2023 recap

  Decker Family Newsletter

Written December 2023

I don’t know where to begin, honestly. I am worried that if I try to wrap things up from this year and try to fit everything into a paragraph, I will miss huge chunks of important things. However, I want to at least TRY to share some of our life from this past year and give updates about everyone. Plus, it always warms my heart to reflect on God’s goodness in our lives. So… buckle up… and read at your own risk!

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Jeffrey (42.9 years old) spent the first half of the year as a travel nurse, living in his little tow-n-pull RV trailer. He loved his time in Minnesota but ultimately found a position in New Mexico, which had some perks. One perk was living so close to his sister and being able to spend time with her and her family, and the other was having the ability to drive home and visit from time to time. In July, however, he felt the pull back home and quit his travel nurse job. He was determined to share the load, and for the first time in 16 years of marriage, he split duties of childcare, cooking, and cleaning. He pushed through his NP program with straight A’s until he got to the preceptorship, where it became obvious that he wasn’t doing something conducive to his passions and he dropped out of the program in November. After researching other options, he realized a better path would be a CNS program, where he can specialize in wound care and further work on his non-profit, which he would eventually like to turn into a clinic. Thankfully most of his previous classes are transferable to the CNS program, so it should work out nicely. Once the path forward was clear, we knew the next step was to have enough money to buy a house. He applied for another travel nurse position and was blessed with a coveted high-paying position in upper California. He left the day after Christmas and is determined to help our family reach our financial goals so we can buy a house this year. Jeff dabbled in music this past year and spent some time in the famous Millennial Choir. He had some scares with his health, but thankfully got the medication he needed. His newest interest is the card game Magic. He dressed up for Halloween this year with an epic avatar air-bender costume, took Holly on a few romantic getaways, took the whole family camping in the rain, and made a lot of memories. He still loves jamming on guitar and playing chess during any spare moment that he has, and also never passes up an offer for a massage.

Holly (officially 40 years old) maintained straight A’s for online schooling amid the many ups and downs of this year and even got to do some observation hours in several elementary classrooms. In February she quit her two childcare jobs and worked in an afterschool childcare program in July-November, caring for up to 90 elementary-age children. She learned a lot during these employment opportunities and will forever be changed by knowing such remarkable children, parents, and coworkers. While Jeff was gone at the start of the year, she went on dates with each kid and made a lot of fun memories. On March 11^th, she finished LAST PLACE in her first-ever triathlon and then faced plantar fasciitis immediately following. She met her goal of attending the temple once every month and found great peace there. She served as the ward choir director until the summer and then got called as the ward Facebook specialist and was also put in charge of decorating the ward bulletin board, which has been an interesting experience. She stopped blogging in February but is planning to start blogging again this year at a new site: www.hollydeckerdiaries.blogspot.com Holly tried to have ‘mommy time’ with the kids regularly and enjoyed hiking a few times. She worked on her mental/emotional health and tried to keep putting one foot in front of the other amid all the struggles. She is trying out bullet journaling this next year and hopes it will help her with life overall.

Charles (who would be 14 and has been gone for 2 years now) is still incorporated into our conversations and remembered in our activities. His cute cactus is still surviving on his grave. We made fake roaches a part of our ‘ofrenda’ during Dia de los Muertos this year and had the blessing of receiving a beautiful Charles-themed/decorated Christmas tree in honor of him that we now display year-round. We were also gifted a special hug from him on his angel anniversary, which he planned out and prepared with a friend before his passing. Sometimes there are sweet moments of tears and hope and memories, and other times there is only sadness, deep ache, and emptiness. We take comfort in the words of his last church talk, “I have had a good life and there is nothing to regret. I've spent a lot of time with my family and made memories that I will always remember and have.” We look forward to the day when, through the mercy and goodness of God, we meet again.

Evelynn (13 years old) finished up her awesome first year as a jr. high student and then started off her first semester as an 8^th grader. She has worked so hard to keep her grades up while still making friends and having fun. She continues to love acting/drama and participated in a school production called Broadway Bound, where she had a couple of vocal solos. She tried out cross-country running this past semester and it was incredible to see her transform and put in so much effort. She got several compliments on her great sportsmanship, often cheering for others and encouraging them along the way. She now loves running and can run for one mile without stopping. She met the goal of attending the temple monthly and served on a special girls' camp committee where she helped plan the event before attending. She also has had the chance to serve in a few YW class presidencies where she gets to plan weekly youth activities, too. She tried being a cheerleader for a day and loved staying to watch the basketball game after her performance. She has been busy caring for her pet rabbit, Bun-Bun, this year and even takes her on walks. Evelynn has a lot of friends and is often doing homework with them or hanging out. She was invited to go camping with some friends during a school break and had a great time. She is still enduring her braces, rocking her curly hair (even dyed it!), and saving up for getting a pet puppy by babysitting every chance she gets. She likes helping in the kitchen and playing games, and her newest hobby is crocheting.

