Merry Christmas

Dear Family and Friends,

2011’s end is already in sight!  They say, “Time flies when you are having fun.” We must be having funJ! God’s blessings have been evident throughout the past year.

Gwyneth is two. Her words and verbal cues are becoming clearer to us each day as her vocabulary rapidly grows. She’s a “ go- getter,” and has a way of exasperating Jace in her forceful and sweet manner. Her feet don’t reach the pedals of our tricycle yet, but Jace made sure she doesn’t miss out on an occasional ride. She already tries to be caregiver for her big brother and it is a blessing to see her personality bloom on a daily basis. 
                                         

Jace consumes any new book he can get his hands on. By that, I mean, he has his parents read the book to him. He’s been riding a bike with training wheels, having fun with his train table, and learning how to express his emotions. Jace has a great ear for music, noted by his ability to sing on key and his concentration on the instrument that is being played in a song. He’s an intelligent little boy who is a joy to watch mature and flourish.

Sarah has recently completed course work for a certification in acupuncture. She knows that the therapeutic results for animals are significant, but human friends and family have reaped benefits as well!  We are so thankful for the way that her job has provided for the family and we are still able to have significant family time each week. The kids erupt with excitement when she is at home, and she still gets tagged to read by both kids over dad when she is home.

John continues to be a stay at home dad. He worked part-time as a waiter for The Fort Grille through six months of the year and was grateful for the hours he was able to work when Sarah was at home. He continues to send resumes and serve at Harvest Church. We pray that in God’s time he will find a place of employment to flourish, grow, and provide. When he interviews he is up against hundreds of others in the same position. He needs your prayers for God to guide him to resources and experiences for his own personal development until the next major transition into full-time employment.

We’ve been blessed with being able to see family throughout the year. Sarah’s sister, Hannah, took pictures of our family after Thanksgiving. Some of the shots you are looking at on this blog are her handiwork. We apologize for the grainy pictures (Hannah didn’t take thoseJ) since our camera was set incorrectly at the time. But, you can see that we enjoyed time with Grandpa (Boo) and Grandma Lee, as well as Grandma Packard.

This update comes to you in hopes that you have a BLESSED Christmas season! Blessings to you!

John, Sarah, Jace,  Gwyneth

(for more pics scroll down)

 "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

Grandpa Lee ("Boo") with Gwyneth

Grandma Lee with Jace

Grandma Packard with, you guessed it:).

Gwyneth was dedicated to the Lord in March of this year at our church.

Best buds on a walk at a park near our home.

It was a blessing to take a vacation this past year. This was a pirate cruise that we all enjoyed.

Halloween 2011

Christmas Letter 2010

December 2010

Dear Friends and Family,

We just celebrated Thanksgiving on the Lee side of the family with a feast here, in our home. It was great for all to be together and for Jace and Gwyneth to spend time with their immediate relatives. They’ll have the same opportunity as we travel to the Des Moines area to visit the Packard side of the family this Christmas, a much needed extended break for Sarah.

The year 2010 has been a great year amidst the ups and downs of life.

Gwyneth is pulling herself up on furniture to stand and quickly crawling around the house in pursuit of any sound she hears. She adores her older brother and insists on being in the middle of anything he is doing. She has been a delight with her bright smile and cheery attitude. This bundle of energy in our lives has been such a blessing, and we are enjoying watching her explore and grow.

Jace’s vocabulary continues to grow as he constructs more sentences on his own. His activity level has picked up as well, and the occasional Friday night movie has opened up his world to the characters in “Cars” and “Toy Story.” It’s amazing how he finds these characters on almost any product imaginable as we shop for necessities. He’s able to memorize quickly, and we are taking advantage of this time in his life to help him memorize John 3:16 and The Lord’s Prayer.

Sarah continues to work as an associate veterinarian for Fishers Veterinary Associates and has begun studying for certification in acupuncture. She anticipates having her diagnostic skills expanded as well as further her treatment options for the dogs and cats. Naturally however, the highlight of her week is any and all time she gets to spend with her kids and family.

John is learning much about parenting toddlers and waiting on the LORD for the next step in the journey. Right now, the step in the journey is to be a caregiver for Jace and Gwyn, so he dutifully changes diapers, cleans the house, fixes meals, and keeps his eyes and ears open for an opportunity to flourish, grow, and provide. Rather than take any position available, it seems wise for us to wait on a door that we sense God opens that fits. He continues to apply for international relief and development or spiritual formation employment opportunities and stay open to any new venture into which the Lord may be leading.

