Christmas Letter 2015

The King of Kings was born in a BARN- a smelly, damp animal barn. Think about that!! Poor young Mary was nearly nine month pregnant when she made that long trek to Bethlehem. Here we are so busy picking out the perfect gifts to put in our plush, already cluttered homes. We are trying to create a magical season that is far removed from the way it all began over 2,000 years ago. Don’t get me wrong… I LOVE this season!! But it struck me recently, the reality of what really took place that December night in Bethlehem. As I pondered, I realized I really do want to make this season celebratory, but keep it revolved around things that really matter. Jesus- the Saviour of the world was born that night. The greatest gift ever given!!

  Here’s a quick family update though I’m not sure much has changed from last year….

  Dutch & I are still Directors at a ministry called The Haft in Bradford Co. PA. Our job ranges from administrative duties, to prayer ministry, to facilitating retreats, to cooking for groups, to keeping the outdoor wood furnaces burning, to everything in between. If you ever wonder if we’re just sitting in the hills of the Endless Mts. twiddling our thumbs, guess again!! J

  ShaLyn- will be a teenager in a few months. I’d say she’s already showing signs of it. Her responses some days have me shaking my head and asking, “Where is my cute, little, innocent Shay.” Besides the teenage drama though, she really is a gem. Super capable, motivated, & for the most part quite responsible. She’s in her 7^th year of homeschooling! She has used the Abeka Academy DVDs the last 3 years, and LOVES it. She says she’s moving to Pensacola, FL. someday to attend their college. We’ll see about that!! Her bucket list of things to do/become in the future continues to grow. I’m excited to see just what it is that the Lord leads her to in life.

  Madison- the child that keeps our house from being overrun with girl drama. He keeps me updated on all things football. He “plays” football by himself every day down in the basement. Its all imaginery, of course, but it keeps him entertained for long periods of time. Most of the time he’s the easy going child. I really do love his personality. A big highlight for him this year was the November Youth for Jesus retreat we had here. He had an encounter with the Holy Spirit like never before. He said that week was the best week of his life!!

  MaKayla- the middle child!! For some reason she has this idea that the older kids pick on her- that may or may not be true;) I am finding that she does have a really tender heart though, and far too often it gets hurt. A highlight for MaKayla and I this year was taking a quick trip (with my mom & sis) to TN. to surprise my oldest sister, Anne, for her 50^th birthday!! MaKayla felt so honored that she got to go along. All the other kids, except Gracie, had to stay home with dad. MaKayla thanked me several times on that trip for “picking” her to go along.

  Gabby- the child that made me question my parenting ability. Need I say more?? She’s little and feisty, and has a lot of spunk. She tells me she’s going to go to gymnastic when she’s 8!? I’m guessing she’d be a natural. One of the hardest things for Gabby is when the other kids are doing school and Gracie is napping- Gabby gets sooo bored. She follows me around, asking me to play games with her. A mama can only do that for so long…

  Gracie- turned two on Thanksgiving Day and SHE IS WALKING!! It was sooo long in coming!! She finally managed the art of balancing herself despite the fact she only sees with her one eye and only part of that eye has vision!! What an incredible brain she has (we all have really!), to be able to piece together her little world and do most of the things a typical two year old can do. She climbs onto the kitchen counter, the bathroom counter, and out of her Pak N’ Play. She is the most loveable, cuddliest child you can imagine.

    A family highlight this year was a camping trip we took to a campground not too far from here. We had our first experience camping in a camper!! That suits me much better than a tent. We all agreed it would be fun to take an RV and travel for a few months, picking campgrounds as we go, sightseeing, etc. We chalked it up as a dream we’ll pursue in the future.

  Overall, we have had a good year! Every year brings with it it’s challenges & surprises- perhaps the biggest surprise for us this year was finding out that we are having Baby #6, due to arrive the end of May!!

                                                                                                   Celebrating Jesus!!!

          dutch, rosa, shay, matt, makayla, gabby, gracie