Thursday, December 21, 2006
Saturday, December 16, 2006
Christmas Letter 2006
Dear Loved Ones,
…”It’s the most wonderful time of the year...” I suppose that statement is a bit subjective, but I for one, am convinced that it is true. Christmas cookies, Christmas carols, Christmas cards, Christmas presents, Christmas parties, Christmas smells, Christmas shopping and of course THE Christmas Story. Isn’t it all a really wonderful, fun, and hope filled way of ending a year? Well, you may have to pardon my holiday cheeriness; I guess I may be experiencing a bit more sentimentality than normal…you see this year has been a doozy for our family and quite frankly, I’m happy for a happy ending.
Now, there have been a few who have teased me about the, ah hum, “thoroughness” of my Christmas letters…and well, I’ve taken your comments and suggestions into account, and have decided to provide for all of our friendly bah humbugs, a brief overview of our year.
…”It’s the most wonderful time of the year...” I suppose that statement is a bit subjective, but I for one, am convinced that it is true. Christmas cookies, Christmas carols, Christmas cards, Christmas presents, Christmas parties, Christmas smells, Christmas shopping and of course THE Christmas Story. Isn’t it all a really wonderful, fun, and hope filled way of ending a year? Well, you may have to pardon my holiday cheeriness; I guess I may be experiencing a bit more sentimentality than normal…you see this year has been a doozy for our family and quite frankly, I’m happy for a happy ending.
Now, there have been a few who have teased me about the, ah hum, “thoroughness” of my Christmas letters…and well, I’ve taken your comments and suggestions into account, and have decided to provide for all of our friendly bah humbugs, a brief overview of our year.
December 2005 - Ryan is layed off from CoreComm
January 2006: - Ryan starts consulting work in Akron, OH, commuting 2 hours both ways every day, Kayleen discovers she is pregnant with TWINS
February: Raegan turns three
April: Ryan’s Akron gig comes to an end
May: It’s a good thing Ryan’s at home because Kayleen is humungous and can barely move.
June: Twins are born, two months early, are in NICU until end of July, Their names are Jenna and Savannah (two girls), Ryan has interview with Children’s Hospital
July: Ryan, Katelyn, Raegan, and Marin go on vacation without Kayleen, Kayleen stays home to visit babies in hosptial. Babies come home on the 26th.
August: Kayleen turns 30 and discovers her first gray hair. Marin turns 2; After three interviews, Ryan gets the job at Children’s Hospital and returns to work
September: School starts! Katelyn turns 5
October: Ryan and Kayleen celebrate 6 years of marriage!
November: Thanksgiving with Kayleen’s folks
December: We’re still waiting to see what’s going to happen.
So, for those who like it short and sweet, that’s the basic gist of it. Merry Christmas! We’ll chat again next year. :)
OK, for the rest of us who understand that part of the wonderfulness of Christmas is connecting with family and friends…here is the rest of the story. :)
I think that I left off last year with the news that Ryan had lost his job at CoreComm, as well as the news of our latest edition to our family on the way. It turned out that we did not have to wait long for Ryan to secure some short-term employment. A friend of his from a telecommunications company in Akron, OH (two hours north of Columbus) heard that Ryan needed some work and offered him a short-term consulting position right around the turn of the new year. Other than the extreme downside that the girls and I really never got to see Ryan (two hour commute, both directions), we were grateful for the job.
The first day of Ryan’s new job in Akron was also my first appointment with my OB/GYN, to begin my prenatal care. I knew that I’d be getting an ultrasound and both Ryan and I were a little disappointed that He would not be able to go to see the new baby. So, I took a video camera along to tape it so that Ryan could watch it later. Little did I know that this ultrasound would reveal not one, but TWO babies peacefully floating inside of me. As you can imagine I was more than a little surprised (for the most part….I was having premonitions of twins, but had been trying to ignore them). I didn’t know whether I should laugh or cry :). Nevertheless I was glad that the whole thing was recorded because I’m not sure anyone would have believed me otherwise. Later, when I got home I called Ryan and told him to sit down as I explained to him that, “Ryan, we’re not going to be the parents of four children, we’re going to be the parents of five!” I’m not sure he got much done the rest of the afternoon.
