🎄 2025 Wright Family Christmas Letter 🎄

 

What a year! 2025 was packed with milestones, adventures, surprises, and a whole lot of joy. Here’s a little peek into the Wright family’s whirlwind of a year:

January

We kicked off the year with some spiritual milestones.Easton became a Deacon and received the priesthood. Bennett moved into the Teachers Quorum, and Jack entered his final year as a Priest.

Maddie got engaged to Andy Hunter and we are thrilled! She and Nate also started a small wedding lighting and draping business. Jack went to prom with Kylie, a friend of a friend.  Easton had another eye procedure, but this time up at Primary Childrens—this one involved putting oil in his eye to help his torn retina heal. He had to lay on his left side for seven days (yes, seven!), but it worked!

January was full of wedding dress shopping, engagement photos, and taking down the 2024 Christmas lights.

February

I taught a history class all about the making of America to Bennett and his friends, and we had a great field trip to the Capitol. February was filled with rock climbing, being outside when it wasn’t too cold. I even had the brilliant idea of having each kid make dinner once a week… It lasted a month, but it was glorious while it lasted.

I was teaching three classes in our Commonwealth school and absolutely burning myself out. The kids worked hard in their classes, Nate got busy with Paint & Dent, and we tried skiing as a family for the first time! It was rough at first, but everyone ended up having fun.

March

March was jam-packed.
Jack got his first job at JDawgs, we had Maddie’s bridal shower, and celebrated three birthdays:
• Easton – 12
• Jack – 17
• Me – 43

Jack had his big debate night for his last DLA class, and Easton began guitar lessons.

For spring break we flew to Fort Lauderdale to visit my mom—temple time, an airboat ride, gator watching, beach days, visiting my Uncle Dave and Aunt Lori, boating, sunshine… It was glorious!

We also started demolition on the backyard to prepare for the Casita and continued the wedding prep. Jack also took his friend Abigail to the Homeschool Prom!

April — The Wedding!

More wedding prep filled the beginning of the month, along with Bennett’s Shakespeare play, where he played the Lion in A Midsummer Night’s Dream (and did amazing!). I got to be the assistant director, and it was such a blast. Track season also kicked off for Bennett and Easton, and Nate and I helped coach.

And then… April 11th arrived.
Maddie and Andy’s wedding day was everything we had hoped it would be and so much more.

The whole day felt peaceful, joyful, and sacred. Watching Maddie in her dress, surrounded by people who adore her, was one of those moments that makes time feel like it stands still. I don’t think I’ve ever smiled so much. Seeing her and Andy together—happy and full of love—filled our hearts to the brim.

It meant so much to see so many family members and friends come from all chapters of our life to support them. The reception was beautiful—full of laughter, hugs, and dancing!). It was the perfect beginning to their forever, and we’re still so grateful for that unforgettable day.

We ended the month with a demolition derby, the county fair, and a wild final month at DLA full of assignments, interviews, and awards. After a crazy year, we made the decision not to return to DLA. It’s bittersweet after 10 years, but we’re ready for something new. The boys also had their region Ninja competition and did great.

May

Jack graduated from DLA! We’re so proud of all he accomplished. He and his cousin Esther graduated together. He also took a week-long trip to Texas with friends and loved every minute.

Bennett and Nate competed in a Ninja competition in Vegas and qualified for Worlds. Bennett turned 14 and discovered Magic The Gathering and loves playing it with his friends.

Maddie and Andy settled into married life, living by the college and working hard. Andy also won the election for Student Body President at Utah Tech—he’s going to be an amazing leader for the school.

We also went to Lagoon with homeschooling friends, took a quick trip to Logan for Nate’s family reunion. The boys had a Youth Retreat while Jack enjoyed FSY at BYU.

June

June was full of river days, friends, a little summer school (mean mom life!), and tons of fun.

Bennett and Jack got to join the Get Outside group for a Zion trip and hiked the Narrows. Bennett went to FSY with his friend Will and had a great time.

Nate turned 45 and we celebrated at the lake with cliff jumping followed by dinner in Springdale.

I ended June with an Orem overnighter with my BFFs—temple time, hiking, shopping, chatting, and laughing nonstop.

July

July brought mission farewells and homecomings, cousin hair bleaching, and a hot St. George 4th of July.

We headed to Dallas, Texas for World Ninja—a whirlwind of competitions, eating out, the Stockyards, Medieval Times, and cheering our crew on.

The younger boys participated in a summer running club. The boys biked like crazy. Easton had another eye procedure to remove the oil from his eye. We hoped it would be the last.

Bennett went to Cross Country Camp, and Talmage cheered him on all summer on our Monday phone calls. Coaching him from afar!

August

We celebrated Maddie’s 22nd birthday—still can’t believe we have a 22-year-old!

Bike season started and the kids all loved their first race and Soldier Hollow.  We finished the Casita and listed it for rent.

We went to family camp with our small co-op, and it was exactly what our hearts needed.

