Our digital Christmas card, sent with love from our family to yours.

December 23, 2025

Oceanside and Coronado, CA

“But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David, a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” Luke 2:10-12

Six months ago, we left our home in Virginia Beach, waving goodbye to Navy life.

Since then, we have driven over 17,500 miles through 22 states, spending 192 nights at 59 campgrounds, touring 30 incredible national parks and visiting with dozens of family and friends. By the grace of God, we’ve had zero roadside emergencies.

Our kids, who began the trip complaining during 3-mile hikes, have worked their way up to an 11-mile hike to the Yellowstone River (Nate) and a 20-mile hike to the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon (Sadie). Meanwhile, their mom and dad are sampling—and embracing—the art of slowing down.

*Home for the holidays: Christmas in Coronado*

This December, after six months of traveling as a family in a fifth wheel, the Christmas story in Luke 1 and 2 reads differently. We find in these pages Mary and Joseph as young travelers, returning to a former hometown with no family or friends to host them.

Due to a government decree, the expecting parents were forced to travel during peak season when the town’s few accommodations were already booked. Caught in a travel nightmare, Mary and Joseph found themselves seeking urgent medical care while away from home.

Mary delivered her baby in a barn, completely dependent on the Lord and the kindness of strangers to meet their needs. The baby’s bassinet was an animal feeding trough. Government leaders were so threatened by the baby’s presence, the young family was forced to flee their homeland for two years.

Throughout their story bringing Jesus into the world, Mary and Joseph faced uncertainty upon uncertainty as to how their journey would unfold. Through it all, they put their trust in the Lord’s promise that a mighty savior was on the way.

As Mary expressed in Luke 1:46-47, “My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant.”

This Christmas as we reflect on all that has happened in 2025—the unmistakably glorious and the incredibly disheartening—we find tremendous hope in the Lord’s promise of a peace that surpasses all understanding. In a joy made complete by Christ. In a love that doesn’t discriminate, available to all.

We’ve seen evidence of the Lord’s incomparable might in the incredible diversity of our nation’s natural wonders.

We’ve felt His unconditional love in the hospitality of family, friends, and perfect strangers.

We’ve seen hints of His perfect peace in the quiet of a slow morning, the wonder of an open day, the stillness of unhurried minutes.

Through it all, we find His gifts immeasurable.

As countless as the stars.

“Great are the works of the Lord; they are pondered by all who delight in them. Glorious and majestic are his deeds, and his righteousness endures forever.” —Psalm 111, 2-3

The Most Memorable Lines of the Year

Those of you who have received Christmas cards from us know we like to share the best one-liners our kids said during the year. I usually squeeze these on the back of a 5 x 7” photo card.

This year’s digital format has granted us unlimited space!! So we hope you’ll enjoy Sadie and Nate’s most thoughtful and silliest comments from the year.

#SadieSpeaks

*Colorado River, Grand Canyon National Park*

“Math is the most useless thing to ever exist. All you need to know is money and fractions.”

“Gum is like a form of currency in my school. You can get literally anything with it.”

“I think it would be fun to be the one who narrates the audiobook. Because you get to read the book.”

“If it were up to me, this country would be different.” (in history, learning about the Indian Removal Act)

“Dad, you should run for president.”

“Dad, the bags under your eyes look terrible!”  (January 2025, months before retirement)

“I really love you not working.” (April 3 — two days after I, Mom, left my job and began driving her to school)

“Dad, thanks for being in the military. This week at school I got a bag of chips and a sticker.” (during Month of the Military Child)

“You know who the most fun adults are? Youth directors.”

“I bet my friends would rather be on a road trip right now than in school, so I’m pretty lucky.”

“I’m gonna be in good hiking shape for the rest of my life after this trip.”

“If only we were Jesus and could walk on water.” (trying to get to a fishing spot across a lake in Glacier National Park)

“You know the only point of newspapers these days? To start fires.”

“I’m still going to be trick or treating when I’m 30.”

“I feel like this happens about once a day—that people don’t live up to Dad’s standards.”

“Mom, what state are we in?”

#NateNarrates

*Investigating oddities at Arches National Park*

“Is your latte decapitated?”

“In the future there won’t be Navy SEALS. They will be robots.”

“If we had a private jet and a snow cone maker, we could fly above the school and drop a load of snow in front of it and then school would be canceled.”

“Water is made out of two gases [hydrogen and oxygen], but they aren’t very wet. Have you ever wondered that?”

“Why don’t we just go back to being Amish and not create greenhouse gases and put plants into the ground. Why don’t we just do that?”

“I want to take a bath in guacamole.”

“I wonder how bad World War 3 will be.”

“Why can’t our country just live in peace?”

“Mom, can you give me some quarters for the Nate Roberts Foundation? It’s a fund to raise money.”

“Grass is like the earth’s hair.”

“I’m getting used to our new house. No matter what state we go to, we’re still in the same house.”

“Mom, is this your dream? Relaxing at a beach with no noise?”

“This muffin is better than Dad’s singing.”

“Life is good. But with cheese curds, it’s even better.” (in Wisconsin)

“I’m gonna live in a camper van that turns into a boat.”

“What if someone filled their whole entire RV tank up with milk?”

“They haven’t found a way to stop gravity.”

“Fifth wheels only have four wheels.”

“Does lightning have a positive charge or a negative charge?”

When asked to develop a word problem during math: “Mom has 18 pens. She loses 9 of them. How many pens does Mom have now?”

“Whenever I think about lava I think about how it’s a liquid, and liquids put out fires. But lava starts fires. It confuses me.”

“Do you ever feel like you’re the passenger in your body, not the driver?”

“I want to open my airplane window.”

“Why does my bubble bath have a dollar sign on it if it came from Santa?”

“I think this is more fun than if I had been, like, a single child.”

“Ha. Home is wherever I’m with you. Perfect song.”

Bonus Quote from St. Nick

“Sadie, every time you make a negative comment, I’m going to make a music video and send it to your friends.”

Wishing each of you a very Merry Christmas and happy new year, wherever you may be!

Love and hugs,

St. Nick, Peyton, Sadie & Nate

P.S. Behold, my Christmas gift came early this year :)

Roberts on the Road

For those just finding us, hello! Inspired by the Year of Jubilee in Leviticus 25, our family is on a yearlong RV road trip in 2025-2026 to celebrate my husband’s retirement after 20 years in Naval Special Warfare, as well as our 24 years together during the ups and downs of it all.

With our 12-year-old daughter and 9-year-old son in tow, this trip to explore America’s national parks and beautiful places is intended to help our family reflect and reset as civilian life begins.

Sign up below to receive updates about the trip, along with stories, photos, and reflections from 24 years of military service. We look forward to keeping in touch on this epic adventure.

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For background info on who we are and where we’re traveling, we’d love for you to read the intro post. The full list of road trip blog posts can be found here. Thanks for stopping by!