In Februray, we celebrated Raegan’s 3rd birthday. Raegan is our 2nd daughter and has more personality and ideas than sometimes we know what to do with :). She is extremely active (loves to climb, ride her bike, swing, swim, and has recently joined a dance class), but also can be very shy and creative (a little timid at times around new people and will sit for hours coloring or playing playdough). Ryan and I try to keep her busy, otherwise she has her own ideas of fun things to do, and well, lets just say they don’t always line up with what we would normally call acceptable ways of spending her time. Her most recent venture was trying her hand at cutting her own hair (you may not be able to tell from the picture, but there are large chunks missing from sections of her head). But, we have also been proud to watch her as she’s started preschool two mornings a week and has even made a best friend who shares her passion for playing dress up.
At the end of April, the work Ryan was doing in Akron was finished, and although we were a bit nervous about his lack of employment/lack of income, I was relieved to have him home. My pregnancy, although going very, very smoothly, was also becoming extremely uncomfortable and difficult for me to take care of Katelyn, Raegan and Marin and any household work. Looking back I see that this was just all in the plans of God…He truly had been looking out for our babies and me. And, it turns out that God also was watching out for our finances as well: we saw provision for our family come in so many ways during this time of little income.
And then life took yet another unexpected turn. On June 8, around 4:00am my water broke. After a call to my doctor, then to our neighbor to come stay with the kids, Ryan and I were on our way to the hospital. And at 6:57 am Jenna Lee was born weighing in at 3lbs 14 ozs; and at 7:00 am Savannah Ryan was born weighing 4 lbs 8 ozs. They looked perfect…very little, but just absolutely beautiful. Unfortuately, their little lungs weren’t quite ready for their new world, and so they spent their first week of their life on a c-pap that kept their lungs inflated while they developed enough to be able to breath on their own, and then another month more to wait for their little brains to keep their hearts beating and their breaths coming (preemies often just forget to breathe or to keep their hearts pumping). After all of this was overcome, they then had to learn how to eat. Finally, on July 26 they were released with a clean bill of health.
Jenna and Savannah now are 6 months old and are doing awesome. I actually took them in for a check-up today. Jenna now weighs 12 lbs. 5 ozs and Savannah weighs 13 lbs. 5 ozs. They have absolutely the sweetest personalities that you can imagine. As long as their tummies are full and diapers dry, they are happy to kick and coo and smile. And although these last few months have been extremely difficult as we have adjusted to having two babies as well as all the other normal activity, they have truly come to fit perfectly into our family. We have truly been blessed.
In August, our 3rd daughter Marin turned two. Marin is a chatterbox. She has something to say about everything. She talks very clearly for a two year old and her comprehension is, well, impressive (I realize I may be a smidge biased). Ryan and I joke that she may very well be the most intelligent person in our family. Marin’s passions reside in talking on the phone and eating candy. Yes, Marin has developed quite a sweet tooth this past year. At her birthday party, we sat her next to her cake on the table and the first thing she said was, “Where’s a fork?” She loves to sing, snuggle, and do her best to keep up with her big sisters. Marin adjusted quite well to having two new babies to share Mommy with, but definitely still enjoys singing and rocking with me. She is a Mommy’s girl and I hope she always will be :).
Katelyn turned 5 in September. She attends a pre-Kindergarten class five mornings a week and is learning her letter sounds and blends and simple math. She enjoys going quite a bit and asks me almost everyday on the way home if I could please go back to work so that she can stay to eat lunch and play with her friends (who stay for the daycare portion of her school). Katelyn also goes to dance class and Cubbies (Bible Memory for preschoolers). As our oldest daughter, although only five, she has adapted quite well to the roll of big sister. She loves to hold the babies; even a fussy one waiting for Mommy to be done feeding her twin sister. Christmas is really beginning to be fun for her because she remembers things from last year; it is fun to have kids in the house around Christmas!