Bennett had his first cross-country races and did great—he reminds us so much of Talmage.

We visited Grandma Neubert, who seemed to be doing better. We also hosted the Stemmons for a visit and a Tuacahn show. We love it when family comes to visit!

We officially started school and our S.A.L.T. co-op—an absolute answer to prayer.

September

More running and biking races filled the month, and Jack went to HOCO with his friend Alyssa.

The Andrew Hodges  family came for a visit and it was so fun to see them after them being in Germany for so long.  Then came the hardest part of our year: saying goodbye to our sweet Grandma Neubert.

We were able to see her before she passed. It was tender, heartbreaking, and full of love. She had a gift for making every one of us feel like her favorite. We miss her deeply but are grateful for her love and legacy.

October

Grandma’s funeral was beautiful—almost the entire family came together to honor her. It was a beautiful funeral with lots of fun memories shared, beautiful music and almost every family member was able to be there!

The boys dressed in lederhosen for their last mountain biking race and it was absolutely hilarious.

Jack was asked to two Sadies dances—one by Addison and one by Evelyn. He had a blast at both.

Christmas light season kicked off for Nate.
Jack and Bennett raced at State MTB, Bennett ran at Region XC. Easton had a fun farm field trip I got to chaperone.

Jack bleach-buzzed his hair, and Halloween featured Eminem, Perry the Platypus, and an LED light ninja.

Easton had cataract surgery—his fourth eye surgery this year. We’re praying this is the last.

November

November was full of light jobs, beautiful weather, and sleeping in far too long. And Lights, Lots and Lots of Christmas Lights! We have been blessed this year for sure!

We had a small Thanksgiving with Maddie and Andy before they left on their honeymoon cruise. Then we drove to Orem for a second Thanksgiving with my family. 

December

December has been full of Christmas traditions and excitement: Tuacahn Nativity, cutting down a real tree, pickleball, and holiday parties.

Jack also found out he’s going to the Philippines for his HXP trip next summer! He’s counting down the days, getting his passport, and already dreaming about his adventures.

To finish out the year, Easton has one more eye procedure this month, and then—hopefully—he is finally done. It has been a full year of surgeries, healing, and countless eye appointments. We are incredibly grateful for the amazing doctors, the prayers, and the kind people who have blessed and supported us through it all.

A Quick Rundown About Each of Us

Kendra-  I’ve happily entered my bread-making era, and love studying conference talks with friends. I’ve also been scrapbooking and working on closing out my blog by turning all my posts into a book. It’s a bittersweet ending, but it felt right to finally take it off the internet. I’m loving serving in Primary as the secretary. Life feels a little strange as I realize how quickly things are changing—I’m not totally prepared for next year when I’ll only be homeschooling two kids. Time has flown by, and I’m soaking up every moment.

Nate is working hard as always. He loves doing Ninja in the mornings and biking whenever he gets the chance. He also decided to start installing permanent lighting in the off-season (because why slow down?). He teaches Sunday School at church, and the kids absolutely love his class.

Madeline & Andy are happy, busy, and loving married life. It still feels surreal having a married daughter! Andy is juggling a full college load while serving as Student Body President at Utah Tech, and Maddie works many hours each week at a troubled youth facility, where she is an amazing mentor to the girls. They are living life to its fullest!

Talmage (almost 20) is loving his mission in Brazil. He has about seven months left—but who’s counting? 😉 He’s doing so well with the language and absolutely loves the people, the food, and the clothes. He keeps saying he’s going to save his food money and buy a whole new wardrobe before coming home. We love our weekly calls and his hilarious photos and videos.

Jackson (17) has had a full year! He finished his final mountain biking season, and we’ve loved watching him race. He works a couple times a week at JDawgs (which we enjoy for the discount!) After graduating from homeschool, he’s doing a couple classes at our new co-op. He’s a great student and a strong writer, he has written some amazing papers and even a couple songs this year. He loves reading, hanging out with his brothers, Ninja, dating, and pickleball. He’s excited for the year ahead—he’ll travel to the Philippines for an HXP trip for 17 days, and in just a few months he’ll be putting his mission papers in! He’ll leave after Talmage gets home in July.

Bennett (14) is loving freshman year. He’s all about running, biking, Ninja, friends, music, reading, video games and board games. He was thrilled to qualify for Ninja Worlds and has been training hard, getting stronger every week. He’s also really excited for the upcoming track season, especially hurdles, which he has totally taken to. He also did awesome in his Shakespeare play. He has also stepped up a lot in school and loves learning. It has been so fun to watch him come into his own this year.

Easton (12) has had quite the year. We’re so grateful for the patience, courage, and resilience he has shown through a very complicated year of doctor appointments and eye surgeries. It’s been a little rough and I’m sure annoying at times,  but he has been an absolute trooper. He had to take a break from competing in Ninja this year, but he’s excited to jump back in. He loved the biking season and was grateful that his surgeries fell between races so he could compete all year. Easton loves being outside, chatting with neighbors, hanging with friends, and going to co-op. He has been reading more this year (yay!) and loved going to the homeschool dances.

