Ok, Sarah Beth made this picture above for our Christmas card but it would have cost a fortune to print. So instead I am making it our header even though it is Christmas. Just pretend it isn't. I LOVE it. She had become quite the photographer, even having a photo shoot that she got paid for.........well it was Mary Catherine and her friends, but still. She is so good and we are impressed with her abilities.

The pictures do tell alot of our activities for the year. I made me think that I should just put our Christmas letter on here to save for posterity! Mary Catherine and Elaine wrote it and I think they did an amazing job..........

(Joy to the World)……The Saints have won!! This year has been the craziest year since Taylor’s birth, but we loved every minute of it. How could it get any better than to start with the Saints unbelievable victory in the Superbowl that in these parts was met with many fireworks and raucous celebration? We were so thrilled to be able to continue our love of the Saints and LSU, even attending an LSU game where we were invited to sit in a suite that was extremely exhilarating. Our other most fun family outing was on a weeklong cruise with Daddy’s goal was to read a book!, Alex’s to get more sun, Taylor’s to eat as many entrees as he could, MC to meet many new friends, SB to break into the older youth room, Emma and Lily to run back and forth between their amazing siblings and their new friends in the Kid’s Camp! Mama just wanted to sit and be served….not disappointed! Daddy Zack has come back to the land of the living and now resides on Horseshoe Lane once more. For 5 months our beloved Padre was separated from the rest of the family working on the oil spill in Mississippi. In recent weeks he has survived two surgeries and is now in ship shape condition. In the season of giving, none shows more generosity than our dear Daddy. Mammy Zack is also recovering from a recent surgery and from the intense trauma of turning 40. As mother hen, she is constantly tending to all of us chitlens. She made a spontaneous trip to Utah with a couple of girlfriends, shopped up a storm, and extended a loving hand to all those within a 1,000 mile radius. AlZachy spent the year expanding his income. He first worked at Books-A-Million where he completely dominated the sales charts. Then he trucked on over to Biloxi to work with Daddy to make the big-bucks. Alex is also returning back to BYU for the winter semester where he hopes to become a physics teacher. We expect him to be the coolest teacher around. TayBro is the tallest of the Zachary clan at a whopping 6’3”. He graduated Sulphur High in the spring and spent the summer dutifully working on the oil spill, alongside Daddy Zach. Then he took a huge leap out of the home-coop to the frigid wasteland of Idaho to attend BYU-I. What a tragedy for Mother Hen. But he absolutely loves it there. MCAT,aka MCZ otherwise known as xxpoppinpappinpacxxxx is the health nut. She amazes us all with her stamina to withstand culinary temptations! She passed her driver’s test and is now the terror of the road, but puts her license to good use by helping her mom shuttle the younger ladies. She has flown into her junior year of high school and is going strong. Her life is full of school, friends, volleyball, church………...and writing Christmas letters ;) sBeth is a barrel of laughs. Her giggles are boisterous and frequent, but never without cause. She has found a new love of photography and if you need fabulous pictures at a good price sBeth photography is the way to go. She is young and fresh and has loads of pazazzzz! She has recently had a knee problem, but that doesn’t stop her moving and grooving. She is a big bad freshman this year and made lots of new friends on the 9th grade campus. EmJ received a brand new violin last Christmas and has taken to it like a duck to water. We are all repeatedly impressed by her willpower to get better and better at playing. She loves that she is a senior of the elementary school. She is daily improving her culinary skills and is training for motherhood with the American Girl program. She remains the only surviving blond. She loves to talk and tell magnificent stories to any willing listener. Emma is our cutie pie that is rapidly growing into a young woman. Lil is the Queen of Maplewood Middle School and runs that place with an iron hand. She has recently started taking lessons to become an equestrian and this has sparked a love for horses that is unparalleled by anything known to mankind. When she comes home from lessons, she is always using terms that half of us can’t understand, yet we still nod our heads and say “awesome.” She was baptized by Taylor this year. Family from all over Louisiana came in to witness the magic. Though this year was crazy, we find ourselves very grateful to have done it all together and for our Savior’s love and guidance through all we do.

New Year's Eve 2010

Well it is 5:30 in the morning on New Year's Eve. I haven't gone to bed yet, but I felt like I should write down what I am feeling.

I just watched my 2 sons and my husband drive off for a long trip out west. Taylor is returning to BYU-Idaho for his second semester and Alex is going back to BYU after a year and a half back at home. I am filled with emotion as I think of the last 2 years. I love my boys so much. They are so special. I am proud of them and filled with hope for their futures. I hope that we have prepared them for what they have ahead. It has been a long road........one that I didn't think I could handle when Alex came home. We have all grown so much closer as a family. I am thankful that we had this time to learn more and love more.

