Merry Christmas 2016

We hope this greeting finds you well! 2016 was a rollercoaster of a year as we adjusted to Mary’s arrival. We were also glad to have had family trips to Toronto, ON; the Oregon coast; Vancouver, B.C.; and soon to the New Jersey/Philadelphia area.

Andrew has enjoyed the sweetness that comes with having girls and loves spending time with his daughters. He’s starting to give Timothy piano lessons, and his eager protégé is having fun with it. Business travel increased quite a bit for him as he grew in his role at Groupon and became a director.

Jenny’s 2016 has been challenging and faith-building with our school journey and caring for three littles. Although busy with lesson preparations, she continues to enjoy Bible study and is learning a lot about teaching children through BSF and our homeschool curricula this year. She’s also excited to stand by her longtime sister-friend Lauren as she gets married soon!

Timothy had a fun year of growing and getting to know his sweet baby sister, daily expressing his great love for her. He enjoys music and is eagerly learning to play songs. He also likes to write sweet notes, post signs around our home, and caption his illustrations and crafts. Timothy has grown in his love for the Bible, books, and magazines; often expressively reading to his little sisters, too.

Grace enjoys outings/dates with just Papa or Mama, helping in the kitchen, and “chatting” with her sister.  She’s often found reviewing her favorite books or pushing dolls, bags, and play food around the house in a stroller. Our very spirited little girl has been adjusting to being both a younger and older sister and shocks Jenny with how much Grace is like her mama in personality.

Mary’s first year was challenging healthwise, but this sweetie is tough and continuing to grow stronger. We praise God for His mercy and His people’s prayers! Mary is affectionate and delights us with her giggles and wiggles. She loves feeding herself, chasing us, dancing, and pulling herself up to bounce and stand. She was Mama’s travel buddy to the East Coast in September and did so well on the planes, trains, buses, and subways.

We are now, more than ever, longing for the reign of Jesus in our broken world. We’re praying you find your hope in Him as well. Cheers to 2017!