The First 25 Years...

We met in Louisiana. I was living with your sister. We spent 15+ hours in a car together on a return trip to Iowa. You asked me out on our first date 1 year later. We married just 5 months after that first date. Since that time together we have...

•  purchased 3 homes including our current "dream house" that we designed.
• dearly loved two golden retrievers--Bozzy and George
• battled the challenges of infertility and conceived a son, Nicholas Johnathon our first born.
• survived the death of two wonderful, young, vibrant friends--Deb Sandry and Joan Herrig
• experienced "our ministry"--the foster care system that lead us to adoption.
• faced the criticisms of others for adopting 5 children with imperfect pasts, multiracial skin color and an unknown family lineage.
• accepted the Healthy Family Challenge and won! 
• endured the ever changing John Deere shift schedule
• stayed married!

We look forward to the next 25 years together and plan to...

• stay married!
• enjoy an ample retirement
• love one more dog
• raise these 5 remaining children to be productive members of society--sure to be a challenge but a great life's work!
• spoil as many grandchildren as possible
• pray no one ends up in prison, killed or maimed
• pray there is no need to survive someone becoming sick or dying
• enjoy a lavish trip together just the two of us
• look forward to many more "date nights" than we had the first 25 years.

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...

Memories of my Gramma Grell

When asked to write a favorite memory of Gramma Grell I could not think of just one. My family was lucky we lived across the highway from Gramma my entire life. Gramma was included in every day events of all kinds not just holidays and special events. The day of the funeral I realized just how much of my life and who I am today has been influenced by her presence in my life.

One of my favorite memories is one I have quoted to others on many occasions. Gramma was at my house with Aunt Connie and my mom. For some reason the conversation drifted to men and she proclaimed:  "Men are all the same, they just have different faces!'

Gramma hired me to help make potato salad when I was a teen. Many a potato we peeled! She could work with them so HOT! After we finished up we'd have a little lunch. A lunch only Gramma could provide. A summer sausage sandwich on black bread with dill pickles and McNess mustard.

Gramma attended every birthday and always brought a small gift wrapped in tissue paper. I had collected several items from Stanley for my first apartment by the time I moved out. I am very lucky. For birthdays all my Gramma's came. They knew each other and had much in common being cousins of one another. It was great. I continued to invite Gramma to my kids' birthdays. She always came to be with us. Even when it became more difficult to get in and out of the vehicle and my house.

I learned how to make cucumber and onions from Gramma. Her special step was to sprinkle the cucumber slices with salt, let them juice, and then squeeze them out. Then make the water, vinegar, and salt combination and pour it over. 

Many times over the years I would call Gramma on the phone to ask about a certain recipe or technique in the kitchen. She was too funny in her response when I would ask how much of a certain ingredient to use. She didn't measure. Being the inexperienced cook I needed a measurement!

Having such a large family and working full time I don't have much time for baking. Gramma wanted to help. You buy the ingredients she'd say and I'll bake them. Many an ice cream bucket of chocolate chip or peanut butter cookies came to Blue Grass this way. She would also love to make me a pot of soup if I had a ham bone. I could do it, but she wanted to do it. It made her feel useful. And of course it was delicious! She always wanted to hear from Steve how it was so he would call her up and thank her.

Aunt Connie comes most years to help me decorate for the holidays. I would invite Gramma. She'd come to work in the kitchen and make whatever I wanted--meatloaf, casseroles for the freezer, vegetable soup, etc. I had a list and put her to work! In these later years, she'd get a ride with Aunt Connie and just sit and watch us work. But she wanted to be there! The kids would come home from school and she would give them a squeeze and talk to each one. And then Steve would come home and she would visit with him. 

Christmas in Grandma's little house was always fun and crowded. Special food--oyster stew, chili, chips with rotel cheese. And in my younger years a visit from Santa. Lots of cousins, a table or two of SKAT, and lots of giggles or should I say cackles by my aunts. A great place to bring a prospective mate to see how they would fit into the family. Great fun!

