The Mid-Cart Parentals: Merry Christmas!

Just a copy of our annual Christmas letter for posterity...

2011 was Wet 'n Wild!

The Mid-Carts came together this summer for some wet 'n wild family fun - not just in our own back yard for our annual family reunion, but our long awaited Grand Canyon permit to raft the Colorado River finally arrived so, we took 3 generations of River Rats on the trip; Paul & Jenny; Rochelle, Brent, & Trevor; Ben & Dara; Kyle & Adia; Leah & Rick; Nicole; Ty & Christi; Cousin Troy; & our rafting mentor, Blaine. It was a fantastic experience to share this 14 day trip with so many of our children & our two oldest grandchildren. We are officially 44 members strong…welcoming Jude Ty Horner to the family in April. We will be adding two more babies next summer, thanks to Jill & Gina.

In a nutshell...

* Jenny started the year out with a nasty cough that concerned us, but after 3 rounds of antibiotics, a chest xray, & a ct scan, it was determined that she had a "severe cough." It finally went away in March.
* Went to Seattle to play with the Holyoaks - took the ferry over to the Pacific Science Center - great place! You could spend days in there with all the exhibits & hands on activities. We had a special tea party with the girls for our anniversary, too.
* Had a great time at Disneyland & Universal Studios with Ben & Dara - we love spending time with our kids.
* Spent some time in Utah getting to know our newest grandson, Jude Ty Horner, & playing with his big sister, Olivia. We celebrated Easter, got to participate in Jude's Blessing, & even spent some time with the Bassetts. Thanksgiving Point is gorgeous during their Tulip Festival!
* The following week most of the girls joined us for BYU Women's Conference - Jenny loves this event. It fills her cup with hope & gratitude for the gospel of Jesus Christ. She especially loves sharing it with our girls.
* Ty & Christi came to stay with us this summer. We really enjoyed having them here & getting to know Christi a little better. We started their summer with a trip to Disneyland & Universal Studios.
* Paul's siblings joined us at the Riverhouse for his Dad's 80th birthday. Paul's sister, Laura & her husband Eric, put together a wonderful tribute in the form of a newspaper with contributions from the entire Middleton family. We had a great time celebrating together. None of us realized that would be the last time we saw Laura, she passed away in August.
* Traveled to Peru & Ecuador. Hiked all around Macchu Pichu & several Inca ruins. Jenny loved all the alpacas roaming the streets & the colorful traditional costumes that the locals wore...FABULOUS experience! Then we boarded a boat & cruised around the Galapagos Islands & explored the natural splendor with all its exotic critters. Paul was like a little boy, he was so fascinated by the unique wildlife - truly amazing!
* Had a great 4th of July celebration with Rochelle's family, Gina's family, Kyle's family, Nicole, Ty & Christi - flag raising, parade, great BBQ, & crazy fun games with the family.
* Set out on a two week outdoor adventure rafting the Grand Canyon with 6 of our children, 4 of their spouses, 2 grandchildren, 1 nephew, & our rafting guru, Blaine. It brought back great memories for those of us who went way back in 1994 & we made some new memories on this trip. It was a record high water year (26,000 CFS) which made for some incredible white water fun. Brent decided the white water wasn't exciting enough & flipped a boat in Lava Falls, dumping himself, Rochelle, Trevor, & Ben into the rip-roarin' rapids. Everyone survived with a great story to tell - they even got it on video!
* Our annual family reunion was a blast, tagging onto our River trip, we enjoyed more Wet 'n Wild fun. We tie-dyed t-shirts (as you can see by our group photo), beat the heat at the Folsom Aquatic Center, floating & rafting the American River, playing on the waterslide & tons of water games! The grandkids entertained us with their version of the Haka & the Hukilau - they had a blast & we have some intense performers.
* Headed to the coast for Jenny's Mom's family reunion. Good food & good company visiting our Cowell cousins.
* Spent a weekend with Paul's family remembering his sister, Laura, who passed away August 18th. We went to San Francisco ( a Middleton family tradition) & later had a celebration of her life with her husband, Eric. We were touched to meet so many people who have known & worked with Laura who came to pay respects & support Eric.
* Paul had a meeting in Southern California, so Jenny joined him there & they went to Disneyland ALL BY THEMSELVES! It was a great date & they got to visit Gina's family for a few days on the way home. Extra treat.
* Joined Leah's family at Disneyland for the girls' first trip. LOVE the excitement of the little princesses when they experience Disney's magic for the first time! Those little girls are thrill seekers like their dad, they loved all the rides & roller coasters.
* State Farm Convention in Vegas with Rochelle & Brent, Kyle & Amy. Two Cirque du Soleil shows, the Legends of Las Vegas, & Don Henley of the Eagles...great convention!
* Took Paul's parents to Kauai with Paul's sister Linda & her husband Rex. We packed in some fun - touring the island, a helicopter ride, lots of great food (especially the shaved ice), 4 wheeling in some ATVs, paddle boarding, & a luau.
* Visited Cindi's family in Mesa - always fun to visit the kids in their own environment. They were tons of fun.
* Finishing December with a trip to Seattle to see Jill's family. Spending Christmas at the River with Ty & Christi, then off to celebrate the New Year with Leah & Terri & their families.

Paul, paulmiddleton10@gmail.com, feels blessed to have a job he loves & a team that he enjoys working with. Like many of you, we've had to make adjustments in this down economy, but Paul is working hard to keep things positive as he looks for ways to grow the business. He works hard maintaining the property & has turned into a great landscaper...who knew he had such talents? Still serving as 2nd Counselor in the bishopric, he enjoys our ward & helping out as needed. We pester Paul's parents quite a bit when we are in San Jose. We feel fortunate to live so close to them.

Jenny, jennymiddleton@email.com, stays busy with Relief Society (still 1st Counselor), visiting kids, visiting her mom, and trying to keep up with Paul. She is excited to finally have completed her Personal Progress this year (a goal setting program for the young women in our Church). She took her time & put a lot of effort into it - it was very rewarding & she learned a lot about herself through the process.

Rochelle & Brent Petersen live nearby in Folsom, CA with their 4 boys; Trevor-11, Ethan-9, Cade-6, & Carson-3.

Gina & Christian Deceuster live in Valencia, CA with their family; Luke-9, Alana-6, Donovan-2, & baby-July of 2012.

Ben & Dara Carter live nearby our office in San Jose, CA.

Kyle & Amy Middleton live nearby in El Dorado Hills, CA with their 5 children; Adia-about to be 13, Avery-8, Kenyon-about to be 7, Adison-5, Kaden-3.

Jill & Kiff Holyoak live a short plane ride away in Port Orchard, WA with their family; Macy-5, Penelope-3, Roman-18 mo, & baby-June of 2012.

Cindi & Jared McGrath live a short plane ride away in Mesa, AZ with their 4 children; Cori-7, Jake-5, Jason-4, Lucie-3.

Leah & Rick Bassett live a short plane ride away in Lehi, UT with their 2 girls; Keira-3, Lexi-2.

Nicole Middleton lives nearby in Sacramento, CA.

Terri & Ben Horner live a short plane ride away in Saratoga Springs, UT with their 2 children; Olivia-3, Jude-8 months.

Ty & Christi Carter are attending BYU-Idaho in Rexburg, ID & they are coming to stay with us again this summer!

Here's the gang at our Wet 'n Wild Reunion minus Gina's husband Christian, Kyle's wife Amy, & Cindi's husband Jared...