Christmas Letter 2013

I had a really cool newsletter all typed up but I can't figure out how to just "copy and paste" it in here so it looks all fancy like.  SO, I will just share the info and pictures.  That's all you really care about anyway :)

House full of girls

Highlights of the Year:
*We moved to our new home in February
*Sarah turned the big 3-0 in March
*Sarah earned the $10,000 GOOD Bonus (Get Out of Debt) with It Works in August
*Coralyn turned 4 in October
*Kyiah was born on November 19
*Kellah turned 2 in December
*Lawrence finished his Master's program for Elementary Administration

JESUS Is the Reason for the Season

     As we were out Christmas shopping, a sales clerk asked Coralyn if she was getting ready for Santa to come.  Since we don’t “do Santa” at our house, Coralyn didn’t really know what to say and kept quiet.  When we got to the car, Lawrence explained how she could tell people that she is getting ready to celebrate Jesus’ birthday.  She then proceeded to tell us that Jesus is better than Santa because Jesus loves us so much that He died on the cross for all our sins!  So true!

     We are certainly looking forward to all the special Christmas festivities, but as we hustle and bustle, we want to be sure to remember WHY we are celebrating and share Jesus’ love with everyone around us!

Time Flies When You're Having Fun

     We certainly kept busy this year!

     In addition to selling our house and moving, we have started hosting a Bible study for the kids who have attended Ponca Bible Camp in the summer.  They invite friends too, and each week we have about 25 boys and girls in our basement!

     Thanks to some generous friends, we were able to take a “free” trip to Branson during Spring Break.  We also enjoyed a short mini-vacation in St. Louis this summer.  Then, in October, we headed back to Branson to celebrate Lawrence’s parents’ 40^th wedding anniversary!

      We spent 2 weeks of the summer at Ponca, one of our favorite things of the entire year!  Over 100 kids from the Liberty area attended camp this summer over the course of 6 weeks!!!

      We literally had something going on every single day for almost every single month of the year.  November was actually our first month to slow down – you can’t really plan for things when you are expecting a baby and don’t know when she’s going to come!

Young at Heart

      Lawrence and I both celebrated big birthdays this past year, with him turning 35 and me 30!  We still feel young at heart though and haven’t slowed down a bit!

     Lawrence just finished up his Master’s in Elementary Administration and has been part of the Leadership Team at school.  He is also leading an after-school program called Boys to Men for the 5^th grade boys at Kellybrook.  He’s serving on our church’s Pastor Search Team as we look for a new head pastor.  For fun, he’s been playing volleyball with various recreational teams.  Oh, and he’s an amazing husband and daddy to boot!

      I’ve been busy too!  In February I became a distributor with It Works and have loved getting to help people reach their health goals while still contributing to our family income from home.  I’m also doing daycare, watching 2-3 precious kiddos every day (in addition to our girls).  I am still teaching childbirth classes and got to work with over 20 couples to prepare for the arrival of their babies.  I was also privileged to help welcome 7 babies to the world by serving as a doula.  I am finished with my work to become a lactation educator and just waiting on the final certification!  And somewhere in there, I’ve done lots of laundry, cleaned up countless messes, and cooked quite a few meals. 

      We may be busy, but we enjoy what we do and feel God at work in all these activities! We are so thankful for all He is doing in our lives and are excited to see what He has in store for our family this coming year!

Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice

     Lawrence is feeling even more outnumbered these days as we have welcomed girl #3 to our family!

    Coralyn is 4 now and LOVES to read.  Sometimes, she will stay up and “read” for over an hour after we put her to bed at night.  We have enjoyed our weekly trips to the library for storytime and always come home with a huge bag of books.  She knows all her letters, shapes, colors, and likes to do “school work” at home.  She likes to make crafts and help me bake.  She remembers everything and can tell you how to get to her friends’ houses – definitely her father’s daughter!

     Kellah is 2 and a little copycat, wanting to do everything her big sister is doing.  She loves making things with playdough, coloring, building block towers, doing puzzles, riding in her Cozy Coupe, and throwing balls.  She is a go-getter and has no fear!  She also has a sweet spirit and is a good helper, making sure the daycare kiddos have their shoes and jackets and bags when it’s time for them to go home.

     Kyiah is just a month old, but we can’t imagine life without her!  She certainly made an unforgettable entrance into the world and seems to be full of life already!  We’re excited to watch her grow and see what kind of personality she has.  If she’s going to keep up with her sisters, she’ll have to be tough and ready for anything at any moment!

Sister Love