On October 21, Ryan and I celebrated 6 years of marriage! My how time goes fast…..This year we honored the occasion by having dinner out together and then a few weeks later Ryan’s parents treated us to a night in a Bed and Breakfast near Springfield, Ohio while they kept the kids. I’d say the best part about the whole thing was the luxury of sleeping straight through the night with absolutely no interruptions. It’s the simple things in life…. And, although this year has been very stressful, we both are still openly admitting that we love each other :).
Now, back to Ryan’s job situation…The day the twins were born (June 8) Ryan got a call from Children’s Hospital in Columbus to set up a job interview (some would call the timing coincidence, we believe more in Providence….). I knew when he got off the phone that this would be the job for him….Ryan actually had had quite a few interviews at various companies since January when he started working in Akron. And, even though he was qualified (or over-qualified) for all of these positions, he was never made one offer! It was obvious that God had a specific position in mind for him and that Ryan’s unemployment was a part of His plan. As I stated before, God knew I would need someone home during the last few weeks of my pregnancy, and yet, although Ryan was not working, He provided for our every need and more during that time. Anyhow…(I’m easily distracted when I think of all the miracles God has done in our life this year. God is always faithful to answer us when we call on Him and to find us when we seek Him) on with the story….After three interviews at Children’s Hospital, Ryan was offered a position and began working there the very beginning of August. This was a tremendous blessing and obvious relief!
As for the months of August, September, and October….well, let me just say this. The stress of having two “newborns”, three other children and a husband working long hours was unlike anything I have ever experienced. Quite frankly it made the difficulty of the past 8 months seem like a vacation :). But, again, I have to say, God is faithful! It has often been said that, “God will not give you anything more than you can handle.” I have to disagree…it does happen that God does on occasion give you more than you can handle…unless you fully rely on Him. And He is strong enough; God is able to give the strength and endurance needed or to send His people along to help. If I have learned anything this year, I have learned that if your life is truly surrendered to God, there are times that He will do some major life rearranging in order to "keep our path straight," and so we learn to trust Him more. What a merciful God we have….
So, I guess that is a good way to conclude this year’s letter. Honestly, this really just sort of skims the surface as to some of the things we’ve experienced this year. But, we’ve found ourselves more in love with the Lord and His people; more sorrowful for our sin and more grateful for Christ’s redeeming love. I suppose that is a year worth having. I’m happy for happy endings. Merry Christmas!
Love,Ryan, Kayleen,
January 2006: - Ryan starts consulting work in Akron, OH, commuting 2 hours both ways every day, Kayleen discovers she is pregnant with TWINS
February: Raegan turns three
April: Ryan’s Akron gig comes to an end
May: It’s a good thing Ryan’s at home because Kayleen is humungous and can barely move.
June: Twins are born, two months early, are in NICU until end of July, Their names are Jenna and Savannah (two girls), Ryan has interview with Children’s Hospital
July: Ryan, Katelyn, Raegan, and Marin go on vacation without Kayleen, Kayleen stays home to visit babies in hosptial. Babies come home on the 26th.
August: Kayleen turns 30 and discovers her first gray hair. Marin turns 2; After three interviews, Ryan gets the job at Children’s Hospital and returns to work
September: School starts! Katelyn turns 5
October: Ryan and Kayleen celebrate 6 years of marriage!
November: Thanksgiving with Kayleen’s folks
December: We’re still waiting to see what’s going to happen.
