Our annual super-long family update

Christmas Letter 2006

Dear family and friends,

Another very full year has passed and we have many experiences to share with you! Again, we’ve seen God’s hands of protection and love around our family and have so much to thank Him for. Beyond His most precious gift of salvation, He’s blessed us tremendously in 2006. I apologize in advance for my lengthy letter to come - ya’ll know how I am! I can’t condense it and leave out something that meant a lot to us, so please bear with me. And, you can skim if you want to!
Very quickly into this year, we realized 2006 would be anything but uneventful. During the first week of February, James totaled his car as he entered the Children’s parking deck. The next day my Mom found out that she was potentially facing breast cancer. The next few weeks were difficult as she did receive a diagnosis of an aggressive form of Stage I-II cancer, and met with physicians to determine her treatment and surgery plan. James’ parents also were facing health troubles at the same time, with his mom suffering from kidney problems, a heart attack, and mild strokes; then his dad was in a car accident on the way back to see her in the hospital one night and spent several days in UAB himself, developing pneumonia as he recovered from his injuries in the wreck. It was a really hard month, to say the least! Thankfully, both Pop and Granny have recovered and the rest of the year has been a better one physically for them. On Feb. 21, Mom had her surgery, and she sailed through the recovery. She began chemo on March 29, and completed it on July 10. Though it was a time of faith-stretching, we have all grown so much closer as a family as a result of this experience and I have been so proud of my Mom for her faith and testimony throughout this ordeal. My Dad was an amazing support for her, as well as her friends from their church and community in Decatur, who provided meals at different times and many other friends were huge sources of encouragement to her as well. I put together a scrapbook at the end of her treatment of emails and notes many contributed to share what an impact she’d had on them while facing something potentially life-threatening, with such grace and strength. The week after Mom’s chemo ended, my Dad’s mom, Mamaw, had surgery for breast cancer herself, and thankfully, faced only a short regimen of radiation afterwards. She’s recovered well also, so we are very grateful!
Isaac was fortunate to have a friend, Benjamin, invite him along on a fun trip with Thomas the Tank Engine in March. They had such a great time at the Calera Heart of Dixie Railroad, with all kinds of train activities. Our big boy turned 7 in April, and we celebrated with family and friends at the Birmingham Zoo. It was lots of fun for our animal-loving son. During the spring, Abigail celebrated her year of ballet instruction with a simple recital where we were able to see all she’d learned from Mrs. April. She did a great job, and is quite graceful, and a nightly routine before bedtime is to dance in the living room for, or with, us. She and Daddy do some very interesting lifts and moves, I must say. Then, Abi had a princess party in June as she reached the age of 4! We did some girly activities, and her friends, dressed in their royal finery, were so beautiful. These children are such a blessing to us, and it’s hard to believe we’ve been parents for this many years. The time has truly flown by; James and I celebrated our 10th anniversary in June, and rejoice at the way God brought our family together and has continued to shower goodness on us.
We spent various days as a family this year at the zoo, McWane Center, the beach at Oak Mountain, hiking at Hurricane Creek near Cullman, going on local nature walks, and especially enjoy anything outdoors. Lately the kids have helped us rake leaves and pine straw, which is awesome! We planted our family’s garden this spring and reaped a good harvest this summer of cucumbers, carrots, watermelon, a ridiculous amount of peppers, and some pitiful tomatoes. Right now we’re growing mustard greens, broccoli and a few varieties of lettuce, which Bo and Daisy, our rabbits, should enjoy, even if they don’t turn out to be large enough for a salad for us. This is our first attempt at a fall garden, so we’ll see how it goes.
Our summer included a trip to Lookout Mountain, GA, where my former landlady and “other mom”, Ann Stewart, lives. While up there, we spent a day in Chattanooga and were able to “see Rock City,” and the Tennessee Aquarium. We loved being up in the mountains so much, and even witnessed some hang gliders taking off and soaring over a huge valley; it was breathtaking! We recently visited Ann again, and helped with hours of raking, blowing and removing tons of leaves from her yard. Isaac and Abigail love “Gramps” and it has been really special for all of us to be able to spend time with her this year.
Our favorite time of year is Autumn, and not just because James and I both have birthdays then. My parents joined us on our annual trek to the Old Baker Farm and pumpkin patch, on a beautiful fall day. We also enjoyed attending two Auburn games, and for the first one, were able to also spend some time with my Aunt Cindy and her family, who live not too far from that lovely village on the Plains. The kids are big fans of the Tigers and are thrilled by the atmosphere in the stadium and at Toomer’s Corner. Uncle Phillip and Aunt Angel joined us at the 2nd game, where Angel taught the kids to spell “A-U-B-U-R-N!”, so they love showing that new skill off. We are exceedingly glad that we again beat “those stinky elephants”, as Abi refers to that other team. ** FIVE in a row!**
