Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas from the Rae Family!!

It’s hard to believe that another year has come and gone - our 4th full year since moving to Utah. Life has had its ups and downs (mostly ups) and never seemed to slow down, especially with three growing kids around the house. We have had more opportunities to travel this year and enjoyed our 10-day summer trip to North Dakota as well as trips to Bryce Canyon, Zion, Grand Canyon (x2), Salt Lake museums, and Phoenix Science Center.

Ben has been quite busy this year adding many new things to his plate. In addition to his job as Aquatics Manager at the Community Center, he was named the 1st Head Coach for Dixie State University Women’s Swimming in June. He also went back to school this fall to pursue his Master’s Degree in Public Administration. In his free time, he enjoys spending time with his family, attending the kids activities, and serving in the Elder’s Quorum.

Jill stays quite busy with the kids between homeschooling and shuttling them back and forth to different events. She is in her second year as the president of their HomeSchool Co-op and has been the Camp Leader for Young Womens this year which also means activities and church lessons in a small ward. She made the tough decision to put Heritage Choir on hold this fall as the number of other responsibilities was increasing as the kids grow up.

Jenna spends most of her time dancing, though she likes to read as well. This past year she played soccer again, but with an increasing number of dance classes this fall (I’m not even sure how many!), she has retired from other sports to focus her time on that. She enjoys going to Activity Days and can’t wait another year to be in Young Womens as many of her friends are older and have already moved on. She also enjoys writing and choreographing dances for herself and Charlotte.

Westley spends all of his time in sports - it’s really all he likes to do. This year he has played soccer, baseball, football, volleyball, and basketball as well as running a triathlon, running club, and his first 1 mile race (6:21). He gets up early almost every day to get in some practice before school or to check on the scores from the previous day. He is a huge BYU fan and dreams of playing football there one day. He also enjoys scouts (especially if sports are involved!!)

Charlotte enjoys dancing and coloring. She is in 1st grade this year and insists on coloring each page after completing the assignment (many times before completing the assignment). She is taking several dance classes like her big sister and loves being on stage. She has a lot of personality and always keeps us on our toes. This year she also played soccer, baseball, and running club (though she does most things for the juice box!)

We are grateful for all of the opportunities, challenges, and blessings the Lord has given us and look forward to the future!