Christmas Letter 2018

 After eight years, the children finally have us outnumbered. They take advantage of their superior numbers, too, surrounding and leaping on me like velociraptors when Emily’s feeding the baby. Luckily, we have conditioned them to respond to trigger words like “snack” and “screen time,” and when all else fails we know where they’re ticklish. But it’s a happy home, and our children are, in spite of us, pretty darn remarkable.

Alexander is the new kid on the block. His super power is accelerating from 0 to 100 decibels in 2.4 seconds. He grins like an angel and drools like a faucet. Based on all the self-defense practice he gets fending off his over-affectionate sister, he’ll have his black belt by the time he starts kindergarten.

Ariana is like one of those adorable electronic talking toys, except there’s no “off” switch. She talks, narrates, sings, wheedles, and commands constantly. That means she is a constant source of entertainment for the whole family. She is especially attached to her baby brother. At least fifty times a day, she asks to “give Alex hug and kiss.” She idolizes her older brothers. When I told her she was too little to help at the gas station like AJ, she said, “I get bigger and bigger and BIGGER…and then I get gas!” She repeats this often, and to everyone. Yes, she even told our Bishop last week all about her gas.

Andy is in kindergarten this year. He’s always been a bit of a…free spirit, so we were ready for him to come back from school with a “Return to Sender” stamp. But his teachers love him! He earned a reading award, we’ve received glowing reports from his teacher, and Emily even caught him on the playground zipping up coats for a line-up of his classmates. Sometimes it feels like he uses up all his good behavior at school, but to his credit he does occasionally get through the bedtime routine without inducing head trauma or drawing blood. He tried soccer and piano, and he wants to add cello next year. All kidding aside, he really is a sweetheart, with a gift for generosity.

For the first time, AJ went back to school with the same friends he had the last year. He’s still going through books like a wood chipper. He can read a story in 5 minutes and explain it to you in under half an hour! He excels at violin and piano, and he’s starting to do word problems for fun. This newfound fascination with numbers is a direct consequence of his obsession over a math tutoring program disguised as a computer game. If Mom and Dad don’t let you play a game until after your chores are done, it must be fun, right? Joke’s on you, kid.

Emily’s peak accomplishment this year was growing a healthy human being from a microscopic seed of cell tissue. She told me, “All I did this year was make a baby.” Yeah, Honey. That’s “all” you did. Creating life. She’s also the resident celebrity of the local elementary school. So many of the children in the school see her in church every Sunday leading the primary music that they call her out. She also continues to make regular appearances singing with the Jazz House Big Band. Obviously, she’s the cool one of the family.

I keep going to work and living up to all the lawyer jokes. I ran half of a marathon this summer. No, I didn’t just quit a marathon half-way through. I ran 13.2 miles, and then I stopped. But my most major accomplishment this year was successfully sleeping in the hospital room the night after Alex was born, even as Emily shouted and threw things at my face (it helps when you can turn off 80% of your hearing).

From our family to yours, we wish you a very merry and meaningful Christmas as we emulate the Savior whose birth we celebrate. Join with us this year as we #LightTheWorld with service in His name.