Christmas Letter 2007

Our first Christmas e-letter! No trees were damaged in the production of this Christmas message...

Hope you enjoy catching up on our family as much as we enjoyed putting this blog together. Do take the time to check out the links and the slide show (coming soon!). And leave a comment, too! Here's what's up with us this year:

Angela is in her first year of CEGEP at Champlain College in Lennoxville, studying pure and applied sciences and loving it. This is the first time in her life that she's attended an English-language school, having graduated from the International Baccalaureate program at École du Phare in Sherbrooke last spring. Angela and Rick went to Ireland this summer to celebrate her graduation from High School. They had a good, memorable, relationship-strengthening time. (They kept a blog as they progressed on the trip, and have since posted many of their photos there - if you want to see it, follow the link under "Important Family Links" at the right.) She bought herself a new digital camera for the trip and has since been having lots of fun developing her aptitude with it. She does some very creative work with it.

Angela is considering doing some form of Canadian mission work next summer, either in Quebec, Northern Canada or Ottawa. She has a heart for missions. She’s also considering attending a Montreal CEGEP next fall for a semester or two. We would miss her! She wants to study physics with her Uncle Bruce, who teaches at John Abbott. She’s enjoying her morning walks to deliver the Sherbrooke Record and enjoying the income. She recently received her driver’s license and is enjoying the freedom that brings. We also appreciate that she can drive herself places and does a share of the taxiing of the other kids, too.

Benjamin is in his second year of high school in the International Baccalaureate program. He’s enjoying his teachers and most of his classmates. He’s saving up his money from delivering the Sherbrooke Record to travel to France with his class in June. Benjamin, like his Dad, succeeds well on projects done at the last minute. But he’s learning lots about himself, others, consequences of his actions... He’s a bright kid. He’s forever showing us crazy stuff on YouTube, or demonstrating a new magic trick. He is often the object of Angela's photography or videoing. He keeps us all laughing.

Sarah is in grade five. She’s involved in badminton, school crossing guard and piano lessons. She reads avidly and has a good social life. She's looking forward to a good ski season with all the snow we've received here in the last six weeks. Sarah is a terrific big sister and seems to get lots of joy out of playing with Natania and helping her do crafts and creative play. She manages herself very well, getting ready for school on time, getting her homework done. We supervise her far less than we did Angela at the same age (but then again, we live in Lennoxville now rather than Montreal...).

Natania, who proudly tells everyone she is "three and three quarters," amazes all of us. (Its sort of like she's an only child with five parents in the house!) She’s trying to figure out how everything works and comes up with delightful conclusions. Her beautiful artwork graces the fridge and walls of our house. Without her around, we'd have no reason to sweep the kitchen floor after meals or get up bright and early on a Saturday morning... She's in a small daycare four days a week and recently announced she would be marrying Stephen, one of the boys there, and that he would be the daddy of her children. On further inquiry, she told us that Stephen would be staying at home with the children so that she could go shopping. She brings a lot of laughter to our family. And plenty of challenge, too.

Jennifer, age undisclosed, continues to enjoy her job with Air Canada, commuting to Montreal three days a week where she stays with her parents. The kids and Rick miss her but manage well in her absence. She's working at the gates now, making announcements, “Would the passengers seated in rows 10 to 20 please board now,” and handling the surprisingly complex process of boarding an airplane. It’s a fun challenge, sometimes difficult, and gives her a sense of accomplishment. She enjoys the ability to focus on her work without having to run home and parent at the end of the day. She hopes to retire from Air Canada in about 6 years and get herself work closer to home.

Rick, older than Jennifer, has had a busy fall season at work with a 50th anniversary celebration of Grace Christian Home and the launch of a first annual fundraiser for the Dr. W. J. Klinck Foundation, which supports the homes. This fall is the first time in 40 years that Rick has been out of Scouting, as Benjamin did not return to Scouts due to the demands of his schoolwork and paper route. It feels kind of strange. In his limited spare time, he's become an avid reader, too.

We’re quite happy with the life we’ve created for ourselves here. God has blessed us with some good friends, pleasant acquaintances, good church family, lots of outdoor options. Kids are five minutes from the ski hill. Angela and Sarah can walk to school, Benjamin's bus ride is about 7 minutes. We love our back yard and have hosted many BBQs, sleep overs and campfires. We enjoy having friends and relatives over for meals, so give us a call!

Come back and visit our blog again later. Throughout the year, we hope to be able to highlight what our kids are up to and share some of their creativity with you. And, we'll see you next Christmas for sure!