Our Christmas Letter 2017

I used to be good at sending out Christmas letters. But I guess I'm getting lazy. So I'm just putting this here in case anyone cares :)


Lucas (19) decided in April that he wanted to join the US Navy. On November 16th he was sworn in and he is currently in Illinois completing basic, and will graduate January 12th. We don't hear much from him, which isn't that different from when he was here in Utah. Jason is very proud of him, you can see a sparkle in his eyes when we mention Lucas' name.


Lilly (18) is a senior this year, she can't wait to graduate and hopes to move to Portland area for college. She is a great student with several scholarships offered. She won first place in the school's art show, which was judged by professional artists. Lilly is a best friend to Carson, Vanessa, and Faith, whether she likes it or not. They just flock to her when she comes to visit. Her visit to Cambodia was a wonderful experience and she loves to talk about it.


Jeanine (16) started working at a pizza place in Salt Lake, but it was a bit too stressful so she decided to take a break from that. She is a beautiful person inside and out, and the kids love to sit with her. She draws amazing patterns with intricate details, which Vanessa and Faith love to have her draw on their hands and arms.

Anthonio (16) is still going strong in sports. He loves basketball, soccer, and cross country. He loves to tease and has a great sense of humor. He was involved in the state science fair and he is in in a math Olympiad group. We know he will be successful in all he does.

Karleah (16) is really getting in to theater. While working as a sweeper at an elementary school, she saved up enough money to go to New York and saw 6 Broadway plays in 5 days. She wrote, cast, directed, and performed in a one-act play. She performed in an ensemble and the Shakespearean Festival, and is going on tour next spring with the theater and music departments at her school. Another passion is music, and she saved up enough money to attend Imagine Dragons in concert, her favorite group.

Caranina (14) is also an amazing artist, with an eye for detail and beauty. She loves sports, especially soccer, and went to a RSL game for her birthday earlier this year. She is compassionate and gentle, a good student, and a loving, polite daughter. Always first to say "thank you" and "please", and she is such a fun sister for TJ.

Nathanael (12) is in 6th grade and can't wait to get out of elementary. He has a few close friends, and he had a great birthday party. He just received the Aaronic priesthood and is excited to start passing the sacrament each Sunday. He loves bowling, arcades, miniature golf, and YouTube. With his birthday money, he begged me to use it to play laser tag. He was so adamant, he even offered to help pay for his siblings to play, and we had a lot of fun.

Carson (9) is still struggling emotionally. He has a huge heart, and intense emotions for such a little guy so it can be a challenge. But he's improving and the happy times are starting to increase. He is funny and loves to do puzzles, dot-to-dots, or cut paper into tiny shreds all over the living room. He loves making things, especially gifts for friends, teachers, and parents.

Vanessa (9) is the DIVA of the family. She loves Disney TV and acts like a teenager. I often find myself saying "you obviously have 4 teenage sisters". Vanessa is a social butterfly, chatting the ear off every cashier, bagger, or cart collector at any store. She makes friends wherever she goes and she is a wonderful "mini mom" to TJ (sometimes he doesn't want anyone but Vanessa!)

Faith (7) is loving 2nd grade, and learning Spanish in the dual language immersion program. She is good at math, and an excellent reader. She loves to draw and color, and if I haven't heard any noise from her in a while, I can be certain she is getting into something and making a huge mess. She loves to laugh, and makes everyone laugh with her nonsense jokes.

TJ (1) is the light of our family. He loves to be chased around by the younger kids, and teased by the older ones. He knows how to climb on anything and is completely fearless about jumping off of whatever he climbs on. He is communicating with a few signs and learning a few words. His favorite word is "Papa" and he cannot wait to see Jason after work. His other favorite words are "ball" "there" and "Jesus".

Jason and Amberleah are staying busy with work, and all the kids' activities. It's hard to believe that we got married almost 3 years ago, but we are looking forward to many years to come, and love to make plans and talk about our dreams for the future, including a couples mission once the kids are old enough.

We hope that all of our friends and family have joy in life, and that you have had a wonderful spirit in your home all year, and especially at Christmastime.

Love,
the White/Stucky family