Merry Christmas & A Happy New Year!!

My kids all dressed up before church on Sunday.

Merry Christmas Everyone! We hope 2010 is a wonderful year for you and yours!!

Higley Christmas Party!!

We had a fun Christmas Party at my grandma Higley's. The kids showed their talents. Mikenna showed her soccer picture and Jaron showed his display of art work. Brielle pretended she was a kitty for her talent. :) Funny!! It was so good to see my mom's side of the family. My cousin's have such cute kids! Micah loved Mikenna. She kept wanting to sit on her lap. Jaron had a fun time with Josh & Nate. They always get along so well; like they have never been apart. We also had the white elephant gift exchange. We ended up with the"perfect brownie maker". Mikenna really loves to make brownies and wanted it. She hid under the table with it until the game was over. My grandma received lots of fun gifts. Among them were a new toaster oven; a body-size massager/heat pad; a lap desk. She is so sweet and gave each of the kids goodie bags as usual. They also received socks with a message inside and money. My aunt Carey had her plate of yummy cookies. We met my cousin Janette's fiance Kenny! They are so happy! We also met my cousin Danny's wife Andy. She and Toby served in the same mission in Portugal! How fun!! We all had a wonderful time together!

Christmas 2009

Christmas 2009

Toby and the kiddos

Toby's 38th birthday!

Christmas Day!!

The kids showing off their new t-shirts and playing with their new camcorders.

Grandma & Grandpa Winder were also good to us! They gave Brielle a play dough kitchen; which she loves. Jaron & Mikenna & Toby received binoculars! And I received a Snuggie...I love blankets! Ty & Janessa received binoculars and also lots of cute baby girl clothes for their little one coming in April! Ty was so cute looking at the baby clothes!!

My mom and dad opening gifts from us. My mom received new shirts and sweater tops from my dad. My dad received a track suit from us and also some books from my mom. Ty holding up one of the cute p.j.'s for his little girl! The kids were all recording my parents as they were opening their gifts with their new camcorders. Brielle was snapping away with her new digital camera.

Christmas Morning!!

Santa was good to us this year. Jaron & Mikenna received camcorders, new video games, MP3 players, new art and drawing supplies!

Brielle's favorite gift was her kid digital camera! She also loved her Crayola Color Explosion and her mermaid and seahorse she can take in the bath with her. She also loved her nail polish. Mikenna also got some new Pet Shop figures. She wanted the cow...luckily Santa was able to deliver! They all received black shirts with different designs on them. Jaron loved his Avatar shirt. Toby took Jaron & Mikenna to see Avatar! They loved it!

Brielle enjoying her new toys; and Jaron reading his new Sonic comic book.

All of them playing with their new electronics! And showing off their new t-shirts.

Christmas Eve P.J.'s!!

The kids wearing their new p.j.'s Christmas Eve. They were ready for bed after making graham cracker houses and cookies for Santa!

Graham Cracker Houses!!

Decorating the Christmas Tree!!

Decorating the Christmas Tree!!

Ward Talent Show & Christmas Party

Jaron displayed some of his artwork at our ward talent show and Christmas party. Mikenna displayed her T-CYSA Soccer picture. Brielle wouldn't go near Santa...Toby had to hold her so she could get a candy cane.

Snow Days!!

Jaron's 6th Grade Band Performance

Jaron played the snare drum, bells and cymbals. He did a great job. One song; he was jumping from each instrument...it was really fun to watch!

