help to mom and is such a good big sister to Rachel & Jacob.

Rachel is two. Need I say more? She's into everything and goes, goes, goes, non-stop! She keeps everyone on their toes! She's still quite the snuggler and we hope that she doesn't outgrow that anytime soon. Daddy especially...he loves his snuggle bug! Her favorite time of day is still when he comes home from work and just yesterday when he came in she squealed with delight, ran to him and said "hey buddy" (with her cute little southern drawl I might add)! She's so stinkin cute and it's a good thing, cause that has saved her many times, haha!

Jacob is so adorable! We have enjoyed our "little caboose" so much! He's almost 3 months old already and it's so sad to see him grow so quickly. We just love all the stages and all the new things he does. He rolls from his tummy to his back like a pro, but actually likes to play on his tummy and have tummy time. He also loves his activity chair where he can sit/stand and play with the attached toys. He loves this vantage point so he can be a part of all the action going on around him. Trust me...there's always plenty of action, haha!

Johnny and I stay pretty busy most of the time as you can well imagine. He enjoys his job as a project engineer and loves learning new things. He's the neighborhood/church mechanic so he stays busy on the weekends helping people with their car problems. He also has enjoyed being the Cub Master at church and getting to spend some extra time with our boys. I enjoy my job too. Being a mom is the best job in the whole world! I have been so blessed that I have always been able to stay home with our children and be here for them when they are coming and going! It's so much fun to watch them grow and be a part of their lives. I especially enjoy the friendship I have with each of them and love our chats! I'm currently the choir pianist at church and that has been very challenging for me. I love to play the piano at home, but accompanying makes me a nervous wreck. I have no idea why, but I'd rather sing in front of a million people than play the piano in front of two. I guess that's why I was asked to do it. Gotta get over those nerves and share my talent. It's been good to "have to" practice piano everyday. My mom would be proud!

Well another year comes to a close and once again we have been so blessed! We hope each of you have had a great year too and we can't wait to see what 2009 will bring. We want to express our love for all of our family and friends and we also want to express to each of you that we know God lives. We know that Jesus Christ is our Savior and Redeemer and we are so grateful for his atoning sacrifice that makes it possible for all of us to repent and become like him and to return and live with our Heavenly Father again someday!

Love,
The Edmund Family