The boys and I joined Mike as he worked in Turlock, California the first week of December. It rained a lot but the boys still had fun swimming in the pool.
Ethan attempting a back flip. It ended in a back flop.
The boys love the breakfast in the hotel. Check out Adam's meal. What a pig. I can't believe how much he can eat. It's no fair. He's still skin and bones.
Ethan taking in some light reading before bed. I thought this was especially sweet considering he can't read.
Mike got this huge burrito at a Mexican restaurant. Boy did our room smell great later. Just kidding, Ok, I'm not. He said it wasn't that good and didn't finish most of it.
Dec 7, 2014
The kids spent the weekend with cousins. They had a blast and were exhausted from all the fun.
New jammies for the boys. The pants we too long and so we cut off the bottoms. The boys got creative and made masks with the excess. It's funny I remember Alex and Ryan doing the same thing when they were about this age as well.
Dec 9, 2014
Hey Dad!The time really has flown by. I am already going on six months being gone. That is good that you get to stay home through the holiday season! So I didn't really ask, but how was the thanksgiving food? Anything specific that you liked? It didn't look like there was a ton of people there at our house. Was it just your side of the family, then? Dad you have to believe in the Broncos. Something that concerns me though is ethan in all of that raiders gear. I think that you have to fix that. Ya that typhoon kind of whimped out. It was a category 5 and just the outskirts are hitting us, but it is a category 1. So we are just getting a little wind and rain. The other one was worse. This thursday we are interviewing our 2 investigators for baptism and their baptism with be this saturday. As for transfers I am pretty guaranteed to stay. My companion will have been in our area for 7 and a half months. That package is a freaken life saver. Thanks so much. I have eaten some noodles, and like candy and stuff. I haven't gotten into the cans yet. I am trying to ration it...haha! I love you dad!Love Alex
Dec 12th
Ethan had the flu so we didn't make it to the cemetery. We let off the balloons from our yard. We figured Ryan will still get them from here.
Dec 14, 2014
Hey everyone! Sorry i didn't get an email to you last week. Hopefully I will make up for it this week with more pictures!! Last week I went on splits with the zone leaders. On splits me and the elder I went with played a little pick up game. It was the first time that I played in church clothes. We won of course. After we gave them a pamphlet and shared a message. The morning after splits me and elder arorong went to McDonald's for breakfast. I got an apple pie all amode. It was actually really good. It made me think of moms homemade apple pie, which is way better! On Friday of last week we had zone conference. A member of the area presidency in the Philippines came and spoke at it. He spoke for a really long time (he later told us it was about three hours). I was pretty hungry during it. So it was great when we finally got to eat. The food was really good to. The van ride was so long. It sucks. They cram you in like sardines. I always ask if they are going to cram 4 people into 3 seats then why don't they just make the vans with 4 seats. If they did that then they would just cram 5 people into it. I really miss having my own vehicle. That is so much nicer. This past Saturday me and elder arorong had 2 baptisms. It was a really good meeting. I got to baptize a girl named Marisa. I think that she is like 14. The water was pretty chilly in the font, but I am good it only went up to like the middle of my thigh. Yesterday after church we had a surprise lunch appointment. For lunch was like noodles and sardines mixed. I got myself a plate cause I didn't want to be rude. It was disgusting though. Here is my method for eating it. I would take a bite and swallow it hole. The less chewing the better. Then I would take a little drink of like orange juice, then wait for a minute or so and repeat the process. I finished the food that I got, but it was gross!!! Yesterday night we had our christmas devotional at our church. I thought it was a good meeting. The attendance was just from our ward. I would guess that there was less than 50 people. It was still good though. Today is p-day. We went to breakfast project for breakfast. I got a waffle with some eggs and bacon. Boy did that hit the spot!! After that we came to the net shop. Since I have been here we got the transfer list because this week is transfer week. I am sad to say that elder arorong will be transferring this week. Its a bummer I really liked him. he was cool. Also there is another elder transferring from our apartment, so we will have 2 new people in our apartment. I have been using my big package. It is very good. A couple of days ago I made a can of chili for lunch. It was really good to have something different that is good! A couple days later I made some rice a roni. Same result. It was really good!!! I am surprised how good it turned out!! Last night I made a can of pork and beans and boy was that good. I was so excited to start eating it, I burnt my tongue. I am really excited to be able to Skype soon. I hope we will be able to. I just have to figure out how to do it. No worries though I will work on that. Skyping will be way better than a phone call. Well I love you all, can't wait to talk!!