As we look back on this year, our hearts are full. We’ve felt the Savior’s hand in our home, seen blessings in both the joyful and the hard moments, and been surrounded by people who make life sweeter. We hope your Christmas is filled with peace, joy, and the ones you love.

With love,
The Wright Family

Family Letter 2024

 

Happy Holidays and Goodbye, 2024! This year has been a good, busy, hard, and fun one for our family.
I love reflecting on our year and sharing a post about it. Blogging used to be such a big part of my life, but times have changed, and so have my priorities. Now, I enjoy creating a quick year-in-review post—for my sake more than anything. Feel free to skim or skip around!

January was packed with excitement! We celebrated the New Year in Mexico on a service trip with Builders Without Borders, which was an amazing experience—we can’t wait to go back someday! Once home, we jumped right into celebrating Talmage’s 18th birthday (how did 18 years go by so fast? 😢). Mom and Joel came to visit, we enjoyed Grip time, took down Christmas lights, and attended our homeschool family ball, which turned out beautifully. Talmage went to prom with his friend Mandy Beckstrand, and Easton bought his own electric guitar—it’s loud! I also started my new calling as Primary Secretary, and it was so special to serve during Easton’s last year in Primary.

February began with us serving at the Red Cliffs Temple open house. We couldn’t be more thrilled to have a temple just three minutes from our house! The month also brought the start of track season, the excitement of selling the Blue Explorer for a white convertible Mustang (Jack found it and can’t wait to drive!), and visits from cousins. Other highlights included attending the Parade of Homes, having breakdancing parties in the living room, and celebrating Talmage’s new job at Swig. We also experienced the first of Talmage’s friends receiving mission calls, which was so special. To top it all off, I enjoyed an amazing mom’s trip to San Clemente with my Epic Co-op moms—it was the best!

March was a whirlwind of activity! It began with Bennett running the Lake to Lake race with friends, Talmage going to Preference, and the start of more track meets, fun co-op days, and lots of soccer for Easton. Talmage submitted his mission papers, and Jack turned 16 but still needs to finish driver’s ed before getting his license. We enjoyed some rock climbing, celebrated our 22nd wedding anniversary, and had birthdays—Easton turned 11, and I turned 42. For spring break, we took a very cold but memorable trip with the Dutsons to Cathedral Gorge. The highlight of the month was welcoming our favorite sister home on March 21st after her mission—it was such a special moment, and we’re so proud of all she accomplished. Nate bought a house to flip with a friend, and Bennett starred as the Duke in a Shakespeare play alongside his cousin Hattie, doing an incredible job. Easter and my birthday fell on the same day, and Maddie’s homecoming that same day was filled with the Spirit, family, and friends as we celebrated her return and the resurrection of our Savior. March was busy, memorable, and so much fun!

April was mission call month, and the excitement was high as Talmage received his call to serve in the Feira de Santana, Brazil mission—he leaves in August! The month was filled with track meets, soccer games, and memorable experiences, including attending the Sunday morning session of General Conference as a whole family. It was something I’ve always wanted to do, and I’m so grateful we made it happen before Talmage leaves. Jack asked his good friend Addison to the Homeschool Prom, and they had a blast dancing with all their homeschool friends. Nate worked tirelessly on the new house, while the boys competed in a ninja competition—it didn’t go as well as hoped, and we decided not to try for Worlds this year, which was a tough but good decision. Other highlights included a fun trip to the county fair, Talmage attending Senior Ball with a sweet girl (whose name I can’t recall!) and doubling with Moroni, and Talmage excelling in the Steeplechase at a track meet at SUU—it was such a fun event to watch! We wrapped up the Commonwealth school year, where the kids learned and grew so much. Jack and Bennett also had a blast at the homeschool ball with their friends. Maddie started a new job at a jewelry company, which was exciting, but sadly, I lost the diamond from my wedding ring. We searched everywhere—even retraced steps at the stores and the temple—but it’s gone. Despite that sadness, April was an incredible month full of growth, milestones, and cherished memories.

May began with our Knights Summit, a fun and exciting tradition at our Commonwealth that is always a blast! We wrapped up the school year with some great end-of-year field trips, and Bennett discovered a deep love for piano—he can’t imagine life without it now. Track season came to an end, with Talmage qualifying for state in three events and doing an incredible job. We’re so proud of him! We celebrated Mother’s Day, enjoyed piano recitals, and spent lots of time outdoors. May was filled with “lasts” for Talmage, which was tough for our sentimental kid. His last day of running was especially emotional, as was finishing seminary. He’s also been taking ceramics classes and has shown real talent! Talmage had a wonderful balance of homeschool and public school experiences this year. Bennett turned 13 and seems to have grown a foot—he’s officially a man-child! We took a trip to Zion and ate at one of our favorite restaurants. One of the best moments of the moth was when my dad visited Mandy and me with our families in St. George. We don’t get to see him often, so having him here for two days was so special. May was a month of growth, milestones, and unforgettable memories.