I was left in the driveway with the Matts. Alex has one and Taylor has one. I am so thankful for the great guys who have filled our home with laughter and energy. We won't have any boys......at least for a while. We don't know what the future will hold, and it may not go the way we expect it to, but with Heavenly Father's help we will make it. I know he will guide us and show us the way.

There is something about a mother's love for her sons. It is not deeper, but different. I have been so blessed to have these wonderful boys call me mama. They laugh at me and give me a hard time, but I know they love me and that I am crazy about them.

Just before they left, I was filling a small ice chest with some drinks for them and ended up letting 6 fall and spew ALL over the kitchen. They boys watched it happen and you would not believe the laughter that ensued. Our home will be much more quiet now. I will miss their boisterous laughter and fun they bring with them. Alex is almost never in a bad mood and Taylor is almost always willing to help with anything that is going on. They are quite a pair.

Just now, I heard keys in the door and looked. It was Taylor...........don't do this to me...........he forgot his IPad. But, of course, recalling Alex's story when he was ready to come home from a friend's when he was little..........Taylor said, "Alex just needs to spend a little time with his family." I hope they got enough time in our family and can go out now and make their own way in this world. I love them so much!!

Mary Catherine turned 17 yesterday. She will be next to leave. I can't even imagine how hard that will be. What a wonderful girl she is!! Another year and a half. I can do this!!!

As I talked about earlier, Emma is really changing and maturing. She has moved into Mary Catherine's room while her room is being worked on and she likes nothing more than for Mary Catherine to come to bed while she is still awake and they can lay there and talk. Last night Emma was determined to wait up for her and sat in the chair while MC finished homework, listening to the I-Pod.

The last two days she has come out ready for school wearing Mary Catherine's signature item....Converse. She assures me they are not too big....I am not so sure! Yesterday it was just the red ones........today....one red, one green!

She confidently got out of the car, because, after all, they are MC's shoes and if Mary Catherine wears them, then they must be cool! This was just after telling me that she is for sure the smartest in her class. Humble, too!

I sure love that girl!!

We have a bishop in the family. My brother-in-law, Ted, was set apart as bishop of the Natchitoches ward on Sunday. It was a great day with alot of our family there especially since we have 3 aunts in the ward. But Ted's family surprised us that morning when they walked into the chapel. We didn't think they were going to be able to make it. But in they walked....both his parents, his sister with her new baby, and his brother. They had come in from west Texas late the night before and had to leave by 3:00 that afternoon. It was so important for them to be there, though. I know it meant alot to Ted.

But by far the highlight of the trip was when these adorable babies arrived later. Julia and Jacques were the main attraction for my girls. They played and entertained. This was them going on a bug hunt. Love the hat, Julia.

Emma and Lily loved how Jacques could play now. They talked about how he laughed and laughed at what they were doing. So fun.

Congratulations Uncle Bishop!!

Mary Catherine....or Mary-Catherine, as she like to be known!!.....had a tournament in Crowley. With all the construction dust at our house I thought I needed a break and decided we would go to Lafayette to spend the night on Friday. I found this cool hotel at River Ranch. It was so cool. Kind of modern. We invited Lydia to come with us. The girls were so excited about the place. It was awesome.

Super cool bathroom. You can't see it but there is a cool glass vessel sink behind Sarah Beth.....or Sarah-Beth!!! HAHA

Cute girls. Lily sure loves those sisters.

We played a little dress up at the mall!

A little beauty shop at the tournament. Lydia taught Lily how to french braid and even let her practice on her hair.

Lily liked her french braid too.

We had a little brush with wild life in the town next to the frog capital of the WORLD! On a walk around the school I saw hundreds of these tiny frogs ALL over the outside of the school. I have never seen any thing like it. Truly a site to behold. I hope you can see them.

And we came in 2nd place. They players were not too happy with their performance in the last match so apparently Lily was the only one who wanted to hold the trophy. Since she IS the mascot and is now BFF's with all the players!

2 days away from home and

13 hours of volleyball and I was ready to go home......so was my backside!

Here we are!!!

So, here I am. Yes, I am still living. I don't really know what has kept me from blogging this last year. Just a series of events that left me feeling a little low and feeling like my focus should be somewhere else.

But, does that mean I am just now catching up on your blogs? Heck no!! I still have my little round of blogs that I look at everyday. I am really inspired by many of the things I read there. I kind of pretend that some of the ones I read belong to people I used to go to church with or was a neighbor of. Yes, I do know that is not true:) But, it is fun to pretend that I know them. They are an awesome group.

