Tuesday, January 30, 2018

2016 Family Christmas Letter

As Rebecca is preparing to write a new, long overdue blog-post, we realized that we failed to post our 2016 and 2017 family Christmas letters.  Here is 2016 as quick little "preview" of our life since our last post, until Rebecca can get a new post fully written.
                                                                                                                                                                   


2016 has proven to be another year filled with adventure and new experiences! Our family took advantage of the “Every Kid In A Park,” free 4th graders National Parks Pass. We visited the Black Hills, Tetons and Yellowstone during a week long road trip. God’s beauty was incredibly breathtaking, and it was so much fun to spend time exploring creation as a family. Some of our favorite places were Schwabacher’s Landing, Grand Prismatic Spring, Devil’s Tower and Yellowstone’s Grand Canyon. A couple of hikes were Lake Creek Trail to Phelps Lake, Woodland Trail Loop, Lunch Hill Trail and the hike to Inspiration Point at the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone! The trip was incredible! In August, we loaded up the car again and headed to Northern Minnesota to spend time with my family. While there, we were able to honor my dad for his military service in Vietnam by having the Wounded Warriors motorcycle club visit him. They presented him with a quilt handmade by the American Gold Star Mothers. Many tears were shed, and it was such a blessing to watch my dad, who has been through so many trials in his life, be honored for his service in such a heartfelt way. Also during our week at the lake, we played in the water almost nonstop; skiing, tubing and knee boarding (Until Aiden ended the fun with 6 stitches in his lip. He was just one of three “boys” in the family with stitches this year!) From the lake we headed up to Duluth with my brother, Nate, Jen and their girls to watch the Tall Ships and the World’s Largest Rubber Duck come into the harbor! We spent Labor Day Weekend the same way we have since 1998; soaking up the sun and music at Lifelight Music Festival. As always, it was fantastic.
Our oldest, Aftyn (14), continues loving piano, reading and playing with our golden retriever, Griffin. She spent much of the summer at band camp...but had the most fun at Klein Ranch Camp with three of her closest friends. The rest of her summer was spent behind the plate catching for the Gators…back-to-back Softball League Champions!!! This fall she began a new chapter in her life; high school! She gives it a 10/10 and has made many new friends. She played on the Washington High School softball team this fall. In October, Aftyn was confirmed and gave her testimony at church. We are so proud of her! She is now beginning to study to take her driver’s test and will begin her first AP class next semester. She is also preparing for a trip to California with the WHS Band in February. She is driven, outgoing and full of fun!
Haley (12) also filled much of her summer with softball. She played on a team with her cousin, Mickila, again this year. She went with many of her friends to Sno-Daze Winter Camp, and to Pickerel Lake Bible Camp this year and has grown so close to several of her church classmates. She is looking forward to a trip to our church’s Association Free Lutheran Bible School (AFLBS) in Plymouth, MN in February to go spend time with one of her summer camp counselors and several of her friends. She too continues to love to read and play the piano. Haley has made many new friends this year and is loving middle school.  She plays percussion in the school band, Whittier Winds and Jazz Band. She is the lighthearted, witty and compassionate kid in the house.
Aiden (10) played baseball on a team with several of his school classmates and friends this summer. He also passed many hours having Nerf gun fights and created a ridiculous number of one of a kind Lego creations. I know I am biased, but this boy has an incredible creativity and understanding of spatial relations! At Eugene Field A+ Elementary he was cast in last spring’s musical, The Lion King, as a mouse and wildebeest. (He just finished auditioning for 2017’s Peter Pan before Christmas break!!!) In the fall, he played FCA Flag football for the first time and completely loved it. He tried valiantly to drop out of piano, but we thwarted his attempts and recently discovered that some vision issues might be leading to his frustration. That said, he recently began vision therapy and we pray this will make life a lot more fun for this boy who has been struggling with reading and participating in sports while seeing double! (We didn’t know this was happening until his vision was being tested and he asked the Dr, “which one?” when told to touch a pencil the Dr was holding.)
Elijah (5) and Judah (5) continue to go to Jenna’s daycare and are now the biggest kiddos there! This fall they started preschool at SF Christian and have learned so much already. It is so fun watching their vocabulary and understanding grow every day! In May, Judah began the adventure of having glasses. The first pair lasted exactly six months prior to being bent, twisted, flung, stretched, lost, stepped on and then chewed by a dog. We replaced them, and two days later he added his own chew marks to them. Sigh. Once again…parenting five has its moments. The boys continue to love Sunday School, playing with siblings and neighbors, and being outside! The difference in their personalities is growing as they become more and more independent of each other. Elijah is competitive and precise. Judah has a creative imagination and often plays by himself; narrating the adventure loudly with lots of dramatic sound effects (whether at home, in bed, or in church). They continue to grow quickly.  We can’t imagine life without them!

Craig is starting his 14th year at Midco and this year had the privilege of traveling to San Francisco, Washington, DC, Las Vegas and New York City on business. (I happily joined him in LV and NYC!! Elton John in Vegas was incredible, but it was especially fun to experience NYC! We took in two Broadway Shows and saw many of the sites. Being in Times Square for election night 2016 was an “experience,” but Central Park is still my favorite!) Craig had his 9th Annual Mountain Biking Trip to Maah Daah Hey in the North Dakota Badlands. In July, Craig and I were blessed to lead a team from our church to the mountain village of Toussaint, Haiti. We held VBS for 150 children, spent time with the children at the orphanage, and I led a women’s retreat. We had the privilege of leading several people to Christ through our home visits! It was incredibly powerful and was like nothing we have ever experienced on previous trips. On October 4th, this same area of Haiti was devastated by Hurricane Matthew. Craig traveled down 10 days later with three others to assess the damage, gather and distribute supplies, and to take and prepare photos and videos for fundraising. It was a powerful trip he will never forget, much like his first trip to Haiti in 2010 after the earthquake.
I, Rebecca, am still happily employed at Goodcare Rehab. I am the Occupational Therapist at Dow Rummel Village in Sioux Falls and have gotten to know many of the residents over the last year and a half. I spent many hours in my flower and vegetable gardens, and had an incredible year feeding the hummingbirds around our yard. (I think I am becoming more and more like my mom every year!) I am enjoying a new role working with the older youth at church on Wednesdays. I continue to treasure my scrap-booking time with girlfriends and enjoy reflecting over the adventures of our busy but adventurous family.
We would like to wish all of our friends and family a happy 2017! May God richly bless each of you, and may the gift of Christ be ever in your thoughts and hearts as you navigate the journey ahead! 
Much Love, Craig, Rebecca, Aftyn, Haley, Aiden, Elijah and Judah 

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