June was a busy and fun month! I was asked to serve on the board of our Commonwealth school as Principal Mentor, which means I help with the older kids' classes and mentors. It's a lot of work, but I’ve really enjoyed the personal growth it’s brought me. Nate and Jack went to young men’s camp, while Bennett attended the American Heritage Youth Retreat for four days, where Maddie was a counselor and had a great time. Easton and I spent time with our homeschool friends and moms, making wonderful memories. We had a great mountain biking team party, celebrated Nate’s 44th birthday, and cheered Easton on as he built an awesome box car for the ward derby. A highlight was a one-day family reunion at a ghost town called Giles, where my great-great-grandma grew up—it was an unforgettable trip! We spent much of June shopping and preparing Talmage for his mission, as his departure in August approached. The boys had a blast at youth conference, and we even went boating with our Commonwealth group, where Easton was shockingly bitten by a fish at Quail Lake—it was wild! The best part of the month was when Talmage went through the St. George Temple for the first time. It was so special to be there with my two oldest kids, and even more fun when Talmage’s best friend unknowingly scheduled the same session. At the end of June, Jack finally got his driver’s license and now loves driving the Mustang around town. Easton took swimming lessons and had so much fun. We also enjoyed family time at the lake, paddleboarding and soaking in the joy of being together.

July was filled with precious family time as we spent our last month with Talmage before his mission. At the start of the month, Mom and Joel opened their mission call and were called to serve in the Fort Lauderdale, Florida Mission! They were beyond shocked and not super excited at first, but we’re thrilled for them. For the 4th of July, we enjoyed a big concert at the Utah Tech stadium—it was a fantastic evening! We also took mission pictures for Talmage and his amazing group of friends, who have been such a blessing in his life. The younger boys joined a summer running club, and Nate, Jack, and Bennett went on a hilariously miserable overnight backpacking trip—they had plenty to complain about when they returned! On July 16th, we flew from Vegas to New York and began an unforgettable family trip. Our first stop was Six Flags Darien Lake, where we enjoyed amazing rides, a fun water park, and the food pass—definitely a 9 out of 10 experience! The next day, we visited Niagara Falls, which was a perfect 10 out of 10. We rode the Maid of the Mist and then drove to Palmyra to tour the Grandin Building, where the Book of Mormon was printed. We did temple work at the Palmyra Temple and ended the day with delicious pizza in town. The following day, we visited the Hill Cumorah and the Sacred Grove, an incredibly spiritual experience. We stopped in Cazenovia, New York, where my grandma was born and her ancestors are buried—it was challenging but rewarding to find their graves. From there, we drove through Vermont and New Hampshire, staying overnight in New Hampshire before heading to Maine the next day. Maine was breathtaking! We explored lighthouses, played on the beach, and left wishing we had more time to soak in its beauty. 

In the late afternoon, we arrived in Boston and explored part of the Freedom Trail. The kids' favorite part was definitely watching the hip-hop street performers! The next morning, we visited Uncle Bill’s and Joel Judd’s old church, which was right across the street from Longfellow’s house. Boston is so old and cool! Afterward, we drove down to Plymouth to see Plymouth Rock, then stopped to take pictures in Rhode Island and Connecticut. We finally made it to Jersey City, New Jersey, where we grabbed dinner and crashed after a very long driving day. The next day, we got up early and headed to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island—my kids loved it! We spent the rest of the day racing around New York City, taking in as much as we could. It was an incredible last trip as a family of seven, a special time we know won’t happen again soon with kids going on missions and dating. The final Sunday in July was Talmage’s farewell. He gave an amazing talk, and we had a big party afterward, surrounded by family. It was a perfect end to a month filled with unforgettable memories!

August started with making memories we knew Talmage wouldn’t be able to do once his mission began. We went to Grip, watched movies, and took family pictures. Maddie celebrated her 21st birthday, and we had a fun time honoring her! We packed up Talmage and he started his home MTC on the 5th. He had a great week at home, exercising with each of us in the mornings and getting to know his district, which helped him get excited to meet them in person the following week. Dropping him off at the MTC was not easy—Easton was heartbroken, and I couldn’t bring myself to talk most of the way home. Sending a child on a mission is a bittersweet experience, filled with both joy and sadness. Jack had fun at his Scholar kickoff for DLA, our homeschool group, and we enjoyed rock climbing, hiking in the mountains with our co-op friends, and playing basketball. I helped with our Scholar Retreat for all the kids 12+ in our homeschool Commonwealth group, which was a great experience. We also attended several farewells for Talmage’s friends. Easton started guitar lessons, and the mountain biking season kicked off with Bennett and Jack’s first race!

