Summing up

So, here's my 2008 Christmas letter. I mailed them out so late this year that many folks probably didn't get them till Christmas Eve. Apparently, I couldn't remember to post it on here quickly either. Anyway, I figured I might as well use it as the overall summation of our past year.

Greetings, dear family and friends,
Our 2008 has been an eventful year. We’ll begin the recap with the youngest member of our family, who arrived just after I sent last year’s letters out. On December 15, Elijah James Vines made an exciting entrance into the world, and though he was nearly a month early, weighed 8 pounds, 11 ounces. He has been an absolutely delightful younger brother to Isaac and Abigail, and we have enjoyed the many “firsts” of this year with him: first smile, tooth, step, words, and birthday. It’s hard to imagine life without him, and he has a fun personality befitting the baby of our family. People often comment on his sweet nature, and his charming dimples. He can work a crowd, believe me. We dedicated Elijah on November 23, and that was a special day as we expressed our gratitude for his life, committed him to God, and to raising him in a Christian home.

Abigail has proven she was cut out to be a wonderful big sister. She prayed for a baby, and her eagerness to help and play with him hasn’t diminished yet. She’s now yearning for a sister, but we’re not planning to adopt anytime in the very near future, so she’ll have to wait on that for a while. Abigail began gymnastics last year and thrived in that sport, quickly learning skills and progressing through class levels. She was the only one in any of her classes to climb the long 35+ foot rope to the top of the gym, and did it repeatedly. Her 6 year old energy knows no bounds! Her proudest moment was this fall, as she finally was able to be baptized at our church on the same day as Elijah’s dedication. She accepted Christ 2 years ago, and waited patiently for a good date so our family could join us at this precious ceremony. We are so grateful for her loving nature and desire to please God in her actions.

Isaac still often says how thankful he is that we have “our baby.” It has been awesome to see his protective nature and the seriousness with which he takes his role as the oldest child. He had a great year in Cub Scouts, now advanced to a Bear Cub. He is gaining skills there that are useful in life, as well as learning about character. In April, that character was pushed to the limit as he had another serious operation to further correct the club feet he was born with. His left ankle had bone cut and removed, pins put in place, and a cast was on for the longest 8 weeks of his (and my) life. Though it was an awfully difficult time, his recovery through physical therapy, and determination of will, was absolutely inspiring. Our sweet boy has been through so much in his 9 years, and continues to push himself to be stronger. He and Abigail completed their first bike race, following in Uncle Jacob’s example, in September. It was an awesome thing to see him, up on those pedals, rushing to the finish line. We are so glad that God has given Isaac such a strong will to overcome challenges.

James’ year has also held some great changes. We were so excited as he was offered a full-time position with Children’s Critical Care Transport this spring. One of the reasons he went back to school for his nursing degree was because of his dream to become a flight nurse. He has been on many trips via helicopter and jet this year, bringing patients back to Children’s for surgeries or due to their need for more specialized pediatric care. Though it has been a good experience, we are facing the need for him to return to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit soon. His shift with Transport is a 7 day on/84 hour week, and since it pays less than the NICU, he still works additional hours to support our family. We are sad that we may need the better hours and pay of the old job, but thankful he will still hopefully be able to work some on Transport, and are grateful for this opportunity. James was also honored to be selected to serve our church (The Church at Shelby Crossings) as an elder this year. I am so grateful for a husband and best friend who is willing to sacrifice his own comfort in order to provide for our family, and lead as an example to others.

Much of my time this past year was devoted to taking care of a newborn. I relish the role, and am so happy I have been able to again snuggle a little one! As wife, mama, home school teacher, cook, cleaning lady, gardener, and laundry person, I felt I needed something to do with all my spare time this year. So, with the support of other interested home school families, I presented our church leadership with a proposal to begin a church cover school, and that was approved. I am thankful for nearly 30 patient families who are supportive of my administrator role, since I’m learning as I go. We have enjoyed many field trips in the past year, and I am very thankful for the opportunity to have my children at home with me, and to share their wonder as they learn about our world. As a family, we also enjoyed our first membership to the YMCA this summer, and both Isaac and Abigail learned the basics of swimming. That was a major goal accomplished! We needed them to be more comfortable in the water since we went to the beach in September for a family vacation. All of us enjoyed those days in the sand and water so very much, and made awesome memories together.

We are full of joy as we celebrate the Christmas season this year, and seeing Elijah’s wonder at beautiful lights and crinkly tissue paper mirror our own fascination with the awe we feel. We pray you know the joy that Christ’s life gives, and the hope we have because He came as a baby to give us new life. Merry Christmas with love, the Vines family

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