Christmas 2011 Letter

And apparently, it still never got posted.

I thought that this was scheduled to post automatically in January, but apparently it never did.  So here it is a few months late.

December 2011

Fifteen. Eleven. Teen, tween; how they grow!
The theme for this year seems to be transitions.

Ian is doing well in 5th grade, and Preston, in 10th grade, started taking a couple of classes with CHESS (Centreville Homeschool Enrichment Support Services) this year to supplement what we are studying at home. He is taking Spanish, an SAT Math prep class, and a computer information systems class. In the spring we took a field trip to the Library of Congress. Then in June Ian and Kanoa visited the Virginia Historical Society museum in Richmond with Kanoa's mom and Aunt Mary. This fall Ian and Kanoa also took the Fredericksburg Trolley Tour. On Mondays while Preston has been in class, Ian and Kanoa have also taken several hikes at the Manassas National Battlefield. The trolley tour and hikes at Manassas both supplemented Ian's study of the Civil War.

Music instruction continues to play an important role in the boys' lives. Ian continues to take piano lessons, and this summer he attended a summer camp that focused on voice instruction. The camp concluded with a performance of the song each participant had learned during the week, and in the style of American Idol, the audience voted for the best performer. Ian won for his age group. Preston is still taking piano and guitar lessons. In February he participated in the local piano festival where he earned a superior rating. In March he played guitar with a group of musicians from our church for the annual WinterFest gathering of local Brethren congregations. His guitar teacher also arranged for the guitar students to perform at a local nursing home. Both boys have shared their musical talents at church throughout the year.

On the sports front, both boys played basketball last winter. Preston's team was quite successful, making it to the championship game. Ian played soccer in both the spring and fall again this year. Preston played on the church softball team this spring and summer. Our summer swim team had an exciting, undefeated dual meet season where both boys contributed to the team's success by scoring points. Both boys swam at Finals in August where the team won the championship. Kanoa was also elected to a two-year term on the swim team board at the awards banquet in August.

There were many fun Scouting events this year as well. In January Ian participated in the Pinewood Derby, winning second place overall. Also in January we visited the WPRZ studios to learn about radio stations, and each of the Scouts in attendance was able to say hello on air. Later in the spring Ian and the other boys in his Webelos den built model bridges to learn about engineering. Throughout the winter and spring we did other fun activities such as bowling, ice skating, and roller skating as well. During the summer we held a rocket derby where it was more exciting if you could find and retrieve your rocket to relaunch it since everyone's rockets launched successfully. We also visited a local gymnastics studio to earn the gymnastics belt loop. This fall Ian and his den have been busy completing their remaining Arrow of Light requirements and visiting Boy Scout troops so that they can transition to Boy Scouts in February.

Preston's Boy Scout troop has been busy with several exciting trips this year. They traveled to the Outer Banks in January, West Virginia in May, and southwestern Virginia in July for summer camp, where Preston, fittingly, took part in the Mountain Man experience. He spent a week learning about things like blacksmithing and shooting black powder rifles. The older boys in his troop also decided to put together a crew to travel to Philmont, the BSA's high adventure base in New Mexico. This has required additional fund raising activities and monthly training hikes in addition to regular troop activities. Preston was elected Senior Patrol Leader this year, and to prepare he attended Impeesa, the National Youth Leader Training course, in June. If that's not enough, he is also active in the local Order of the Arrow chapter, which has its own meetings and activities. Additionally, Preston continues to press on toward Eagle Scout by finishing up merit badges and beginning to plan an Eagle project.

An activity that both the Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts have found fun this year is geocaching. David has taken Preston and Ian a few times this year, and on back-to-back weekends in November Ian's Webelos den and Preston's troop went on outings.

Even though we didn't take any major trips this year, we still were able to take in part in some enjoyable short events. In February we traveled to Charlottesville for a UVA women's basketball game. May and June were particularly busy with a quick trip to Winchester for part of the Apple Blossom Festival, a trip to Charlottesville for Kanoa's 20th UVA reunion, and a couple of trips to Richmond. In July Ian was invited to travel with a friend's family to West Virginia for a few days. Then in August we all traveled to West Virginia to visit the West Virginia State Fair and the cabin. In October we visited King's Dominion with David's brother's family, and in November Preston was able to go hunting with his Granddad Ratliff again.

Church also continues to be a hub for our family. Kanoa transitioned off the church leadership board last January but agreed to serve on the youth task team, and David transitioned on the leadership board as the Fellowship and Recreation coordinator. These positions have allowed us to be part of several exciting events this year. The youth baked cookies and made Valentines for the congregation in February and then planned the Youth Sunday worship service in May. They also took part in a Christmas play. After a break, Kanoa once again directed Vacation Bible School, which Ian attended and Preston helped with, in June. Events that David helped to plan included a visit by the Celebrant Singers in July and a movie night in October. The senior high kids, including Preston, attended Roundtable, a regional youth conference, in March at Bridgewater College and a Christmas lock-in at the beginning of December. Ian enjoyed a week at Shepherd's Spring again this summer, and David, Preston, and Ian all performed in our annual talent show in August.

Among other exciting events this year, we cannot forget the earthquake that occurred here in Virginia in August. That was followed by the rains from Hurricane Irene. Then in the fall a tornado came through Midland. While there was no damage at our home from any of these events, there were several local buildings that did sustain damage from the earthquake, and at least one house was damaged by the tornado.

Our photo this year is of the boys enjoying the Lawn at the University of Virginia during Kanoa’s reunion. We hope that all of our friends and family had a terrific 2011 and are looking forward to an even better 2012.

Sincerely,
The Ratliffs
David, Kanoa, Preston, & Ian