It�s been another busy year of doing a lot of the same types of things! :) It seems like pictures might say more than words, so be sure to glance down the sides of the letter!
We�ve taken trips home to Williston and down to Kansas City. And then in September, we made a looong drive down to Dallas, TX for the MOPS convention. The two older kids stayed in KC with Grandma and Papa and the two little ones came with Kev and me to TX. We like to travel so it was a fun trip but we were pretty tired afterwards! The kids biggest excitement was a stop on the way down� we got to see Miss Pattycake, live! Whoo-hoo! :)
Our biggest excitement started out in January when our fifth beautiful blessing was born! We welcomed little 8 pound, 6 ounce Elijah Edward into the world in the evening of the 18th. He is an adorable delight to all of us. The big kids are completely smitten and so are we! Eli�s a happy baby with two bottom teeth and hands ready to clap! He�s pulling himself up to stand and starting to say things like mama, dada, bye-bye� We have had to take him to the doctor and even the ER for coughing type problems but right now, all seems to be well!
Benjamin is all boy now in the first grade at Riverside Christian School. He thinks it�s funny to burp and karate chop, things like that� But for the most part, he�s still kind and considerate. He�s smart in school and does above and beyond most of the school work. He enjoys learning the most, he says. The thing I like best is that he�s a tender friend. He did well on a computer reading game at school and finished before anyone else but told me he was concerned that his friend was coming in last and he didn�t want him to feel bad. Sweet thing. This summer he got to play T-ball he and loved that. He and Uncle Blake are all about sports and scores and things. In January, they have a Sioux hockey date! Benjamin�s biggest responsibility now is keeping track of his glasses! I gotta say, he sure looks cute!
Hannie Bananie is as spinny and full of life as ever. She is in preschool at Riverside, too. We were surprised to see her extremely shy side come out as she made herself comfortable in a new environment but are happy to see her making friends and enjoying herself more. Her teachers said she brings a peace to the room! She loves to color and sing and dance! This summer she started taking ballet and in the spring she gets to dance on stage with a costume! Big stuff.
Ruth Anne, or �Roo Baby�, is growing fast! She is Miss Two years old and can both delight us and frustrate us in a matter of seconds! She loves anything that she can touch� water, snow, play doh� She keeps asking us to take her to the �poo-lo� (pool). Heh. The tub is a good substitute right now! Ruth is full of giggles and action and is usually moving or bonking into something! She talks really well now and is even learning to talk in Russian, too!
Yup, Russian. Kevin and I are pursuing some sort of missions work in Russia! He and I are in the middle of planning a short term trip there this spring with the possibility that we�ll all go back for a while! Pretty exciting, if I do say so myself. So hopefully next Christmas we�ll have a picture of us in Moscow or Saint Petersburg for you! The kids go back and forth from being excited to go and then wanting to stay where we are. But at the same time, we�re having fun learning more about another country. Benjamin was even told not speak Russian in school! Heh. And when Hannie prays, she usually prays for orphans or for those that don�t have food - that they would have food and that they�d know Jesus. Ruth loves the �Ah-meen� for Amen. I love their tenderness and awareness. God is doing great things in our family! We�re excited about abundant life in Christ! (John 10:10) Whoo-hoo! The amount we need to raise for the trip this spring will be around $5,000, if you�re interested in being a part of that. We�ll probably send out a more formal letter when we can tell you the exact dates and amount, too!
So as we wait to see what God�s got for us in the future, we continue to keep busy here in Grand Forks. Kevin is almost done with that thesis on Luke and Acts. He�s also still busy with the music ministry at our church and other projects going on up there. He is also on the church board now, too! If you want to know the weather, ask Kevin� his work keeps him busy updating web information about when the next weather event will be! I�m still busy with MOPS at our church and with Bible studies with my girls. The kids are keeping me more busy, too, with more activities and school comings and goings. Life is busy around here but as we run, we thank the Lord for the people and things that we�re chasing after!
Chasing after Jesus
Kevin, Jill, Benjamin, Hannie, Ruth, Elijah