Sally (12 years old) finished out her sixth-grade year and made it through her first semester of junior high, which she thankfully liked a lot more than she thought she would. She reached her goal of not making any new friends, and she liked most of her teachers. She hated being on the swim team but made it through and even finished first in some of her freestyle heats. She plays clarinet in the band and worked hard to keep her grades up throughout the year. She reached the goal of going to the temple every month, enjoyed attending weekly church youth activities, and survived her first summer girls' camp. Sally continues to use her gift with children and helps babysit a lot. She is a real lifesaver, often helping throughout the night or when there is sickness, and I am forever grateful. She adores cats, music, drawing, dragons, origami, and rarely stops reading. She had a great twelfth-birthday overnight getaway with Mom and got her ears pierced as well as a professional short haircut- just the way she likes it! She is still the tallest decker kid, so she gets mistaken for the eldest a lot and she is still enduring her braces.

Walter (11 years old) is constantly wow-ing us with his many talents. He finished his fourth-grade year with a killer performance as Shroeder in the school play “You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown”, and then did an incredible solo for the school talent show. He auditioned for another school play and got the part of Gaston and let me just say… you don’t want to miss it! Walter is still in advanced math and getting great grades in school. He does an incredible job during poem recitations and gave an unforgettable version of “Fifty Nifty United States”. He is always receiving awards, including being the PE MVP for the first month of 5^th grade for his outstanding effort and example. He has the best handwriting you have ever seen. He loves to be outside playing soccer with friends and has made a new neighbor friend who introduced him to street hockey, which now makes rollerblading his newest obsession. Walter uses his great musical abilities to sing and speak in church and did a great job in the ward primary program. He loves going to the youth activities each month and his favorites were playing chair soccer and making smores over the fire pit in the leader’s backyard. Walter has great friends, and they always invite him to do fun things. On his birthday, his friends took him ice skating. Walter still builds with Legos and creates amazing comic books, but he would love to play video games all day long if he could!

Gladys (10 years old) finished out her 3rd-grade year with homeschooling and also went to a reading/math tutor once a week. She did an amazing job staying on top of her schoolwork and stayed busy with art, playing ukulele, and baking whenever she had spare time. Gladys loves church youth activities and her favorites this year were playing games at the leader’s home and getting treats. For fourth grade, Gladys is attending a nearby Prenda Micro-school. She has an incredible teacher and is completely thriving. Her confidence in reading and math has skyrocketed, and she has learned to play the recorder as well as challenged her anxiety struggles by going on several field trips, which took a lot of strength and courage. Gladys’ talent for organizing and cleaning continues to bless our lives, and we love her ‘gladys-isms’ that she says when she speaks a bit backward, jumbles words, or asks endless questions to better understand the world around her and how it works. She loves playing with her calico critter collection, creating art, and rolling around in her roller skates.

Roger (age 8) got baptized this year! He built up to his 8^th birthday so much that he was disappointed when it didn’t turn out perfect, but thankfully, the baptism made up for it, and it was a really special experience. We all felt the spirit strongly and loved when he bore his testimony. Roger can be a real charmer, and he is adored by many of his schoolteachers and church leaders. He does great at school and receives many awards for his good grades and character. He enjoys doing homework. He is a fantastic creative writer and likes math and science. Roger knows how to ham up a poem recitation, telling a joke, or even saying his primary part in the ward program. He loves critters, creating comics, reads all the time, and can almost tell you every fact about every Pokémon. He likes video games, too, and sometimes builds with Legos. When outdoors, Roger likes riding his scooter and is trying to learn skateboarding. He had TWO hernia surgeries one after another this year and had to take it easy, but now that he is better, he plays soccer and basketball at school. He likes that he can attend church activities and his favorite was making smores over an open fire. He is still taking piano lessons and enjoys showing off his skills in recitals. We were shocked to learn this year that Roger is legally blind in his right eye, and we were told he has been blind in that eye since birth! He was born with a deformation in his right eye, and it is permanent. However, his left eye is amazing, and he is not deterred from continuing in his greatness!