Love Elder Lott
pork and beans yummy
pancakes he made
rice a roni
a gas station decorated for the holidays
Dec 22, 2014
Merry Christmas!!! Santa Claus is comin to town!!!! I can't believe that it is this time of year already. Last P-day we came to tugue hoping for our support money. Our support money came at 8 o clock at night. We didn't have enough money to return to alcala so we stayed at some elders apartment that live close to tugue. We went back the next morning. This past week was transfer week!! Two of the elders from our apartment transferred. Sadly Elder arorong was one of them. We have been together for four and a half months!! Transfer day was on Wednesday. My new companions name is Elder Pawin. He is a filipino. He has been out for about 15 months...I think. He is pretty good at english to. I think that we will have a good companionship. He is a pretty cool guy. Well that is the summary of my week really. Tomorrow we have a Christmas zone conference. I am super excited to be able to skype this week. I am really looking forward to it. It will kind of be weird though. Anyways I am really excited. I love you all!! See you soon!!!
Love Elder Lott
The last picture at the apartment before transfer
Alex's new companion
We had pack meeting at our house. The boys all made gingerbread houses.
Ice skating up in Logan. Adam is a natural. Ethan only used the walker for a few minutes. He loves to skate as well and is improving very quickly. They even have adult sized walkers. I am going to get me one next time. JK I am getting better each time as well. But I still go slow because I don't want to fall and split my pants open.
Dec. 22, 2014
Temple square was beautiful and not very crowded. We had fun.
my Christmas Letter
Merry Christmas 2014
It has been a wonderful, busy year. So
many exciting things have happened. It's crazy to think 2014 is coming to a
close. But I know next year will be another joyous year for us.
I am proud to say that Alex graduated from high school this year. I admit that along the journey there were times when we questioned if this would ever happen. But we are proud to say he is officially done. He did very well and we are so proud of him. Even more exciting is the fact that he is currently serving an LDS mission in Cauayan City, Philippines. He is speaking the Tagalog language. He entered the MTC on July 2 and has been in the Philippines since August. He is adjusting well and we are so very proud of him. He has already had many adventures. Two typhoons have come his way. He has lost about 25 pounds due to the fact that he is a picky eater. In a recent letter he told us how he ate a mixture of sardines and noodles. He would swallow a bite without chewing and then rinse it down with some orange juice. I am sure that won't be the first of his many food adventures. We have a fun picture of him with a giant rat that he caught in his apartment and we have pictures of giant spiders that live with him as well. He has already been able to perform a few baptisms and we are so very proud of him. The most exciting baptism was when he was able to baptize his little brother Adam in April. We are so very proud of Alex and love him very much. He is doing hard things and we know so many people are being blessed because of it. It's also wonderful that his room has now been clean for six months straight!!
This wouldn't be a family letter without mentioning my sweet Ryan. He would've turned 16 this year. I am so grateful for our families coming and spending that day with us. I often think what Ryan would be doing right now. I'm sure he would love driving his dad’s truck and possibly going on dates. He would probably be grounded and rolling his eyes at me. It would be special to be able to hear him bless the sacrament each Sunday and I still wonder how tall he would be. But my heart is full knowing that I have two missionaries out right now. They are in the Lord’s hands and I know they are where they are supposed to be. I look forward to reunions with them both someday. We love you Ryan. We know you aren't very far from us. As we celebrate the birth of our Savior on earth I know you will be doing the same from up above. Because that tiny, sweet, perfect baby was born so long ago I will be able to be with my sweet son again someday. This brings me true joy at this time of the year as we celebrate his birth.