September started with Maddie and her friend Andy taking Jack and Nate on a hike through Keyhole Canyon, and they had a blast! There were more cross-country and mountain biking races, and the hardest part of the month was saying goodbye to my mom and Joel as they left for their mission. The silver lining was that they spent a week at the MTC with Talmage, and he loved seeing them every day. Jack discovered a love for wake surfing and quickly became really good at it! We had a ward pinewood derby where the boys' cars did amazing—two 1st place and two 3rd place finishes! Easton went on a field trip where he learned to forge a really cool knife. The best part of the month was hearing that Talmage had made it safely to Brazil! Meanwhile, Maddie spent nearly every day with her new friend Andy, and they had a great time together.

October was filled with races and family time—fall in our family is all about running and mountain biking! Jack got asked to Sadies and had a blast with Annie. I went on a midnight bike ride through Snow Canyon, which was such a fun experience! Easton went on the last team ride of the year and is excited to join the mountain biking team next year. Our school hosted a Harvest Moon Ball for all the homeschool teens, with over 130 kids attending. The kids had a fantastic time, and Maddie and Andy even taught a fun country line dance! Maddie and I also participated in the Golden Banana Challenge—it was a blast, but we were sad we didn’t win the grand prize! Nate’s truck broke down, but I found him an awesome new one. We carved pumpkins, did all the Halloween activities, and had a great time dressing up. Maddie was "Red Flags," Bennett was the Headless Horseman, Easton was a White Ninja, and Jack was a Lumberjack. Nate also worked hard on the lights throughout the month, putting in a ton of effort!

November was a great month. Easton had his last primary program, and we all cried. He has loved primary, especially the singing, and the spirit was so strong as the children sang. I’ve really enjoyed serving in Primary this year. Nate got released from his calling in the Young Men’s, which was a sad day for him. He was told he’ll be given a new calling soon, but after being in the Young Men’s almost our entire marriage, it was tough for him to leave just as our last son is about to enter. Speaking of... never mind, I don’t want to talk about it—it just makes me so sad. We had our mountain biking team banquet and raffle and ended up winning a lot of awesome prizes! Family came to visit, which is always a highlight. We also had a wonderful Thanksgiving with the Wrights this year.

December flew by. We finished up our semester of Commonwealth, and in addition to my role as Principal Mentor, I’ve been helping in two classes: Shakespeare and Foundations of Freedom (a History class). I’m loving both and learning so much! We kept up with a lot of our family traditions but skipped a few this year. On December 5th, I took Easton to the eye doctor, thinking he’d just need glasses, since in November he’d mentioned that his vision was blurry in one eye. That appointment turned into a week full of doctor visits, including driving to Primary Children's Hospital, and then back here for surgery to repair a detached retina. This is very uncommon in kids, and Easton had no trauma to his eye—just possibly from bonking his head or a Nerf bullet, but no major impacts or black eyes. The doctors mentioned that it could possibly be genetic and suggested Nate and I undergo genetic testing. Anyway, the following Wednesday, Easton had major eye surgery to put a scleral buckle on his eye to reattach the retina. He was so brave, and we felt many tender mercies along the way. That whole week had already been challenging with other issues, and then adding this on top of it made it feel especially heavy. Before his surgery, Nate, Bennett, and Jack all participated in a ninja competition, where they each placed 4th in their divisions. Easton was devastated that he couldn’t participate and cried hard when the doctor told him he couldn’t compete. We also attended our ward party, where Jack and Bennett performed a clapping song by Pentatonix, which was a fun moment. After that, most of our focus was on Easton’s recovery. He had his surgery locally, since Primary Children’s couldn’t schedule him until the end of January.

It was a tender couple of weeks, but we were served and blessed by so many. After Easton’s surgery, everyone except me got sick—thankfully before Christmas! Everyone was wiped out, either in bed or flopping around the house completely exhausted. Fortunately, that only lasted about four days, and then it was gone. A few fun highlights included Bennett’s class earning a shooting trip in the desert, where they got to shoot some old, cool guns. I even shot a .50 caliber rifle—crazy, that thing is huge! We also made time for decorating gingerbread houses, looking at Christmas lights, and having a family movie night. Easton and I sang in the ward choir, and it sounded really good! We then headed up north for a few family parties and returned home on Christmas Eve. We had a wonderful Christmas at home and got to talk with Talmage for a bit! It was a great couple of days, and we feel very blessed for such a wonderful month.

All our kids are growing up so fast.
Madeline is working at an online jewelry store and spends her days making jewelry. She enjoys it but is looking for another job that pays a little better. She stays busy with work, working out, and dating Andy Hunter, who is a great guy, and we all like him. She’s also involved with ward activities, institute, and is currently in the Pathway Program this year.

Talmage is doing great on his mission. He is now in his third transfer and is getting the hang of the language. He likes the food and loves the people. He seems happy, and we pray for him daily to be safe and comforted while he’s away. Missions are amazing, but they aren’t easy.

Jackson, now 16, loves driving, works hard in school, and enjoys seminary. We’ve seen a huge shift in him this year—he's really growing up and figuring out what’s important to him. He enjoys going on dates and has the funniest personality.