James (age 7) is a ball of never-ending energy. He managed to graduate kindergarten with only one trip to the principal’s office. He did get several black eyes, though, and ended up in the ER with staples after hitting his head on a playground pole. James also had hernia surgery but loved the excuse to play Nintendo all day. He lost his very first tooth this year (yes, it fell out naturally) and continues to lose more, which he loves because he can write notes to the tooth fairy. James tried out first grade for a month or two but ultimately ended up homeschooling to keep him from being expelled. He is doing okay at home, and he absolutely loves science projects. He got a very special homemade Pokémon cake for his birthday, shaped like ‘Applin’. James gives the best smiles and we have been working on finding a way to see them more often. His church leaders work hard to help him, and it was a miracle that he participated in the primary program this year. James has the ability to radiate joy. This year when we acted out the nativity as a family, he was the angel, and I couldn’t think of a more enthusiastic person to announce the birth of our Savior. He glowed as he said his lines, bursting with pride to have that part. James loves one-on-one time, but especially making crafts or playing card games. He loves being outside and playing with the neighbor kids, riding his scooter, and rollerblading, but he also enjoys Legos and video games. He still talks about his ice skating date with Mom, a favorite highlight from this past year, for sure. He likes to play with our dog, Lindy, and enjoys watching movies.

Leena (age 5) still talks about the day she got to be a cheerleader, though you would never have guessed she liked it when it was happening. Leena barely missed the cut-off date for kindergarten, so I gladly kept her home with me again this year and she has been doing Montessori with her Grammy four mornings a week, while also trying to learn her numbers, letters, and sounds. She does know how to write her name now, but we have a lot left to master. Leena is a firecracker. She likes puzzles and pretend play, dressing up and looking like a teenager, and she knows how to hold her own. She is not a people pleaser and dances to the beat of her own drum. She loves her daddy, likes swinging at the park, riding her scooter out front, singing loudly, and refuses to wear shoes that are not comfortable. She is a fan of Minecraft, Legos, and Ninja Turtles and insists on reading the same scripture story (Captain Moroni) almost every morning. She likes to play with friends AND her siblings' friends. She likes to quote TV shows and make you guess which one it is from. She is constantly bargaining with her sisters to let her sleep with them and trades back massages most nights. She likes to announce loudly to her mom when she sees her ‘crush’, and we hope to always have the spice she brings to our lives.

Richard (age 3, diagnosed with nonverbal autism a year ago) has experienced a lot of ups and downs this past year. He was potty trained for about two months but will need to revisit it again this coming year. He is thriving at preschool and his teacher goes on and on about how well he is doing. At his IEP meeting, the therapist kept mentioning how positive his schoolteacher was, and I felt so grateful that she sees so much good in him and helps him progress. He tried out the bus this year and LOVED it, but the route has been wonky lately, so we won’t do it next year. He sometimes does Montessori school with Grammy in the mornings. Richard mastered occupational therapy and adored music therapy, but it ended when his therapist graduated and moved on to a new job. Richard has several speech therapists, but due to insurance changes will need to change again. He can say a lot of new words now, but my favorite is when he puts his little lips together to say CHOO-SSS (shoes). Richard doesn’t sleep great and obsesses over the TV show Jurassic Park Camp Cretaceous. He sometimes makes little friends. He has started having a hard time staying in his church class and isn’t feeling quite ready to move up to the sunbeam class, so we might be in the nursery for a while. Richard can recognize his name and signs for a lot of things. He still sucks on his first two fingers. He is good at riding his scooter, loves balls and trains and cars, builds Legos, enjoys the park, loves swings, endlessly eats cereal, and likes peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. He doesn’t like to miss out and struggles a lot with patience, jealousy and sometimes sharing. His meltdowns are challenging, but there are moments of goodness when I feel so blessed to have him as my little teacher. He loves his daddy more than anyone on earth.

Ebenezer (age 2) only responds to his full first name or “sneezer”, not the other cute nicknames we hoped he would take on. His blonde curls and sparkly blue eyes capture the hearts of many, including his speech therapist. The whole office swoons over him and his little frame. He loves cars, balls, and trains, and is obsessed with dinosaurs. He still doesn’t talk, but he will make a couple of signs and animal sounds. He hates baths, but he loves being in the mud. He still loves drinking milk and doesn’t have a huge appetite for various foods. He likes his church nursery class and does Montessori school with Grammy in the mornings. He likes to point to his nose when asked to clap his hands, and he sometimes likes to give a kiss before waving goodbye. He loves the park, especially the swings. He cannot get enough of animals and fearlessly loves them and snuggles them whenever possible. Unfortunately, Ebenezer is sick a lot (thus the nickname Sneezer), doesn’t always sleep through the night, and stopped taking regular naps because of our wonky, crazy life. Hopefully this coming year we can find a way to provide him with some more positive consistency.

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Like I said, so much happens in a year and I can’t recall everything or share it beautifully, but we keep trying to move forward and have faith that God will help us, mend us, and strengthen us.

Wishing everyone a very happy new year!

We love and appreciate you all. Thank you for helping us on this journey. xo