Lily and Beau

Merry Christmas, everybody! Well, it’s our first Christmas in our new house. We got our Christmas tree put up – a little later than usual, but up never-the-less. This year was especially fun to have the kids involved in the decorating. We brought the tree home late December 4th after celebrating Mom’s birthday (“39th”). The next day when the kids got up, the first words out of Lily’s cute little mouth were, “Can we decorate it now?” They did a great job. Every ornament is on the second level of branches about two and a half feet off the floor… on the same three branches :o) I love those kids!
About those kids… they continue to show me just what kind of man I am. Of course it’s all to make me the best Father I can be. They keep me sharp, like in areas such as understanding. For instance, Beau helps me learn about understanding how sometimes after a rough night of only twelve hours of sleep one might need to flail and scream for the first hour or so to shake off that groggy feeling you get when you don’t get enough sleep. Lily helps me be my best by teaching me patience through activities like picking up one million books one million times a day. Sometimes it can take a few million times to begin to pick up that attribute, but she’s really stuck with me during my learning curve. And both Lily and Beau have given their all to toughen me up. They’re not interested in a pansy Daddy. They keep my feet strong by strategically placing small jagged toys in my path of trans-home nocturnal bathrooming. They keep my stomach fit with regular pouncing and jumping. And of course they keep my arms strong by refusing to sit in a shopping cart or stroller in public and insisting to be carried, which they know is Daddy’s job. My kids sure love me, and I love them too.
Alright, I’m being facetious. I know I’ve got the best kids ever. Let’s talk about them for real. Lily has started Preschool this year with three friends, Maddy and Kailey Snodgrass and Olivia Lowen. She is learning about numbers, letters, animals and colors, as well as listening and following instructions. In a couple years – she’ll be making the other Kindergarteners look like a bunch of fetuses. Lily has also developed a love for singing. It’s so funny… and cute. We cannot go somewhere in the car without singing a few standards to get us off on the right track. Classics like “Twinkle twinkle”, “Jesus loves me”, “Itsy bitsy spider”, “Jesus loves the little children”, “ABC’s”… just to name a few. And don’t even think about not participating. I guess she’s more into a choir-style format with her singing. Maybe she’ll be a director. She also spends some time with her cousin and cohort, Kellen. Every Tuesday the two of them and their Nana go to “Bible School” and then play at Nana and Papa’s house afterward. By the way… she’s almost three and a half, and she loves her little brother. She loves “putting him to bed” on the floor in their room, turning the light off and shutting the door. Beau loves playing his big sister’s games but somehow always seems to get tricked into playing that one, which really isn’t his favorite. Let’s do Beau now.
Beau is almost one and a half and affectionately known as our “little Chunka-Munka”. He does so many break-your-heart cute things. We’ve taught him a few words. My favorites are the essentials like “Daddy”, “Hot dog” and “Donut”. He says those so well. I think he has innate language skills – just like his Daddy :o) Some of his favorite toys are his tools he got for his birthday. When he opened up his hammer he walked straight over to the shed my Dad and I were still building and went right to work pounding on the side of it. He’s such a good helper. Beau also enjoys coloring. But he’s a real outside of the box thinker. Kids have been coloring on paper and in coloring books for years, he’s more interested in other mediums like wood, maybe in the shape of a kitchen table. Laminate flooring is also good. He also likes any game that involves copying, screaming, jumping, eating, tickling and/or chasing. I love that boy.
Jamie has sure kept herself busy. Along with co-leading the Preschool for Lily, since I lost my job in July she has started her own diamond business which has since gone world wide, serving over 150 different countries with assets totaling over 2.2 trillion putting her at number “1” of the thirty prestigious companies that make up the Dow Jones Industrial Average Stocks. I however am still looking for something part-time so I can still get my “Provider Patch” from Husband Scouts.

YEAR IN REVIEW

January: Began fellowshipping with a gathering in down town Tacoma and really started to fall in love with the city as well as make new friends.
Still living with Kyle’s parents in Renton and finally saving money.
Kyle still working in Seattle as a courier with Fed Ex Express.
March: Began looking at houses in Tacoma.
Made an offer on a house that fell through.
April: Made an offer on a different house, made amendments, wheeled and dealed, offer accepted.
May: Took family over to Spokane to celebrate Kevin’s (Klevjer) graduation from Witworth College. We all stayed in a hotel and got to visit with Kevin and Michelle, go to a fun park and swim in the pool, (Beau’s first time).
Moved into our new house on Kyle’s 25th birthday.
July: Kyle lost his job with Fed Ex.
· Kyle busy career hunting and doing side work for friends.
· September: Kyle began a new career as a Loan Officer with Horizon Mortgage.
· Jamie and Lily start Preschool with a few friends.
· The whole family plus three other families took a 5-day trip to a beautiful lodge in Leavenworth, WA. Lily and Beau had their first hot tub experience. We took a shopping trip into the city. We went for walks. Jamie got to have a good talk-fest with the ladies while the Dads and Kids went to the park. Kyle got a boomerang and almost killed ever person in the group and he got to play in the cold river with Brad Snodgrass and his daughter Maddy.
· November: Kyle started some part-time side work with his friend Erle remodeling houses as well as other types of work.
· December: We experienced our first Tacoma snow and the kids mae their first Snowman and had their first snowball fight with Dad. Jamie celebrated her 25th birthday and got to stay with her ever-loving, romantic husband at the Sheraton Hotel downtown.

Praise God for sending His Son to rescue us and redeem us from sin that we could spend this life and forever enjoying Him, the One who created us, knows us and loves us more than any other. MERRY CHRISTMAS & HAPPY NEW YEAR!