January

Ryan has some early mornings because he teaches an 8:00 class some days.

Foggy

Kevin went outside and played in the mud. Ryan had to spray him off with the house and have him strip down outside because he was so muddy. Even his face was muddy. The girls got all wet too, but Kevin was the biggest mess.

We are working on getting the yard ready for planting. We went to Home Depot and got these bricks to outline the garden space (behind what used to be the waterfall) and Ryan spent the rest of the afternoon getting the bricks in place, then he put in several bags of soil conditioner.

I thought it would be fun to take a couple of before pictures, and hopefully in a few years we'll have some nice after pictures to compare. When we moved in, there was a waterfall here and all the railroad ties were intact. But a lot of the railroad ties were actually rotting inside, and they're falling apart. Ryan is working on dismantling the waterfall and he used the stones to make a path along the back fence. The goal for the area pictured below is to replace the railroad ties with something more permanent likes bricks, and we might try making it terraced so that we can use it for more garden space.

The lawn is pretty sparse right now because it was covered in pine needles for so long, but a few blades of grass (and clover, and thistles, and dandelions . . .) are starting to grow, so hopefully we can revive the lawn.

There used to be a big hedge against the house in front, but it was cut down before we bought the house. I spent a few days whacking and chopping the roots and was able to get all four of the stumps out. I've also been picking out a lot of big rocks from the dirt. I'm hoping to add a thin brick border around the dirt there and grow some flowers, and I also bought seeds to plant some flowers in pots to sit on the front steps. I don't really know much about gardening, but hopefully I can learn. It will be nice to have some color in the front of the house.

I'm realizing that a yard is a never-ending project and it can be a lot of work, but it's fun to dream and think about what we can do to make our house even better.

Picnic on the deck:

My sister is getting married in a couple of weeks, so Ann Marie has been my little buddy while we go shopping for clothes. Every time I tried something on, she insisted on trying clothes on too.

I found this pretty fabric at Jo-Anns to make a dress for Ann Marie since she's coming with me to the wedding. It's going to be a jumper with a lace overlay. So far I have the bodice and the skirt done with the lace attached. I need to attach the skirt to the bodice, add a zipper, hem the skirt, and slip-stitch the facing. I've used this same pattern four times now, so I'm getting a lot of use out of it. This was my first time sewing with lace, so that's been an interesting experience. So far it's worked out pretty well.

I was having a hard time finding a shirt that matched my sister's wedding colors, so we checked out Goodwill. I think I found something that will work. The kids had fun trying on hats.

Somebody got caught getting into the ice cream.

I decided to get Kevin a piano teacher because I knew he would progress faster with somebody else. My visiting teaching companion recommended a teacher, and I really like her. He's doing a great job and he's already gone through more songs than he would have learned in a month if I was still teaching him. His teacher says he's going to fly through the piano books he's been using, and he's probably going to finish the Faber Primer Level next week. Once she taught Kevin the mnemonics for the lines and spaces in both clefs he started reading music a lot better--I don't know why Faber doesn't do that. I'm a little disappointed that it didn't work out for me to teach him, but I think this is going to work much better. Now I can tell him to practice what his teacher told him to and I don't have to sit there with him the entire time he practices, so for me it's a big help.

My Heritage recently uploaded all the Danish census records from 1880 through 1930, indexed. It was a huge blessing for me. I uploaded my family tree onto My Heritage and with their record hints I was able to find information about all of Hans Peter Jensen's siblings. I found wives and children for his three brothers (one brother's wife died and he remarried) and I found his sister in the census up until she died (unmarried). I also found out that their mother lived longer than we thought and I found her burial record. I was able to reserve a lot of temple work because those census records became available. Now I'm working on the descendants of Karen Marie Nielsen's brother Jens Christian. It's giving me experience in learning not to be judgmental. Jens' wife had children with two other men who she never married before she married Jens, and it looks like she and Jens spent most of their married life separated. It would be easy to be judgmental and think unkind things about either of them, but the truth is all I have about them is from a few census records and a few parish records, so I really don't have any idea what the rest of their story is. (BTW It's not uncommon to find couples having children out of wedlock in Denmark at this time, but usually they would get married later, or if they didn't then the grandparents would often raise the child.) I had a similar experience reading about my great-grandparents, James Alfred Warthen and Ruth Bowen, who had an unpleasant divorce. I found seven of Jens Christian Nielsen's grandchildren and added them to my temple list. It's been amazing how many family names I'm finding by doing descendancy research.

Ryan is continuing to do research about George Marsden's descendants. He figured out that James Marsden's descendants probably died out within a few generations, which means that if Ryan hadn't started doing descendancy research there wouldn't have been any descendants to find them.

Christmas Break

The kids had a long Christmas break. They didn't go back to school until January 10th.