An update on our family~~~

Zack is in Biloxi, Mississippi where he has been for the past 5 months. He is working on the BP oil spill there. We were so lucky to get to visit him several times this summer. He has also had Taylor for 6 weeks working and now Alex who has been there about a month. He has been so grateful to have them there with him. He will come home Wednesday to prepare for surgery that he is having on Thursday. I am so excited to have him home. Even if that means I have to take care of him. We need him to be here.

Alex quit his job at Books-A-Million to go work in Biloxi. He was not happy with the changes that were happening at the store and realized that he needed to do something to make some more money for school. He thinks he will go back to school in January. We home that will happen. He wants to go to BYU-I. He misses being home, but I think has enjoyed being there with Zack.

Taylor is our college boy. He is in Idaho going to school. So far, he LOVES it. He loves his roommates, his classes aren't that bad, and lots of girls around. Can't get much better than that. He did so good this summer with making money and can just concentrate on his classes and fun. Hopefully with and emphasis on classes! This is the exchange with Gwen on Facebook that Taylor had recently. So cute and funny.

Gwen Dees Pogue September 12 at 11:26am

Something for the two Taylors to remember: Be on the lookout in your new wards.....your wife might be there! Don't fall asleep and snore or anything.

Taylor Zachary September 12 at 11:30am Reply

Well I am in church and I don't see her

Taylor Zachary September 12 at 11:52am Reply

Haha I will find her don't worry

=

Mary Catherine is deep into volleyball and getting ready for soccer season, too. She is playing on the varsity and junior varsity teams. She loves it but is super busy with that and some VERY difficult classes. She is determined though and hopefully she will be able to keep up her grades. Mary Catherine is also driving! She got her license after 2 attempts:) Just like her Mama, I must admit. We got her this little Kia to drive on one of our many trips to Biloxi. We arrived that night and just a few minutes after we got there we saw it posted on CraigsList and went the very next morning to look at it and bought it on the spot. Needless to say she is thrilled.

Sarah Beth is the other freshmen in our family. It is a rough adjustment, but she seems thrilled with 9th grade for the most part. She also has some really tough classes, is playing volleyball on the freshmen team, and has started seminary, and is on the yearbook staff. She is really blossoming and is such a funny, cute girl.

Emma is in her last year of elementary school....the 5th grade. How did this little girl get so grown? She has been one of our little girls and now she is so big. She is almost 5 feet tall and will be 11 in December. She is playing volleyball with SPAR and is just adorable. Her first game is tonight. She is also going to start her violin lessons again and get back to gymnastics. We sure do love this girl.

Lily is Lily. She is fiesty and loves to annoy Emma. She just gets such great pleasure out of that. More than anyone else. You can see where Emma has had to learn patience, then. But, she is so funny and the older kids still like to baby her. They think she is so cute and tell her so often. We are trying to get her to stop baby talking and I was telling her last night that I loved her when she was a baby, but I love her even more now because we can do things together and talk. She said she didn't understand that because she likes babies so much more than big kids! No wonder she thinks baby talk is the way to our hearts. I reassured her that we love HER!!

If you look closely you can see Lily running as fast as she can after the soccer ball. Flying Lily!!

And Andrea....me......I am just tired and ready to have my husband home!!

This is Bishop Gaar. He was my bishop while I was growing up. He did so much to help our family and he and his wife were like extra grandparents to me. I loved them so much. Sister Gaar died in August after a long battle with diabetes. Her funeral was August 18... the first day of school. I was so disappointed that I couldn't attend, but the girls needed me there for the first day. I realized I didn't have any pictures of these people who meant so much to me. So when we went to visit a few weeks later I made sure to get our picture together and then I snapped some pictures of the two of them on their walls. Turned out pretty good.

We sat and visited with him for about an hour. He talked and talked about World War II and things that have happened over the years in the ward. He has actually been Bishop 3 times in Winnfield. I have always know that he preached funerals all the time, but he told us that they figured that he had preached over 200!! Wow! He is a wonderful man.

(Is that not the cutest picture in the world?)

But the most impressive thing about Bishop Gaar is the excellent care he took of Sister Gaar. Like I said she had diabetes and had to have both legs amputated. She was also blind. And he took care of her all by himself. They were both in their 80's. He wore himself out in her service. Such sweet devotion is so inspiring to see. Even with the exhaustion he much have been feeling with all her care, he cried many tears expressing how much he misses her. What a wonderful example of love and service. I am so happy that I felt inspired to write them a letter that they received a couple of days before her death. Thankfully I listened to the prompting to act and the first thing Bishop Gaar said when my mother talked to him was that he had received my letter and that it meant so much to the both of them. I am so privileged to have know them. Sister Gaar was my primary teacher for most of my childhood. I love her and am happy she is not in pain anymore.