So, for those who like it short and sweet, that’s the basic gist of it. Merry Christmas! We’ll chat again next year. :)
OK, for the rest of us who understand that part of the wonderfulness of Christmas is connecting with family and friends…here is the rest of the story. :)
I think that I left off last year with the news that Ryan had lost his job at CoreComm, as well as the news of our latest edition to our family on the way. It turned out that we did not have to wait long for Ryan to secure some short-term employment. A friend of his from a telecommunications company in Akron, OH (two hours north of Columbus) heard that Ryan needed some work and offered him a short-term consulting position right around the turn of the new year. Other than the extreme downside that the girls and I really never got to see Ryan (two hour commute, both directions), we were grateful for the job.
The first day of Ryan’s new job in Akron was also my first appointment with my OB/GYN, to begin my prenatal care. I knew that I’d be getting an ultrasound and both Ryan and I were a little disappointed that He would not be able to go to see the new baby. So, I took a video camera along to tape it so that Ryan could watch it later. Little did I know that this ultrasound would reveal not one, but TWO babies peacefully floating inside of me. As you can imagine I was more than a little surprised (for the most part….I was having premonitions of twins, but had been trying to ignore them). I didn’t know whether I should laugh or cry :). Nevertheless I was glad that the whole thing was recorded because I’m not sure anyone would have believed me otherwise. Later, when I got home I called Ryan and told him to sit down as I explained to him that, “Ryan, we’re not going to be the parents of four children, we’re going to be the parents of five!” I’m not sure he got much done the rest of the afternoon.
In Februray, we celebrated Raegan’s 3rd birthday. Raegan is our 2nd daughter and has more personality and ideas than sometimes we know what to do with :). She is extremely active (loves to climb, ride her bike, swing, swim, and has recently joined a dance class), but also can be very shy and creative (a little timid at times around new people and will sit for hours coloring or playing playdough). Ryan and I try to keep her busy, otherwise she has her own ideas of fun things to do, and well, lets just say they don’t always line up with what we would normally call acceptable ways of spending her time. Her most recent venture was trying her hand at cutting her own hair (you may not be able to tell from the picture, but there are large chunks missing from sections of her head). But, we have also been proud to watch her as she’s started preschool two mornings a week and has even made a best friend who shares her passion for playing dress up.
At the end of April, the work Ryan was doing in Akron was finished, and although we were a bit nervous about his lack of employment/lack of income, I was relieved to have him home. My pregnancy, although going very, very smoothly, was also becoming extremely uncomfortable and difficult for me to take care of Katelyn, Raegan and Marin and any household work. Looking back I see that this was just all in the plans of God…He truly had been looking out for our babies and me. And, it turns out that God also was watching out for our finances as well: we saw provision for our family come in so many ways during this time of little income.
And then life took yet another unexpected turn. On June 8, around 4:00am my water broke. After a call to my doctor, then to our neighbor to come stay with the kids, Ryan and I were on our way to the hospital. And at 6:57 am Jenna Lee was born weighing in at 3lbs 14 ozs; and at 7:00 am Savannah Ryan was born weighing 4 lbs 8 ozs. They looked perfect…very little, but just absolutely beautiful. Unfortuately, their little lungs weren’t quite ready for their new world, and so they spent their first week of their life on a c-pap that kept their lungs inflated while they developed enough to be able to breath on their own, and then another month more to wait for their little brains to keep their hearts beating and their breaths coming (preemies often just forget to breathe or to keep their hearts pumping). After all of this was overcome, they then had to learn how to eat. Finally, on July 26 they were released with a clean bill of health.
Jenna and Savannah now are 6 months old and are doing awesome. I actually took them in for a check-up today. Jenna now weighs 12 lbs. 5 ozs and Savannah weighs 13 lbs. 5 ozs. They have absolutely the sweetest personalities that you can imagine. As long as their tummies are full and diapers dry, they are happy to kick and coo and smile. And although these last few months have been extremely difficult as we have adjusted to having two babies as well as all the other normal activity, they have truly come to fit perfectly into our family. We have truly been blessed.
