Merry Christmas Letter

From the McVals

and the obligatory blooper photo

December 2021

Dear family and friends,

I've been thinking/working on this Christmas letter since March. There is no way I'll be able to do the quality of letters Robb had done. Plus, he was able to write the entire letter in a single day flat with only 3 weeks of procrastination and nagging from me. So... on with our year. If you thought 2020 was bad...

In February, Robb got sick, not Covid but with three main ailments, Strep, dehydration and pneumonia. He went to live in heaven on February 15th, the day after Valentine's day. The family and I are still stunned. Thanks to God first, family, friends and various support groups, we're dealing with the grief that comes with this sudden loss. He would have loved the gathering of people who came to the visitation, funeral and dinner as well as the outpouring of love in words, cards and gifts, to show their respects and honor his memory. But he's having a better, BEST time where he is now.

We drew names as to who gets to write for whom this year. The kids have been a wonderful blessing!

Ryan (written by Jen) Over the past year, Ryan has been pretty busy. He has spent most of his days keeping Leon on track with school as he is on his third semester of homeschooling. They’ve been a great pair; especially after he finally was able to convince Leon that writing notes was a great idea. When not monitoring the schooling and being a dad, Ryan has been working on a tutorial on building a successful pacifist in a game called “Dark Souls 3”. He has to make it through the game without killing anything first hand. He goes around summoning NPC’s (other players), gets them to fight bosses and other enemies for him while he goes around healing them so they don’t die. He is having some fun and stressful moments going back and forth grinding out shots and editing them, but he is almost done and mainly has voice recording to do now. It has been a long process and I love hearing about the work he’s put into it each day when I get home from work. Ryan also loves watching Youtube videos on other gamers, really enjoys watching or reading anything Dune related while trying to get Leon and I hooked on Dune, exploring all of the good music out there in the world and spending time with Leon. Ryan and I usually spend our time together watching whatever TV series that sounds good on Netflix or Hulu, playing a video game together, enjoying long conversations at the end of a long week with a few beers or having friends over for board games.

Jen (written by Meri) "JEN!" When Leon was younger, he'd yell this every time Jen would walk through the front door. This caught on quickly and the whole family started doing this. Now that Jen has been a part of our family for many years, this greeting makes even more sense. She has such a calm and positive attitude that transfers to whoever she talks to. Of course we'd be excited every time she walks through the door! She brings this positivity to many aspects of her life. It's clear to see how happy she makes my brother, Ryan. She also uses this positivity at the daycare she works at, where she is the lead teacher in the toddler classroom. Finally, Jen is also very creative and continues to create beautiful paintings in her free time.

Leon (written by Ryan) Leon is a very bright young boy. I’m reminded every day how great it is to be a father. Whether its fun discussions on sci-fi or anime or more serious lectures on honesty and truth, I enjoy seeing Leon grow into an outstanding person. Leon is homeschooled online and although has a few struggles, gets great grades and enjoys his freedom during the day. This first semester was a bit odd with having his young twin siblings, Nova and Luke, in the house but Leon adjusted very well and helped me out a lot. Leon, being a fan of Legos has joined the local library Lego club and rediscovered an old friend from public school, Liam. This year Leon also became the owner of a kitten, Kevin, a 6 clawed, giant thumbed, ball of energy. Kevin has taken a liking to my older cat, Frank, much to Franks dismay. Leon and Kevin are inseparable; I rarely see the two in different rooms.

Maddy (written by Matthew) This has been a year of change for Maddy. After I accepted my new library position in Iowa, Maddy and I had to finally complete all of the house chores we had put off for three years. After completing these (thanks to Meri's boyfriend, Ryan) in only a few short weeks, our house sold quickly. Maddy also resigned from her teaching position. As she has been wrapping up her final days of teaching, we have reflected on many special moments we have had in Wisconsin and all the lives we have touched and that have touched ours. Both Maddy and I will miss our Wisconsin church family and friends, but are excited to begin a new chapter of our lives living closer to family! One thing that has not changed for Maddy is her love for our pups, Zola and Daisy. After the pups completed all levels of dog training, Maddy has endeavored to teach them even more tricks. This summer she purchased an agility course and has been working to train them to jump at various heights. This has not been a beneficial trick. Maddy is hoping to one day train the dogs to use the Keurig to brew her a cup of coffee.

Matthew (written by Val) I get to tell you about Matthew’s year! Matthew worked full time job at the Wisconsin library and at the same time worked to complete his Master’s degree online through UW Milwaukee. He’ll have it by Christmas! With all that happened this spring, he and Maddy’s gears shifted and early this fall, the kids got me on a DUO call. Matthew announced that he had accepted a job as the assistant director at the library in the next town! Six miles away from me! What a wonderful surprise! Their house sold quickly and after several trips and a U-Haul, 98% of their belongings are in Iowa. He started his new job in November and is getting settled in a 15 minute away town with the puppies, Zola and Daisy. Maddy moves here on Christmas day.

Meri (written by Leon) Meri is an awesome aunt and manager at the U-Haul. We have money Mondays every other Monday. (a day where we spend money) We also have a lot of fun whenever we’re around each other. Meri is a very kind aunt. She has one dog Reedus and four cats named, Ranch, Curry, Pumpkin and Zucchini. Pumpkin is due to have kittens any day now. Meri is dating Ryan and they work at U-Haul together. Ryan is fun and nice.

Val/Mom (written by Maddy) On Valentine’s Day, the day before Dad passed away, he gave Mom an electric canner. Mom has since become an extraordinary canner, preserving all kinds of basic food staples along with “rebellious” canning as well. Mom has not only spent this past year preserving food, but also moments, memories, and connections.

Mom preserved her relationship with Dad and journey through grief as she formed her own local widow support group. Mom preserved her connections with each of us kids as she worked diligently to help us and offer us support each day through Duo calls, canned taco nights, and early morning workouts. Mom preserved Dad’s generosity and open heart as she opened her home to others and cared for them as her own children. Mom preserved joyful moments as well–such as finally getting to meet her boss of 15+ years in person, watching her family overcome obstacles, and exploring new hobbies.

Back to written by Val - With all the changes this year, Margaret has moved into an independent living apartment. She's enjoying settling into her new space with her dog, Teddi, and loves to visit with the other residents in the cafeteria. We see or talk to her several times a week.

I love Christmas and could probably celebrate all year long except that I had Robb to reign in my excitement and limit the house decor until AFTER Thanksgiving. I'll still honor that wish, but I have been known to play Christmas music in July. It just fills my heart with gladness. Especially now that I know that the Bible's lessons have become more alive for me. God sacrificed his only son to save us from damnation so that we will be in heaven with Him when we die. God knows pain. He knows exactly how I'm feeling as He has been through it too. Jesus wept when Lazarus died. Even though He knew He was about to raise Lazarus, He still wept because death is painful. It's not natural. We weren't created to die. But sin entered the world and now we do.

I do know that Robb is in heaven. Earlier than we had hoped, but yay for him! I am patiently waiting for the moment that I can be with him too. I will always have questions for God, but know that they'll all be answered when I get there.

For now, I'll celebrate the birth of our Savior year round until He saves me too. Just not with the Christmas tree until after Thanksgiving. Robb would just be appalled...

Love McVal and family