Another highlight of this year was the elaborate treasure hunt my parents planned and hosted for us. With a great, authentic looking map we “found” in a bottle, and clues like X’s carved into tree trunks, Isaac and Abigail were thoroughly captivated as we hunted for some long lost loot. We have a treasure chest full of beads, beautiful stones, old jewelry and little figurines. It is a memory we’ll always cherish, and seeing the delight in their eyes as we opened the chest was priceless.
Both Isaac and Abigail have just begun Upward basketball at a local church and are super excited. It has already proven to be good entertainment for me, and great exercise and interaction with friends for them. Isaac’s team is called the Sharks, and we have yet to hear what Abigail’s team is named. Today she gave me her suggestions: Wolves, Huskies, or the seldom-used, but delightful, Leopard Seals. (I have no idea…)
My brother Jacob continues to work at a law firm in Birmingham, enjoys his loft condo downtown, and still spends some off time riding his bike competitively. This summer he did a 100+ mile ride to raise money during a Live to Ride event to benefit cancer patients. He tied as the top fundraiser for this event in Birmingham, which he did as a tribute to my Mom and Mamaw, and others who have fought this battle. He has recently been really successful in cyclocross racing. This sport is a cross between road biking, mountain biking, and running. It involves racing on a bike on a short course, doing repeated laps, where you’re hindered by barriers, huge mud pits, and various other obstacles, and have to carry your bike if you can’t manage to ride it over or through them. It’s a true test of speed and agility, and from what I can tell in pictures, the ability to withstand being really dirty and usually very cold. I think their motto should be “The messier, the better”. Jacob is currently ranked first in his category, and hopes to wrap up his season and the state championship in that category at the final race of the year (the Alabama State Cyclocross Championship), which will take place in Cullman on his 30th birthday. We’re looking forward to cheering him on to victory.
James is still at Children’s Hospital in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and loves the little babies who are his patients. He works the 3-11 pm shift, 7 days on, 7 off, and is around some in the daytime while we’re doing schoolwork, and other activities. However, he does work several doubles each work week right now, usually averaging a 100 hour pay period, so he’s not home as much as any of us would like! Right now, though, we’re trying to sacrifice family time some, so we can pay off debt and enjoy the freedom that will eventually bring. We long to have a little land someday and pray that eventually we’ll get there. We’re so excited to announce James’ recent hiring to do part-time work with AirMed, a company with a base at the Birmingham Airport, that does U.S. and international medical transports. Though it’s not his ultimate dream of doing helicopter transport, this jet is pretty close! He’s been on one flight so far, and is looking forward to more soon. We’ve been a one vehicle family since his accident in February, and just this past weekend were able to finally purchase an older truck for him to drive. It’s quite a treat for the kids to ride in the extended cab, and really nice for us to not be homebound when James is at work, as we’ve been these last 10 months. So many kind friends helped us out in some situations when we just had to have a ride somewhere or to borrow a car, and we owe them some favors in our truck now, so ya’ll call if you need anything hauled! He’s become quite an eBay selling guru, and works some on that on his off weeks. I’m so proud at how he balances all he does so well, and am thankful for such a faithful, selfless husband and best friend.
I am staying busy as ever, focused on being a wife, mom and teacher to our kids. It’s been a joy to have Abigail home with us this year as Isaac and I continue home schooling. She has been an eager learner and always wants more “homework” to do. Isaac is doing well, reading better and progressing with math skills, which is his strength. Besides the normal subjects of Bible, math, phonics, science, etc., both kids are learning basic Spanish and sign language too. I plan to add some piano lessons on a regular basis this coming year, especially for Isaac, who has a great ear for music. I have all but retired from cake baking, though still do a few every now and then for special occasions, like my cousin Tucker’s groom’s cake this summer. I’m still coordinating meals for our members who have needs at The Church at Shelby Crossings, and am part of a ladies’ Bible Study group also. With weekly small groups that meet in homes, and other opportunities for us to connect with peers in parenting and our stage of life, James and I more grateful than ever for our church, and the friends who are like family, that we’ve bonded with there God’s blessed us a lot this year as a body of believers as we’ve gone through some growing pains and trials. He is faithful and it’s an exciting time to be a part of a young church who strives so much to follow Him and to impact our community in a great way.
Reviewing the events of this past year, especially the ones involving our family members’ health, really puts into perspective how fragile life is. We pray God blesses you this year and that you see His goodness daily, and recognize each day as the gift that it is. Thank you for being a special part of our lives. Merry Christmas!