January 1, 1984 Billings, Montana

Dearest Roy, Bob, Claire, Michael & Laura, Rick, Jean, Ricky, Barbara Jean & Mary Ann and Ron, Ann, Susanna, Jessie, Russell and LEEANNA,

Welcome to little baby LeeAnna - we are so thrilled to have her finally here and we know this has been a hard week for the Woolleys but a wonderful exciting one too!!! What a great blessing to have a perfect little girl come into our family. I'm sure you have all heard from Ron and Ann by now but for the records - LeeAnna was due on Dec. 26th and when Ann went in for her checkup they found the baby was not in the right position to e born so they sent her home to come back two days later. She went in on the morning of the 29th and she was ready to be born but still in a breach position so they had to do a caesarean operation and she was born Thursday at 12:36 p.m. When Ron called us we were really relieved - it's funny how we can sense something was a little wrong. The day after she was born the doctors began to get worried about the varicose veins in Ann's legs so they took her to Utah Valley for x-rays (the baby was born in Orem Community Hospital). They were afraid she might have a blood clot in one of her knees but when they x-rayed they found there wasn't a clot and that is another great blessing. Ann told me that if they had found a clot she would have had to stay right in bed for three months at least. We thought maybe they wee going to "strip" the veins but Ann said they don't do that anymore because it doesn't solve anything.  LeeAnna weighed 8 lbs. 10 oz..

We are SO grateful for Ron's family - when Ron called us he said they had already left Jerome to go help - I feel so absolutely helpless and will be eternally thankful for Beverley and the assurance she has given Ann right from the beginning when Ann knew she would need help. I surely hope this won't be too hard on her - caring for three little children the ages of Susanna, Jessie and Russell will be hard but then I realize how capable she is.

Jeannie and Rick will care for the Woolley children for a few days after Ron's family leaves to go home and we think that's wonderful too. I can't imagine what it would be like to care for six children their ages but when I was young maybe I could have done it. We are so proud of our family and the desire they have to help each other. I was talking to our missionary couple from Brigham City yesterday and Sister Wright told me their son had called her in tears because their daughter hadn't received anything for Christmas - evidently they have a small family and are struggling financially and the children in the family decided to not draw names this year - Sister Wright was really upset. Then I thought of our family and how Ann and Jean are starting a family tradition of getting together on Christmas Eve for dinner and a spiritual program and that makes us so happy!!! This means so much to the little children and gives them a security they couldn't get any other way - BUT it's hard and takes a lot of work on the parent's part. I think of Ann waking up early one morning and finding little Russell on the top of her dining room table throwing walnuts at the wall to crack them and it's funny but what it means is that you have to watch him every single minute so he won't get hurt!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!! We hope 1984 will be such a good, good year for each one of you - most of all we hope you will seek out the really meaningful things in life and give of yourself where and when you can. You could teach me how to do these things more than I could teach you. One of my New Year's resolutions is to spend more time studying the scriptures and not worry so much about the trivial things that don't mean much.

I had a really happy birthday - so many of my friends called - Chris called from Little Rock and Dianna called from Des Moines and it was wonderful to talk to them. I guess Little Rock has had some terrible weather - Chris said she hadn't been out of the house for three days. We have had cold, bitter weather but at least you can get out and drive in it - in Arkansas the roads are so icy and hilly that you just stay put, The Elders made a big "Happy Birthday" sign and gave me a picture frame to put lots of different pictures frame to put lots of different pictures in it and then gave me a pretty card. We celebrate a million birthdays in this home and I always give the one having a birthday a little bag of his favorite candy and I had told them we didn't need candy and they weren't to do one thing. Johnny's church team was in a basketball tournament that night so we hurried and ate and then went to that - it was a single elimination tournament and they lost by four points so he was disappointed. Johnny is really, really good but fouls out easily and the referees watch him like a hawk and it kinds hampers his playing. He's much bigger than most of the players and it seems he bumps into them at every turn.

