Guten Tag!

Sean emailed us yesterday and is doing great! Loving the MTC and learning so much so fast. I really don't think there is a place where there is so much praying, so much learning, so much studying going on at one time like there is at the MTC.

Last week Sean and his companion taught their first lesson in German and did great. Sean felt like he didn't miss with the wording or any of it. That made him feel good. Bethany was glad to receive a letter from her brother this week and know that even though he is so busy he took time to write her. Sean and Bethany became really close the past few years and Bethany sure misses him. But is glad to have her brother serving a mission

Sean will be in the MTC for 3 more weeks and then it is off to Frankfurt! He can hardly wait!

4 weeks in the MTC already!

Elder Whitnah is loving the MTC! Just this last week Elder Holland came again a second time and spoke to the missionaries. He thought it was fantastic! His German is coming and he is practicing using it all the time now. He no longer is allowed to read from his English scriptures..only German. He says he is beginning to better and better understand it.

He found Cameron Merritt this week and that was great! They had a great time seeing one another. It's good because Cameron leaves on Monday for Australia. Good luck Cameron!!!

With care packages from his Aunt Shelly, Grandma Whitnah and Us he is pretty well set and usually shares much of what he has. The food in the MTC is beginning to kill him though. His gut has been hurting. I think he has eaten more in the MTC in just 4 weeks than the last 3 months. He feels stuffed. I guess the MTC wants him to be nice and plump when he makes his landing in Germany :)

Sean loves attending the Temple and has had a chance to go twice since being in Provo. The Temple had been shut down for Christmas and it reopened on the 5th. I don't think he's studied and worked so hard than he has been doing these past 4 weeks. And he will be getting an extra week in the MTC. Instead of leaving on February 16th he will now head off to Frankfurt on February 23rd. I am betting he will be dying to get out of there by then!

Last night I had a long conversation with his girlfriend Haley who is attending BYU-Idaho. She also wants to serve a mission and if all goes well she will have her mission papers in by the end of August. I jokingly asked her: "what if you are called to Frankfurt?" I guess Sean and Haley have had that same discussion. She's a great girl and a great support to Sean in that she writes great letters to him .

Hopefully we will be receiving some photos soon of his MTC journies that I can add to this site.

As an attachment to my last post I meant to refer to Bethany youngest daughter...wouldn't want to leave Bryan out...who is our youngest :)

Our Littlest Angel is Growing Up So Fast!

Our beautiful Bethany is growing up so fast!! She will be 16 this year and of course she knows she will be able to date, get her permit for driving if she wants, thankfully she doesn't want to drive right yet and I am just fine with that. She has always had a great excitement for life and is so much fun to be around! She sings, she dances and of course LOVES to shop. She is a sweet Angel to have in our home :)


I love this picture of Bethany and her friend Alina taken a few months back at a diner near our home. They are best buds



Bethany goofing off at Goodwill. One of her favorite places to shop for fashion. She has a good sense for it and she it good at picking places to go that don't cost a fortune. Most importantly though she has FUN as she does it.




Bethany and I

I love this photo. This was taken at Allegany State Park in New York about 5 years ago. Bethany is surrounded by her cousins Katie, Amanda and Lizzy...what a fun day that was

Her craftiness paid off in this blanket she made. She loves to work with her hands and enjoys creating scrapbook pages to other fun items.

I think she likes the hat

Winter time a Glow

Gathering to remember Grandpa in August 08

Robbie with Sean and Grandma Whitnah

Emma holding the youngest baby Whitnah

The Whitnah Grandkids: front row, L-R: Zachary, Jarin

Kady, Emma holding Qwynnah, Eli and Ali

2nd row: Bryan, Bethany, Robbie, Sean, Becky adn Jaina

I am glad we were able to get this photo taken before everyone

left.

The grandkids of Cal and Emma Whitnah 08

We sure miss Grandpa Whitnah

This past August of 2008 Wes' Dad Cal Whitnah passed away.It was a surprise to all of us and he is missed. His laugh, his smile, his jokes, his playing with his grandkids. The way he helped everyone who was in need without even being asked. He was a great role model for his grandkids to see on the value and importance of hard work and service to others. He loved his wife Emma and his boys a great deal and was very proud of all of them. He was equally proud of his grandkids. These are some photos of him over the years. I love the one of him Cal sleeping on the couch with a young Robbie. I don't know how Robbie even fell asleep, he was so hard to get to sleep. I guess Grandpa Whitnah had the magic touch or maybe his snoring helped lull Robbie to sleep :)

This is one of the last photos we have of Cal and his wife Emma.It was taken at Sean's graduation in June of 2008. He was glad to be there to show his support for one of his grandkids.

This is a photo of Cal Whitnah when he was much younger and still had hair on his head. Something that he lost before turning 30. I don't know if it was having 3 boys that made him lose his hair or not but either way he didn't seem to mind.

Here is a young 4 year old Robbie rock hunting with his Grandpa in Eastern Oregon. Rock hunting was a hobby that the Whitnah boys and their parents shared in. Wes said where ever they traveled they would have shovels and buckets to search for neat looking crystals and rocks

Robbie and Becky( much younger of course) playing with

Grandpa Whitnah

Cal and Sean after graduation in June

Emma Sean and Cal---June 2008

Grandpa Whitnah recognizing Robbie at a graduation dinner for him in 2006. Robbie and Grandpa Whitnah had a special friendship and he seemed to be the perfect person to toast Robbie

Emma, Robbie and Cal..this photo was taken in July of 2006. Just a couple weeks before Robbie went into the MTC for his mission to Honduras. Emma and Cal had traveled 7 hours to see grandkids and wish both Becky and Robbie the best on their mission

I love this photo. This is Warren Whitnah and Cal Whitnah. Neither knew that their photo was being taken. Cal was a great older brother to Warren

Nice Family Christmas

This Christmas was a special one. We had both Robbie and Becky home this year. They hadn't been here for Christmas since December of 2005. Bothy Becky and Robbie had been on their missions the last 2 Christmas'. Robbie admitted that Christmas in Honduras last year was just like any other day. He was glad to be home with family and friends nearby. Robbie and Sean took a moment for a quick photo. I can't get over how grown up Bryan looks in this picture! He loves Robbie and will miss him now that he is off in Idaho going to school at BYU-Idaho. Good luck Robbie :)

Bethany loved having her brother Robbie around the past few months. She had grown up so much and was able to talk with him and share fun moments. She too will miss Robbie but at least he's only a phone call away now.

This is the ONLY photo we got of both Becky and Robbie and unfortunately we didn't think of getting another one. Becky and Robbie were tormenting poor Tucker. They tried to get him to taste Listerine...which he hated or maple syrup...which he loved. I know Tucker misses them both...even though they loved tormenting him.

I have lived in Oregon for a LONG time now and I have never seen this much snow at Christmas time. It was so beautiful!! It reminded me of the many white Christmas' I had as a child in Pennsylvania. Bethany began to tire of the snow and I had to keep reminding her how beautiful it was. I don't think she really cared though. She was wanting to get out and visit with friends.