Merry Christmas

 

Dear Family and Friends,

We hope this year has brought you more joy than sadness, more faith than fear, and closer to the Savior than any other year before.  We know for our family it has done the above and when that happens the year feels like a success no matter how fast it flies by and this year really did.

Travis, strapping young lad that he is, loves his job, is starting to work out, has continued to serve with the youth in our church and has been the fearless leader and constant rudder to our Whiting ship, steering us where we need to be.  He is the best leader of our family and we would follow him most anywhere. 

Mary finalized all of the paperwork for fostering in Texas and got the Whitings back to doing that.  She loves to volunteer at the kids’ schools and spend as much time with her family as possible.  She finds plenty of time to spend with friends and serve others as well.  She is still trying to stay young at heart and ridiculously silly, but is only moderately successful.

Isabella, 16, has decided to graduate a year early and done all the associated stuff to do that. She did ACTs, SATs, an extra year of home study Seminary throughout the summer, took a killer course load this year – which everyone discouraged because heaven forbid we “fail” at something, applied to colleges, and continued to rock a ridiculous amount of extra curricular activities while doing so including her favorites Cross Country, Theatre, and Orchestra.  The first semester she has proven what an ace she is at whatever she attempts by keeping it all together and maintaining top marks.  She has also started driving, dating, and banking on her own.  All of these with various levels of success and quite a few teachable moments along the way.  Overall she is learning to adult and it is a fun journey to watch.

Wyatt, 14, has probably experienced the most change this year of all the kids.  He went from being a pubescent boy to a man child.  The rage and aggression of a teenage boy was quite shocking and alarming to me, but those days are behind us and Wyatt has turned into the best kind of man ever.  He has started high school, determined his favorite subjects to be Seminary, a before school religious education provided by our church, and Cross Country – most shocking as he previously hated to run and never did except the required mile in gym class twice a year.  He is a great student, son, and brother.  He is especially tender with our foster babies and an amazing help to me around the house or with anything I need.  He is working on his Eagle Project in Scouting and he has amazed me repeatedly this year in the best of ways.

Issac, 13, continues to be in the complicated space of middle school and boy to man.  He is most like Travis and sometimes I feel like I know him the least as he doesn’t communicate as readily or easily with me about every detail of his day.  That being said, this boy is always happy and easy to be around.  He did summer swim team again this summer and earned many awards and accolades.  He works hard when asked, and is finally learning to adjust to Texas which was the hardest for him over any of our family.  Academically he has become less carefree and has found a bit of a competitive edge when it comes to having the best grades in our house.  He rallies amazingly well and considering the four kids’ year average of unweighted grades to date is 93.48% that is no small feat.  He takes his leadership responsibilities in church very seriously and has thrived serving in the Deacon’s Quorum Presidency.

Kody, 11, has found his passion this year in sports.  He started playing year round, from baseball in the spring, football in the fall, and basketball in the winter.  Despite his diminutive size he is very quick and a hustler and so does amazingly well at holding his own.  We don’t hold any hope for professional or collegiate play, but he is finding high levels of happiness in it and a better sense of work ethic, so we will call it a win.  He is my social butterfly of a child and more readily seeks out “playdates” – he hates when I call them that, than any of my other children.  He is learning to manage his feisty side better and so more often I am left amazed at his sweet side that is perhaps more selfless than most any 11 year old.  He is a great thinker and has a very clear sense of right and wrong.  He loves a good debate, but still cuddles up to me for snuggles and back rubs.  He reminds me that these years are flying by way to quickly.

We hope that the upcoming year is filled with even more blessings, goodness, and love.  There are major changes afoot for our family, but we excitedly wait to embrace them.  We hope you all know that true happiness comes in and through the Savior of the World, Jesus Christ, and act upon his every promise for long term, eternal happiness.

Love,

The Whitings

Quotable

"There are two types of endings because most people give up at the part of the story where things are the worst, where the situation feels hopeless.  But that's when hope is needed most.  Only those who persevere can find their true ending."