Thompson Family Christmas Letter 2016
Whew! What a year!! It has been a whirlwind of challenges
and blessings, like usual. Here is a little of what has happened with our
family this year…
Eli Gabriel turned SIX
this month! He keeps telling me that he can’t believe he is six…that he still
feels like he is five. I assured him that that will pass. Eli has enjoyed 1st
grade this year and has made lots of friends in his 1st grade class
and in his gifted class. He loves to learn, and is also learning how to help at
home. He has a tender heart, loves playing Minecraft with his big brother Alex,
and always remembers to pray for his big missionary brother, Max. Eli also
loves to ride his bike, play soccer, make math homework pages for mom to do,
and eat Nutella sandwiches. He also enjoys making video games with his new
Bloxels, and he LOVES to snuggle, which we are taking advantage of while it
lasts. He also helps his mom make dinner every Monday night!
Alexander Phillip is a
sophomore this year and learning to DRIVE! He is 5’11”, which unfortunately
means he has officially grown taller than his older brother Max, and this year Alex
(our non-hemophiliac) broke Max’s yearly emergency room visit record, something
that he may or may not be proud of. He officially lifeguarded this year and
loved it. He had one official save – a 6 year old boy – and the rest was hours
upon hours of training and watching everyone in the pool. He took his job very
seriously and enjoyed working with his friend, Scott. His mom was a little bit
jealous of his bronze tan and natural blonde highlights after the summer. Alex
loves to make everyone laugh, wear silly socks, and help those around him who
are struggling or suffering…and has learned to somehow function with daily migraines.
His neurologist is two floors above Max’s hematologist at Phoenix Children’s
Hospital, so we already know where the best parking is!
Elder (Enoch Maxamillion)
Thompson graduated from high school this year with a scholarship to ASU, which
he put on hold so that he could serve a Spanish-speaking mission for the Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in Fort Worth, Texas. He is loving the
work and enjoying learning the Spanish language (even though he took French in
school!). So far he has had an Italian companion and two from the Pacific Islands.
His current companion is Tongan. They mostly drive a car because they cover
such a large area, but occasionally ride their bikes – which he LOVES. He has
seen many miracles in his own life and in the lives of those he is serving as
he has seen the power of the atonement of our Savior Jesus Christ change people
for the better. Every letter each week ends with, “¡Se que Jesucristo vive!”
Michelle Elizabeth has been working on her
next set of novels. She is currently finishing up book 2 of a trilogy that is different
from everything she has written before. She substitute teaches on the side, and
because of that, appreciates teachers so much more than she did before! She is
still the Primary president in our ward and enjoys working with and teaching
the children basic principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ. She has amazing
counselors, a secretary, music leaders, teachers, Cub Scout leaders and
Activity Day Girl leaders that all help the program to run smoothly! She enjoys
reading, writing, baking (she is slowly learning how to bake wheat-free!), and
roller-blading. And she is thrilled to have a new hematologist that understands
her needs as a female hemophiliac, allowing her to finally heal from her surgery
over a year and a half ago, and she is getting pretty good at infusing herself
with the intravenous medication she has infused Max with hundreds of times over
the years.
Enoch Sean is constantly working! He is also a genius when
it comes to taking things apart, fixing them, and putting them back together,
something that Michelle is constantly in awe of! He loves spending time with
his boys, teaching them how to do things, and cheering them on in their life
adventures. Though he is 6’4”, and may look intimidating, he’s a gentle giant
and loves to help and serve others. He’s done the dishes nightly for over a
year, and can smoke the world’s best pork loin in his homemade BBQ
grill/smoker. He still serves as the 2nd counselor in the bishopric
in our ward and enjoys working with so many diligent people trying to serve and
do the right thing. He loves to learn about new things (he is our walking
encyclopedia!), making new things with electronic components, and trying to
figure out the new Star Wars plots. He is also the proud owner of 5 glue guns,
4 soldering irons, 3 blow torches, 2 back-up battery supplies, and 1 homemade
contraption with movable arms to help with soldering.
We want to wish each of you a very Merry Christmas and Happy New
Year! May the Lord bless your honest endeavors and make you and your family
prosperous and happy.
“¡Se que Jesucristo vive!”
Love, The Thompson Family
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