Hello friends
I hope this letter finds you all doing well. This has been another good year for the Cottings. We have had our work cut out for us this year, but we are all healthy and well.
We have gotten to spend a lot of time together as a family this year. It has been a real blessing as Wendy and Jason still get along and Cody and Mia are at a great age where playing is the priority. They also enjoy each other’s company (most of the time).
We are very grateful for the mountain property we purchased last year. It has been a great place for us to get away to this year. We spent about 20 days out there this summer. With things being closed or full this summer, it was always a place for us to go to. We jokingly refer to it as “brain on nature”.
Jason did a lot of work with beginning the cleanup of the dead trees on our land. There’s still a lot more to be done, but it’s a start. He built a little structure so we could use a solar shower, added some cabinets to the cabin (shed) and also installed some insulation in the cabin.
Wendy has been learning more about cooking outdoors. She’s even been doing some baking in the dutch oven. Wendy got to do some exploring around the area as well as enjoy some of the wildflowers nearby. She took Cody and Mia to the lakes that are in the area so they could play in the water and the sand.
Cody and Mia had a lot of fun playing outside. They got to see stars that they’ve never seen before and they ask us to take them on walks around our land each night. We are glad that they are getting to experience some of the simple life that we have learned to love.
The dogs did a lot of time running around smelling stuff. They seemed to have cleared out the squirrel population around the cabin.
We’ve enjoyed getting to know more of the neighbors up there. The majority of the people up there are of retirement age. The parallels with living in a retirement community can be humorous.
Cody finished up PreK this spring and started Kindergarten this fall at Intermountain Christian School (ICS). He enjoys being at school and playing with his friends. He has learned a lot and is improving his reading, math, and writing skills. He has a wonderful teacher who Mia had two years ago. Cody got to play some soccer this year and he enjoys it. He still enjoys playing with trucks and cars and playing with his Paw Patrol toys. He’s also been riding his bicycle around the neighborhood.
Mia is now in 2nd grade at ICS. She is doing really well in school and is excited about going to school each day.. One of Mia’s favorite things is reading. She has read our complete set of Calvin and Hobbes several times. Jason keeps an eye out for deals on sets of books at Costco. Mia played some more soccer this year and really enjoys it. She also loves riding her bicycle around the neighborhood.
Wendy is still working as an urgent care pediatrician. In an ironic turn of events, her work load has dropped off significantly despite being in a pandemic. We are grateful that she still has a job. She enjoys spending time taking the kids to parks and on hikes.
Jason still does things around the house and plays dad while Wendy is at work. He got in as much bicycle time as he could while the weather was good. He has now transitioned to riding indoors using a VR program called Zwift. Jason is still working part time for our church doing computer stuff and volunteers at the church managing the safety team. He also started a small side business selling some stickers he created.
During this Christmas season, I (Jason) have been learning more about and appreciating the hope and anticipation the Isrealites had for a promised messiah. With Jesus being the fulfillment of this promise, understanding the significance of the name Emmanuel (God with us) has brought me much comfort.
The Cottings hope you are all having a great Christmas season and hope you have a wonderful 2021.