Jaime turned 13 this year. Yikes we send one teenager off to the Philippines only to gain another. We happened to be in Yellowstone at the time and it was fun to have many family members with us to celebrate. She was especially thrilled because this meant more presents. Jaime is growing up to a beautiful young lady. She still can be very feisty, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. Hopefully it will keep the boys away for a little longer. She is so happy that she is only an inch shorter than me. I'm sure it won't be long till she is taller than me but for now, I keep reminding her that I can take her down at any moment or ground her. It's fun to share shoes and jewelry with her. It's especially fun because I give her my older stuff and then I go buy me new stuff (Hee hee hee). She continues to excel in her schoolwork. Mike and I didn't know how to act when she wanted to contact her teachers to find out how she could bring her grade up from an A- to an A. We have only been used to contacting teachers to bring up an F or D to a C. So needless to say we are very impressed with all of her hard work. Lately she has been walking around and telling us all about what she learns at school and pointing out what we are doing wrong. Aren’t teenagers great? She's a great help to her little brothers but she was not excited when Alex left, especially because she'd have to pick up where he left off. She can't wait till he's home and she doesn't have to mow the lawn anymore. But for now the lawn is the least of her problems. We have a huge driveway and winter has just begun.
Adam is a very active 8 year old. This spring he fell while riding his bike. Of course in our family the kids never bump their heads which are protected by helmets (ok they rarely wear them), they always break their collarbones. As of now Alex broke one, Jaime has broken both and Adam has broke one. Watch out Ethan. You are next. I started to encourage my kids to drink lots of milk to strengthen their bones. But better yet, I should just get rid of the bikes right?? Anyways, over the course of the next month Adam kept falling and kept making it worse every time. Our first doctor finally refused to treat him because he was too much of a risk. I guess he figured we would sue him or something because he kept getting worse?? Yes, I thought it was strange as well. Poor Adam was in a sling for about six weeks. He had to learn to write left handed. It was super sloppy, but I was glad his teacher was very patient. He was in a sling when Alex baptized him. That made it a little interesting. Adam loves to play soccer. Sadly he only got to play one game during the spring before he got hurt and had to sit out the rest of the season. He made up for it in the fall. He now has started playing basketball and loves that as well. He has enjoyed being in Cub Scouts and is already working on earning his Bear. I have been in the Cub Scouts as well and it has been fun to work with him. Mike and I actually were able to go to Cub Scout day camp with our scouts. We joked and considered it as our date for the week as we were the only adult chaperons in our group.
Ethan still keeps our lives exciting. He was so excited to start school this year. It's a good thing he was excited because, believe it or not, I wasn’t. I became one of those mothers who cried when he went to school and I even wouldn't let him ride the bus the first couple days with Adam. I drove him (he was so mad at me) and yes I even followed the bus to school the first day that he rode it to make sure he got off and stayed on the playground. I have come to my senses now and enjoy the time he is gone now during which I take long naps and watch TV. ;) Ha Ha. He’s up bright and early practically every morning ready to ride the bus. Sometimes he sings as he gets ready. Needless to say, I am not a morning person and don’t find it amusing at the time. It has been fun to see him so excited to learn. He is soaking it up. He walks around with a pad of paper and a pencil and is always writing down things and asking us to spell things for him. It's very cute. Today he actually wrote me a ticket that was apparently from a policeman. Ethan has enjoyed playing soccer as well and also loves football. I have told him he shouldn’t tell his friends that he can “take them down” or they might not want to come over and play. At least he lets the girls be cheerleaders when they come over to play. I have explained to him that most girls do not want to play football and so this is the solution he has come up with. We went to a USU football game this year and sadly Ethan was explaining the plays to me. Mike was very proud of him and is secretly wishing that I knew a little bit more about sports than a six year old. Ethan is already on his way to being a teenager. We figured we would save money on groceries when Alex left. Wrong! Ethan has totally made up for it. He is growing so quickly and weighs more than Adam now. He’s still not as tall but that won’t be long. His head is much bigger than Adam’s. Adam used to get so sad knowing his head wasn’t as big as Ethan’s. It was pretty funny. Ethan is a ladies’ man. One day he came home from school and said, ”I miss my girlfriends.” He loves the fact that the girls chase him during recess. He also told me that he is going next-door and ask his little friend’s mom if he can marry her in the temple. I thought that was very sweet. Hopefully that's not for many many years. He is very friendly to everyone. He tends to come out of the men’s restroom having given our life story to perfect strangers. He also can't wait to wear deodorant and can't wait for little hairs to grow in his armpits. The highlight of his first school field trip to the Ogden Nature Center was being able to touch bison poop. As you can see he keeps us smiling and we are so blessed to have him in our family.
