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Tuesday, December 25, 2012

Merry Christmas 2012

Another year has come and gone. We cannot believe how fast the years are going by. We hope this letter finds you happy and healthy. Our house is a busy one. Here is the update for 2012.
Prior to our Healthy Family Challenge last year we enrolled all the kids in swimming lessons at the Bettendorf YMCA with Amanda McCord.  Quite by accident last winter we discovered Alexis is a natural swimmer. She joined the intermediate swim team as a 6th grader (so did Charley with a little coaxing) in January. She LOVED it! After witnessing her passion for swimming we joined the Davenport Metro Swim Team. She competed in her first swim meets this past spring and has been swimming 3 evenings a week almost every week since.
We took a few days off in June to travel to Omaha, NE to watch the Olympic Trials (for swimming). The kids were so pumped to seer Michael Phelps, Ryan Lochte, and Missy Franklin.  Then they watched them win at the Olympics in August! It was fun to be there and experience the excitement live and in-person!
 The highlight of the year is something new. Triathlons. Alexis, age 12 set a goal for 2012  to compete in a triathlon. With the encouragement and coaching of Maureen Dolan we signed her up for the Quad Cities IronKids triathlon in August. Maureen and Amanda were instrumental in her success. Alexis finished 5th! This finish put in her in position to compete at the national level.
 The end of August offered another opportunity to compete in a triathlon in Madison, Wisconsin for practice before nationals. Along with the Dolans we trekked to Madison for an adventure and let Charley and Xavier and Joe do their first triathlon (along with Alexis). WOW! Was that ever a challenge keeping track of 4 kids and start times, bikes, helmets, etc. Labor Day weekend brought the national championships (how lucky--it was in DesMoines!). We learned a lot about transitions (one key to being fast), open water swims, and how to sleep (or not sleep) in a booked hotel in a room over 90 degrees with no air conditioning! The competition was stiff and overwhelming but what an experience! We definitely made a lot of memories and thank the Dolans for being great support for the Cummins Family!
 Not being a sport-minded family this interest in swimming and triathlons has taken us by surprise. We also sampled some football this fall.  7th grade football for Charley and Rising Knights Football for Xavier.   Alexis plans to continue her triathlons in 2013.
Charley has found an additional music interest besides saxophone and cello. Show choir. Alexis and Charley participated this year for the first time in both marching band and show choir. Charley appears to be a natural on stage singing and dancing. Oh what fun we will have with these varied interests in our children!
The kids are doing well in their respective schools. Alexis and Charley at Walcott in 7th grade, Xavier at Rivermont Collegiate in 4th, and Joe and Cariyana are in the same first grade class at Buffalo Elementary.  Joe is excelling and may join his brother at Rivermont for 2013. We continue to see academic growth in Cariyana and she has had an excellent year medically. Three different school schedules in the house drives mom a bit crazy each morning but we are thankful for  Trinity College & Health Sciences flexibility and carpooling with the Elliotts to Rivermont. Jerry and Joann Ray continue to meet the kids each day and provide the household stability we all need to have to keep up with the busy schedule--scouting, an unpredictable John Deere shift schedule, FLL, martial arts, etc. We are truly blessed.
Nick and Angie are finishing up their senior year at Augustana College. Nick has applied to multiple dental schools for post graduation. Angie will get her masters wherever Nick ends up (or nearby) in speech language pathology. Stay tuned to see where they end up. They now have a cat named Yoshi.
Our family suffered a huge loss this fall. Edna Grell, my grandmother passed away at age 97, the matriarch of the Grell Family. She influenced who I am today more than I realized until after her passing. We will miss her but remember her fondly, always.
It’s a busy life! Until next year…blessings to you and yours! Remember the reason for the season. Merry Christmas!

The Cummins Family—Steve, Karen, Alexis, Charley, Xavier, Joe, and Cariyana


 The whole Cummins Clan.
 Alexis age 12, our swimmer and triathlon qualifier.
 Joseph, age 7 our First Grader.
 Charley, our newly hatched teenager, just a few days beyond 13!
 Our four sons!
 Angie and Nick both seniors at Augustana College.
 The Cummins Family 2012
Xavier, age 9 and a fourth grader at Rivermont Collegiate.
 Cariyana, age 7 (almost 8) and also a First Grader.
Three silly daughters...

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