2015 Christmas Letter

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from the Marinos!

Well, here's a summary of what is going on here, at least as far as I can tell. It is hard keeping track of all those kids, and I am getting on in years. As you can see, some of us are happier than others, but that's the way it goes.

Jared, 12, is excelling in drawing and has branched into drawing actual people, in addition to dragons and wizards and fantasy creatures. He's turning out to be quite a sharpshooter with a bow and arrow and a .22. His days are filled with reading, drawing, using his imagination and creating.

Ellie, 4, fills the role of baby of the family quite adeptly. She draws and sings and plays all day long fairly contentedly, and is learning to ice skate. She was pretty close to swimming all on her own by the end of summer, and gleefully jumped off the diving board into the deep end, where her big sister was waiting to catch her. At least, that's what I'm told; I couldn't watch. Recently, someone asked her what her favorite thing to do is. She quickly replied "Snuggling my mommy." She's a smart one.

Natty, 7, started school this year, and is an avid and joyful learner! He spends a lot of his time drawing, building with Legos, and making us laugh. He mastered the front crawl this summer at the pool, and loves to ice skate really fast.

Edith, 10, is growing into such a lovely young lady. She plays piano and draws and swims and skates all with passion and an aim for doing her very best. 

We are in our 14th year of homeschooling, and I am so grateful for being able to do this.

Margaret, 15, is on swim team and sings in a local choir, and also had the opportunity to sing with the Cleveland Messiah Chorus this fall. She worked as a newly trained life guard full-time this summer, and is working hard on her studies, at which she excels, for the school year.

Lewis, 19, is in his first year of college at Cleveland State University and is living at home. He is still very active in Police Explorers. That's all I'm allowed to say, so if you want to know more, you'll have to ask him. I'll give you a hint: it may have something to do with that green hat he's wearing.

Deb, 20, is still plugging away at finishing her Associates degree, while working full time as an EMT. She will begin training as a Paramedic soon and is considering Fire School, while being active in Fire Explorers. She worked as a pool manager for the city pool this summer and continues to sew, putter around the horse barn and work on photography and is learning how to use firearms. She drives an ambulance too, and says it's not much different than driving her screaming siblings around in the Suburban.

Jay and I recently celebrated 23 years of marital bliss together. Seriously, though, we are fine and not much has changed with us except, as usual, we are thinner and younger looking.

I guess that about sums it up. We hope you all are well, and would love to hear from you! May you know the presence and the peace of God now, and through the new year, and may you rest in Him.

Jay, Katie, Deborah, Lewis, Margaret, Jared, Edith, Nathanael and Eleanor