Mike and I have enjoyed a few trips together this year. This spring we went to Arkansas to visit his brother and family. During the summer we enjoyed some time in the Boston area. I’ve always wanted to see the lighthouses. We enjoyed driving up the Maine coast to see them. It's one of my goals to hit all 50 states. I am proud to say my list grew quite a bit this year. Mike is a very good sport even though he most likely will beat me to it. I was very proud of Mike for dressing up for Halloween this year. He wore a duck Dynasty beard and to my surprise even put on one of Alex's camo sweatshirts. I had to take a double take because he totally looked like Alex in it. Little does Mike know that I have purchased a nun costume for me and he will be Nacho Libre next year? Ha ha ha. By the way that is one of our family's favorite movies, but he still doesn't find the humor in it. I wore a short black curly wig, big jewelry and sunglasses for Halloween. I thought it would be fun to use that picture of me in LDS Tools for my contact information but Mike doesn't think it's a good idea. Maybe it would be the quickest way of getting me released as the new Relief Society President? I guess I won't find out though, as I will listen to him for once. Yes, it’s crazy but last week I was put in as the Relief Society President. There goes all my naps and watching TV while eating bon bons. It was fun to have Mike call me President Lott for a few days. Little does he know he is my co-president. Hee hee hee. We have enjoyed doing some camping this year. The kids and I also accompanied Mike to California twice this year while he worked. Once again Mike doesn't consider it a vacation when he spends the day in the office and we spend the day by the pool. Actually it is the best vacation ever and we are glad he is a good sport and lets us tag along. I have also started taking horseback riding lessons to help me get over my fear of horses. And no, I don’t plan on taking shark lessons to get over my fear of sharks.
We have had so many blessings this year and so much to be thankful for. I admit this Christmas season will be a lot quieter in our home because we are down to three children but I am grateful for all that we have learned and all that we have been blessed with. I see my Heavenly Father's hand in my life and I can't imagine life without it. I hope you have a wonderful holiday season and that the true joy of the season can carry you this year through all of lives ups and downs.
I am proud to say that Alex graduated from high school this year. I admit that along the journey there were times when we questioned if this would ever happen. But we are proud to say he is officially done. He did very well and we are so proud of him. Even more exciting is the fact that he is currently serving an LDS mission in Cauayan City, Philippines. He is speaking the Tagalog language. He entered the MTC on July 2 and has been in the Philippines since August. He is adjusting well and we are so very proud of him. He has already had many adventures. Two typhoons have come his way. He has lost about 25 pounds due to the fact that he is a picky eater. In a recent letter he told us how he ate a mixture of sardines and noodles. He would swallow a bite without chewing and then rinse it down with some orange juice. I am sure that won't be the first of his many food adventures. We have a fun picture of him with a giant rat that he caught in his apartment and we have pictures of giant spiders that live with him as well. He has already been able to perform a few baptisms and we are so very proud of him. The most exciting baptism was when he was able to baptize his little brother Adam in April. We are so very proud of Alex and love him very much. He is doing hard things and we know so many people are being blessed because of it. It's also wonderful that his room has now been clean for six months straight!!
This wouldn't be a family letter without mentioning my sweet Ryan. He would've turned 16 this year. I am so grateful for our families coming and spending that day with us. I often think what Ryan would be doing right now. I'm sure he would love driving his dad’s truck and possibly going on dates. He would probably be grounded and rolling his eyes at me. It would be special to be able to hear him bless the sacrament each Sunday and I still wonder how tall he would be. But my heart is full knowing that I have two missionaries out right now. They are in the Lord’s hands and I know they are where they are supposed to be. I look forward to reunions with them both someday. We love you Ryan. We know you aren't very far from us. As we celebrate the birth of our Savior on earth I know you will be doing the same from up above. Because that tiny, sweet, perfect baby was born so long ago I will be able to be with my sweet son again someday. This brings me true joy at this time of the year as we celebrate his birth.
