ThePasseys.com

For the Passey family, this past year has been mostly about school, school and school. Jack is 4 and in pre-school. Star is 6 (7 tomorrow) and in the first grade, and Sheila and I both have been attending the University of Utah. Of course, the church is also a big part of our lives. Being ward mission leader keeps Tony busy and while Sheila helps where she can although he attends the brunt of the meetings and has the opportunity to teach Gospel Principles frequently. Sheila loves her new calling as 2nd counselor in the Primary and the kids love Primary too!Jack loves to go to church and school and, well, any place that has a lot of other children. Even on the days that he is sick, it is hard to convince  him to stay home and sleep.

One day, Jack had come down with a cold and Tony volunteered to stay home from church with him. After laying down with him, to help him take a nap, Tony soon realized that he had fallen asleep and Jack had made an escape. Jack was no where to be found in the house. Tony went outside and learned from one of the neighbors that Jack had walked to church in his pajamas. Luckily, he made it safely all the way to church and to Sheila, who returned him back home. Jack is very social and hates to miss any opportunity.Star is doing well in school. Actually, she is doing a little too well. There is a continuous discussion about whether or not to place her in an advanced classroom. We tried it for a couple weeks and weren’t sure it was right, but she reads and learns just a bit too quick for her regular class. Star is pretty fast at things, when she wants to be (which does not include cleaning up). She has turned into a “dare-devil” skier. It is becoming difficult to ski with Star and Jack at the same time because Star just wants to ski fast. Jack is still on short skis that won’t keep up, and skiing is turning into mom and dad asking Star to wait for everybody. Sheila started back to school this fall taking a class in architecture and a class in art history. Although she managed to do very well, she found being a mom and finding time to do homework is a pretty big load of work. One of her favorite things to do as a mom is volunteering in Jack and Star’s classes. Although Sheila has been quite busy, she still managed to read plenty of books and make her way through some Buffy, Felicity and, along with Tony, West Wing and 24. We don’t watch a lot of actual TV- Tony’s just plain happier without the commercials. Tony is finally almost done with his degree in Economics. That’s the good news. The bad news is that we are considering 4 more years of grad school. We will most likely stay at the U and Tony will still be somewhere on the front rows of the student section cheering for the football team. Tony has been playing hockey for the U and is about ready to retire. Sheila has been confused this year about what exactly is wrong with her husband. The man she married wasn’t raised to sit and watch sports or engage in these “stupid” rivalries. Even after 10 years of marriage, there are things we don’t know about our partners. All in all, our life is very different this year than past years, but it has been a year of learning and a year of family activities. This extra family time together has been a welcomed opportunity to bond as a family and teach important principles. Our children already are learning to rejoice when the snow falls and weep as it melts. Merry Christmas, be it white or sunny, from the Passeys.

I tried to get them each to hold still for a  little soccer photo.  This is how it turned out.

Star just finished her first half year of school! In our area, they start children in a half year kindergarten to ease them into the school life. Star loved every minute of it. Here are some photos of her and her art work.

We will be celebrating 9 years this year. I know that 10 is the first of the big ones, but we want to do something cool this time. When I say cool, I just mean that I want my wife to be impressed by how little we spent and how nice it is. ( at least I learned that much in the first 9 years)I need some help….Does anybody have any good ideas?????

Did I ever tell you about how different life is going to be on the inside. I am about to begin school again this fall after a short 6 year break. I am concerned that I may not be college material after working in the “real world” for so long. I was pretty worried about all the people that I will meet who are scholars and so much smarter than I am. I was quite nervous on the day I went to meet with my advisor for the first time. These feelings of inadequacy were floating around my head that first day, until I entered the business building on campus and saw my first posted sign in Academia. I think I’ll do ok.

You all probably know that my father has worked at BYU and for the Church for as long as anyone can remember, right? Well, when he heard the news, he was willing to go out and show some school spirit. Thanks Dad, for supporting me at the U.

Please read this message:

Those of you who have used this site to obtain your weekly dose of fun-filled entertainment should take note of the following changes:

1) It’s the end of the world as we know it.

2) I feel fine.

3) ThePasseys.com will no longer be a place for me, Tony, to rant and rave. Please refer to the new site located at www.tonypassey.com. This will be the new home for all of you who seek low grade comedy through mediocrity.

4) ThePasseys.com will continue as a web log dedicated to family values and the current events of Hollywood’s #3,467 family.

We hope that these new changes will not leave you feeling uncomfortable and estranged. The last thing we meant to do is leave a fish taste in your mouth.

Here are the photos from our recent Disney trip . (Click on thumbnails to view larger.)

One day, Sheila and I decided to sleep a little later than usual. Star was playing quietly in her room and we had assumed Jack was playing in his crib. Jack was bored, and we had no idea that he was capable of escaping the crib. Here is the photo of Jack and the crime scene as we saw it when we walked into his room.