Grandma and Grandpa Forrest called for my birthday too and it was so good to talk to them. They said they really have a lot of snow - I guess Dee was over shoveling their paths for them. In fact, I believe Dee dialed the phone for them because one of the Elders came to get me and said "My little brother" was on the phone. He has done this before so I'm not as shocked as I was at first - daddy explained to the Elders that this little brother was probably 230 pounds and over 6ft. Grandmother sounds better than she has and of course Grandpa is as chipper as always - I'm sure they will be looking forward to Spring after this Winter.

We went to Hardin yesterday for our Custer Zone conference and I inspected the Elder's apartment there and I could have cried - it was the darkest, dingiest and coldest apartment I have ever seen. They had a little green "spring" for a Christmas tree decorated with red ribbons and popcorn strings - they had some of their gifts around the tree and they were very few. This is really hard for me to come back to this gorgeous Mission Home with all this good food and comforts of life - one of the elders yesterday had a pair of jeans stuffed with his dirty clothes for his pillow and old dirty blankets on their beds. I really wish the church could own some nice apartments in the towns in which missionaries serve so they could be more comfortable. These Elders have to pay $60 a month for everything they get - we really need to take a look at this and see if we can even it out someway.

We had a little New Year's Eve party in the home last night - Daddy really didn't want us to but I kinda' talked him into it. We had pancakes, sausage, eggs, grapefruit, tomato juice and eggs about 11:15 and then after that we watched a slide presentation the assistants have put together for us to show to the missionaries when they leave the mission - it is really good. They have used John's music things to tape the songs and it is very enjoyable to watch.

We have had such a relaxing time this morning - our ward has changed their meeting schedule and doesn't meet until 1 p.m. so we have really enjoyed ourselves. This has been a fun week to stay home and be with Johnny and stay close to the phone to hear about Ann but now we have to "hit" the road again. We leave early in the morning to go to Miles City and then will be traveling for the next two weeks off and on. Johnny doesn't have to go to school tomorrow - I believe he is going to try to get up some basketball teams to play with the missionaries again. He has had a fun holiday but he hasn't gone skiing (it's been too cold). He got a ski rack for his car and hasn't even put it on. Elder Hansen who is the vehicle coordinator for the Mission has been helping put some fog lights on his car - he says they really help. Elder Hansen and John really get along well together - some of the other missionaries are a little jealous of him. Daddy and I were talking this morning about how much we have learned while on our mission - we have really learned a lot about nineteen year old young men.

I must get ready for church - I may write some more on this when we get back if I can think of any more news.

Later - I was all settled in Relief Society and enjoying the lesson so much when daddy came and got me this morning. We had to go get some investigators to bring for Sunday School and Sacrament Meeting. Let me tell you about them - a week or so before Christmas Daddy and John and I went into a little toy store. I walked right by some people who were standing in the entrance to the store but Daddy stopped to talk to them - the lady was from Taiwan and her husband from Laos and their card had stopped on them and they were waiting for a taxi. It was about 30(below zero outside and they just had little thin jackets. Daddy offered to take them home and they said, "Oh thank you because we don't have money for a taxi anyway". We took them home and they have turned out to be the sweetest people. Our missionaries are teaching them - the lady's mother is living with them and she doesn't speak a word of English and they don't speak it fluently. We took them to church this morning and then brought them to the Mission Home and fixed them a sack of applies, oranges, dried fruit, etc.
Do you all remember your pictures taken when you were seniors in High School? We had John's taken and one made for him too - it is really good - an 11 x 14!!! One of his friends went hunting yesterday and shot a big elk - he is kinda' envious.

We had a letter from the Smithers - John has remarried and lives in California. Linda has taken out her endowments and goes to the temple often - their children are settled and really like Las Vegas - Danielle was unhappy at first but is now involved with modeling and is happy.

We surely do love you - Bob and Roy, thank you so much for your phone calls. PLEASE BE CAREFUL IN EVERYTHING YOU DO and let us know how we can help you - we're so proud of you!!!!
Return to Home Page