Merry Christmas from our family to yours! Each year the
months go by quicker and quicker. Life is so busy here with a houseful of
children and two working parents. Here is what is new--
Our first born Nick and wife Angie graduated from Augustana
College in May! After enjoying a graduation rafting trip down the Yukon River
with Angie's parents, they moved to Tucson, AZ. Angie is attending grad school
at Arizona University for Speech Pathology. She has established a nice group of
friends and future colleagues. Nick has secured his first career related job
with Ventana Medical Systems who specializes in histology and pathology. He has
been recognized twice since starting in October by the company. Mom can rest a
little easier now knowing both are happy and secure 1500 miles from home.
"Never underestimate the joy you bring a parent with a
visit home" is what I told my students just before Thanksgiving. We sure miss them and loved seeing them for
Thanksgiving. We will see them again this Christmas!
Our emerging athlete, Alexis is an eighth grader at Walcott Junior High. I can't
believe I will have 2 Freshman in high school next year! Alexis enjoys running,
biking, and swimming which makes her well suited for triathlons. She did 6 of
them this year including one on the way home from vacation in PA. All with top
5 or better finishes!! She qualified for Nationals and we travelled to Des Moines
for her to Swim, Bike, and Run with the best from across the nation. She
finished better than she did in 2012. What an accomplishment! Alexis also
juggles swim team, robotics, band (flute), orchestra (violin) and some seasonal
sports (track and cross country).
Charley is in hot pursuit of Alexis. She talks him into
everything. He has been on the swim team a year now and has really shown
improvement in his stroke development. His times are about to be faster than
Alexis'. He also participated in most of the triathlons. Charley's strength is his music. Charley
shines in show choir and shows off his skill and comfort level with solos. He
has also started leading the Responsorial Psalm and Alleluia at church one
Sunday a month. He also enjoys his saxaphones and cello. Charley is a budding
leader at Boy Scouts helping to teach young scouts their formative skills.
Xavier will be 11 next month and is a 5th grader at
Rivermont. Xavier participated for the first time this year on a Robotics Team.
His team performed really well last weekend at the Putnam among 26 other teams
and earned a First Place trophy for their project. Currently he is playing
basketball which really seems to be his thing. Finally! Games and practice
schedules keep us hopping along with scouting for him.
Joe is 8 and thriving his first year at Rivermont as a 2nd
grader. Joe is an avid athlete who is very competitive and wants to win. Joe
participated in triathlons this year too and even eeked out qualifying for
nationals with one top 10 finish. He was thrilled. Joe joined the Metro swim
team this year and is very upset if he does not get to practice each day! How
different each of these children are!
Cariyana will be 9 soon and is enjoying 2nd grade at Buffalo
Elementary. She loves school and will tell you her favorite is art. You won't
find Cariyana playing with toys. You will find her creating something at the
kitchen table with crayons, markers, and paper! And if not there she is close
by helping mom cook something in the kitchen with her apron on. She loves to
cook. The highlight for Cariyana this year was not watching her siblings
participate in triathlons! For her it was performing in the Wizard of Oz as a
munchkin. She really loved all the attention to details like make-up, a neon
outfit, and of course flowers from her adoring fans!
Mom and Dad have
become quite skilled at maneuvering the mini vans on the roads driving these
very busy children to and fro. It's really cut into the workout time we had
last year. How to plan for that to be back in the schedule is a goal for 2014.
As you can see 2013 was a very busy year. We also enjoyed a
fabulous vacation planned by Steve our resident concierge. Highlights of the
trip included a visit to Cummins Falls in Cookeville, Tennessee. It is a quite
spectacular 75 foot water fall complete with a swimming hole at its base. The
words magical and breathtaking come to mind. The land was in the Cummins Family
for 180 years. We are sure we are related somehow since there are some family
origins close by.
Our trip also included a stop to see friend Tiffany Wagstaff
and her darling boy Gabe in Tennessee, a
stop to see the Resin Family in North Carolina and an overnight on Virginia
Beach for our stowaway's (cousin Karly Roberts) first glimpse of the ocean.
From there we headed across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and boarded van and all
for a ferry ride nearing our destination--the Jersey Shore. We spent a week
with my sister and her family just 2 blocks off the beach. Very relaxing sun, fun, and sand.
We took a day trip to Philadelphia with the excuse of
visiting a national monument (the Liberty Bell) to meet a scouting requirement
for Charley. While there we visited the Philadelphia Mint and Constitution Hall
and then met up with 4 of the Hewletts for lunch to sample the local fare--Philly
cheesesteaks! Our tour guide Mark Hewlett recommended a trip to Reading
Terminal-- a true "experience" similar to a farmers market with a
definite extraordinary feel -- produce, fresh meats including whole fish, baked
goods, seafood, flowers, and ethnic foods. You must see it to appreciate the
diversity and feel the hustle and bustle. We also got a glimpse of Chinatown.
We are counting our
blessings as we recall the reason for the season. Wishing you a Merry Christmas-- The Cummins Family—Steve,
Karen, Alexis, Charley, Xavier, Joe, and Cariyana
