Hello Everyone!
Warmest greetings from Ohio. We hope this holiday season finds everyone well.
A quick recap of major happenings in our lives – earlier this year, we joined millions of Americans whose lives were and continue to be greatly affected by the economy. It took Keith a few months to find new opportunities after his contract with an old client ended last December. It was an uneasy time but despite the financial difficulties and emotional worries during this period, we count ourselves to be among the fortunate ones – we still have our home, each other, family, and friends. In that, we feel truly blessed. As Keith’s current contract is short-term and will conclude at the end of the year, please continue to keep us in your prayers that new doors again will open up for him.
Chris is still a stay-at-home mom, and continues to be busy with the task of homeschooling Alex. She is constantly amazed at how many things she’s learning along with Alex. :) If she has a little time and she’s not feeling exhausted, she’ll do what she loves best – cooking and baking (more and more with Alex now, which takes up extra time and results in additional mess but hey, it’s double the fun!) and working on her blogs.
Alex is now six and a half years old (we can’t believe how fast the years have flown by). He continues to make tremendous progress with his speech (although he is still not talking at his peers’ level yet). He is now speaking consistently in complete sentences, often asking what this word or that word means and never stops quoting his idol – Martha Stewart. :) Alex loves to bake and has recently started to test the waters in the cooking part as well. He never fails to watch Martha bake and cook everyday from the Martha Stewart DVDs that we borrow from our local library. He has mentioned that he wants to be a chef when he grows up but we wonder how that’s going to work if he doesn’t eat any of his own creations. :) Alex is still as picky about his food as ever – refusing to try anything new, not even the things he grows himself or the dishes he helps make. However for now, we continue to nourish his love to bake and cook and leave the “wonderings” for the future. Alex is doing first grade work this year, although with Math, it’s more like third grade level. His favorite subject – Math of course! He can’t seem to get enough of it and he grasps the Math concepts so easily. He also enjoys spelling and phonics. His other “love interests” include educational/learning games on his Didj or the computer, his Legos, electronic circuit board, the original Winnie-the-Pooh stories, and workbooks. Alex also loves to explore new places and things, and he does it with lots of exuberance and little fear. It’s funny (or not so funny sometimes) how physical challenges such as climbing a rocky hill just spur him on but if you put him with a crowd of kids his age, he shrinks away with fear. We are slowly working through his various anxieties.
Our dogs (Max, Darwin and Cyber) are officially in their senior years and both Max and Darwin are showing more aches and pains of their age. This Summer, Darwin injured his leg while playing outside and appeared to require surgery. Unfortunately, we have yet to be able to afford it and for months we have felt really bad seeing him hopping around on three legs. Miraculously, out of the blue one day about a month ago, he started to slowly and gently use his injured leg. Please join us to continue to pray for his healing. Even with all their aches and pains, Max and Darwin can still be playful when the mood strikes them. We’re the ones who have to stop them from playing to keep them from hurting or injuring themselves further. Cyber is supposedly in his senior years too but most days he still acts like a puppy and always tries his best to incite Darwin to play. However for now, he’ll just have to settle for the boring humans. :)
This year, we are especially thankful for all the support we have received from family and friends through the difficult times in our lives. As usual, we miss spending time with all of you, near and far and we wish for more opportunities to do so in the coming year.
May the spirit of Christmas bring you peace,
The gladness of Christmas give you hope,
The warmth of Christmas grant you love.
Wishing you all blessings of
peace, joy, and good tidings on Christmas & always
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Love,
Keith, Chris, Alex
and Doggies (Max, Darwin, and Cyber)