Jaime turned 13 this year. Yikes we send one teenager off to the Philippines only to gain another. We happened to be in Yellowstone at the time and it was fun to have many family members with us to celebrate. She was especially thrilled because this meant more presents. Jaime is growing up to a beautiful young lady. She still can be very feisty, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. Hopefully it will keep the boys away for a little longer. She is so happy that she is only an inch shorter than me. I'm sure it won't be long till she is taller than me but for now, I keep reminding her that I can take her down at any moment or ground her. It's fun to share shoes and jewelry with her. It's especially fun because I give her my older stuff and then I go buy me new stuff (Hee hee hee). She continues to excel in her schoolwork. Mike and I didn't know how to act when she wanted to contact her teachers to find out how she could bring her grade up from an A- to an A. We have only been used to contacting teachers to bring up an F or D to a C. So needless to say we are very impressed with all of her hard work. Lately she has been walking around and telling us all about what she learns at school and pointing out what we are doing wrong. Aren’t teenagers great? She's a great help to her little brothers but she was not excited when Alex left, especially because she'd have to pick up where he left off. She can't wait till he's home and she doesn't have to mow the lawn anymore. But for now the lawn is the least of her problems. We have a huge driveway and winter has just begun.
Adam is a very active 8 year old. This spring he fell while riding his bike. Of course in our family the kids never bump their heads which are protected by helmets (ok they rarely wear them), they always break their collarbones. As of now Alex broke one, Jaime has broken both and Adam has broke one. Watch out Ethan. You are next. I started to encourage my kids to drink lots of milk to strengthen their bones. But better yet, I should just get rid of the bikes right?? Anyways, over the course of the next month Adam kept falling and kept making it worse every time. Our first doctor finally refused to treat him because he was too much of a risk. I guess he figured we would sue him or something because he kept getting worse?? Yes, I thought it was strange as well. Poor Adam was in a sling for about six weeks. He had to learn to write left handed. It was super sloppy, but I was glad his teacher was very patient. He was in a sling when Alex baptized him. That made it a little interesting. Adam loves to play soccer. Sadly he only got to play one game during the spring before he got hurt and had to sit out the rest of the season. He made up for it in the fall. He now has started playing basketball and loves that as well. He has enjoyed being in Cub Scouts and is already working on earning his Bear. I have been in the Cub Scouts as well and it has been fun to work with him. Mike and I actually were able to go to Cub Scout day camp with our scouts. We joked and considered it as our date for the week as we were the only adult chaperons in our group.
Ethan still keeps our lives exciting. He was so excited to start school this year. It's a good thing he was excited because, believe it or not, I wasn’t. I became one of those mothers who cried when he went to school and I even wouldn't let him ride the bus the first couple days with Adam. I drove him (he was so mad at me) and yes I even followed the bus to school the first day that he rode it to make sure he got off and stayed on the playground. I have come to my senses now and enjoy the time he is gone now during which I take long naps and watch TV. ;) Ha Ha. He’s up bright and early practically every morning ready to ride the bus. Sometimes he sings as he gets ready. Needless to say, I am not a morning person and don’t find it amusing at the time. It has been fun to see him so excited to learn. He is soaking it up. He walks around with a pad of paper and a pencil and is always writing down things and asking us to spell things for him. It's very cute. Today he actually wrote me a ticket that was apparently from a policeman. Ethan has enjoyed playing soccer as well and also loves football. I have told him he shouldn’t tell his friends that he can “take them down” or they might not want to come over and play. At least he lets the girls be cheerleaders when they come over to play. I have explained to him that most girls do not want to play football and so this is the solution he has come up with. We went to a USU football game this year and sadly Ethan was explaining the plays to me. Mike was very proud of him and is secretly wishing that I knew a little bit more about sports than a six year old. Ethan is already on his way to being a teenager. We figured we would save money on groceries when Alex left. Wrong! Ethan has totally made up for it. He is growing so quickly and weighs more than Adam now. He’s still not as tall but that won’t be long. His head is much bigger than Adam’s. Adam used to get so sad knowing his head wasn’t as big as Ethan’s. It was pretty funny. Ethan is a ladies’ man. One day he came home from school and said, ”I miss my girlfriends.” He loves the fact that the girls chase him during recess. He also told me that he is going next-door and ask his little friend’s mom if he can marry her in the temple. I thought that was very sweet. Hopefully that's not for many many years. He is very friendly to everyone. He tends to come out of the men’s restroom having given our life story to perfect strangers. He also can't wait to wear deodorant and can't wait for little hairs to grow in his armpits. The highlight of his first school field trip to the Ogden Nature Center was being able to touch bison poop. As you can see he keeps us smiling and we are so blessed to have him in our family.
