The Christmas Season is upon us once again!
Today is the First Advent, and asI look out the front window I cn see Christmas lights and snow on the ground so it seems to be a fitting time to write our annual newsletter. In fact tonight I was able to carry on a tradition that my mom began when I was a child, of lighting the advent candle and gathering around as family to sing Christmas songs. Daniel joined in quite eagerly ow that he knows the songs and Patrice danced to the music and uttered a few unintelligible phrases, enjoying the occasion.
As I watched my children I felt such a thankfulness in my heart and I know Ron feels the same. They have definitely been the highlights of this year for us and we are grateful to God for placing these little treasures into our lives.
Daniel turned six in October and he is now learning to read and write in Grade One. He can't say with great enthusiasm that he enjoys school, as he finds it really cuts into his playtime - but I know that he would miss it if he had to stay home. His favourite "subjects" are Gym and recess which I imagine he does really well at.
One day I asked hi what he was learning in Math and replied that they had to put crayons in their box. The things they teach kids these days must be really advanced...
For awhile there Daniel was coming home and saying that the teacher said he was bad but he really thought he hadn't been bad. So one day when my mom picked him up from school and he was complaining about this dilemma again she said that maybe the teacher just made a mistake. Daniel obviously agreed and he figured that "maybe she just doesn't know Jesus well enough yet." Since then I have talked to Daniel's teacher "who really does know Jesus haha) and she informed me that he's a bit of a dreamer and therefore he doesn't always respond quickly enough to instructions. Apparently there is some improvement in this area as his "warnings" from the teacher have decreased. His favourite activities this past year have included swimming, learning to roller blade, biking, floor hockey and of course table games. He is a delightful, quiet boy and we really enjoy the age he is at.
Patrice is another story altogether...
Even though she is much younger and smaller than Daniel, she can exhaust several large adults in a very short period of time with her ceaseless motion, energy and activities. Her little hands are busy reaching whatever they can possibly read and then she runs as fast as she possibly can with the treasures she has discovered before someone can dislodge them from her amazingly strong little grip.
Thankfully in the midst of all of this flurry she has a very delightful temperament and she brings joy and laughter almost everywhere she goes. We're still working on "socially acceptable" behaviour for her and one small problem area that remains is her attraction to the toilet. The other week Ron extracted her and several washcloths out of the toilet and much to his dismay it had been previously "occupied"...
We're hoping that soon she will realize that most bathrooms have a tub and a toilet for two very different reasons. she's got quite a big vocabulary already but she prefers to use one word at a time at this stage of the game. If she manages to answer the phone before one of us gets it she does manage to speak in phrases, however none of us understand that language yet.
For Ron and I it has been an interesting year... We started out by going to Anaheim in January to attend a Conference and have a little holiday. We enjoyed the change of scenery and had fun going to Disneyland, touring Beverley Hills and doing some shopping.
In March Ron discovered that he was having the urge to add one more "profession" to his list so he bought a 10 acre apple orchard (about a 15 minute drive from where we live) and he began the awesome task of farming. We've decided that it's probably not a good way to make money but it is certainly a good time consumer! My father pitched in and spent a fair bit of his summer out there as well.
He began with the most important task that he could think of and that was erecting one small "out-building" which I've dubbed "John's house". He is quite willing to share it with anyone that has the need though! Ron enjoyed driving his small tractor through the orchard mowing the grass and keeping things looking tidy. This fall we were able to enjoy the fruits of our harvest and we have enough dried apples and apple juice and apples stored away to supply a small army. Ron is eager to build us a home out there, but I'm procrastinating for now as I love living so close to everything and having family within walking distance.
This fall after the apples were harvested Ron and I took a little trip down to Spokane with the kids and we just enjoyed being together, swminning, shopping and eating out. on the way home we were shocked when we hit and killed a small deer. I was afraid that Daniel would be upset by this so I immediately prayed and thanked God that none of us were hurt. However I realized that Daniel was more concerned about our freezer being full than he was about the deer when he said "now we'll have good meat to eat...".
Since harvest, Ron has been able to concentrate once again on Real Estate and he has done remarkably well at that. Hopefully he'll be able to keep busy with it this winter as well. I have been able to keep busy with a variety of things and I'm enjoying the freedom I have while I still have our nanny/housekeeper. I'm very grateful for her help, especially with Patrice being such a busy little girl and it's nice not having to struggle to keep up with the housework. Our nanny Josefina has been with us for about 1.5 years and or contract with her will in in April at which time I'll be looking for some part time help.
Our families are doing quite well. My parents are healthy and it's an absolute blessing to have them so close by. I realize what a wonderful treat it is just to pop over there in the evening and watch Daniel play games with his Opa while Oma enjoys watching Patrice. And Ron's parents are never too far away either and the kids are always happy to go over there for a visit too.
Ron's father has been having some trouble with his blood pressure and other health concerns have "allowed" him to retire. He still manages to fill his days with all kinds of activities though. Ron's mom is as busy as ever knitting all her grandchildren sweaters for Christmas and working at the Capital News.
"One thing I ask of the lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple. For in the day of trouble, he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle and set me high upon a rock." Pslm 27:4,5
