2018 at a glance!

 Top News!

After 3 years living here, the Lord directed us to buy a home in the neighborhood.  So we have moved again, but just around the corner and hopefully this is a sign we will be in the area for a few more years.  We are enjoying the extra space of a two story home.

 It is the first home we have ever purchased.  

After 19 years of renting we are officially IN DEBT!!!!!

 Emma continues to swim and participate on the synchronized swimming teaming.

Jacob enjoyed another year on the High School swim team and a summer working at the local pool as a life guard.

Matthew & Philip

 Benjamin

 Philip

Matthew

 Nato continues to travel with work.......

 He got to completed the 911 Tower Challenge again this year.

 Lois

 Ben!  Are you wearing your scout pants or scout shorts?

 Jake in the role of Creon in "The Children of Oedipus."

 Jake in the role of Creon in "The Children of Oedipus."

 Matthew & Jake

 Jake & Lois

 Philip & Emma

 Daddy is the best for snuggling.

 Bogota, Columbia Temple #40 for Nato!

 Jane

 Philip, Jake, & Benjamin

 Philip and his model of a cell in Science class.

 Princess Lois

 "Do I look like anyone in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone?"

 We love the zoo.  It is our favorite recurring field trip.

 Emma is ready for a Mystery Dinner Party.

 Happy Birthday Benjamin!

Benjamin and his scout troop cleaning the community.

 Philip with his Pinewood Derby car.

 Robin decided to add "Boy Scout Merit Badge Counselor" to her list of employment descriptions.

 Matthew's cake made for the cub scout's Blue and Gold Banquet.  This year's theme - Start Wars

 Philip's cake for the cub scout Blue and Gold Banquet.

 Jake's dramatic opportunities were various this year.  Here he is in the role of Lucas in "The Adams Family Musical."

 Nato and Robin were invited to participate in our Stake Youth Trek activity.  They were "Ma & Pa" to this great group of youth. None of the youth in our family were from our own ward. It was great to get to know these youth in the stake.

 Jake also attended Trek.  He was asked to be the "Big Brother" in his trek family.

 Jake in the role of an ancestor in "The Adams Family Musical."

 Matthew

 Benjamin

 Lois

 Benjamin

 Jane meeting her favorite authors, Shannon & Dean Hale.

 Emma at the ward "Pi Day" activity.

 Jake in the role of Lucas in "The Adams Family Musical."

Jake completed all requirements to advance to the rank of Eagle Scout this year.  Including a project building boxes for the transportation of injured birds of prey for the Tucson Wildlife Center.  These will be used to transport the injured birds to the center and then after rehabilitation the birds are transported back to the same place they were found for release.

On a field trip we visited a neighboring farmers Pig farm.  The little piggies were very noisy and an adventure to try to catch.  Emma was an expert at calming them.

While at the dinner table, Benjamin (12) was thinking about Mickey Mouse's recent birthday and said, "You know, in five years, Mickey will be the same age as me minus like, a lot"

Dad: "Wait, what do you mean by that?"

Benjamin: "I don't know, it's math. I don't understand it."

After getting in trouble for another one of her many schemes with Matthew, Lois (6) said in a very frustrated and exasperated tone, "Why does everyone blame ME for the stuff I do?!"

Philip at the 4th of July pie eating contest.

Jane's 9th birthday!

Jake in the role of Creon in "The Children of Oedipus."

Children of Oedipus

 Jacob as Creon in Children of Oedipus

Family Christmas Letter 2017

 Emma (13) went to girls camp for the first year.  Nato had the wonderful blessing of attending the camp as a priesthood leader.  I am not sure which Taylor had more fun.  They both came home with fond memories and a desire to attend again next year.

 Jane (8) was baptized a member of the LDS church by Nato.  What a special day we had with her.

 Jacob (middle swimmer, orange and blue swim shorts) decided to compete on the Cienega High School varsity swim team.  Yes, we still homeschool, but the local districts allow homeschoolers to join public school teams here (what a blessing).

 Jacob (15) earned a "letter" and enjoyed getting to know all the other swimmers.  At the end of the season his teammates voted and awarded him the "Best Teammate" award. 

