Finishing the Year 2007

Our family is thankful for a wonderful final week of the year 2007...we enjoyed a lot of time together as a family, with our church family and with some family visitors.

Christmas Morning

All of December we have been looking forward to Christmas Day (in our advent celebrations on Saturday evenings)...finally the day arrived- the long anticipated son of God was born about 2010 years ago. On Christmas morning Darien hid the baby Jesus (who has been absent from our manger scene) and Luke and Noelle began the hunt. Noelle found the baby Jesus and quickly placed Him right where God placed Him many years ago, in a manger.

I am working on being a better capturer of memories with my camera. I failed to take any pictures of our Christmas evening celebration of Jesus Birth with the Groebers and DeBurghs. We had a delightful time celebrating with these families.
Two evenings in the days after Christmas we were graced with visits from Miss Bose and Miss Woodpecker (as the kids affectionately call them- Sarah and Terri).

"All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth...."

All that Taryn wanted for Christmas was her other front tooth. Well, it didn't arrive in time for Christmas but it has made its appearance before the close of 2007.

Luke our little snow man

Luke enjoyed some time outside building a snowman with daddy. Despite all the snow we enjoyed this year, this was the first snow that was really good for building snowmen and igloos...so we did!

Family Visitors

Luke and Noelle have long been anticipating the arrival of "Silly Uncle Dave and Aunt Molly". December 28th-30th we enjoyed visiting with my brother and sister-in-law from Colorado. Dave and Molly spent hours of time with the kids listening to them, talking with them, playing with them and taking over reading bedtimes stories with them. We enjoyed having them with us and look forward to seeing them again.

Celebrating the First Advent (Christmas Eve)

We had a busy week getting together with friends for pre-Christmas celebrations and making preparations for celebrations on Christmas eve and Christmas Day.

Last evening we attended the Christmas Eve service at Racine Bible Church as a family and then gathered at our home with some friends from our church family (the Boecks, Lowells, "Miss Bose", "Miss Woodpecker", Wollins, and "Teacher Judy"). We neglected to get many pictures but we had a nice evening enjoying food, fun and fellowship. Darien led the adults and children in reading the Christmas story, singing Christmas songs, and the final lighting of the advent wreath.

Our Little Giver(s)

Over the past week we have talked a lot with the kids about the real meaning of our Christmas celebration being the Jesus coming to earth in the form of a baby. For kids it is easy to get wrapped up (literally) in receiving gifts.

Luke and Noelle were eager to become givers of gifts rather than just recipients this year. They worked with mom and Grandma Bowers before Thanksgiving to concot bubble bath for their friends. They each named many, many friends who they wished to share their pink and blue bubble bath with....some of you are out of state and we thought it wise not to ship fragile glass bubble across the country (but please know that you were thought of).

Friday evening Luke suprised us by insisting that he give a special gift to two boys he admires, Sam and Rylie DeBurgh. Luke selected two of his well liked matchbox cars and asked us to help him wrap them so he could give them to these two boys (Luke was pretty convinced that Sam and Rylie wouldn't be too interested in bubble bath).

Children's Christmas Program at Racine Bible Church

Yesterday both Luke and Noelle participated in our churchs Childrens Christmas Program. Luke sang "Jesus Precious Jesus" and Noelle sang "Away in a Manger"

Some of our favorite friends

Over the past week we were privileged to spend time with several friends in Racine who have become like family.....

Below, Ann Nelson and her two boys, Ambrose and Viggo, came over to "study" about the state of Ohio. Each of our families has been studying a state a week but we agreed to save Ohio for near the Christmas season. Each year our family enjoys making a candy called buckeyes and using our ohio shaped cookie cutter; this year we had a lot of fun baking and studying with the Nelsons. Ohio is known as "The Buckeye State"- we did learn some useful facts about Ohio but used our time in the kitchen to reinforce our lesson :)













Last Friday evening we celebrated Noelle's and Taryn's birthday with Grandma Kae and Grandpa 'Yard' as they are known by our children. Ard and Kae Kiehlbauch were adopted by our children as "local" grandparents several days after we arrived in Racine. The Kiehlbauchs were so kind to us when we pulled into town about eighteen months ago....Noelle looked up at Kae and called her "gamma" and it has stuck!

Finally, we talked the Boecks into coming to our home to participate in our Saturday evening advent dinner, candlelighting, Scripture reading and singing. We would not have been able to talk too many friends into venturing out in the snowy weather ...but the Boeck's live about half a mile down the road.

Regularly, Darien and the kids enjoy after dinner wrestling.....Taryn is starting to make her debut but didn't get caught on camera.