Bennett grew about two feet this year. He passed Jack in height (don’t talk to Jack about that) and just keeps growing! His clothes seem to shrink daily! He’s loving biking and running, and has really improved in Ninja this year. He also has the best time playing board games with his friends.

Easton is filled with so much energy. He loves life and loves people. He’ll talk to everyone he meets—you should have heard him at the retina specialist, talking to all the older people about what they "were in for"! He loves Ninja, biking, and just being with friends. He’s taking Pre-Scholar classes at our Commonwealth school and has really pushed himself this year.

Nate and I are so grateful for our life, for where we live, for our little family, and our big extended family. We are thankful for our Savior and our Heavenly Parents, who we know love us so much! Life isn’t always easy; it has its ups and downs, but with the people cheering us on from the other side, we know we can get through each day. We hope you all had a Merry Christmas and a wonderful, learning, and growing 2025!

Family Letter 2023

Happy Holidays and Goodbye 2023!  This year has been a good, busy, hard, and fun year for our family.  

A quick run through of the year for my sake.  Feel free to skip around or just look at the cute Christmas card above! 😀

January consisted of Talmage turning 17 and he went to Prom with an adorable friend.  We went sledding in Pine Vally, hiking in St. George, and enjoyed a fun snow day when it snowed for one day in St. George.  Nate and I got to take Bennett to do baptisms for the first time in Cedar City and he loved it!  

February was busy with a fun trip to Legoland and San Diego. We have always wanted to stay at the Legoland hotel…we finally did and wished we had done it when they were all younger, they loved it, but we probably wouldn’t ever do it again.  Our kids have pretty much outgrown Legoland, but it was still fun, and will for sure be the last time we go as a family until we have grandkids!

March is our busy month with Easton turning 10, Jack turned 15 and got his driver's permit, and I turned 41. We also celebrated 21 years of marriage…Go Us!! Talmage went to Preference with his good friend. We had piano recitals, went golfing at big shots, started the track season, and went to lots of races to watch Talmage and Bennett run.  We also added 3 new girls to the family…Chickens!!! The boys had a Ninja Area Competition and did awesome. Nate competed for the first time and did great. And the biggest thing that happened was we got our Landscaping in the front yard done!!

April was also crazy. We finished up our semester with DLA. We went to lots of Track meets. Talmage Graduated from our Commonwealth school and homeschool!  He also went to Sr. Ball and we celebrated Easter!  

In May I went to Womens Conference with my mom and sisters! It was the best. We also got to watch Talmage participate in the State Track meet!  Bennett finished up playing Competitive Soccer and decided it was not his favorite sport.  He also turned 12 and had a great birthday!  I got to go back up north to a homeschool conference with some friends and enjoyed a little mom getaway!  

In June we had a regional Ninja competition and Nate, Talmage, and Jack all qualified for worlds.  We also took a very quick trip to Colorado and Wyoming to see family, which ended up being a very long day of getting our van fixed.  We missed the gathering, but made it up to Cheyenne to spend a day with Nate’s parents and to see where Nate’s dad grew up! Nate turned 43 this month.  Jack and Talmage went to FSY and the early mornings of Cross Country and Mountain biking started!

In July we went to a really fun family reunion with my family in Logan!  Easton made a soap box car with Nate, We spent lots of time at the lake and we went to Orlando for a week for the World Ninja Comp!  It was fun and hard and the boys didn’t do as well as they had hoped, but they learned a lot!!

In August Maddie turned 20!! I can’t believe we have a 20-year-old.  Talmage started school at Dixie Tech.  We started school back up and a busy season of cross-country and Mountain biking.  At the end of August, I went on a one-day trip with some good friends to explore San Francisco. It was a blast and we saw pretty much every touristy thing in the city in one day!!

September was pretty much school, XC, Mountain biking, repeat!  Most of Talmage’s Cross Country races were up north this year so we would do quick one-day trips to watch him. I hated missing any since it was his last year.  We also said goodbye to my nephew Carson who headed off to the Atlanta Georgia mission!

October was State XC and Mountain Biking State. We also started a busy Christmas light season at the beginning of October. I know…it’s crazy to start that early, but it gets busier and busier every year.  We had a fun week with my mom and Joel coming to visit. It’s always fun to have them come visit.  

November consisted of awards nights for mountain biking, cross country, and our co-ops.  Lots of light jobs.  A quick trip to AZ for Talmage for a cross-country race where he got 4th!  Missionary week for my 3 older boys, which was amazing. It ended with more lights and a great Thanksgiving day with family up north!  

December has been busy and fun. We snuck in a one-day trip to Anaheim to watch Talmage run at Nike, his last cross-country race. Sad to see Cross country be over.  We love PVXC!!  The boys also needed to qualify for region for Ninja, so we found a comp in the area that same weekend, so it was fun to be in California for two reasons!  We have had a great season of Christmas lights and are always grateful for it to be over and take a month off before Nate gets busy again.  We also got to go to the St. George Temple dedication and to the Orem Temple open house.  We are so excited to have a temple close by again, especially the Red Cliffs one opening soon!!!  We are excited to be with family and friends for a couple days this holiday season and then we are going on a service trip with Builders without Boarders to Mexico for a week! It’s a surprise for the kids, so I hope my kids love it!!  

