Christmas Letter 2015

Dear Family and Friends,

This past year began as the previous 5 years. John was able to stay home and care for Gwyneth and Quinn while Sarah continued working at Fishers Veterinary Hospital.  Jace was in first grade at Brookschool Road Elementary and enjoying his friends, his teacher, and learning. John continued to work in the evening, and as a family, we continued to trust that the right doors would open at the right time for him to step back into full-time work.



We enjoyed a few hole-in-the-wall restaurants with high online ratings.

An excursion at Shell Island.

In July, we took a family vacation to Panama City, Florida, and enjoyed a week on the beach. As a special treat, Sarah’s mom was able to join us from Iowa, and the kids had a wonderful time playing with Grandma.  (Mom and Dad enjoyed having 3 adults and 3 kids to make it easier to keep them in line!) Following vacation – life was dramatically different.

Deviation. Turn. Diversion. Break.

After 5 ½ years as a stay-at-home dad, God opened up a door for John, and he began a full-time job as a chaplain for Indiana Wesleyan University. God’s guidance and direction were very clear, and we were able to move forward with confidence that this is where John is meant to be. He works with non-residential and online students through Spiritcare, a segment of the Student Services department and is able to touch many lives through his ministry. He enjoys working with his new team and looks forward to ministry developments in the new year.

First day of school for Jace and Gwyneth.

Two weeks after John’s orientation day at IWU, Jace started second grade, and Gwyneth started kindergarten in a new school. Our school district went through a redistricting plan, and our kids were switched to Hoosier Road Elementary. Admittedly, we were apprehensive about this switch but now we see that God was watching over us.  Both kids have fantastic teachers; they are growing socially and academically. Gwyneth is blossoming in school. She comes home and performs the songs and dances that help her learn how to spell, and we see many expressions and hand motions that she mimics from her teacher. She LOVES doing her homework and is rapidly becoming a proficient reader. Jace is also a good student, although drawn more to art and creating than to math and reading. He continues to sing in our church’s children’s choir, and both Jace and Gwyneth take piano lessons from John’s sister Becky. They also enjoy dabbling in group sports through the YMCA.

Our spunky Quinn.
 

With John working full-time, Jace and Gwyneth at school, Quinn is now attending The Playschool at Arbor Village. She is there all day on Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday and continues to struggle with this adjustment. Her teachers assure us that once we are gone, she does very well but openly expresses that she would rather stay at home.  At 3 ½ years of age, this is the first time she hasn’t been with a parent during the day.  On the plus side, she is learning to play with kids her age, she gets to paint almost daily (her favorite), and she enjoys feeding Lucy, the guinea pigJ.   
Our family has always been one to follow tradition, and that includes putting up the Christmas tree and decorations on the day after Thanksgiving. We also like to watch The Muppets Christmas Carol in the evening of Black Friday. Consistent with how 2015 has gone – this also changed.  Instead, we joined Sarah’s mom and her sister’s family at an indoor waterpark north of Chicago. We enjoyed turkey chili in our hotel room on Thanksgiving after splashing through the normal Thanksgiving meal time. While being with family was wonderful, we don’t anticipate a new Thanksgiving tradition! 

A family shot at Key Lime Cover, Gurnee, IL.

Sarah’s year has not been quite as eventful as the rest of the family’s. She continues integrating Western and Eastern medicine in the veterinary practice and enjoys caring for her patients and their families. On the health front, she continues to focus on a rigorous and specific diet that will get the full function of her adrenal glands back. While a grain, sugar, and dairy free diet is challenging, she is definitely feeling stronger and hopes for a full recovery in 2016. Please pray with us for that.

May your family sense God’s blessings during this season and in the New Year. It is a privilege to journey with you and with the Lord.  God’s best to each of you,

John, Sarah, Jace, Gwyneth, and Quinn

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6 NIV

We are looking forward to some time with grandma Lee this Christmas.

Christmas Letter 2014

Dear Family and Friends,

Life is moving at breakneck speed, and these are days to treasure! Pictures capture feelings and stories better than words for many of us, so we decided to share a few with you to recap our year.

All our kids are growing up too quickly, but we continue to parent them with prayer and love, despite our own shortcomings, and trust God with the outcome.

 

 

Jace is a creative, sensitive, and energetic boy who loves school and life. We are proud with what we see him accomplishing academically. He continues to be involved in a smattering of sports throughout the year, first year of piano lessons, and more recently singing with a kids' choir through College Park Church.

