It is amazing to realize that it is Christmas Day once again! We have had a very full year since we last paused to truly celebrate Christ's Birth.
Four foster girls have come and gone from our home.
Lauren graduated from high school, performed in her last dance recital with The Beat Dance Company and began her freshman year with a full tuition and room scholarship in The Honors College at The University of Akron.
Justin got his driver's license, got two part time jobs (Kroger and Nazareth Hall), is the junior class president, organized a huge fundraising "Celebrity Party" with Matthew Underwood and attended The Event in Orlando to further his passion for acting and theater.
Logan continues to thrive at the BGMS, and was even voted at a DARE dance as best costume/dancer (himself as a model) for the second year in a row by his peers and December Student of the Month by his teachers. He has begun to create videos that he has posted on You-Tube. Here is one of my favorites:
Ethan performed in another community musical (Seussical), played baseball and recently gave a 40 minute power point presentation on "Bigfoot" for the BG City School District's gifted program.
Justin, Logan and Ethan began making music videos together. Their singing abilities have afforded them over 20,000 hits on You-Tube! Here's a recent duet by Justin and Ethan...
Jameson started another year of preschool and has grown tremendously in his cognitive skills and behavior. He adores his family and keeps us laughing at his hilarious one-liners, so much so that Michael plans to begin writing a book about him next Fall.
Michael's SEARCH Community is well underway at BGSU and he is less than 3 months away from completing his dissertation!
It has been a year of blessings for our family, even in the midst of incredible busy-ness and changes with Lauren being away from home.
And today as we sat together around the Christmas Tree, I have been struck again by how blessed we are. With material things, yes. But even more so, I see how despite our busy-ness and selfishness at times, God has still instilled in our children's hearts the importance of walking with Him and loving others.
I see this in the many gifts they carefully selected and graciously purchased for each other and Michael and me, as well. Lauren got us a digital picture frame, already filled with hundreds of pictures of our family. She knows how much we value each other! And her FaceBook status this Christmas day stated,
Ethan gave a gift to our newest foster teen son. It was a note saying that he did not forget the newest member of our family and a $10 bill. So thoughtful and so others-centered!
Logan created a video that he posted on FaceBook as his gift to me. It is one of the most thoughtful and precious gifts I have ever received...
Justin just finished reading The Bible in the Message version this year. He asked for a new Bible in the NLT version for Christmas, so he could read that in 2012.
I am just so thankful today, as I reflect on the many ways that God has chosen to bless our family and the way that God is using our family to serve others.
I am humbled at the ways that this Christ Child chooses to use us today, in spite of our many shortcomings!
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