2014

here is our Christmas letter from this year!
still can't get pictures to load cause my computer hates me!!!!

2014- A Year of Promotions

Chris- After having played the part of being a drug-addicted transient (very convincingly!) for two years, Chris decided to give up the beard and gave being a Sergeant a chance. After a very stressful (for me!) 3 week testing process, Chris did great, did five weeks of training, and has been Sergeanting his very own squad for about a month. With his promotion has come the joys of working midnights and weekends again. If you are ever in Scottsdale, driving aimlessly at 2 am on a Friday night- give Chris a call! Or better yet, buy him a donut. He loves those. ;)

Jihae- It only took her two and a half years to master being a mother of three, and that’s when Jihae got promoted to being a mother of four. And the fourth came with no morning sickness or painful labour- only thirty hours of classes, a home inspection, and still lots of anxiety- and BOOM! We got a sweet and sassy little 17-month old delivered to our doorstep! With this promotion has come less sleep, more joy, less patience, and more opportunities to practice being more patient. If you’re every driving aimlessly around Gilbert at 2pm any day of the week- give Jihae a call! Or better yet, bring her a coffee. Cause she needs one.

Lily and Topher- Though they absolutely deserve their own paragraph, their promotions looked very similar this year. So that’s why they aren’t getting their own paragraphs. This year was a mighty and major year for our eldest two as they both accepted Jesus as their personal Lord and Saviour, and were baptized at church in front of their friends, families, and a ton of strangers. It was the best!!!!! We are so exceptionally proud of the little people that Lily and Topher are. They are (usually) so helpful, especially with entertaining the younger two kids, and they are both doing really great in second and first grade respectively.

Mia- Her promotion was not one that she sought, but it happened nonetheless. She was booted from her lofty position as ‘baby of the family’, and was upgraded to being a big sister.  With her promotion has come a shared bedroom with Lily- which she loves, someone to boss around, and someone to scheme with/play with while the other kids are at school. Mia is so hilarious, so cute, and so stinkin temperamental!

J- I doubt that living at our crazy house is much of a promotion for our precious little foster daughter, but we are so glad she is with us! In the last five and a half months, she has grown four teeth and two molars, her vocabulary went from not much to too much, and she went from not hugging us back when we would hug her- to giving us the tightest, most life-affirming squeezes, topped off with an interesting version of ‘love you!’. It is hard to tell who has grown more in the last few months- her, or all the rest of us because of her.

Thanks to all of you for your continued friendship and support. When you think of us- pray for us!

And we are praying for you and wish you a blessed and wonderful 2015!

Thanks also to jennybishopphotography for taking our pictures again this year!

(which i can't seem to upload any pics to my blog. again...)