Merry Christmas!!
As this year comes to a close we wanted to share with all of
you our gratitude for all that you add to our lives. We love the family
relationships we have and hope that even those will continue to grow along with
our friendships we have and have made. We are grateful for our friendships and
for all the positive influences we have in our circle of friends. We most
importantly would like to express our love for our Savior. At this time of year
we especially like to acknowledge His influence in our life. We would not be
the same people without the knowledge or His birth, His life, His example, His
service and His love for ALL mankind.
Although we try hard to display this love year round, we hope to be able
to emphasize it this time of year.
We hope that we can all feel His continual love and peace
this season as we make goals and start a New Year and pray that we can include
Him in our New Year’s Resolutions to become more like Him, in His example and
His teachings.
There is not a lot to report on this past year, which is
actually a good thing.
Ruth is a busy wife and mom. You can find me running kids to
and from school. Cleaning the house, doing laundry, serving my friends and
figuring out how to fit in “me” time into my schedule. I have not been too
successful. I was recently called on top
of being a Relief Society teacher (which I begged that they not release me from
that calling) and called as the Ward Choir Director in my Ward. To be honest I
knew it was coming but I won’t mince words it was not something I could say I
was way excited about but I try to be
excited as I do LOVE music. But trying to get people to come to choir practice
is like pulling gum out of a carpet. But
we just had our Christmas program this past Sunday and I was overwhelmed by the
participation. Tears of joy!!! If only
they knew how beautiful it sounded! I
love spending time with my children coloring or playing games. I enjoy date
nights with Nathan and trips to the temple. I still am trying to figure out how
to get that “me” time I need/want. Nathan is willing to bend over backwards to
give me that “time” but I feel so guilty “taking” that time when there is so
much other stuff and needs that need to be taken care of over my own. So I am stilling working on finding that
balance.
Nathan has kept busy with his busy work schedule. He was
released as 2nd counselor in our Bishopric in August which has been bittersweet.
He was called as the Cub Master and Noah LOVES having his Dad at scouts. Among his busy work schedule he gets up at the
crack of dawn to swim, bike or run to continue to maintain his active state for
whatever future race he plans to run. This year he ran the St. George Iron Man 70.3 Triathlon. He also did the Kokepelli, the
Pumpkin Man and a ½ marathon and a Full Hoover Dam Marathon and some others
that I am sure I missed. But he loved every moment of it. I was able to go alone with him to his Iron
Man 70.3 and we really enjoyed our time away alone. I look up to him for being able to balance his
life between work, family and exercise.
He is amazing.
Natali is now 10 and in 5th grade. Next year she enters middle school. (YIKES) She
is beautiful and growing up way too fast. I am both looking forward to her being
a teenager but yet not looking forward to that adventure. I feel we are able to
talk about more in depth things about life and such and I find a lot of joy in
that. She loves her friends and hanging out and calling them. She is struggling
with keeping up with her piano. I am just praying she overcomes that infamous
hurdle of wanting to quit and continues to play. She loves the responsibility of watching her
siblings for brief moments while Nathan and I go home teaching together. She loves creating new projects and
games. She is now into music and likes a
variety of artists including Selena Gomez, Demi Lovato, Taylor Swift and even
Katy Perry.
Noah is 9 and is in 4th grade. He LOVES playing
the piano. You can’t get this kid OFF the piano. (in fact he is playing right
now and has been ALL morning. He is always experimenting with other songs
besides the one he is assigned to practice. He really excels in the piano and I
hope he continues. He has almost caught up to Natali in the lesson books. He also
loves to read and create and build. He enjoys Origami, building Legos,
assembling cars, and painting. He is a budding artist. He is constantly harassing
his sisters and LOVES to play with his little brother. He also likes puzzle games and anything that
allows him to think with is “higher” brain as his GATE teacher explains
it. He is LOVING scouting and loves that
his Dad joins him each week. His friend Alex has now joined his troupe and he
loves having a friend go with him every week. And don’t forget he loves his computer and Wii
games, as well as biking and exercising and doing burpees with is Dad.
Kate is now 7 and growing up so beautifully. She is in 1st
grade and loves being at school all day.
She excels in everything she does and is probably our most avid reader.
She also loves to spend her time writing stories and illustrating them with
pictures. She loves to make up her own songs and sing at the top of her lungs.
She is really quiet for the most part but don’t be fooled she is a little
performer. As because of this and her sense of style and always wanting to do
her hair and everyone else’s, she has received the nickname “Hollywood” She is
also excelling at the piano and LOVES it. She is often found fighting Noah for
the piano. She is a lover. She likes to cuddle and give kisses and do things
that she knows makes you happy. BUT she is also our most whiney child when she
doesn’t get her way or if she is upset.
But all the loving and service she gives makes up for that.
Sophia is ALWAYS talking, ALWAYS telling a story, ALWAYS
explaining everything. She is nearing
the age of 4 and will start pre-school this coming year. She is the loudest in
the house and is quite known for her explosive personality and why she has the
nickname of Firecracker. She makes you smile from ear to ear. She loves
coloring and writing and is really creating some cute characters and stories in
her little mind. You will often find her playing pretend with her many mini Lalaloopsy
dolls, strawberry shortcake dolls and her bigger baby dolls. Some of the
imagination she comes up playing with her dolls is unreal. I seriously wonder
where she learns this stuff. She always
has to have a toy when leaving the house.
She is easily entertained and loves helping mommy with whatever she may
be doing whether cleaning or cooking. If
you want a laugh she is the one to go to. Just ask her about something and most
undoubtedly she will have some explanation.
August aka “Goose” is a walking hurricane. This kid is the
fastest at getting into trouble than any of my other kids at this age. He is at
“that” age. He is 2 and full of mischief. You can find him hanging from the
bunk beds, on top of the refrigerator, tearing cereal boxes up and getting
cereal all over the floor as Zeus frantically tries to eat it all before I can
sweep it up. He is always trying to get into the bathroom to play with the
water or unroll toilet paper. He fits
his nickname perfectly as he is a “silly” goose. He is always making you giggle with his run-walk
when we are at the store. His feet are so short and mine are so long and he
insists on walking so he literally does this run-walk to keep up. It is cute.
BUT it isn’t so fun when he likes to walk because he is no different in a store
than he is at home. You can find him hiding in a clothing rack or pulling items
off the shelf or wandering to another isle because of something he sees. If he doesn’t get his way he will plop
himself down in the middle of the isle and scream and that is my cue that we
are done and time to exit the building. But
he is adorable and finds reasons to make you smile while pulling your hair out
all at the same time.
Zeus (our Boxer) is 9 and is getting old for him. He thinks
he is still young but then reminds himself after hurting himself that he isn’t
a young whippersnapper anymore. Love our dog but it is sad to think he is in
his “old” age and it is showing. His
back hind leg is often bothering him and limping and he has a lump on his neck
and on his ear and there is really nothing we can do for him. He often thinks he is a lap dog. Loves
cuddling and knowing you are there.
Miguel (our 1 year old gold fish) is a survivor of 4. I
still can’t believe he is still alive. The kids picked this guy up last October
at the school Halloween carnival along with his 3 siblings who died within 3
weeks. But Miguel was not about to let life take him down. He has gone from “gold”
to a silver color. I tell the kids it is just him getting old. Wonder if he
will make it another year.
That is our 2013 year in a nutshell. We wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a
wonderful 2014!!
Love the Whittacre Family
Ruth, Nathan, Natali, Noah, Kate, Sophia and August
