Once
again we have reached the end of the year and we can hardly imagine that yet
another has passed. So much changes in a
year and yet so much remains the same.
We have been reminded several times this year to cherish each day that
we have with our family and friends and to enjoy all the blessings that we have
been given. Again we have seen and felt
God’s faithfulness and loving-kindness as he continues to provide for all of
our spiritual and physical needs.
Nick surpassed
his 6-year anniversary at ... IA. It is hard for us to imagine that he has been
there for more than 6 years, but he started just before Rebecca was born and so
we know it is true! J He continues
to work in the Safety & Regulatory department and enjoys going throughout
the company doing meetings and presentations.
He is also actively involved ... Christian School (where Micah and
Rebecca attend) as he was elected to the School Board this year. He was nominated to serve as Vice-President
of the School Board and serves as the head of the Education Committee and as a
member of Promotions Committee. Whew!
Yup – he keeps busy. He was a volunteer
coach for Micah’s Little League team this summer and had a wonderful time
interacting with the boys on the team.
Michelle
experienced a job change this year as she left her position of 5 years at ..., IA and became a full-time stay at home
mom. It was not a decision that was
reached easily, but it was one that she was being called to. She now fills her days with schedule-making,
meal preparations and all the tasks involved in keeping everyone happy and
healthy (which is easier said than done!).
She also serves on the School Circle at ... Christian and has
rediscovered a love for sewing. Her
sister and her family were also home on an extended furlough from Uruguay. During their visit their second child was
born much to the excitement of all. We
packed them back up in August and were sad to see them go again, but we know
that they are in God’s hands and that we (Nick and Michelle) will be seeing
them when we visit in March 2013.
Micah (8) is now
a 3rd grader at ... Christian School and excels at nearly
everything he puts his hand and mind to.
He continues to surprise his parents with his ability to retain Bible
verses, spelling words and grammar. It
is also very difficult to keep up with him in reading materials as he reads
through books very quickly! He played Little League this summer and much to his
father’s delight served as one of the teams pitchers. J He is currently involved in a 4-on-4
basketball club and is enjoying practice and looking forward to the games this
winter.
Rebecca (6) is a
kindergartener at ... Christian School and had a bit of a rough 2012. We discovered in February that she is
allergic to several environmental irritants.
This started a long journey of trying to find the right medication. Unfortunately there were a few that did not
work out and caused us to lose some ground.
We also discovered that her adenoids had grown back (they had been taken
out for the first time when she was 3 and had grown back apparently it is
common in children with allergies as severe as hers). As soon as the school year was over she had
surgery to have them removed again and to have her nasal cavities
cauterized. We also made the decision to
have her repeat kindergarten. The
allergies had caused some speech issues and the wealth of medication that we
had to try had put her in a fog thus she struggled socially. It was a heart-wrenching decision, but not
one that we regret. We are pleased to
say that Rebecca is doing very well. She
is excelling at school and loves “helping” her teacher this year. She also played T-ball for the first time
this summer. It is always an adventure
to watch 4 & 5-year-olds try to play organized sports, but she enjoyed
it. She is still our little imagination
station and often times she can be found with her princesses and other little
dolls creating stories.
Olivia (2) is,
well, how to put this…. our little go-getter.
By that I mean that if she isn’t supposed to have it then she will
probably go and get it. Climbing in the
fridge, playing with her sister’s carefully arranged princesses, sitting in
front of a closet door so that her brother can’t get in it are things that
Olivia routinely does. She is almost
always running and always wants a “haw-daw” (hot dog) for all meals. She certainly adds a lot of the spice of life
right now and we do not see that changing anytime soon.
We pray that as you move throughout this marvelous season
that you will see and hear the beauty of the message of our Savior. Take a few moments, take a deep breath and
remember that a Savior was born for you, for us and for everyone that we may
know life and know it to the fullest.
Merry Christmas!
