Christmas Letter 2020

 Hello all! 

We started out on Christmas Day last year getting the bad news that our brother-in-law David (Greg's only sister Amy's husband) was diagnosed with stage IV melanoma cancer throughout his body. He had been sick all fall with no official diagnosis. This was devastating as we watched the journey unfold throughout the year. Sadly David passed away on July 7 at age 38 and left behind Amy and their 8 children. Please keep them in your prayers for strength and peace.

Greg and James made a quick trip down to AZ at the end of January, and then I was able to fly down to help in March. I had never left my kids before, so that was both nerve wracking and kind of fun! My aunt Becky, and ladies from church Kristie and Elaine took excellent care of the kids while I was gone.

We were able to visit Arizona as a family in June, and were thankfully able to spend time with David and all. He was having minimal treatments at the time, which made him feel a bit better. It was a bittersweet trip, knowing we were also likely saying goodbye. We visited the Grand Canyon on our way down, and Zion National Park on our way home, which was a lovely treat. We also enjoyed the beauty traveling through Idaho and Utah (we usually go in the winter so generally take the snow-less CA route).

Luke is 15. He had his biggest achievements all in the same weekend: he bought his first truck (1979 Chevy Silverado) and was confirmed in our church. He enjoys drawing things for the 3D printer and avoiding Algebra. He's working on getting his driving permit here soon.

Next is James who is 13. He claims he has nothing to say this year. His well-loved sports all got canceled, so finding replacements has been a challenge. He decided to try learning Italian and the cello on his own (YouTube), so is just starting with that.

Elise now is 11 and she loves her cats and now she has a batch of 3 kittens to dote on. She still plays the violin and has a new teacher this year who really stretches her talents!

Isaac (9) still has a hearty interest in animals and keeps us updated on which animals interest him frequently. He likes foxes, anteaters, armadillos, aardvarks and Australian animals today (lots of the letter A, apparently). He's progressing well with piano lessons, also with the new same teacher.

Our Celeste (6) likes likes dogs, rabbits and lambs. She enjoys singing, learning the piano (on her own), playing Candy Land and is quite a whiz at card games. She whoops all the big kids! She's busy losing teeth, and making good money off them!

Levi (4) is still a dog lover, especially Dalmatians. He likes dressing up and pretending to be different animals with Isaac and Celeste. Lately there's been pretend koalas and reindeer roaming all over the house.

Mt St Helens, December 2020

I've taken up a small amount of knitting this year, and can now knit and purl a rectangle! No fancy skills or projects yet, but hoping soon. Greg has started machining on his lathe and mill at home now, so is doing various projects for friends and neighbors. He's also renewed his interest in leatherwork, and has been getting his machine humming again and advancing his sewing skills (totes and purses). He makes some pretty cool stuff, if I'm not a bit biased! His machinist skills have come in handy for the learning curve.

Much love and God's Peace,

Rachel, with Greg and kiddos