I guess I will begin with our seemingly biggest challenge of the year. Last winter Jesse left construction to pursue a career in financial services and while he enjoyed his work with Primerica, it was not enough to support our family. He spent a good part of this year searching for employment and this fall took a position driving over the road. It was a tough decision to make and even tougher to spend so many hours away from one another. But the week before Christmas we were blessed with the good news that Jesse was offered a more local position. He is very excited to be a part of Midsota Manuafacturing. While he will spend time on the road he will also have a lot more family time. And we thank our God for providing for our family in this way and just in time for Christmas! While Jesse was job searching, I was putting in my hours at the hospital and counting down the days until our baby would arrive. We were so excited to have the opportunity to bring this child into the world in our own home. What a wonderful blessing, a boy! While my pregnancy with him was the most challenging, he has been our most happy baby. Our little Gabe, well, is not so little anymore. He is so precious. Big kissable cheeks. A smile for everyone. Gabe can roll over and loves to jump. He is growing so quickly. He adores his sisters as they love to talk and read and sing to him. Grace and Dassah are growing leaps and bounds. They both love princesses and Little House On The Prairie. Spending time in the kitchen baking with mommy is also a real treat. They are great buddies and it is fun to watch them dream up all kinds of adventures together. We spend lots of hours during the cold reading together and in the warmer months spend as much time outside as possible. A favorite for the girls this year was spending time at the lake. They enjoy the water and the sand. And if there is a playground nearby that is even better. Dassah still asks to go the lake every once in awhile and wants to wear her green sandals as soon as the snow melts. Summer will come soon enough, right? As I type it is about -1 degrees. I could handle a 70 degree day right about now. Grace took a dance and gymnastics class this fall which she enjoyed that ended with a little program. It was so fun to watch her learn new things. It is such a joy to watch our children grow. And seeing life through the eyes of a child is always so refreshing. The things they come up with. I have done a better job of pulling out the video camera and catch tidbits so hopefully I can recall these days in the years to come a bit more clearly. In addition to caring for our growing family I have been able to make it to a few homeschoolers meetings to glean some knowledge and meet other moms. I also started meeting with another mom from church for times of prayer and encouragement. I am currently working my way through the Esther study by Beth Moore and Jesse is reading The Hole In Our Gospel (which I hope to read as soon as he is done).
We are also thankful for God's provision in the health of my mom. This spring during a routine physical it was discovered that something was amiss. She had no symptoms, but after several tests she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. After surgery and chemotherapy she is currently cancer free. Truly a gift from God. She is a trooper and an example to me of what a daughter of the King looks like. Her has faith shone so brightly through this health crisis. My brother and his family are settled back into their home after lightening struck their house this summer. All family members were safe and we thank our God for His care of them during such an event.
As I look back at just a few tidbits of our year I am reminded of the goodness of our God. I am thankful for the family and friends who rejoiced with us in the birth of our son and also for those who stood by us and faithfully prayed for our family when we weren't sure what our next step would be.
I would say this has been a year of growth. We know that these momentary afflictions are nothing compared to the joy we can look forward to in heaven with our Creator. He is God. He is in control. He will never give us anything more than we can handle. May we count it all joy whatever comes our way. For we know that this is not our home. We are only passing through. And looking forward to a new year!
Happy New Year!