I enjoyed using my new laminator. I made a chore chart and a chart for my Primary class. I also laminated some visuals for a song I wanted to teach my class and made some play doh mats so that we can do play doh at the end of class sometimes.

I ended up moving up to CTR 4 with my primary class from last year. The primary president and I were debating about where it would be best to put me, and I didn't really know where I wanted to go.

But one day when we were talking she suggested moving me up with my class and we both felt good about it, so that's what ended up happening.

I had a really crazy class a couple of weeks before Christmas that made me question my ability to teach Primary at all. The trip to the bathroom ended up taking up most of the class, and then once we got back I just couldn't get the kids under control. I didn't end up being able to teach any of my lesson. I was really upset, and I spent the next few weeks making lots of plans for making my class more structured. The responsibility chart was one of those ideas. I wanted it so that we would always have the same routine at the beginning of class and they would know that this sequence means it's time to listen. The kids have been doing well with it so far. I also have a system where the kids take turns drawing a card that tells us what we're going to do next, which helps them with the transition and helps me keep track of what we've done and the order I was going to do things. It's still not perfect, but we've had some good classes and felt the spirit.

I can't find the picture right now, but Ryan used his new tools to make himself a workbench for the garage. He bought wood from the store and used the top of an old desk for the table. We've never really had a place for Ryan to build things before, so it's been pretty amazing for me to see all the things he can build and fix now that he has the right tools and a garage to work in.

I have no words for this picture.

Once I wasn't feeling sick anymore I decided I wanted to make a treat that I could actually enjoy, so I made some fudge. So glad I did. It restored my faith in my ability to make good food. The kids thought the marshmallows would be good on top. I think this fudge recipe is just going to become a tradition, because in the past I've tried new recipes for Christmas, and when they're not what I expected I get disappointed.

Cutting practice.

Ryan had a AAS conference, so we had a week where I was flying solo. We did all right, but we always miss him when he's gone. Most of the days were cold and/or rainy, but we did have one really nice day, so we took the opportunity to visit the Phinizy Swamp. When I told the kids we were going on a nature hike, Kevin and Heidi got very excited and insisted on bringing backpacks, a science book (Time Life) and a notebook to write down what they saw. It was very cute.

Partway along the trail we had chosen (it's mostly boardwalks), we found this fun playground. I loved how they recycled the tires and the tree to make part of the play structures. It reminded me of the old playground at the Kimberly City Park. Kevin told me he didn't think they were allowed to play on it because it "wasn't finished yet." We enjoyed playing here for a while.

We spent some time watching the ducks. Apparently this is also a good spot to see alligators.

We went down the boardwalk a little more and then decided to go back home for lunch. There's still a lot more to explore, so we're looking forward to visiting again. I'm sure it will be beautiful in the spring when things start turning green again.

The next day we were excited to pick up Ryan at the airport and have him home again! Here are some pictures he took in the Gaylord Hotel where the conference was held (he stayed at a different hotel).

I thought it was funny that they had a fish that looks like Ponyo in this pond.

He gave a five-minute talk followed by questions, and there seemed to be several people who thought his research was interesting.

I love my kids, but it was nice when school started again and we could get back into a routine.

Christmas Letter

Dear friends and family,

            2016 was an eventful year for our family. Ryan was busy during the first part of the year publishing two papers about his research, writing his dissertation, and applying for jobs. In April he successfully defended his dissertation, and in May he graduated from the University of North Carolina—Chapel Hill with his PhD in Astrophysics, after eight years of hard work!

            Marcelaine was able to attend her sister Michelle’s wedding in April. It was a very special time and we are excited to have Donovan Webb join our family. Ryan took care of all the kids by himself while she was gone. We are looking forward to Melissa’s marriage to Jason Meads in a couple of months.

            In June, we moved out of Baity Hill and said goodbye to many dear friends. Ryan was still applying for jobs, so we put most of our belongings in storage and drove across the country to spend the summer with our family in Utah. On the way, we stopped in Nauvoo, Illinois and had a special time visiting the historical sites there. We also visited Carthage Jail.

            We spent July having a lovely time visiting both the Tanners and the Glenns. We also attended Marcelaine’s high school class’s ten-year reunion in Kimberly, Idaho and enjoyed showing the children where Marcelaine grew up. It was surprising to see how much the town has changed since the Glenns moved away in 2006.

            In mid-July, Ryan received and accepted an offer for a position as a lecturer at Augusta University in Georgia. We were very relieved. We started trying to make arrangements for housing.