 Emma and Jacob both got braces this year.  Although they are looking forward to nice straight teeth, they are both missing the enjoyment of eating popcorn.  

 Benjamin (11) has declared that no amount of peer pressure (or girly pressure) will ever induce him to get braces.  He loves his smile, and popcorn, just the way it is. We plan to remember this in a few years.

 Meanwhile Benjamin has moved on from Cub Scouts and is now enjoying the blessings of Boy Scouts (aka camping with friends.)

 Matthew has taken up a new hobby of making up his own jokes.  For example:

How do you eat an eyelash with your ear?

---Bobcat!

 Jake is still involved in LOTS of music.  He has started teaching piano in our home, has been working to try out for a musical with yet another local high school and still participates in the Vail Youth Symphony as a Cellist.
You can check out his latest concert here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WgTYs2KqKcA
His group preforms starting at about the 54 minute mark.
You can't actually see Jacob in the video as he is sitting directly behind the cello first chair from the camera's point of video, but you can hear them and you can see his head bob up and down as he rocks out to Symphonic Zeppelin.

 Lois just turned 5!  For the past year she has continued to declare that she is "Not cute!"  She is, "Only Awesome!  I can be cute when I am 5."  Now the day has come and she won't let us call her awesome any more, "Only Cute!"

Where do they get this stuff!

Jake, Philip and Benjamin

Jane

 Matthew HATES us pulling out his teeth.

One Sunday morning Matthew was particularly grumpy.  After a long almost patient struggle with him, he sat on the couch to pout.  Within a moment Matthew declared, "Huh!  Well that is what was bothering me!" 

He then returned to the dinning room holding up one of his baby molars.  No one realized it was even loose.  Not even Matthew.  Apparently it was bugging him, so he reached into his mouth and yanked it out thinking it was a stuck piece of food or something.  

We had a happy Matthew the rest of the day.

"Lemon flavor makes me happy!"  --Lois

 We have a couple rules at the dinning table.  No singing and no quoting movies at the dinning table.  Philip was not technically breaking this rule when he threw out a failed attempt at a favorite quote from the Lion King.

"Ok, ok, sit down before you hurt yourself.  You gotta put your pizazz behind ya. . . . . Wait!  Did I just say Pizazz?"

"Jacob, We're ALL being obnoxious.  And I don't even know what that means."  --Jane

 Emma

 Benjamin, Philip and Matthew on the Teacups at Disneyland

The Tucson LDS Temple is now dedicated and running!  It is so nice to be able to attend the temple weekly instead of just monthly.  We have seen it bless our lives already.  We plan to take full advantage of this blessing as long as we get to live here.

In June we walked through the temple during the open house.  Nato and Robin also worked as tour guides during the open house.

Emma and Jacob were able to participate in the cultural celebration the night before the temple was dedicated in August.

August also found Jacob back to physical competitions.  He complete a triathlon and believe it or not truly enjoyed himself.  

Nato and Robin continued to attend as many different temples within a day's journey as possible.  Ten more were added to the list this year.  They have now attended all the temples in Arizona, and California!  39 Temples down!  Too many to know left to go!

Merry Christmas 2016

Hello Family and Friends!  

We would like to share with you just a little bit of our family fun this past year.

 Jacob (14) was able to go camping with Nato for two full weeks in June.  While on their adventures they finished this extreme ropes course located in Flagstaff, Arizona.

 Benjamin (10) Won our district pinewood derby race in his age group.

Nato & Robin attended their 29th LDS Temple in Redlands, California.

 Philip (8) was baptized a member of the LDS church by Nato. 

 We had an exciting trip to Disneyland where Lois (4) was tall enough to ride just about every ride.  On reflecting later about her experience Lois exclaimed, "Why, at Disneyland, do they keep measuring me ALL THE TIME?"

 Emma (12) joined Tucson City Synchronized Swimming League.

 Jane (7) cut her hair for the first time and donated over 15 inches to Locks for Love.

Matthew (6) informed us at breakfast one morning that he had his first wiggly tooth.  Upon inspection we found one wiggly tooth and one already lost and gone!  Where it ended up we can only guess!

We pray that your Holidays are wonderful and that the spirit might be with you all!

Merry Christmas - 

Love, 

Nato, Robin and all the kids!