Merry Christmas Letter to the Fam

 

Dear family,

Merry Christmas! Another Advent season has come and gone. Another flurry of Christmas gift giving, baking, celebrating, and remembering has past. But what a good gift that the anchor, the center, the truth we rejoice in still sings as strong and true as ever. Christ has come!

Favorite moments from the Advent chain this season (plus some bonus post-Christmas fun): 

• Dropping off an Advent basket for friends and picking up peppermint Frosties on the way home
• Dad (and Elliot) getting the Christmas lights up on our house
• Eating supper in reverse (starting with ice cream sundaes, then the main dish, and lastly salad)
• Spontaneous visit to Como Zoo
• Farmer Christmas Celebration at the Oliver Kelley Farm (with a horse-drawn wagon, fresh cookies, and homemade ornaments)
  
• Family celebration with the other Kattersons, complete with breakfast burritos, cinnamon rolls, and a new game that turned out to be pretty fun
• Small group white elephant gift exchange (always an adventure ... able to deliver a few real treasures to our favorite friends. Precious Moments figurine from wedding and 5 lb bag of cassava flour )
• Brunch with Mr. Steve and Miss Lulu and Mr. Ryan (including some real tasty sourdough donuts dunked in powdered sugar and gifting a pretty terrific squeaking pig)
• Christmas Eve service at church with beautiful singing, beautiful message on Isaiah 9:6, sweet connections with friends
• Christmas Day! Sharing gifts among our own family (and seeing what thoughtful and generous gift-givers the kids are becoming!)
• Hitting the road for Iowa and having a terrific Anderson clan Christmas with amazing brunch, gifts, and Legos galore
• Family photos and celebration for Grammy & Grandad's 50th wedding anniversary!!!

Because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace. Luke 1:78-79

Sunrise is such a brilliant image of Christ breaking into the world. From the dark, strangling mire of sin, He has exploded in with life and hope we could never have imagined on our own. May the year ahead be one full of trusting Him, serving Him, and rejoicing in Him!

Love you, all my favorites!

Mom

Story from Pop Pop

 Here is a childhood memory from Pop Pop:

My childhood was one that I would not share most memories with anyone other than my siblings. They alone would understand the brutality and horror that filled so many days and nights of our innocent lives. Our father was the source of all our pain.

That said, I do recall one of the rare occasions that I think of often and fondly.

    Late one cold wintry night, my dad came into my bedroom. He woke me and told me to dress in my warmest outdoor clothes. With yawns and stretches, I came downstairs to find my two sisters dressed and waiting for me. When he wanted, my dad was very good at raising suspense. He took us to the door and flung it open.

The moonless night was very dark but the few street lights illuminated thick falling snow. I was a wee lad then and it looked to my large eyes that the snow was at least three feet deep. I now suppose that it was about a foot or so. Grabbing one sled and our ‘saucers’, (those concave aluminum dishes with handles on the sides) my dad led us out, down from our apartment, across a ravine, and up a hill to a bare section of the hill that had many gullies. These were formed from years of flowing water.

We crawled to the top of a ridge and watched as my dad took a saucer and slowly made his way slowly over the fresh loose snow. Now it was packed down perfectly. I don’t know how long we went up and down the hill, but, my little mind says ‘for hours’.

All too soon, my dad called a halt to this and thinking that we were going home, I was shocked when he said that we were going for a long walk. Next, to my amazement, he told “me” to sit on the sled. Now we lived way up on the hills that ran along the Ohio river.

In a wonderland of falling snow that twinkled in the lights of the town, my dad pulled me all the way into town to his brothers house, which was dark and no-one answered the door.

From there my dad pulled me, through all the twinkling snow, back through the town and up the hill to our tenement apartment. I have no specific memories regarding my sisters, but I’m sure that they were tired by the time we go home. My memory ends before we got home but I’m sure someone carried me into the apartment, got me into my “PJ’s” and put me to bed.

This memory contains no yelling, hitting or pain. It remains pure sweetness in this old man’s ‘little boy’s mind’. The snow, the saucers, the sled and the winter wonderland of twinkling snow is my Currier and Ives memory.

 

5 years old!

5 years old!

 

4 years old

 

3 years old

 

 2 years old

18 months old

1 year old

 11 months old

10 months old

9 months old

8 months old

7 months old

6 months old

 
 5 months old

4 months old

3 months old

 2 months old

1 month old

2 weeks old

Dear Calvin,

Happy birthday, big man! Hard to believe you are now 5 years old!