Mikenna's 3rd Grade Christmas Program

2009 Christmas Letter

Rasmussen Family 2009
We are so grateful for our friends and family. We are so blessed by our Heavenly Father, and his son Jesus Christ. We are reflective & grateful this holiday season of our Savior’s birth and hope for us all to return to him and our Heavenly Father one day. As with any year; this year has brought many changes to our family. Probably the biggest change is Toby deciding to change and pursue a career in law enforcement as a police officer. He is excited to have found his passion in life and excited to accomplish his goal. We have also moved into my parent’s home to transition into Toby’s new career. He is planning on getting his degree in criminal justice. Toby has continued to work for OfficeMax as an Account Manager and oversees the Tri-Cities & Northern Oregon. He is able to work from our home as a remote rep. He is also selling ADT Security Systems with my brother Ty on the side. He is one busy man and I am so grateful for his constant work ethic to provide for our family and also spend quality time with me and the kids. He is an incredible father to his three children and a wonderful husband and best friend to his wife! I am a happy stay at home mom! I try to keep our family organized and going in the right direction. It is challenging; but very rewarding! I love my kids and would do anything for their happiness and success in life. I enjoy going to all of their sporting events and school activities.
Jaron is our pre-teen. I can’t believe he will be 12 years old in April! Where does the time go? He bounces in between needing me, and pushing me away to remind me he is growing up and needs space! An impossible balance! I relish in the moments when he comes up and hugs me and tells me he loves me! He has a passion for life and loves to enjoy it to the fullest! He loves to be excited about lots of things and is always making plans for our next family vacation. He loves sour candy, roller coasters, pop and playing video games. He is going to get braces within the next couple months. He is a 6th grader at Chief Moses Middle School in Moses Lake, WA. His favorite subjects are Science and Language Arts. He is in Band and plays the snare drum, base drum, bells and cymbals. He still loves to run and was so happy to sign up for Cross Country this past fall! He practiced with the 7th & 8th graders and was able to compete in meets. He is excited to try Track & Field this spring! He is also playing on an AAU Basketball team this winter and loves it! He also loved swim lessons this summer and wants to try swim team soon. He is enjoying Little Dribblers basketball every Saturday too. He is a talented artist and loves to draw and sketch. He loves to create on the computer with his art and work at his graphic design on theme parks and roller coasters. He loves the outdoors and loves to go camping with his scouting group. He loves to read Guardian of Ga’Hoole books and any book about Science. He loves to be on the go and thrives on being busy.
Mikenna is our 8 year old who was so excited to be baptized by her dad this past summer. She is our sunshine! Very independent and sweet! She is in 3rd grade and loves to play football and soccer with the boys outside. She is a friend to everyone and loves to have fun! She loves to do crafts and cook in the kitchen! She loves movies and resights scenes from lots of different shows. She loves sports and is a natural athlete. She loves to stay active and busy! She is an excellent student and loves school. She loves Math & P.E. She played on the Spring & Fall Tri-Cities Youth Soccer Association girl’s team for 4 months this year. They had an awesome season and won all but one game! She is a natural defender and has great speed and determination that make her a fun player to watch! She played on an AAU Basketball team this winter and loves Basketball too. She has a good little shot going and is a quick defender on the basketball court too. She is enjoying Little Hoopsters basketball every Saturday too. She loves to say “Let’s do this!” She loves life and doesn’t waste one minute of the day; which makes her always the first one to fall asleep at night. She loved swim lessons this past summer also. She wants to try swim team soon. She loves primary and going to activity days. She is very competitive and wants to always do her best. She has a natural drive and great independence that we all admire. We love our Mikenna Jo sunshine girl!!
Brielle is our 4 year old preschooler! She has fun at home with mommy learning her letters, numbers, colors, shapes and doing fun craft projects. She is my little shadow. She loves to be a girl and dress up and play and pretend she is me; right down to pretending she is putting in contacts. She has a big imagination and will role play with anything she has in her hand at the time. She is in constant play mode and talking up a storm! She loves primary and will go into class all by herself now without crying! Huge accomplishment for her & us! She loves to sing at the top of her lungs, dance like there is no tomorrow and act out scenes from different movies or T.V. shows. She loves to play with my mom’s cat Oreo and dog Sissy; her siblings and cousins! She loves to be in the middle of the action and a part of the fun! She is always letting everybody know that she loves them! She is a joy to be around and keeps Toby and I laughing! She is very smart and absorbs things quickly. I didn’t know she knew her colors and some letters and numbers until one day she just decided she was ready and it all came very quickly to her. She loves music! She sang most of the songs in the primary program this past Fall and was able to say her first part! She is also a natural athlete. She is always being toted along to soccer and basketball games. She has strong legs and can run pretty fast for a 4 year old. I can’t decide whether to put her in dance or sports or maybe both. She is so expressive and sassy. We love her so much!