A quick rundown on each child…..

Madeline has been gone for 15 months!  We survived our first year without her…barely 🙂She is currently in Franklin Kentucky.  She is doing great and has had some amazing experiences on her mission.  She has had some ups and downs but has grown up so much.  She has made many lifelong friends and loves the people of Tennessee.  

Talmage has had an amazing year running. He is the fastest runner on his team which has been amazing to watch, but also put a lot of pressure on him.  He got 9th at state. He has worked so hard to be where he is at and is very dedicated to running.  He is in the Electrical program at Dixie Tech and enjoying it.  He also takes Ceramics and seminary at the high school.  He loves dating, hanging out with friends, and becoming more independent.  

Jackson is 15 and is learning to drive….eeek! We are hoping he gets his license in March.  He enjoyed Mountain biking and went to state and did great!  He has worked super hard this year in school. He just finished a 7-page research paper and has read a lot of books.  He i  funny and kind and an all-around good guy! 🙂If we can’t find Jack he is most likely curled up on the couch reading a book or playing his spelling game on his phone and enjoying the peace and quiet.  

Bennett played soccer for a comp team at the beginning of the year and has decided it isn’t his favorite thing.  He loves running, Ninja Warrior, and mountain biking.  He competed in his first Ninja comp and qualified for Region.  He has also decided he wants to join the mountain biking team this next year.  Bennett has grown a ton this year. He is taller than me and keeps growing. He has loved school at our commonwealth this year and is reading a lot more and loving big books!!  

Easton is a ball of energy. He loves playing with friends, being outside, playing with the dog, biking, hiking, ninja warrior, and building anything.  That really just sums him up! He wants to be with people and be busy!  The biggest thing he has done this year is pick up a book and read it on his own and has since read a dozen or so more.  This is huge because he has hated reading and is now loving it. It’s a good peaceful time of day when we see Easton reading or listening to a book!

Nate has been busy this year with Lights, Paint and Dent stuff, and being a dad.  He is still serving in the YM’s with the priests. He is also a coach on the Mountain biking team. He loves Ninja Warrier and loves taking Jack to the 5:00 am practice!  It was his first year competing and has podiumed each time.  He also loves mornings when he can sleep in!  

I, Kendra, have had a good year.  I am teaching Wealthy and Rad at our Commonwealth school. I helped create a Wealthy and Rad Jr. curriculum and have enjoyed using it with my younger boys.  I taught Sunday school to the 14-16 year olds this year and loved all that I learned.  I just got released and put in as the Primary secretary.  I have walked at least 10,000 steps a day. A goal I made last year on New Years Day!! My neighbors might have seen me walking back and forth in front of my house for 15 minutes at the end of the day to finish my steps each day.  I have read a lot, and am enjoying homeschooling Jack, Bennett, and Easton. It’s crazy going from 5 to just 3!  

We are realizing how fast our kids are growing up and leaving home and both of us don’t really like that. It is going by way too fast. We are learning to embrace the time with them and love days when we are home together or on vacation! We can’t wait for Maddie to be home in less than 3 months,  I might be counting down the days! We have loved having a missionary. It’s amazing to see the growth in them and to see them be able to do things all on their own. Talmage will be putting his papers in this spring and hoping to leave this summer.  We are excited for him, but life will be so different without him.  

We feel so grateful for this year. It has been a year with some ups and some downs, but God helps us get through those downs and we come out stronger and have learned a lot.  We are excited for this beautiful Christmas season where we get to celebrate the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ.  We love him so much!  We are also grateful for the many amazing people that are a part of our life!  Thanks for your friendship and love!!

Love the Wright Family!

Family Letter 2022

This year has been a very blessed year. A few of our highlights would be our fun trip with our friends to North and South Carolina and then to Tennessee to the Smoky Mountains and Dollywood. Oh and Meeting Big Foot is as awesome as it sounds!  In June our new house was finally finished and we moved to Washington, Utah. (A place where Kendra has always dreamed of living) We our loving our new neighborhood and house!  The kids have participated in a lot of great sports and achievements this year. In June, Maddie received her mission call to serve in the Tennessee Nashville mission and left at the first of September.  Nate and Kendra celebrated 20 years of marriage and took a weekend trip to Lake Powell to Kayak Antelope Canon. Maddie and Kendra went on a fun Girls trip to Sedona before she left on her mission.  Life has been busy and we have had some ups and downs his year, but we are grateful for all we are learning and have been blessed with this year.  

Nate is living his childhood dreams vicariously through our sons.  He is a coach and ride leader with the Pine View Mountain bike team. He is becoming a hopeful ultimate Ninja Warrior as he goes 3 times a week at 5:15am with Jackson.  He is again serving in the young mens.  He is and will continue to be doing a lot of yard work so that people will stop asking us if our front yard is done.  Oh and his hearing has gone bionic after his wife suggested hearing aids. He has a lot of new friends because of this. It’s like a club he never new existed! He also slipped back in to his teenage years by getting braces (clear correct)! Thankfully the acne didn’t show it’s ugly face this go round!  He is happy to be done with another Christmas light season.

