Christmas Letter

Christmas is here! Thanking God for His many BLESSINGS this year. He has given us good and bad this year, but all have helped mold us into who He wants us to become to GLORIFY HIM!
Hannah is a spirited & joy filled child who always keeps us laughing. Her outlook on life is so positive it causes me to pause and reassess my attitude sometimes. She loves music and playing the violin. She paints her fingernails near everyday, I tell her she might work at OPI someday. She loves I Dream of Jeannie and I Love Lucy DVDs. Drawing and art is a secret passion of hers. What a JOY our Hannah B Jones!

Rachel is a dedicated & faithful woman of God. She is so witty and intelligent I am often taken back. She has had the most change this year with a dating "relationship" which God is using to challenge and change her. Her year is going to be a whirlwind as she is going to Germany in March and graduating in May. There will be a lot of "lasts" and preparations for her future. She works at Lutheran Church of Hope on the admin team. She is a very talented oboe player and tried out for all state and SCIBA. She has passion for cake decorating, sewing, cooking & baking! You can find her watching any CSI, Criminal Minds, & Body of Proof shows. I tell her she should be a medical examiner. A true BLESSING our Rachel Bren!

I  am the same girl you have always known, doing for others and volunteering as much as I can. I am still homeschooling the kids, but I have taken on cleaning more houses this year as I have had more free time. (Just typing that made me laugh!) I am loving my time with my kids as they are growing up and helping mentor them in the ways of the Lord.  I have just discovered the art/freedom of blogging. If you catch me watching tv it's usually a Downton Abbey episode.
 
Swimming. When people ask what we did this summer we said SWIMMING. We swam so much that we retired the pool this fall. Check out https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=3078305256155&set=vb.1819486171&type=3&theater to see how it all came down. (Nice job, Dan!)
 
Todd is an AMAZINGLY hard worker who has provided for our family for years by working at EMC Insurance. His free time is very limited but is very involved in Boy Scouts with Micah and his men's bible study and accountability groups. He loves to watch ANY sport on tv, Dr. Who with the kids, and Red Green just to annoy me! He is the LOVE of my life, my STABLE Todd.
 
Micah is a curious and fun loving kid! He is always building, testing, & constructing something. If it is broke he will tear it apart to try and fix it. If it is not broke he usually tears it apart to see how it works.... then it is broke. He loves baseball and wrestling and is thinking he might like to try football next year.  He finished piano and has started playing the bass which is 2 times his size, but I am sure he will catch up soon. He enjoys scouts and says someday he wants to get his EAGLE.  You can catch Micah on the Wii or watching Dr. Who, Top Gear & How It's Made. LOVE our inquisitive Micah James!


 Adventures for us were limited this year, but we did have a few. In June, the girls went on Mission Navajo with the church & the boys went to a scout camp in Wisconsin. I hated that we went 2 different places the same week, but that is how it all fell out. Each trip was a blessing and a challenge to our faith. In July, we did the usual Sonshine concert week with our family from Minnesota. That week is always a BLESSING to us!
 
Savor this time with the Christ child in the manger. Share HIM with your family and spread HIS love where ever you go this Christmas.