Lee Christmas Letter 2018

Wow, has this year flown by! I was assembling pictures from our phones to make our traditional memories book for 2018 and I was amazed all we have accomplished as a family.  To summarize, our year consisted of travel, kids, and renovation. 

 

In July, we went on a family cruise to the Western Caribbean. What a wonderful time! The kids loved the activities, pools, and free ice creamJ.  John and Sarah loved the family time, exposing the kids to new cultures, time to slow down, and the fancy evening dinners. 

Renovation is still a focus and when time permits, we continue to upgrade areas of our home that need an update. We added a pantry closet for the kitchen and overhauled our master bathroom and laundry room with the help of a construction company.

Pantry at mid-point.

Pantry partially stocked:).

Framed master bathroom...

Same scene completed:)...

Removal of our kitchen floor was followed by laying new flooring and replacing weathered appliances.

Before

After

Jace finished the fourth grade and changed to an intermediate school in the fifth. He has enjoyed cross country this Fall, in which his season ended with a national meet in Louisville, KY. It was great to see him represent his team well and compete against some top runners in our nation. He continues to excel in  math and is placed in classes that challenge him. It is neat to see him lead as a big brother in the household.

Jace's 4th grade team was fourth in the state in Math Bowl.

All three children benefited from the influence of a great nanny over the summer months. Christa and her daughter (Saebella) were a welcome addition to our household in the summer months.

Gwyneth is a third grader. She has shown a love for kids on the bus and at school who have special needs. Her heart has opportunity to spill over as she expresses herself through service to these friends. She loves all kinds of social interaction, is thriving as a student, and continues to “mom” everyone in the house, including her parents!  She and Quinn have dabbled in gymnastics and dance classes at the church.

Quinn is a vibrant first grader who can’t wait to follow in the steps of her big brother in cross country next year. She works to keep up with her older siblings, is a good reader, and loves to move to the music. I think her favorite description of herself is “sassy.”

In this year, we also added four horses to our property. Their caretakers, who rent our stable and pasture space have been great tenants. They work with our kids helping them learn to care for the animals and keep the place tidy.

Sarah continues to see improvements with her health thanks to celery juice every morning. She continues to remain sweet and charming despite a full work schedule with plenty to accomplish on her days off.

On date nights we were able to pull away from the kids for an evening together. This past year we were able to see the Broadway musical Wicked and also enjoyed the So You Think You Can Dance Tour as it came through Indianapolis.

John is grateful for an opportunity to point people toward hope in Jesus as a chaplain at Indiana Wesleyan University. His co-workers are a blessing, and despite the long commute, we can’t imagine a better scenario for these years with our kids and family.

May God’s blessing be tangible and real in your lives this holiday season. Have a Merry Christmas and a blessed 2019!

John, Sarah, Jace, Gwyneth, and Quinn

Is. 9:6 For a child is born to us, A son is given to us; And the government Is upon His shoulder; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.

Christmas Update 2017

“Sweaty and exhausting.” That was Sarah’s response after asking her for a word or two to describe 2017. In the Lee home, it has been a trying year for sure. We are grateful for how God has led us through and showed His faithfulness through many challenges. Even though we haven’t had much time to pause in our lives along the way, here are a few pictures of our journey.

Much of our activity centered in our move from Fishers to Westfield, IN. “Live and learn” has new meaning as we are experiencing all that inspection reports don’t show in the

purchase of a new home.

Here is our country home. If you'd like to schedule a work-day, feel free:)...

Here is our new ride for mowing our property...

Our barn kittens are named Rascal and Flatts.

Our kids have been great through the transition. When we had no AC or they couldn’t use a bathroom because of another leak, they continue to focus on what is important. Our kids loved Hoosier Road Elementary, but we are encouraged by the appreciation they have for their teachers at Monon Trail Elementary. Their teachers seem to balance instructing a whole class and keeping students challenged based upon their abilities. In addition, all of the kids have chores that should increase as we become more established in our new home (feeding the guinea pigs and cleaning cage, caring for Knowa the greyhound, and also the barn kittens). Piano lessons with Aunt Becky continue and we hope that we’ll find extra time when we are not consumed with house projects to involve them in sports they enjoy.

