Annual Christmas Letter

Dear Family and Friends,

There is something so wonderful about this time of year. The warmth that is felt when Christmas lights are lit. The sparkle of excitement in the children’s faces. And most importantly the peace that comes with the knowledge of our Saviors birth.

Our hearts are full with the anticipation of the holidays and with memories of the year that has passed. We have, of course, been very busy. Our lives have been full with church, school, and many family activities. As many of you know we moved in October from California to Utah. We went from city to country and we are enjoying the slower pace. By far our favorite part of Utah, so far, is the SNOW!

Our biggest adventure this year was our drive across country to spend five weeks in New Hampshire. It was time well spent hiking, swimming, biking, horseback riding, camping, and of course spending time with family and friends. We drove 9,000 miles and visited many historic and educational sites including places in Burlington VT, Nauvoo IL, New York NY, and Washington DC. It was an amazing summer!

The children are growing so fast. Jessica, 10, is in the fifth grade and is really enjoying our new pastime of geocaching. Samantha, our third grader and comedian, turned eight and was baptized this year. Sarah, our budding artist, is six and loves first grade. Carrie, almost 5, LOVES being the oldest at home! Nelson, almost 3, is ever energetic and curious. And our cute charmer Wally just turned one in October, boy how the time flies.

It is our wish for you that you reflect on the joys in your life this holiday. Remember the most important things at this time when we celebrate our greatest gift, our Savior Jesus Christ. We wish you all a Very Merry Christmas and a Joy and Peace filled New Year!

Love,

Deric Muria Jessica Samantha Sarah Carrie Nelson and Wally Everitt

Christmas 2010

P.S. Due to ever tightening purse strings, and an ever increasing Christmas mailing list (well over 200), AND our ever advancing technology, we are sending our Christmas letter via e-mail/blog/face book. If you are reading this via blog or face book and didn’t get an e-mail please let us know so we can update our list, THANKS!!

Luke 2

Since we have moved to Ephraim we have tried to be as involved as we possibly can. So when our neighbors (also new to Ephraim, also with six children) signed our families up to do the Nativity at our church Christmas party, we jumped at the chance!

We worked hard to get everything just right (in a very short amount of time). All of our children participated, except for little Wally. At the last minute the other two youngest decided it was too much for them too!

Jessica was the Narrator and she read the story straight out of the bible, Luke chapter 2 verses 1-12.
Mary and Joseph traveled across the stage to the Inn, where there was no room. All of these parts were played by the other family.


Mary brought fourth a child. Meanwhile shepherds (Sarah was one) were visited by an angel (our Samantha), while they tended their flocks (Carrie was the lone sheep since Nelson and the other little girl were too tired from practice!)

"Away in a Manger"

The children really did an amazing job. It was really fun watching them, and it really brought the real reason for the holiday to life for my kids!!

Oh Christmas Tree!

We were so excited to be able to go and cut down our Christmas tree this year. We went one afternoon and drove up the canyon and into the national forest (We bought a tree permit). The road was only plowed to the edge of the forest land and the higher we went the deeper the snow was (of course!), so eventually we stopped to put chains on the van (something Deric and I have NEVER done before!!)
The view was amazing!!
We finally parked and headed up into the woods to find a "perfect" tree. And by perfect I mean that it was good sized and was OK looking!! The snow was too the kids knees in spots!

Finally we found the one and everyone (except for Wally) had a turn with the saw!Then we hauled it back to the van and tied it on top! It isn't as dark as this picture makes it seem, but it was by the time we started driving back down! (Sarah is upset because she is could... imagine why? We did ask her to zip up her coat!!)

The next day we decorated! I love putting up Christmas lights and decorations. It makes everything feel so warm! I love this time of year.
The kids posed for a picture for my mom. They are holding up the ornaments that she sent to them!!

Bagel? What bagel?

"MOM, my bagel is missing!"
"Well Nelson, where did you leave it?"
"On the table!!"

... "Wally did you see Nelson's bagel?"

"Bagel, what bagel?"

"It surely wasn't ME!!"

"What would make you think that I could do a thing like that!!!!"

(Wally is getting too tall for his own good!! He has also had a much needed hair cut since this pic.)

Manti Temple

We took the kids to the Manti Temple just the other day (before we got snow)! This picture doesn't really do it justice. It is a beautiful building that sits into the side of the Mountain. It can be seen for miles around and is lit up at night (gorgeous).