In August, our 3rd daughter Marin turned two. Marin is a chatterbox. She has something to say about everything. She talks very clearly for a two year old and her comprehension is, well, impressive (I realize I may be a smidge biased). Ryan and I joke that she may very well be the most intelligent person in our family. Marin’s passions reside in talking on the phone and eating candy. Yes, Marin has developed quite a sweet tooth this past year. At her birthday party, we sat her next to her cake on the table and the first thing she said was, “Where’s a fork?” She loves to sing, snuggle, and do her best to keep up with her big sisters. Marin adjusted quite well to having two new babies to share Mommy with, but definitely still enjoys singing and rocking with me. She is a Mommy’s girl and I hope she always will be :).
Katelyn turned 5 in September. She attends a pre-Kindergarten class five mornings a week and is learning her letter sounds and blends and simple math. She enjoys going quite a bit and asks me almost everyday on the way home if I could please go back to work so that she can stay to eat lunch and play with her friends (who stay for the daycare portion of her school). Katelyn also goes to dance class and Cubbies (Bible Memory for preschoolers). As our oldest daughter, although only five, she has adapted quite well to the roll of big sister. She loves to hold the babies; even a fussy one waiting for Mommy to be done feeding her twin sister. Christmas is really beginning to be fun for her because she remembers things from last year; it is fun to have kids in the house around Christmas!
On October 21, Ryan and I celebrated 6 years of marriage! My how time goes fast…..This year we honored the occasion by having dinner out together and then a few weeks later Ryan’s parents treated us to a night in a Bed and Breakfast near Springfield, Ohio while they kept the kids. I’d say the best part about the whole thing was the luxury of sleeping straight through the night with absolutely no interruptions. It’s the simple things in life…. And, although this year has been very stressful, we both are still openly admitting that we love each other :).
Now, back to Ryan’s job situation…The day the twins were born (June 8) Ryan got a call from Children’s Hospital in Columbus to set up a job interview (some would call the timing coincidence, we believe more in Providence….). I knew when he got off the phone that this would be the job for him….Ryan actually had had quite a few interviews at various companies since January when he started working in Akron. And, even though he was qualified (or over-qualified) for all of these positions, he was never made one offer! It was obvious that God had a specific position in mind for him and that Ryan’s unemployment was a part of His plan. As I stated before, God knew I would need someone home during the last few weeks of my pregnancy, and yet, although Ryan was not working, He provided for our every need and more during that time. Anyhow…(I’m easily distracted when I think of all the miracles God has done in our life this year. God is always faithful to answer us when we call on Him and to find us when we seek Him) on with the story….After three interviews at Children’s Hospital, Ryan was offered a position and began working there the very beginning of August. This was a tremendous blessing and obvious relief!
As for the months of August, September, and October….well, let me just say this. The stress of having two “newborns”, three other children and a husband working long hours was unlike anything I have ever experienced. Quite frankly it made the difficulty of the past 8 months seem like a vacation :). But, again, I have to say, God is faithful! It has often been said that, “God will not give you anything more than you can handle.” I have to disagree…it does happen that God does on occasion give you more than you can handle…unless you fully rely on Him. And He is strong enough; God is able to give the strength and endurance needed or to send His people along to help. If I have learned anything this year, I have learned that if your life is truly surrendered to God, there are times that He will do some major life rearranging in order to "keep our path straight," and so we learn to trust Him more. What a merciful God we have….
So, I guess that is a good way to conclude this year’s letter. Honestly, this really just sort of skims the surface as to some of the things we’ve experienced this year. But, we’ve found ourselves more in love with the Lord and His people; more sorrowful for our sin and more grateful for Christ’s redeeming love. I suppose that is a year worth having. I’m happy for happy endings. Merry Christmas!
Love,Ryan, Kayleen,
Katelyn, Raegan, Marin, Jenna, & Savannah
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