Toothless

Esther lost her two top front teeth in a span of three days. 

Christmas Eve

The children were all dressed up for our candlelight Christmas Eve service at church.

Somehow, they all have the same smile.

Merry Christmas 2017

Dear Friends and Family,

We gave Lucy a chance at the Christmas letter, but she declined. Our first kitty is 12 years old now and spends her days quietly sleeping. Mookie doesn’t torment her quite like he did when he was a kitten (last year), but he still tries to pick a fight occasionally. He is always up for stretching out on our chests. Mookie wasn’t interested in writing either. He was too busy with his afternoon nap. He needs his energy to nibble on us later today. So, the letter is up to me. (Sorry if you’re disappointed.)

We took a family trip to Washington, DC this year. The children wanted to plan our next visit before we were even unpacked. We also spent our annual week at Pinebrook Bible Conference for family camp in July. We visited family in northeastern PA a few times during the year and took a trip to Darien Lake theme park. We had a lot of fun-even if I forgot my bathing suit.

Derek’s been a civilian for the Army for fifteen years now. He still exercises regularly. He often finds a project around the house to complete when he’s not coaching the kids’ sports teams.

I continue to write part-time. This August two more of my books were released. Two more are set for a fall 2018. I really enjoy the challenge of researching and writing. I’ve also visited a few schools to share about writing and science with students. It’s fun to interact with the students and teach about things I enjoy.

Meghan (age 11) enjoys projects like crafts and cooking. Last year she got involved with the local 4-H sewing club. She sewed two projects during the year: a pretty pillowcase for herself and a blanket to donate. Each of those projects won a Grand Champion ribbon in the county competition! Now she’s working on a quilt. She played basketball last winter and is ready for another season this year. Meghan is quite the bookworm and loves our trips to the library. She is an excellent student, though early mornings aren’t her favorite. Who can blame her?

Evan (age 9) enjoys playing a variety of sports. This year he played machine-pitch baseball, flag football, and basketball. As much as he likes to roughhouse with his sisters and friends, he also plays quietly with LEGOs for hours on end. Evan’s an early riser and often spends those early hours of the morning reading some of his favorite books and magazines. Evan has been off his anti-seizure medication for a full year without any problems! Praise God!

Esther (age 6) began kindergarten this year! She enjoys school and has really blossomed as a reader. Esther played t-ball and flag football earlier this year and is ready for her first season of basketball. She’s a happy girl and loves to be around others. She also enjoys Barbies, Shopkins, and dollhouses.

The three children get along best when the television is on or when they’re wrestling—until someone gets hurt. Someday they’ll figure out how awesome they all are. In the meantime, we just try to make it through each day.

We hope you have a wonderful Christmas and blessed 2018.   

Love,        

Derek, Annette, Meghan, Evan, and Esther