- You have a 100-watt smile that lights up our lives so much! You are a fellow with a twinkle in your eye, a joyful, creative mind, and a contagious laugh. It is very great when you and your brothers get going with your puns and jokes until you're all laughing uproariously.

- You are still absorbed in the world of trucks. For your birthday you requested some inside trucks. And some outside trucks. And a garbage truck with a dumpster. And a grader and lumpy steamroller...  It is very fun that there is a little digging pit under our new deck, since we no longer have the big construction site of our Lexington house. 

- You are very sweet to your little sister. I love when you and Jemima are playing together, and you're conscientiously explaining to her what to do and helping her out when something is tricky. I pray that you will continually exercise that kind of strength under God's control as you grow.

- You are very articulate. And have a very clever kind of logic. And you crack me up. For example:

"I have a very big mouth, so I can drink a lot from this kind of small water bottle."

"In my case, Kix aren't sweet because I don't really taste the sweetness." 

- You are my fruit and veggie lover. I think you consume more apples, grapes, and cherries per capita than anyone else in the family. In addition, you'll often pass on a cookie or piece of cake in favor of a piece of candy or bowl of ice cream.

- You are wonderful at helping in different tasks and projects. Often you'll ask to help me get lunch ready, and you are great helping to move laundry from the washer to the dryer, putting away the silverware, peeling carrots, and many other jobs. I pray that the Lord will develop that sense of diligence and perseverance as you gain more skills and responsibilities.

- You were so eager to join in with schoolwork like your brothers that I finally broke down and let you start your kindergarten math workbooks, and you went through one and a half of them this spring! You have a bright, inquisitive mind, and we have a new reading book to start together. I'm excited to see all the lights go on as you decipher and decode words for the first time!

- As a family we worked on memorizing Ephesians this year, and it is such an encouragement to hear how much you soaked up. I pray that the Lord sets those words deep in your heart to be an anchor, an illumination, and a sword in the years ahead.

- You are officially an independent bike rider now! You also love swimming and just finished a round of lessons at the Y. You have always been ready to jump in and get soaked without hesitation!

- You love to dress up as a superhero, and frequently Spiderman or Superman will accompany me to the store...

We just wrapped up our memory work in Ephesians (at least for this round!), and I have been thinking about chapter 6. Paul gives quite a substantial word of instruction to bondservants:

Bondservants, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart, as to Christ, not by way of eyeservice, as people-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, rendering service with a good will, as to God and not to man, knowing that whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether he is a bondservant or is free.

Those are some pretty strong words for people who were not in an easy position. The call to God's people, even those with no recourse, no options, no appreciation, is the kind of diligent, quiet, trusting-God faithfulness that shows who is really their Master. 

The echoes here connect with some preparations I've been making for a Proverbs lesson on work. Why do we work? Just because we have to in order to stay alive? I think there is much more to it.

First, God works. He created all things with wisdom as His master craftsman, and in joy He shaped all that we see in the universe. He rested on the seventh day. And He declared man to be made in His image, blessed with His favor, and commissioned with work of his own.

The Fall adds sweat and weeds to our work, but still we may receive our calling to serve and labor with God's good gifts of rain and fruit woven into creation. When we are faithful in the little, hidden things, we demonstrate trust that God is doing something bigger than we can see right now. We trust His faithfulness to grow simple, unglamorous dirt and seeds into fruit and foliage. And we work in rest, because Jesus ultimately finished His work ... paid our debt, achieved perfect righteousness, made us sons and daughters of God.

And that is who we are, buddy. Our lives are not our own; we have something so big and satisfying to invest our sweat and effort for, like Paul, who (later in Ephesians 6) reminds us that he is an ambassador in chains, in bonds and yet truly redeemed and free.

So I pray that you will see yourself in the right way, not fearing man, not striving for people's approval or easy-won eye-service, but even in the hidden things offering a faithful heart in the service of God, wherever He puts you.

I love you, my Calvin,

Momma 

2 years old!

2 years old!

 

18 months old

 

1 year old

 

11 months old

10 months old

 

9 months old

8 months old

 

7 months old

 

6 months old

 

5 months old

 

4 months old

 

3 months old

 

2 months old

 

1 month old

1

 

2 weeks old

Dear Jemima, 

Happy birthday, sweet girl! It is a joyful day for us to celebrate 2 full years with you in our home! Since you're a big fan of singing "pappy birpy," opening presents, and eating treats, it is a joyful day for you too!

All The Things:

- You run, you crawl, you twirl, you hop, you open drawers and cabinets, you climb... Life is full of adventure!

- You have made a fairly smooth adjustment to our new home, albeit we have definitely had more disrupted nights of sleep than usual. Since the transition, you have also been more hesitant to go to nursery, warm up to people in our home, or venture far from momma. Moving to a new home is a pretty big deal for a little person, isn't it?

- Your diaper rash has finally calmed down, so now you get to enjoy a number of new fruits and vegetables (while still having a solid 3 banana yogurt smoothies on most days!). You are a huge fan of grapes, pears, blueberries, peas, and corn, and you also enjoy sweet peppers, bananas, strawberries, and applesauce.

- In other food groups, you love pretzels, cheese cubes, graham crackers, corn chex, granola bars, pizza, most meals with rice, and pancakes. 

- You feel deeply and are unafraid of making your opinions known. The screams and fits have been vibrant of late, so we are working on asking politely, using gracious words, and being self-controlled. We are also practicing obeying right away and coming the first time you're called. I pray the Lord uses your fierce determination and zeal for tremendous fruit in His kingdom!

- You love to read animal books and truck books. You also love to look out the window and see the dogs out for a walk, squirrels frolicking in the yard, and birds singing a sweet tune. Last week you were peering intently at something out the window, saying, "Him! Him!" (which you use for things that you don't have another word for). I couldn't really see anything other than a tree and a truck out there, but when I came a little closer, sure enough there was a little bunny hiding below the window in our front hedge! 

- You sometimes sing along with me when I do my blessing song before bed. The absolute best thing ever.

- You continue to think Mr. Steve is wonderful. Even when you were pretty shy of anyone new coming around (and you'd stick to my leg like a little burr if you sensed I might be ready to leave you), you'd be casual and friendly when Mr. Steve was here to watch you kiddos. 

- You love puppies. Even the golden doodle or German shepherds that are bigger than you don't seem to intimidate you. This bodes well for Daddy's plan to get a family pet...

- Blankie is still your most special possession. You love to play outside (especially with the neighbor girls who like to color with sidewalk chalk in the front). You are a huge fan of slides ("Whee!" you say.). You have to be persuaded to stay in your stroller for a longer walk, because you'd rather hop out to explore. You have the sweetest facial expressions and comical poses. Your brothers love you to pieces, and you love them right back. ("Boys!" you call from your crib in the morning when you think it's about time for them to come and fetch you.) You love shoes and special dresses. You cannot be trusted around your brothers' toothbrushes or water bottles. 

- You give the best hugs. 

To sum up, you are a joyful, energetic, funny, spirited little miss, and we love you to pieces!

You are still a wee thing, but you are certainly beginning to understand how the world works. 

You know about screaming... what it accomplishes and (hopefully) how it is even better to practice self-control and politeness.

You know about silliness, when Daddy grabs you and tosses you in the air or the boys make funny faces at you.

You know about things that are true. You discern that a puppy is not a kitty, and the neighbor girls are not the same as "our boys." You know what an elephant says, what a snake says, and what a rooster says (and it is really adorable). 

As you learn about this world, its laws and limitations, its shape and form, I pray that you are given confidence, clarity, and courage as you see that what God says--that is true. If someone rejects it--that is wrong. When we rebel--that is sin. And in God's overwhelming mercy, when we repent of our sin and turn to Jesus as Savior--that is salvation. We don't work to earn our way in this world. Stopping our futile efforts and trusting in Christ's work as sufficient--that is true life.

As 1 Timothy 1:15 says, The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. 

I pray that you have a true knowledge of yourself as you grow--that you are a girl, beautifully created by God; that you are a sinner, having sinned and fallen short of the glory of God; and that you are invited to be a child of God, covered by the righteousness of Christ and received as a co-heir of His glorious inheritance. May the light of Christ fill you and flow through you to point others to His amazing gift of life!

We love you so,

Momma

From suppertime:

We are thankful for Jemima because...

Calvin: Thank You for making babies.
Victor: I'm thankful Jemima is cute and not always cranky.
Josiah: She’s a good friend to play with.
Elliot: She likes playing with us.
Me: She helps us see how special God made girls.