Through it all, 2010 has reminded us that God is still on the throne and has us in His grip, especially when we don’t try and wriggle free. May you sense HIS great faithfulness to you in the Christmas season. May your time with friends and family be just what you need to renew and recharge for the new year. May He guide us all to be faithful to take the next step. For HIM, John, Sarah, Jace, and Gwyneth

“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. 6:9

 Jace's reaction to Santa...                                                                            And, Gwyneth's...

Lee Christmas Letter 2008

Dear Friends and Family,

MERRY CHRISTMAS! We hope this holiday season finds you relaxed and anticipating time with friends and family. This past year has been filled with experiences that have built memories which will last a lifetime.
Jace Lee
Most importantly, our son , Jace David, was born on May 15th. Needless to say, our lives are now radically different. Jace is 7 months old and (fortunately for a rookie mom and dad) a very easy-going baby. He is growing like a weed, loves ‘real‘ food, and smiling at new faces. We are having so much fun watching him develop and achieve those ‘firsts’. John takes care of him on Mondays while working out of the house and Jace is in daycare on Wednesday and Thursday. We have felt incredibly blessed to find a great daycare provider and to be able to stay home with him the rest of the week.

John continues to work for WGM as Director of Major Gifts. He has hired three new staff members this past year who have proven to be a great asset to the team. As the development department of WGM heads in a new direction, John is anticipating the Lord’s blessing on both the partners of WGM and the organization in the years ahead.

Sarah still works for the Fishers Veterinary Hospital as an associate veterinarian but has cut back on hours in order to be home a little more with Jace.. She continues to enjoy all life stages and all aspects of general practice. In addition, she is also on a committee to plan the annual conference for the American Animal Hospital Association. The biggest changes within the practice include the addition of another full time doctor bringing them to 6 doctors and the anticipation of a facility remodel doubling the practices size.

In June, we hosted a 50th Wedding Anniversary Celebration for John’s parents. We put a couple tents in our back yard and had about 40 people come. Great friends and family helped to make the occasion a memorable event. So many wrote to contribute to a scrapbook assembled by Becky (John’s sister) and Laura (John’s niece) that two books were used to archive the notes and pictures!

John’s mother has recovered from a bout with skin cancer. She had a spot removed from her right shin and had to endure a long healing process followed by a skin graft. Fortunately, she has recovered and is back to her daily activities. We are so thankful for the Lord’s healing and help.

In September we went back to Iowa for a few days to celebrate the wedding of Sarah’s sister, Hannah, to Blake Rieman. It was a beautiful, and we had a wonderful time with family. Blake is a wonderful man we are so happy to have him in our family!

May your hearts be filled with gratitude during the celebration of the birth of our Savior.. May you sense HIM near as you spend time with friends and family. May HIS joy be yours,

John, Sarah, and Jace

Is. 9:6 For to us a child is born, … , And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Since Jace

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SINCE JACE


Thursday, my wife gave birth to our 21 ½ “, 7 lb., 12 oz. son we named Jace (means “God is my salvation”) David Lee. You guessed it! My life has changed…

Surreal in a way- maybe I was expecting to break down weeping when he was born, but… that didn’t happen. Yeah, consideration and awe at God’s creation, very personal, attached to me…, that has happened! Sensing that words need to express what I’m going through has brought me to this entry. So, here are some thoughts:

I’m profoundly aware of my humanness, my wife’s, my son’s, the caregiver’s, family, and I revel in it. Like, it really is ok to God.:) I’m seeing beauty in humanity in a whole new way.

Driving my wife and son home from the hospital, with greater sensitivity to how abruptly I stopped, accelerated or dodged bumps with the Rav4. Now, acutely aware of precious cargo.

Mowing the lawn upon arrival from the hospital- thanking God for someone to pour my life into. Asking God for the wherewithal to be a great model of walking in godliness for my son.

Passing my office, knowing I must clean it up. Jace will never learn order and efficiency from its arrangement.

Attuned ears to what he’s communicating. Greater sensitivity to how I touch, speak, listen, empathize, and offer feedback.

One “tight” companion- a baby monitor!

And, so far the music I’ve listened to since returning home is 25 Baby Favorites, Bed Time Prayers Lullabies and Peaceful Worship, The Praise Baby Collection, and Baby Mozart.

Overwhelming sense of gratitude for a lovely wife, who would give anything for our son. She converses and reads acquiring practical tips and strategies for parenting, laying out plans for where Jace should be after week 1, month 1, etc…

A new sense of “God, what are you teaching me through this boy?!”