Letter to Eric from Uncle Emmanuel

Friday, April 26, 2013

Dear Eric,

How's my favorite nephew named Eric doing?  To answer your question from your letter: I would love to visit you sometime and jump on your trampoline.  That sounds like so much fun!  In fact, next time your Aunt Jessica and I are in Utah I promise we will come down to see you and jump on that trampoline!

It sounds like you are a very busy boy with lots of friends to play with, and that is great!  Sometimes I even wish I was a kid again :-).  But enjoy every minute of it kiddo!  You've got a wonderful family, and great, loving parents and of course...the trampoline! :-)

I like the Gold Ranger too.  I like all of the Power Rangers.  I like it when they work together to beat the bad guys.  If you notice when you're watching them, they each have their own individual talents and when they work together to combine their talents and skills there isn't a villain they can't beat.  Being able to work on a team is a very important skill to develop.

I love spelling also!  I used to love competing in spelling bees when I was in elementary school.  Keep up the great wrk and keep getting those great scores on your spelling tests!

I have been busy with a new business I'm working on.  It has taken a lot of my time in the past couple of weeks which is why it took me so long to respond to you.  I apologize, and will be more timely with my next letter.

Besides hanging out with your Aunt Jessica and our dog Charlie, I've spent a lot of time doing different drills fro the various martial arts I practice.  I practice Brazilian or Gracie Jiu-Jitsu (which is a grappling martial art) and Filipino Kali ("Kali" is short for the Filipino words "KAmot" and "LIhok", which roughly translated into English is "body in motion").  I have lots of fun doing both!

I had a pretty bad wrist injury that lasted for almost three months and so in order to stay sharp I had to train without using that wrist.  At first it was very challenging but I was able to strengthen other parts of my body because I could not use my right arm, and particularly my wrist.  It is now almost 100% better so I will be able to return training regularly at the academy.

(Pictures of Emmanuel with Charlie in his training area in his house)

Sometimes our dog, Charlie, likes to interrupt my drilling sessions, so I'll stop to give him a hug :-)

When I'm not training at the academy I train in my basement where I've set up a training room for exercise and martial arts!

I hope we get to know each other more.  I really enjoyed your last letter and hope you enjoy mine!

Till next time...

Your Uncle,

Emmanuel Soltes

Letter to Heidi and Meja from Rubie

(Italicized words are words written in Rubie's own writing)

Dear Heidi and Meja,

We have a new trampoline.  It has a zipper in the net.  We went to the Tulip Festival yesterday at Thanksgiving Point.  There was a bingo game to identify many different tulips.  We got to feed fish.  The Croods.  (some stick figure drawings of Heidi, Meja, and Koen )

Love Rubie

Letter to Uncle Emmanuel from Eric

Sunday, April 14, 2013

Dear Uncle Emmanuel,

We just got a trampoline.  Can you come visit us sometime?  This is our phone number 801-623-8149.  Our address is 1130 N.  This is a yellow lion megazord. (Eric included a picture he colored on the computer of a megazord.)

I had six friends over and jumped on our tramp on Saturday.  Our house is cool now.  You should show off some of your moves on our trampoline.

The Gold Ranger is my favorite.  My favorite color is black and red and blue and white.  My spelling words in school last week were all the colors.  I always get 100% on my spelling tests.

I have a friend and his name is Brock.  We like to jump on his tramp and play ninjas and hunters.  And I have a friend and his name is Logan.  And I like to play with him.  I have a friend named Riley.  He just moved.  I have a friend named Crew.  I have a friend named Tyler.  And a friend named Preston.  He just went to Florida.  And he just came back on Saturday.  Just a few (then the rest of the letter was cut off in the scanning when Emmanuel sent it back.)

A Letter to Aunt Jessica from Rubie

Dear Aunt Jessica,

Can you keep your promise to yourself?  This is something I learned in my Church lesson.

You are an awesome Aunt.  You are my mommy's favorite sister.  I like to play Barbies.  I have a fairy Barbie, a Barbie named Barbie, and a mermaid Barbie.  I have Ariel the Mermaid and her tail changes color when she gets wet.  I have Aurora and Prince Philip and a ballerina Sleeping Beauty.  And Annalise from the Barbie movie Princess and the Pauper.  You and my mom used to play Barbies for hours and hours.

My Dad took us to see The Croods.  I loved it, it was so funny.  I loved how they took pictures.  One Crood was silly and always scared.  He fell down and showed his booty.

We have a new trampoline.

Sincerely,  Rubie

Sunday Letter Writing

So I have set a goal with the kids that I will help them write a letter to someone each Sunday.  There are a couple of reasons we have decided to do this.  1. We have 1:00 church and need appropriate Sabbath Day activities to do. 2. The wants want to get mail and so I thought to get mail we better send some out.  3. It will help with their learning to read and write. 4. We have friends and family that live out of state that we can communicate with. 5. It gets them thinking about someone else.  And probably some other good reasons too.  Last week was our first week of doing it.  Eric wrote a letter to Uncle Emmanuel and Rubie wrote a letter to Max Jarvis.  I didn't think about it until today but I would like to include their letters in our Family Memory Book.  I have asked for Emmanuel to send a copy of Eric's letter back so I can include it but I do have this week's to include.  So from here on out I will include the letters the kids are writing and hopefully get back to.

Letter to Uncle Andy from Eric,

Good job on finishing your Master's Degree.  We just got a trampoline.  You and Isaac should come jump on it soon.

I'm excited that I will be going to first grade and Rubie will be going to kindergarten in my shcool.

I am learning to read really well.  I get second grade level books now.  What I like about school is science and art but not fire drills so much.  But I like recess and my teacher.  The kids in my class are named Maren, Reyden and his friend is Hyrum.  There is Jordan and Benson and Kaycee and Sandra, Nathan, Adam, Olea, Erik M., Cody, and my friend Nicholas is six but taller than me and is now going to a different school.  I am getting really good at math in school.  I always get 100% on my spelling tests.  In a few weeks I will get to wear a Shakespeare costumer to school.  I'm hoping I get to wear a knight costume.

My Dad took us to see the movie The Croods.  It was very funny and guess how they take pictures?  They flick a coconut and sand comes out, they have paint on their body, a big thing comes down and smacks them and leaves their picture on a rock.

Yesterday after getting home from playing with Cougar my mom got me some new clothes.  A T-shirt with lightning coming out from a skull and head-phones over the skull.  And two new pairs of skinny jeans.  Finally the store had green in my size and I'm going to wear them after church.

Sincerely, Eric

(and he included a picture he colored of a bow tie and a hat)

Extras for the Book

Other Cards and letters received, and other mementos: