Merry Christmas, family and friends! We pray this letter finds you well!
I enjoy crafting our annual Christmas letter recounting the main happenings of the year and I hope you enjoy receiving it, as well! By now you should probably be expecting a book-style letter. Every time, though, somehow I think: “but there is nothing to write about”. But then with a little bit of effort and a retrospective look, I’ve realized that even with the most uneventful years, there are still many blessings to behold and news to share! I’ve used many methods to refresh my memory, like by looking back into my phone pictures or my Instagram’s archive and by checking back paper-calendars searching for main events. Then I need to pick up a theme or/and a timeline, either Jan-Dec or like this time, by order of birthdays when we give a run through of how everyone is doing! So here it goes!
The first blessing, for sure is that Gio has survived his most adventurous year so far as he’ll turn two at the end of January! The boy is fast, agile, intense, curious and super cute, and definitely kept us on our toes. In fact we’ve had to rearrange our furniture so many times just to make sure he was safe (and our things too). The biggest change was probably moving him to a different bedroom and into a big boy’s bed (bottom bunk bed, ladder removed and with zero other furniture in his bedroom). That was about the same time he really started sleeping the whole night and having regular nap schedules! Maybe it’s a reminder that sometimes change is needed and it will come for the better! Gio is starting to say many words and phrases and it’s the best! I love this phase! He loves sports, snacks, family, friends and Jesus and staying outside. I love some good ol’ winter, but God bless Texas.
Dan is over 40 so we stopped counting, but his birthday is on early February, just a week after Gio’s. He’s doing great at his work, has been promoted in April and he’ll be promoted again in January! As I am super proud of his work ethics and tireless efforts, I am just as proud of how he carries it out! You’d never know of any of it and he still comes home with the biggest smile expecting to see the kids all so happy to have him back at the end of the day! His love for fishing has only grown stronger and his first love – soccer – has made a small but very much enjoyed, comeback (even with a torn ACL)! Pickleball has not conquered a space on his heart, though! Not for lack of friends’ or his wife’s efforts.
My birthday comes only 8 days after Dan’s, and we still haven’t thrown a joint epic birthday party. Maybe when I turn 40, and you are all invited! Ironically, my biggest announcement is a newfound love for racquet/paddle sports. Yes, I love pickleball! Thankful for this community of friends where I can have regular weekly meetings for playing it but also for some many other things I continued to be a part of: book club, recollections and circles, boys and girls club, and just so many social events for the whole family or couples only! Y’all should move closer, if you still don’t! I’m also homeschooling Vicky, I’m vice president/treasurer of our school parents association and I’m teaching catechesis once a week for the parish. I know, I have my plate full.
Nicholas’s birthday is an exact month after mine, and he turned 10, on 03/10! The boy has a mind and a heart of gold! We gave him a great brunch and videogame party for his golden birthday and he loved it! His gentle disposition and easygoing style makes him a friend of all! He’s in fourth grade and having a great year so far, participating in every sport with his many friends and still loving to altar serve at our parish! He has moved to his own bedroom this year and hobbies include reading “Calvin and Hobbes”. He proudly bought the whole collection with his saved allowance money plus a little advance, thus he has been broke for a while! Happy, but broke!
There’s a big gap until Rebecca’s birthday so let me fill it up with our whole June trip to Brazil! Naturally, it was lovely to see and spend time with both our families and so many friends, meet all the new babies, visit new homes, eat everything we miss leaving abroad and just have a time to call it proper “vacation”! We booked a mini beach trip within this time and it was truly great, too! Until next time!
Summer continued for July and half of August. Our group of friends got together to organize and lead “camps” to our own kids and it included dance, science, pickleball (led by me) and wood carpentry (plus a few others we had to miss because we were in Brazil) and many pool play dates! July is also the month when Becca leaves for her annual girls leadership week long camp in the Hill Country! Next year I’m hopeful Nicholas can go to the boys’ camp too.
August is bitter sweet with the end of summer break and the start of the new school year and Rebecca turned 13 (we have a teenager) by the end of it! But what a lovely teenager, nonetheless! She’s into so many hobbies! Participated in her first children’s business fair in May, with her bracelet making and creative skills, got first prize at LifeFirst Pro-Life essay competition (and a $200 check - sweet!), devoured more books than I am able to count (including one from my own book club!!!), continued to pursue her music education with piano lessons and competitions, and continued to be a top student in school!
An equal gap until Vicky’s birthday in December and this time it’s filled with many extracurricular activities, events & birthday parties and homeschooling! And a fun-filled, blessed trip on Thanksgiving week: Great Wolf Lodge in Grapevine TX, Airbnb in gorgeous Carlton Landing, OK and a quick visit to the Pioneer Woman’s town and lodge tour, in Pawhuska, OK with lots of Christmas flare.
These months flew by and Vicky will turn 7 in exact 10 days from this day I’m typing this letter. She can’t wait! She’s been counting the days since November!!! She’s the prefect child to homeschool and to have around the house and as a playmate for Gio! A sweet and intense little big girl! She obviously misses her friends at school although she has seen and played with them many times since then. She’ll likely be back at school for second grade but I’ll certainly miss her home with me and being this busy! Hobbies and likes include bracelet making with Becca, reading by herself or with mom, her family and friends and her many stuffed animals!
And that’s it! I made it into two pages - one sheet back and front - I call this a win!
Would love to hear from you specially if it’s been a while since we last said hello! Enjoy the season and the holidays with your loved ones, guided and comforted by God’s many graces!
Love,
The Kotas
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