Merry Christmas from our family to yours!
I didn't find the time to write a Christmas letter this year. I still don't even have the cards done. So I guess maybe this can be our Christmas letter! :)
This last Sunday the children had their Christmas program at church. It was a beautiful service and I was proud of the kids on how well they did not only on their speaking parts but their musical pieces they did. Isaiah played his cello and the piano for the first time in church. It took everything I had to not start crying. It was beautiful listening to him play for God's glory.
Todd and I made the decision this weekend that the school year for our children was going to be done. After Kendra's surgery, there are many things that just needed to be caught up on and this week seemed much better spent finishing up things at home and spending time with the kids just having fun compared to teaching. So I'm officially on Christmas break!!! :)
JERICA
Jerica wasn't too happy that I was going to post this picture because, "My hair is a mess!" Typical teenager response. But it's the only one I have of Sunday and I think she's beautiful, not only on the outside but incredibly beautiful on the inside. So many people fret when their kids reach "teenager" status but Jerica has shown us that having a teen in the house is wonderful. She's such a pleasant girl and just plain fun to be around. She is a great helper with the younger children but an even greater help in the kitchen. She loves to cook and bake. Perhaps that's why were not the skinniest people on the block! ;) Jerica has loved taking a biology class this school year. She spends every spare moment with her nose in her biology book. How can we complain about that??
ARIANA
And now on to Ariana. Ariana has blessed us so much. I think back to the beginning and how she was not a fan of us and to see her today, is simply amazing. She has the most beautiful personality. She keeps the family calm. Nothing seems to frazzle her and her siblings adore her. She is a builder of anything. Her mind is so sharp and in tune to all around her. She attempted a goal of reading her bible every day last year, and she did it. Even when life was crazy and we were traveling in China, she made it her top priority and read every single day. We were so proud of her. She started at the beginning and just the other day finished the entire bible. Now she is starting over. It's incredible to see the faith in this child. God definitely has great plans for her!
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ALEXA
Oh, what can I say about this bundle of spunk? She has kept us on our toes for the last 10 years but has kept us laughing each day. She is the one that brings us to tears from her joking personality. Her whole life revolves around singing! The worst thing that could happen to Alexa would be laryngitis! We're trying hard to get her into a musical. Hopefully one of these days, she'll make it! She is ALL girl and wants to be so grown up. She spends WAY too much time in the bathroom doing her hair but takes pride in looking nice.
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ISAIAH
Isaiah, my little man has started a new adventure - WRESTLING! He had the opportunity to participate and we thought we'd let him try it out and see if he likes it. Well, there's no turning back now. He LOVES it! It's been a great workout for him and he's enjoyed hanging out with other boys. He likes to be the oldest brother and to teach his little brothers the ropes. I'm so happy that God saw to it that this little boy would be ours to teach, train, and enjoy! He's blessed us beyond anything we could imagine!
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ELIJAH
That smile! That's what Elijah is known for! He brings us all to smile! He has now become a fan of Josiah and thinks having a brother his age to play with is awesome. Those two are 2 peas in a pod. They can still fight and try to blame each other but overall, it's going well. He likes to smother Kendra with lots of love and most of the time brings Kendra to tears because she wants to get away. He loves her though....
Just can't imagine my life without this bundle of smiles in it!
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JOSIAH
This little man has changed SO much in the last 7 months. We went from barely walking to running all around the backyard with 2 brothers that are fast and very athletic. I guess once again, God knew what He was doing and what Josiah needed. He's learning more and more English everyday. We still can't understand him all the time but it will eventually come. He's good at tattling though...
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KENDRA
And last but not least, the Kendra girl! She is our second spunky daughter. She has been doing so well lately with her palate fixed. She is now eating blended food and is one happy girl. She needed and wanted food! Now the tricky part is trying to keep her from grabbing food and putting it in her mouth. She no longer has to wear her arm braces so we have to really watch what she's doing. For a 2 year old, she'd doing really well. She LOVES her daddy more than anyone else but the rest of us will do when he's at work.
And here's the WHOLE gang! It's NOT easy to get a picture of everyone looking halfway decent! Todd and I are extremely blessed by these kids that God has given us. Sometimes when I look at them, I am in awe that this is my life and what we've been given. We don't deserve these kids but God blessed us anyway. It's a busy, noisy, crazy life, but it's ours and I wouldn't trade it for anything!
So, from our family to yours, we wish you a very blessed Christmas and a wonderful New Year! God bless you all!