Kendra started the year by finishing up her 40X40 goals.  Which was a big achievement. She is loving decorating the new house! She is the number one user of our new workout room and movie room (she is not watching movies, but studying). She managed the Christmas light business through another shinning season!  She also managed to lay low in the ward for 7 months until she was called last week to teach Sunday school to the youth next year. She is excited about that. She just finished up a new Independent Study Curriculum for her Wealthy and Rad class, and expects to be a competing with Dave Ramsey by the end of the year.  She is learning that it is not easy to live with all boys that are void of feminine emotions and she misses her daughter and looks forward to talking to her each week.  

Madeline started the year off by meeting a great “friend”;).  She also joined the Ninja gym taking Jackson to early morning practices 3 times a week. After much prayer and study she decided that a mission is what she needed to do in her life to serve God and be her best self.  After getting her 2 wisdom teeth out she put her papers in and in June got her call to the Tennessee Nashville mission. Which was pretty cool since we went to Tennessee for her senior trip earlier in the year.  She was called to start her mission August 29th. She did 1 week at home MTC, which was hard, but a nice transition to the mission.  She is now in her 3rd transfer and still living in the same area of Winchester.  She is learning a ton. We as her parents are super proud of her and even though it’s hard for all of us, we know this is the best place for her to be as she grows into adulthood. 

Talmage started the year off right by turning 16, getting his license and starting to date. He is busy with school and lots of sports.  In the spring he participated in track and Pr’d in the 800, mile and High jump!  This summer he got to go to FSY and also on Trek with our new stake.  He has continued doing Ninja Warrior this year and qualified to go to Worlds where he finished in the top 20 Amateur division.  His love for Cross Country grew a ton this year and he was the 2nd place runner on his team. He got 16th at state and is excited for next year.  His biggest goal was to get under a 5.00 min mile and he did it!! While doing Cross Country he also participated in Mountain biking and also qualified for state. He has worked hard in school and even though it’s not his favorite he pushes through to get it done and does well. 

Jackson is a 9th grader now and loves going to Seminary at the high school. He works hard in school and loves his classes.  He can memorize things like you wouldn’t believe it.  He was asked to be in a play a week before because someone wasn’t able to and he memorized the lines in a week.  He has also worked hard in piano this year and has improved a lot.  But Jack’s greatest love is Ninja Warrior.  He goes 3 days a week at 5:15am but then tries to sleep a couple more hours when he gets home. He qualified for worlds this year and got 4th in his divisions!  He is a funny kid, gets his chores done and likes to read a lot. He has read way to many huge books this year to the point that he actually gets in trouble for reading too much.  He loves mountain biking and did amazing this year in the NICA league.  He qualified for state and did great!  Jack also was kind of part of the Cross Country team this year.  Due to dumb district sports rules for homeschoolers he didn’t get to race in very many races, but he improved a ton and enjoys running when he doesn’t have Ninja or Mountain biking.  

Bennett is our soccer loving kiddo. He asked if he could do competitive soccer with Fire after a lame city season.  He worked hard and his team improved a ton this year.  He plays midfield and loves it.  Bennett also loves running Cross Country, but he didn’t know it until after his first race where he did amazing.  He is excited for the spring track season.  Another highlight this year for Bennett is he got to take a really fun Pre Scholar class at our Commonwealth school. He has made some great friends and loves going each week.  He is reading a lot, but it is the audio books we have to ground him from!  He is also doing Ninja once a week, and loves playing basketball in the back yard.  He loves caring for the animals in our house, Dixie the Dog and his Lizard Celebrant. He doesn’t love piano but continues to practice because his mother begs him. He is looking forward to is getting to go to young mens and receive the priesthood in January.   

Easton is a friend to all. If there is someone in need he is the first one to say, “Let’s help”.  From the first spoonful of breakfast until his head hits the pillow he is on the move.  We are grateful for this new neighborhood with friends his age and the safety to let him be outside where there aren’t billion cars driving down the street.  He loves mountain biking and Ninja warrior.  He can’t wait to be as good as his Hero Alex one day! He has grown a ton in his learning this year and is reading and spelling a lot more because HE wants to.  He is really good at math and loves to go to our co-ops because he loves friend time!  He is begging for drums but we are pleading for calm.  He loves it when Nate is home and loves doing projects around the house, and his favorite new hobby is going bullet hunting and making stuff out of bullet shells!

Those are the high points for the year, and of course we left out the low points, but you didn’t want to hear those anyways.  Just know that we are just like you and we have highs and lows throughout the year putting our shoulder to the wheel and pushing along, smelling the roses as we go and holding on to friends and family. We love you and hope you have a wonderful Christmas and new year!