Our kindergartner, Quinn, with Mrs.McCreary
on the ice cream social night. 

Gwyneth, our second grader, loves school and her teacher, Ms. Dunfee.

Jace has thoroughly enjoyed the influence of his first male teacher in his school career. Mr. Lewis helps to encourage Jace with math, science, and running.

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Jokin' around before boarding the bus for their first day at Monon Trail Elementary...

We pulled the kids out of school for a week to visit Disney World in September. This was a long-awaited and planned bucket list event. It was good to break away from the normal routine, eat food we don’t normally consume, while enjoying entertainment, sunshine, and character heroes.

Meeting Mary Poppins, Jasmine, and Gaston in REAL LIFE was a thrill!

Sarah and John have grown this year. We are SO thankful for our employment and the people with whom we work. What a blessing to have a stable work environment where ‘drama’ is bare minimum. We’ve grown in our reliance on the Lord for our health, His provision, and His constant care. It has been evident to us as we have made the choice to trust His good plan. We miss Fishers and not seeing friends and neighbors as much but we already know we are fortunate to have new neighbors that show their love for our kids and us. 

We hope you have a BLESSED Christmas season.  john, sarah, jace, gwyneth, and quinn

Isaiah 9:6New International Version (NIV)

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.

Christmas Letter 2016

Hello Family and Friends,

As I think about recapping our year, I’m drawn to showing our experience in pictures. In all honesty, I don’t think Sarah and I took enough pictures, but we try to capture memories at every turn. Time marches on, and we certainly feel it as we watch our kids grow and realize we aren’t as young as we used to be.

Each kid spends a portion of two grades in the year. For Jace it was 2^nd and 3^rd grade. For Gwyneth it was K and 1st. And for Quinn it was her 1st and 2nd year of pre-K.

One of Jace’s 2^nd grade works of art was featured in an art show put on by the school system.

We attempt to give the kids a dabbling in a variety of activities that we pray helps to broaden their experience and help them to develop as whole persons.

Jace enjoyed basketball in the winter.

Gwyneth and Quinn did a dance class together and are pictured here with their instructor.

Jace and Gwyneth sang in the New Creation Choir at our church, and we are expecting another big Christmas show in which their choir is participating the second week, this December.

For the kids’ Spring Break, we headed to IA for a week to see Sarah’s side of the family. Sarah’s sister, Hannah, gave us a photo shoot on a frigid, rainy day. We didn’t have summer tans, but we were thankful for the opportunity to have family pics from a seasoned photographer.

Sarah and her mom.

Jace played his last season before Little League baseball and enjoyed his Pirates team.

At the end of summer, we rescued a greyhound from the racetrack in FL. We later found out he has run around 41 races, won 5, and placed in most … He was a sick dog at first, but Sarah has done a great job changing his diet and getting the worms out of his system.

At the end of the summer, we enjoyed a short trip to KY to visit Grandma Lee and Aunt Esther. Natural Arch was the chosen destination for a picnic and hike.

School arrived too quickly after a summer that the kids spent with our nannies Alyssa Cummings and Sarah Benson. They did an awesome job, and the kids had a lot of fun!

Alyssa

Sarah

Here are first day of school pics for all three….

Jace/3rd Grade

Gwyneth/1st Grade

Quinn/Pre-K

All three kids played soccer in the fall. This was Quinn’s first time playing soccer. We enjoyed watching the games.

Thanksgiving was spent at my sister Becky’s home. 

Sarah and I are full of gratitude for friendships, a good church, jobs we enjoy, and a relationship with God through Jesus Christ that sustains us. We hope you have a BLESSED Christmas season with your family.

John, Sarah, Jace, Gwyneth, and Quinn

Is. 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."