            We drove to Georgia at the end of the month. On the way, we briefly visited Ryan’s sister Tiffany’s family. When we got to Augusta we immediately began looking for housing. Kevin and Heidi would be starting school in a week, so we wanted to make an offer on a house as soon as possible so they could be registered for school. Amazingly, everything fell into place. We made an offer on a house in a good school district and were able to register Kevin and Heidi for school just in time for them to start on the first day. We have been very grateful that they can attend such a fantastic school. We stayed in an apartment until we moved into our house at the end of August. We are really enjoying having our own home with a fenced backyard after living in apartments for the past eight years. The kids enjoy getting to play in the yard whenever they want, and we have big plans for our garden next year.

Ryan is enjoying his new job teaching Introductory Physics at Augusta University. He is a Webelos den leader in cub scouts and also teaches lessons in Elders Quorum at church. He’s doing a good job fixing things on our new house.

Marcelaine stays home with Ann Marie. It has been a blessing to have some one-on-one time with Ann Marie while Kevin and Heidi are at school. This year she felt prompted to do some research about her Danish ancestors, and was able to reserve family names for ordinances in LDS temples for the first time. She tries to practice the piano and read when she has time. She is teaching an energetic group of Sunbeams (3- and 4-year-olds) at church.

Kevin is in second grade this year. Science is his favorite subject. He is becoming a good reader. He is working his way through the Magic Tree House books and Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, and he loves Harry Potter. This year Marcelaine started teaching him to play the piano. He likes to share his testimony at church and teach the lesson for Family Home Evening.

Heidi began Kindergarten this year and is doing well. Her reading skills are blooming. She likes reading books (especially Fancy Nancy and Angelina Ballerina), dressing up, playing princess, and dancing.

Ann Marie suddenly started speaking in sentences over the summer. She wants to do whatever her brother and sister can do. Coloring pictures and reading books are her favorite things. She loves her baby doll, who she has named Bucky (Becky).

We love and miss you all. We have been very blessed this year in so many ways. We have been grateful for comfort and guidance from the Holy Ghost and our faith in Jesus Christ’s atonement.

Love,

Ryan, Marcelaine, Kevin, Heidi, and Ann Marie Tanner

Blogs:

margletan.blogspot.com

margletan-familyhistory.blogspot.com

quantumleap42.blogspot.com

Kevin and Heidi wanted to add letters of their own:

Kevin Tanner

Okay, anyway um, I’ve hurt my knee for the 7^th time this year which is the bad news. The good news is that I lost two of my baby teeth this year to but… on December 16^th Friday 2016, I was out sick so I had to stay home from school. Anyway, we just got a new Christmas tree on December 14^th  2016 because our old one looked very droopy. Well that’s about all.

Heidi LIKES PRIncesses Heidi rode THE POLAR EXPRESS ON CHAIRS AT SCHOOL,

Christmas 2016

Last Christmas we threw away our artificial "Charlie Brown" tree because we knew we would be moving and it was looking pretty sparse. So I was thinking of getting a new but nicer artificial tree, but I ended up picking up a real 7'-8' one at Lowes. The worker there was really helpful and he tied it to the top of our van and everything. I was glad we got a real one. It's fun to walk through the living room and get a little whiff of the pine scent. We even got the tree up two weeks before Christmas (which is early for us).

Our lights were also a little messed up. One of the lights on the string broke, and unfortunately it was one of the important ones, so it made a whole segment of the string not work. But the replacement bulbs in the package were the blinking ones, so we had one part of the lights blinking while the rest just stayed on. I swore I would never have Christmas tree lights where part blinked and part didn't (before I had kids and responsibilities), but last year I decided I didn't care and we just used them. But this year I wanted a pretty tree with white lights, so I bought new white lights and a roll of silver ribbon, and the end result was so nice! I really enjoyed it.

I try really hard to keep the presents hidden, but our kids think a locked door means, "Come in." I even put a sign up on the door that said, "Do not enter unless you want to ruin your surprises," while I was wrapping presents. Heidi took it very seriously and cried hysterically when Ann Marie pulled off the sign. Kevin thought the sign was hilarious and kept trying to come in.

I did a pretty good job of getting the presents wrapped earlier this year. I even made some presents for my primary class (a candy cane and a small picture of a temple--I found the pictures as well as some postcards [for birthdays] at Nephi's Bookstore by the Columbia SC Temple).

I know I shouldn't, but I get stressed about Christmas presents. I want everyone to be happy and get something fun that they will enjoy. It took me a while to figure out what to get for everybody. We don't do a lot of Christmas presents because even with only three kids the amount of stuff adds up fast, but I did want each of the kids to get something fun to play with. To add to the complication, Kevin was figuring out the secret of Santa Claus, so I was trying to keep things hidden because I didn't want him to say, "Mom, I saw that under your bed, so it's not from Santa," and ruin it for Heidi. I'm not even sure how much it would ruin things because we don't make a big deal out of Santa, but still.