Mike and I have enjoyed a few trips together this year. This spring we went to Arkansas to visit his brother and family. During the summer we enjoyed some time in the Boston area. I’ve always wanted to see the lighthouses. We enjoyed driving up the Maine coast to see them. It's one of my goals to hit all 50 states. I am proud to say my list grew quite a bit this year. Mike is a very good sport even though he most likely will beat me to it. I was very proud of Mike for dressing up for Halloween this year. He wore a duck Dynasty beard and to my surprise even put on one of Alex's camo sweatshirts. I had to take a double take because he totally looked like Alex in it. Little does Mike know that I have purchased a nun costume for me and he will be Nacho Libre next year? Ha ha ha. By the way that is one of our family's favorite movies, but he still doesn't find the humor in it. I wore a short black curly wig, big jewelry and sunglasses for Halloween. I thought it would be fun to use that picture of me in LDS Tools for my contact information but Mike doesn't think it's a good idea. Maybe it would be the quickest way of getting me released as the new Relief Society President? I guess I won't find out though, as I will listen to him for once. Yes, it’s crazy but last week I was put in as the Relief Society President. There goes all my naps and watching TV while eating bon bons. It was fun to have Mike call me President Lott for a few days. Little does he know he is my co-president. Hee hee hee. We have enjoyed doing some camping this year. The kids and I also accompanied Mike to California twice this year while he worked. Once again Mike doesn't consider it a vacation when he spends the day in the office and we spend the day by the pool. Actually it is the best vacation ever and we are glad he is a good sport and lets us tag along. I have also started taking horseback riding lessons to help me get over my fear of horses. And no, I don’t plan on taking shark lessons to get over my fear of sharks.
We have had so many blessings this year and so much to be thankful for. I admit this Christmas season will be a lot quieter in our home because we are down to three children but I am grateful for all that we have learned and all that we have been blessed with. I see my Heavenly Father's hand in my life and I can't imagine life without it. I hope you have a wonderful holiday season and that the true joy of the season can carry you this year through all of lives ups and downs.
Love,
The Lott family
Christmas day at the Lott house
The boys were so excited to get real football shoulder pads.
our little tough guys
We were able to Skype with Alex on Christmas night. It was wonderful and was the highlight of our day. We talked for about 2 1/2 hours. He wasn't even ready to get off after that long. We enjoyed hearing him speak a little Tagalog. It was great to see his smiling face. He had a special glow about him. Technology is wonderful. We had the computer hooked up to our big TV and so we could see him very well. At one point Mike face timed his mom who was in Malad, Idaho and she and Alex's Great grandpa were able to join in the conversation. We turned the computer to allow Alex to watch his brothers tackle each other in their new gear. He got a kick out of that. Mike also carried the computer around so that we could show him around the house. Alex enjoyed seeing his room again. We showed him the snow outside and a project we had just completed in the garage. It was pretty neat. We are able to meet Alex's companion and other room mates. We had fun joking with them and they laughed when the boys tackled each other. It was a very special time that I will cherish forever. We love Alex so very much and are so proud of him and all that he is doing. He is safe in the Lord's hands and it touches my heart to see the joy in him through his service as a missionary.
The Lott gang
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(I wish you could see Alex better, but it's the thought that counts)
We had a nice Christmas. I would be lying if I said it wasn't hard having two of my sons gone this year. My heart was heavy as Mike and I went to the cemetery to visit Ryan. Oh how we miss him so much. We miss Alex as well, but in a different way. At moments like this I count my blessing and thank my Heavenly Father for all the blessings I do have. As tears fell down my eyes, I thought of all the others who have lost loved ones this year. There have been so many. I hope and pray they will receive the peace and comfort they need to continue on. I have been carried on this journey these past years. I am so thankful I have not been alone.
Christmas night
a very tired heavy 6 year old
12-26-14
The boys have worn their gear all day yesterday and today. I pulled out these old jerseys that Alex once wore. He was happy to share them with his brothers. They are so happy and I know they can't wait for him to get home so they can practice all their moves on him. I have warned Alex that he'd better not lose anymore weight or they won't have a problem taking him down.
This is a beautiful quote from the Dec 2014 Ensign
I hope and pray we can all find the true joy in life by living as our Savior would have us, not only during this holiday season, but always.
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