Monday, December 23, 2019

Merry Christmas 2019




2019 Year in Review in Numbers for the Hilton Family

42 # of bison we saw as we entered Yellowstone; 5 # of kittens the kids wished they could have taken home but didn’t;  2 # of exchange students we get to have spend the school year with us and we love; 16 # of car repairs paid for; 9 # of hours we survived in Bejing without water, food or local currency;
6 # of miles daily walking average on hot summer days in China and 25 # of scriptures recited while walking;   3 # of weeks the kids enjoyed the above ground pool before it turned green; 5 # of hours building snow forts;   30 # of breathtaking hikes; 2 # of cousins serving valiant missions; 1 # of hikes we did not freeze on while at Bryce Canyon; 15 # of times the kids rode Sea World Manta; 1 # of entire New Testaments read; 6 # of sand dunes ran down with cold feet; 1 # of raccoons trapped!

3 # of weeks Levi (18) avoided being “shot” during senior assassin game making it to the top ten;
475 # of pounds Levi can dead lift; 50 # of hours Levi spent preparing for Utah Sterling Scholar before coming in 2nd in State; 1.5 # of semesters Levi has been living at BYU.

24 # of recipes Annemarie (17) cooked for us and we loved; 80 # of practice driving hours prior to her license; 4 # of Rock Climbing ventures; 51,634 # of words Annemarie wrote during novel writing November; 3.5 # of days spent in Guadalarja; 6# AP classes she loves; #1 hardest working employee at Malawi’s Pizza.

1 # of sea turtles Maria (15) snorkeled by in Turtle bay; 1 # Maria’s Parli Pro FCCLA team placed then went to nationals in Anaheim; 45 # of dolphins she saw; 1 # of earthquakes she felt; 1 # of church history tours she assisted on; 9 # of hours weekly on violin & piano; 1000 # of good deeds she does.

450 # of college students Joseph (13) reported his research to;  0 # of varsity tennis matches lost;
18 # of pages of knowledge bowl facts memorized, and meals he assisted on; 1# of flag football games lost;    60 # of min most days on the piano; 1# of light fixtures he installed; 3# of languages he is learning

1# of fire sticks Katrina (10) twirled for an audience without being burned; 300 # minimum amount of books Katrina read; 200 minimum # of flips she did; 100 minimum # of funny voices she made; 6 # of hours she swims in a pool without getting tired; 3 # of hymns she can play; 2 # of outfits she prefers.

200 # of love notes Rebekah (6) wrote & delivered; 12 # of laughing outbursts she can have in 1minute; 17 # of minutes she practices the piano most days; 1000 # of minutes swinging in the back yard.

2 # of times Lani vomited after skydiving with John in Hawaii; 25 # of people at her family’s sibling retreat;   19 # of ski runs she loved; 1 # of books John authored and will be publishing Spring 2020.
Hundreds # of people John amazed with magic tricks, # times Lani and John were amazed by their children; # of youth & adults Lani taught; # of students John inspired; # of Chinese characters the kids each know; # of chores complained about but done; Countless  # of meals cooked that kids rejected;  # of messes made; # of frustrating or disappointing moments; # of joyous moments; # of blessings received 
Fun actual words said: “I am not arguing, I am just telling you why I am right.”  “I don’t make mean looks it is just the way I look.” To a younger cousin: “Oh, 3 was one of the best years of my life, well actually so was 4 and 5 (pause) and 6 (and then she giggles).”
We find joy in the peace and hope the Savior, Jesus Christ brings! We hope you do to! We rejoice in His Birth!  John 3:16!  Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Love, The Hilton Family

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