Dear
Family and Friends,
I
cannot believe how fast this year has gone by! It's been a good one,
full of change as usual. Joseph started last year off with a new job.
He works for Bombardier LearJet and has enjoyed his assignments and
responsibilities. In May he unexpectedly landed another job as a
radio host. The Joseph Ashby Show is a conservative talk radio show
focusing on local and national issues. It runs Mon-Fri from 6-8am and
they are hoping to have podcasts available on the website soon:
http://kqamradio.com/
He loves it.
Isabel
(8) is in third grade this year and just becoming more and more
capable. She loves putting Titus to bed and singing Christmas songs
to calm him when he is upset. She is my awesome second mom and I
couldn't run the house without her. August was a special month
because she turned 8 and was baptized. Isabel loves sewing (glad
someone in the house does), reading, telling stories and making up
jokes. My favorite one is: What kind of straw doesn't work for
drinking? A strawberry!
Ansel
(6) is in first grade this year and is such a little math wiz. He
does extra assignments early in the week so he can have math days off
later in the week. Ansel's cheerful attitude brightens my days. I
love it when he gets into laughing fits. He enjoys building with
legos and k'nex, riding bikes and playing sports. He is very excited
to start a basketball class this month.
Lincoln
(4) has grown so much recently and is finally beginning to mature (a
tiny bit). Our little goofball has surprised me with how well he does
with his reading lessons. I worried that he would be the hardest to
teach, but he has been the easiest so far!! (knock on wood...) He is
cute and gets so excited when it's his turn to do school with me. He
just learned how to ride a bike on Thanksgiving and feels so happy
with the freedom that brings.
Titus
(2 in Jan) is huge. I've already been switching out his size 2
clothes for size 3. He loves to be the center of attention and will
just ham anything up. He is so cute and funny and has started saying
lots of words. Titus' favorite family tradition is running to the
garage when he hears it open. He greets his dad by screaming his name
with delight, goes straight for his lunch bag which he then dunks in
his little basketball hoop. He LOVES balls and playing basketball and
recently has started to play football. I love watching Titus run with
the ball until Lincoln tackles him. (He likes it too.)
I
am doing well, just trying to enjoy the wonderful moments of life.
Homeschooling can sometimes take up so much time, but I'm glad to be
working with and spending so much time with my kids. At church I got
called to work with the Primary, so I've been getting involved in Cub
Scouts, working with teachers and the kids. It's been a lot of work,
but I really do love the chance to serve others and especially the
children.
I
know that Jesus Christ really was born to Mary. He lived a perfect
life to set an example for us. It is only through following Him and
living His teachings that we can experience true peace and happiness
in this life [even while dealing with the hard things in life] and
return home to our Heavenly Father.
The
Ashby Family wishes you all a very Merry Christmas and a Wonderful
New Year!