I could go on and on. Will others remember my legacy this way?

THANKFUL 2012

• Thankful for good health.
• Thankful for a husband that loves me despite my flaws. I am far from a perfect wife.
• Thankful for 6 children and a daughter-in-law who despite their uniqueness bring me the greatest joy I have ever known.
• Thankful for Jerry and Joann Ray who are a blessing to our family.
• Thankful for my faculty role at Trinity College. It allows me flexibility.
• Thankful for John Deere Cylinder Division even if Steve spends more time there than at home.
• Thankful for terrific, loving parents on both sides of the family. Both married over 50 years providing us a wonderful example.
• Thankful for my dear friends who keep me sane when I feel like I am not. You are the best.
• Thankful for Iowa weather, I love the change of seasons.
• Thankful for the ability to see, hear, and smell the sites, sounds, and scents of this season and the next.
• Thankful we found a new church family that is a good fit. God is GREAT.
• Thankful for my extended family despite the challenges they impose at intervals. I love you all. Even if I don't say it.
• Thankful my husband recognizes I need time to myself and is willing to provide those periods of time so I can be a better mother.
• Thankful for my grandmother who influenced who I am today more than I realized until after she passed away this month.
• Thankful for a wonderful place I call home.

Xavier's Future Career(s)

One morning this week during breakfast at 0630, Xavier announced he knew what he wanted to be when he grew up. "A stay-at-home Dad!"  The hidden message to me was perhaps we are too busy and he needs more home time.

The next morning  Xavier says: "In my future life as a doctor and a foundry worker--I'm going to be kind of busy!" Whew! At least he's back to wanting to earn an income.

Pictured here on picture day at Rivermont Collegiate. Such a handsome boy!

5 Things I Love and Admire About You

Steve

1. You are with me 100% on this journey of parenting 6 children. Just what were we thinking!
2. You don't mind working. In fact, you don't mind working when the shop floor at John Deere measures 130 degrees!
3. You would sacrifice anything we own for any one of us.
4. We share the desire to make memories for our children whether its in photos, little trips, vacations, or just an evening of watching a movie together on the big screen in the great room.
5. You love my family and they love you.

Nick

1. You had the guts to make it 8 months as a vegetarian.
2. You influence others with your views on private education based on your own experience.
3. You are an Eagle Scout!
4. You love to travel and do new things.
5. You are passionate about becoming a dentist!

Alexis

1. You are a natural at swimming.
2. You are a girly girl from the tip of your nose to the tip of your toes.
3. You care about others and it shows in your actions.
4. You don't mind having a brother in the same grade as you.
5. You give me a hug every day without fail, sometimes multiple times of day.

Charley

1. You are my best helper. ALWAYS willing to do what I ask and even offer to help when you see a need.
2. You have a passion for music. You play 3 instruments fluently plus you like to sing!
3. You have brown eyes just like me!
4. You want to be an Eagle Scout just like your big brother.
5. You demonstrate love and caring for your little brother Joe often.

Xavier

1. You are smart as a whip.
2. You are a very fast runner!
3. You give me hugs without me asking.
4. You are not afraid to try new things. 
5. You are a boy through and through. 

Joe

1. You are an early riser no matter what the bedtime was the night before.
2. You love playing with toys. There is no need for TV.
3. You too are all boy.
4. You love to ride your bike as fast as you can. 
5. You love to snuggle with Daddy and me.

Cariyana

1. You love my cooking and complement me almost daily.
2. You entertain us with your words and actions EVERY single day.
3. You are a girly girl just like your sister.
4. You take your chronic illness and short stature in stride.
5. You love to sleep.

A Summer Tea Party

I created a wonderful memory book of a Tea Party we had this summer at Shutterfly.com and embedded it here. My grandmother is 97. Enjoy!

Click here to view this photo book larger

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