Merry Christmas from the Westons, December 2014

Dear Family and Friends, December 2014 As we begin this holiday season and think about our plans for next year, it is fun to look back on all of the amazing memories that we have created over the last 12 months. One of the most lasting memories we have is of our summer vacation that we took to Canada. We spent 2 ½ weeks camping and sightseeing in southwestern Canada, stopping to spend time in Vancouver, B.C., Whistler, B.C., Banff National Park, Calgary, Alberta, Waterton National Park, and Glacier National Park. We took our bikes with us and spent a lot of time biking and hiking all around the places we visited. We tried fishing and stand-up paddleboarding, and Mary and Nate went horseback riding. We stayed up late most nights playing Uno in our tent and enjoying the long summer days. It was a trip we will never forget.

Benjamin turned 8 this year, and in March he was baptized while we were down in California. For his birthday he was given a new pet, Skittles – a corn snake. Since his birthday he has enjoyed attending cub scouts at church and this fall was proud to earn his “wolf” award. Ben enjoys reading, listening to books on CD, making Lego creations, playing soccer, and collecting international coins. Both Ben and Nate play in our school district’s after-school orchestra program, with Ben playing cello and Nathan playing violin. Nathaniel, age 7, is now in second grade, and at school he has been placed in a 2/3 combination class this year. He loves his new teacher and is always trying to keep up with the third graders in his class. He recently started reading the first “Harry Potter” book and he aims to read the whole series before the school year ends. Nate loves learning how to type and is always motivated by a challenge. He also played soccer this fall and hopes to try baseball next spring if we can make the time for it. Mary, age 5, is in kindergarten this year and is loving her all-day class. She has made many friends at school and enjoys all the time she spends there. She loves drawing and reading – and her handwriting is getting better all the time. She is also enjoying taking ballet lessons with a new and larger dance studio in Oregon City. This week she had her debut in the Nutcracker, where she took part in two scenes – as a mouse in the battle scene, and as dancer in the carousel scene. She loved every minute of it and can’t wait to be involved in the Nutcracker again next year. Mary is also taking violin lessons from Toby. Toby is constantly challenged and excited by his job teaching music at a middle school in Vancouver, WA. His program is growing, and each year his classes have more and more students. He was excited this fall that his school district took out a wall to a nearby room and expanded the space his students have to use for their music studies. When he is not teaching music, he still has his cell phone business that he pursues intermittently. Also, he swims 3 times a week as part of the Oregon City Swim Team. Juliette has kept busy this year between teaching ESL classes at Marylhurst University and teaching for Ashford University, an online university based on Iowa. This fall Juliette took a break from both of those jobs and took a long-term substitute teaching position for an elementary school in Oregon City. She taught a 3rd-5th grade special education class for three months and enjoyed the opportunity to work with kids again. Next year she plans to continue substitute teaching in the schools and to return to teaching part time for Marylhurst University and Ashford University. Juliette also ran two half-marathons this year. We are looking forward to a new year full of excitement and adventure. We wish you and your family and Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Love, Toby, Juliette, Benjamin, Nathaniel, and Mary Weston