Gwyneth is a powerful little personality we have nicknamed “Sarge”. When she is sick or out with a friend, her absence is felt. She is forthright about what she wants, ready to serve, and sappy sweet with an edge. She is loyal and dedicated to friendships, and I’m sure we’ll be hauling her to parties someday. Everyone is a friend. Though we’ve had her in gymnastics and dance, we tried soccer for the first time this year. She is excited for kindergarten, and we are confident she is ready and will devour the opportunity to learn and be with other kids.

 

 

Quinn is a determined, industrious, spunky little lady. She parrots what her older siblings say and tries to copy every action, whether she is ready or not. She loves to move her body, deposit her belongings and ours all around the house, and we have to caution her about all the challenges for which she is not ready.

We are so thankful for how Sarah’s job has provided for us in these years. She has continued to develop professionally, and the practice is led by talented doctors who have administrative gifts in their arsenal. We are so happy that she can spend ample time at home, enjoying family life while still being able to provide. John continues to care for the kids during the day and works four to five nights at Home Depot, getting to bed around 2 a.m. and then up at 7 to get Jace out the door for school. Recently we found a small group we feel encouraged about through our church. We help with the Sunday School program for our kids and have found our church to be a blessing.

May your Christmas be filled with true Peace. May 2015 be a year full of blessing for you and those close to your heart,

John, Sarah, Jace, Gwyneth, and Quinn

"For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." Is. 9:6 NIV

 

In March, Mason, our "pure-bred Frisbee dog," was laid to rest. We admired his companionship, his love of life, his ability to clean food on our kitchen floor, and his passion to chase down Frisbees.

Our  two night campout to McCormick’s Creek State Park was a ton of fun, even though we got rained out and broke down our camp at midnight to head home.

Sibling love…

 

On Halloween this year, Mary Poppins, Burt, and Minnie Mouse showed up.

 

Christmas Letter 2013

Dear Family and Friends,

2013 has been an eventful year, and we are thankful for this rich season of life.

Jace started kindergarten this year, finished up a Tae Kwon Do program, and played on a soccer and basketball team. He rides a bike without training wheels, and can now keep his body above the water long enough to be classified as a “swimmer.” We are proud of our little man’s accomplishments and continue to thank God as he develops as a boy with a heart for God, despite the bumps and bruises he sustains along the way.

Gwyneth has a strong personality, yet her nurturing spirit has her playing mommy to everyone (much to independent Quinn’s dismay!).  She is learning to write letters and numbers and has taken some dance, swim, and tumbling classes.  She brings constant laughter and joy while keeping us on our toes!

Quinn is determined to keep up with her siblings and grows in her ability to motor around and form words. We can tell she is a persistent, purposeful, constant mover. She seems to have an infectious joy and openness to all. She is a bubbly and a little shy personality that we love to see sprout and come to life.

We visited family in KY and in IA on separate occasions and we hosted Sarah’s mother at our home a few times.  We enjoyed a camping experience in KY, while visiting John’s family, and a visit to the IA State Fair while in IA. We look forward to many more memories for our kids with their grandmas and uncles and aunts in the years to come.

Even though it had been difficult for John’s parents to visit because of health issues, his mother was able to make the trip for Thanksgiving this year. John’s dad passed away earlier in November after a long fight with cancer, so the family has been adjusting to life without him. The funeral and the days surrounding his death were incredibly meaningful and resulted in lots of thanksgiving instead of regret.  You can read John’s tribute to him in the blog entry before this one.

Dad enjoying a camping cookout, a few months before his death.

As you can imagine, there’s not a lot of time for relaxation for us. John continues to keep up with the kids and housework while Sarah supports the family as a veterinarian. We continue to enjoy church, hosting a small group from time to time, and providing care in the nursery as needed. John continues with a writing project and calling pastors and praying for them in a volunteer roll. Sarah strengthens her veterinarian skills by studying herbal medicine to  add to her acupuncture certification. Our steps are in God’s hands, so we continue to rely on HIM to guide us into all that He has for us as a family.

May you experience Peace and Joy this Christmas! Have a BLESSED time with your family and friends.

For Him,

John, Sarah, Jace, Gwyneth, and Quinn

Isaiah 9: 6 “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders.  And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. “

Jace having some fun in the sand while in IA this past summer.

Quinn has a real attraction to animals, and she enjoyed this visit to Sarah's Uncle Jim, in IA.

Gwyneth is all smiles after reading with daddy.