I love being involved in music during Christmas time. This year I sang Away in a Manger with four other women at a Relief Society activity, and we had such a great experience that we decided to sing again for Sacrament Meeting. We ended up singing an arrangement of The First Noel/Pachelbel's Canon, which was beautiful. I also really enjoyed choir practice and I was really looking forward to singing on Christmas Day.

Then a couple of days before Christmas I started feeling sick, which really put a damper on everything. I love having good food for Christmas, but I wasn't really enjoying food much because my throat was irritated and I was coughing. But I stubbornly persisted in making and eating the treats because it was CHRISTMAS, and I was going to have some TREATS. But then they weren't as enjoyable because I was sick, which made me disappointed. Next time I'm sick on Christmas I'm just going to postpone making the good stuff until I feel better.

I still haven't really figured out what we traditionally eat for Christmas Eve/Christmas dinner. I always make Grammy Jenna's cheeseball and Wassail because they're fantastic and they're traditions from when I was growing up. This year we had egg rolls too because I don't buy them much, so they're a treat. And I found a recipe for fried chicken that I decided to try (it was good--I omitted the hot sauce and added salt). Then I thought if we were having egg rolls that meant we were kind of having a Chinese theme, so I made Chicken Lo Mein (which I liked, Ryan ate some, and the kids didn't touch). So it was a really weird combination of food, but at least it was enjoyable, right?

Kevin monitored the wassail (which was awesome to have for my cough/sore throat).

While I was cooking Christmas Eve dinner, the kids worked on their pictures for our Christmas journal. When we were married, somebody gave us a journal, and two years ago we started a tradition of writing our testimonies of Jesus Christ in it every Christmas.

This little girl has learned to dress herself, and I have a hard time keeping her fully clothed. I also have a hard time keeping up when she changes her clothes by herself five or more times a day.

We got out the pretty table runner and my pretty dishes. (One broke the next day when a child was trying to help put away dishes. :'(  )

The kids acted out the nativity while Ryan read from the scriptures. Heidi was Mary, Kevin was Joseph, and Ann Marie was a shepherd (although she wasn't especially cooperative according to Kevin and Heidi's standards). I played appropriate hymns throughout the nativity and attempted to sing.

The kids went to bed after putting out reindeer food on the lawn (oats and glitter--they brought it home from school), and I started stressing more about presents. I hadn't bought any candy for the stockings because I was planning to have fudge and cookies made, but that didn't happen because I had been sick. So then I had the idea of making caramels "from Mrs. Claus." The caramel was very tasty, but for some reason it never got hard enough to cut into squares, so on Christmas when we were eating it we ended up sort of eating blobs of it or dipping apples into it.

Also, the smiley face on the note looked like something from Nightmare before Christmas. :-D

Despite all my stressing and worrying, the kids were delighted with their presents and had a nice Christmas morning.

Ryan and Ann Marie playing with the new Turbo Twisters (remote control cars):

We ended up with a lot of new legos, which the kids play with all the time. Kevin got snap circuits, Heidi got a Barbie, and Ann Marie got a Little People farm. I was so glad the legos ended up being a family gift--I was planning to give them to Heidi, then decided against it and got the Barbie. When they kids all opened up the legos together, Heidi said, "I hate legos." Whew! (She has ended up playing with them just as much as everyone else, though.)

Ryan got me a laminator, and I gave him a circular saw (meaning, we went to Harbor Freight and I told him to go pick the one he wanted). My mom and dad got me a couple of gifts that I love, including a big skillet that I use almost every day.

Then we got ready to go to church. Our ward combined with another ward and had a beautiful music program.

The Thursday before Christmas I was still sick and I was so worried that I wasn't even going to be able to go to church, let alone sing with the choir. That night in my prayers I begged Heavenly Father to help me get better because I wanted so much to sing. I told Him I had complete faith that He could do it. On Christmas I wasn't 100% better, and my voice wasn't where I wanted it to be, but I was well enough to go and sing, so I was very grateful. One of the songs we sang was Oh, Holy Night, which honestly is not my favorite Christmas song (it usually ends up sounding depressing instead of hopeful), but our choir did a nice job, and the soloist had a very sweet voice that really invited the spirit. When we got to the line "He knows our need," I burst into tears. At that moment the Spirit witnessed to me that God knew how much this music had meant to me, and He knew that I needed to be there that day, so He answered my prayer and helped me to heal enough to be able to sing.

This Christmas program was one of the most inspired ones I have ever participated in. There was quite a variety of music styles too. The choir director and another sister sang I Believe in Christ with guitar accompaniment, and I loved it. We often sing the sing with a very grandiose style (which is also fine), but this version had a more light and happy style, which I really enjoyed. We had a piano/cello/violin do the Piano Guys version of O Come Emanuel, which was beautiful.

After church we went back home and just relaxed and spent time together. I think I made potato soup or something for dinner.