A week with Grandma

Our family was blessed by a visit from "Grandma Buck" (as the kids affectionately call her). My mom arranged her visit in order to be present for Noelle's third birthday, continue the tradition of Christmas baking together and celebrate an early Christmas together.

Our week together ended up much fuller than either of us anticipated. However, we enjoyed forming memories together.....decorating a square shaped merry-go-round cake for Noelle's birthday, spending two hours on Christmas cookies that didn't turn out, learning to use a cookie press, painting Noelle's fingernails for the first time, going to the jelly bean factory, a fun filled afternoon with the Nelson's studying the state of Ohio together, and much more.

Thanks for spending a week with us!

Noelle, Happy 3rd Birthday

Noelle, we thank God for your life!

Your life began December 9th with a bit of a rough start- you had Transient Tachypnea of the Newborn complicated with sepsis and spent ten days in the NICU. The time you spent in the hospital caused us to realize more than ever that your life is a gift.

Noelle, you quickly became the apple of your brother's eye and his best friend....

Mom returned to work before you turned three months old in order to support dad in finishing his seminary studies. You were privileged to spend more time with your daddy than most little girls....you remain a daddy's girl.

Noelle's First Birthday Party....

Noelle's Second Birthday....Noelle's Third Birthday...

Dear Noelle: Today is your third birthday, happy birthday BIG sister!
Your dad and I are so thankful that God has allowed us to be your father and mother for three whole years- what a gift. We marvel at how God has created you ALL girl and formed you so beautifully.
Noelle, before you popped out of mommy's tummy and your dad and I got to meet you, God formed your body and your soul and He did a terrific job. God knew you before we did and He loves you. Noelle, as we have gotten to know you these past three years our affection for you has grown deeper and deeper and yet we can't love you as perfectly as God loves you.
Noelle, from your early days you had a rare privilege that few children know. Your dad had the privilege of being more involved in your first eighteen months than most fathers. The really neat outcome of this experience is that you are definitely a "daddy's girl." Noelle, I love to see how you adore your dad and look forward to seeing him first thing in the morning and at the end of his day. Your dad provides a wonderful example to you of the love of our Heavenly Father- he is loving, patient, kind, and when he disciplines you it is because he wants you to guide you in making wise choices, not foolish ones. My hope is that one day soon the love that you have for your daddy will be transferred into a relationship with God the Father, that you would love and adore and desire to please Him as you do your dad.
Noelle, our prayer for you is that the Holy Spirit would open the eyes of your heart that you would see and comprehend the love of Christ for you. As your mother there is only one gift that I hope and pray you receive; that gift is the gift of eternal life….that you would recognize your sin and your need for a savior and that Jesus death on the cross for the sins of His chosen ones and resurrection three days later in victory over sin and death would be yours! Noelle, all of your favorite toys (barbies, baby dolls, finger paints, etc.) will not give you the everlasting joy that a relationship with Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior will bring. My prayer for you this year is that God would be pleased to open your eyes and transfer you from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light. I pray that you will "Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and turn away from evil." (Prov. 3:5-7).
The last ten months have brought joy to my heart to see you adoring and helping care for your little sister. You are a mommy in training and clearly God has planted within you a love for children. Mommy really appreciates the help you are to me in caring for Taryn (you are an ever present companion in our diaper changing adventures), in trying your hand in the kitchen (we do need to work on restraining ourselves in nibbling before the treats reach completion), and learning to help out with work around the home (you do a great job of diligently collecting the laundry and helping set the table).
We look prayerfully and expectantly into the next 365 days to see how the Lord will continue to mature you into a young lady.
Love you, Mom

The week in review: Dec. 3-7

One of our learning goals this week was to learn about snow- how God makes snow, how cold it has to be in order to snow, etc. Our accompanying craft was making snowflakes....here is the evidence. Luke and Noelle also enjoyed helping stamp our Christmas letters that we will be sending to our church family.

Then we enjoyed getting outside to enjoy some hands on fun with snow...

Taryn is eagerly anticipating her debut in the snow....

The Anticipation of Christ's Birth

Life with little ones affords us much opportunity for reflecting thankfully on things in the past balanced with a healthy amount of anticipation of upcoming events. Last evening we "officially" started anticipating Jesus Birthday by having our first family advent celebration.

This past week Luke and Noelle picked out an advent wreath and the accompanying candles (they are all Noelle's favorite colors :) ) and assembled them. On Saturday evening daddy led us in a time of family worship from Isaiah 9 as we looked expectantly from the OT for the Messiah's arrival.