Carrie and Nelson "helping" each other up the stairs.
Whew... it is a big staircase!
After we walked around behind the temple we went out onto a huge hill on the south side. The kids were all rolling down... honestly it was so steep it looked a little scary to me... ok and maybe a little fun!!

It was a fun afternoon. We are so blessed to live in this beautiful country.

Getting Settled

We made the move. And now we live in Ephraim, UT. We are getting settled and looking for jobs. Here is a short overview...

We left California on Friday October 29th in the afternoon. We had so many people helping us! It was hard to say good-bye.

Here is a picture of our caravan. We have so much stuff!!! I drove one truck with a dog and the two guinea pigs. Deric drive the other truck with the cat and the trailer attached. My mom drove the van with all six kids, our friend Krisitina, and the turtle!!

We got to Ephraim on a rainy cool Saturday. Deric, his brother Ben and I unloaded the two trucks into this 32x12 storage unit. This picture is AFTER we have taken more than four trailer loads to our new home.
Our new home... Is the Oak Tree Apartment building, unit #K. Here the kids are by the front door. It is a three bedroom apartment that is working very well for our family.
In the front yard of the apartment building.
And "why?" you ask would we move to Ephraim, UT? Well Deric is going back to school. Snow college is located here. It is a beautiful campus. We can't wait to show you more pictures of the area. We are located in a valley of the Wasatch Mountains. We are at about 5,500 feet. Stay tuned for more pictures!!

Second First Day

Jessica, Samantha, and Sarah started school again after a little more than a week break. They were very excited about it... even though they were "the new kids." The school just moved into a new building this year.

The school mascot is a Readasaurous.
Ephraim Elementary
On the third day they started taking the bus. The children who live downstairs (also a family with 6 kids), showed them where to go. Of course I had to follow them and document the occasion! Jess is in the white jacket, Sammy and Sarah are in the pink.

A Year Already?

I can hardly believe that this little boy...
Is now this little boy!
Time surely flies when you are having fun. This year has been no exception. Wally turned one on Saturday. We celebrated by having a Wally Birthday/Everitt going away party at the park. It was tons of fun. I made cupcakes for all of the kids (60 and none were left over!) And a cute pumpkin cake just for Wally.
He was hesitant at first, but then dove right in.
Good to the last bite!!
These three babies were all due around the same time and ended up being born on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. It has been fun watching them grow and change together.
This is most of the crew. Some people came and went before the picture. I figure there were over 50 people there!
This will be my last post for a little while. I will be packing the computer VERY soon! Hopefully it won't be too long! TTFN

Blogger Slacker

I know it has been a while since I posted. But life has been even crazier than usual. If you didn't know we are moving. Packing a house is really quite a chore. I am trying to be super organized at the same time and it is making the process long, but rewarding. I have purged a ton (something that is sooo hard for me). Wally has even helped!

Life has continued to go on in the midst of the packing. The kids had a sock hop at school last week and I last minute decided to make them all poodle skirts. Here is a quick family photo before we went to the event. And since you can't see it Nelson has a comb in his back pocket... the final touch to his outfit.
I also want to add this great deal we got the other day. My friends out there who like a good deal had better sit down for this one!! A Walgreens opened two days ago down the street and they had a few deal busters. We took full advantage! We purchased all of this for under $50. Over 300 bags of m&m's, 144 packs of gum, and 70 packages of silly bands (not shown). You would normally pay well over $500 for all of that!!! The best part of the deal was the m&m's 20 for $1, you can't even get "penny" candy for that price these days!! Anyhow, I just had to share.

Double Digits

My beautiful first child turned TEN yesterday. I reminisced by going through the album that documents her birth and first few months. The memory of her that young is still fresh, feeling like yesterday. And yet ten amazing years have gone by. Raising Jessica is a Joy. She is fun and smart, loving and caring. She is a huge help to me all of the time. I am more grateful for her than I could ever express in words.

Six years old!

"Healthy" pea and carrot cupcakes to share with her class.
She decided she wanted an owl cake for her birthday.
She helped me make everything... the cake, fondant, modeling chocolate, frosting, and filling. But I put it all together after she went to bed. She was surprised and delighted with the results.
Happy Birthday Ica, we love you so much!!