Pam’s Blog

2007 is drawing to a close and as I look back over the year I am amazed by how much we crammed into it. I am amazed by the wonderful year God has given us.

So here it is, my families year in review.

THE FAMILY

- sold our house in Maryland! Thank you God!!!

- Moved from Maryland to Seattle.

- Embarked on the adventure of a lifetime starting a new life and a new ministry in Seattle.

- Are now the proud owners of a Wii, it’s hard to say who is more excited Jason or the kids.

- Made our first family trip back to Maryland to visit family and friends.

JASON

- Finished his last few papers for seminary. He will soon be the proud owner of a Mdiv.

- Has left the full time IT world and is working in his passion of planting a church.

- Loves his coffee shop and the people he is getting to know on a regular basis.

- Rediscovered the joy of reading for pleasure (fiction mostly), after years of reading for school.

XAVIER

- Got into the school we hoped he would – YIPPEE – Thank you God!!! As a side note after almost a year in said school we still love it and are thrilled with it. It is exactly the right school for our family.

- Fished first grade with great grades and great friends.

- Started second grade and is progressing well.

- Joined Chess Club and is enjoying learning to play the game.

- Got absolutely EVERYTHING he asked for for Christmas. Lucky boy.

- Lost his first and second tooth and has two more getting ready to fall out.

WILLOWEVE – Has had the most exciting year of all.

- Early early this year Willoweve gave up her boppy (pacifier for the unenlightened).

- Potty trained!!! Praise God!!!

- Attended nine months of Physical and Occupational Therapy that have helped her in innumerable ways.

- Can now sleep through the night, this is so much nicer then the whole getting out of bed between 6 and 12 times a night.

- Began preschool as a peer at the developmental preschool where Xavier goes to school. Everyone loves her at school, her classmates and her teachers.

- Began work on her IEP (Individualized Education Plan) for school and is getting ready for kindergarten next year.

- Enjoys playing with her ponies, dolls and other toys both alone and with others.

- Has an imagination that tops even mine.

QUINN

- Had the hardest time adjusting to life in a new place. Now he is making friends and enjoying life in Seattle. Often on our trip to Maryland he asked to come home.

- Is looking forward to going to preschool and has already received an unofficial invitation to apply as a peer next year.

- Is just a happy little boy.

And ME

- I LOVE Seattle. I knew when we visited here that this was the place God wanted us. Now after living here almost a year I love it even more then I did when we visited.

- I have gotten to enjoy visiting horse farms, riding and playing with horses more this year living in the City then I did in the past five years of living in the suburbs. Funny how God works.

- I lost my grandmother this year, I hadn’t realized how unprepared I was for a death in my family until it happened.

- I love my job teaching after school science.

This year has been a wonderful and difficult one. If I were keeping a scale it would be hard to say the good balances the loss. However when I look back at the year I can see and feel the blessings more then the losses and I know we are exactly where God wants us to be. There is no greater feeling then that.

So I wish you all a happy and blessed new year and I hope you can all look back on 2007 with as much peace and joy as I can.

Thank you God for that.

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This Christmas my son wrote a very special book and gave it to the family as a Christmas present.

It was called “My important book.”

Allow me to share with you in a moment of Parental Pride some of what my son wrote about his family. This is just a glimpse I didn’t retype the entire book.

“The important thing about my dad is he’s cool. He’s nice to adults. He wants a Wii for Christmas. He’s awesome really…

“The important thing about my mom is she is great to have. She’s nice to people. She’s as sweet as a flower….

“The important thing about my sister is she is weird. She likes ponies…

“The important thing about my brother is he’s small. We like to watch movies together and he’s whiney, but he’s caring and hilarious…

“The most important thing about my family is that they’re awesome. We like to do fun things together. They’re super fun and cool….”

It made me cry this book was so sweet and so Xavier. I love it.

Thank you my son, this is the best Christmas present you could have given me. An important reminder of why I love my family so much – because we are AWESOME!!

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UHG.

It’s true. My house is a mess, and there is absolutely nothing I can do about it.

See this year we had a GREAT, Fantastic Christmas. The kids got a ton of gifts and they loved them all. Jason and I had a great day. It was just a really great day.

The problem. Everything comes in packaging – HUGE packaging.

Now that everything is opened and put away in it’s new home we are left with bags and bags of garbage and recycling. Cardboard, plastic and other things. Not to mention the garbage from dinner and our regular accumulation of Garbage.

But see our garbage and recycling came on Christmas Eve and will not return – recycling for two weeks and garbage till Monday. The outside bins are already full and I still have bags and bags in the house.

Being in the City I really can’t just take trash outside and let it sit near the trash cans. For one thing, it will attract pests. For another it will clutter the alley were our parking space is. Finally it just isn’t polite to our neighbors.

So I am stuck with bags of recycling and garbage cluttering my kitchen and dining room. There is nothing I can do about them. They are stuck in my house where I do not want them. Uhg.

Sorry just had to vent. I hope everyone had as great a Christmas as I did.

Happy New year everyone. In a few days I will post my New years resolutions. Scary stuff.

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I know I know everyone loves Christmas. Everyone loves to get gifts. But I really love it.

I love everything about it. I love the lights the trees. The cookies and the brightly colored gift wrap. I love giving my kids and friends gifts. I love cheesy Christmas movies.

The other night Jason and I wrapped presents and watched “It’s a Wonderful Life” my very favorite Christmas movie.

I know everyone complains about the commercialization on Christmas and I agree. We should not feel driven to give gifts because it is the thing to do. On the other hand I love to give gifts.

I love to see a happy expression on someone face when I have picked a gift for them I know they will really enjoy. I love to see someone’s eyes light up when they unwrap a package from me.

I start Christmas shopping in May after all our Birthdays are over for the year. Part of it is to spread out the cost of Christmas shopping. Part of it is because throughout the year if I see something that I know will make someone I love smile I just can’t resist it.

I know the true meaning of Christmas is about celebrating the birth of Christ. I just love to celebrate it by giving others things they’ll love.

So know that our water is fixed I am getting REALLY excited. It’s all I can do to not start letting the kids open their gifts now. I know they are going to like the things I got them, and don’t get me started on Jason. I got him some gifts I know he is going to love and I just can’t wait for him to open them.

Less then 48 hours to go now. Then it will be Christmas morning, and the wrapping paper will fly!!!

Merry Christmas everyone.

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Some days are just harder then others.

Today was one of them.

So two days ago – yes two – seven very short days before Christmas. Our basement started leaking. Now I know what your thinking, it rains a lot in Seattle, basements leak. However our basement wasn’t leaking rain. No, no even better then that the basement is solid against rain water… our basement was leaking sewage.

Yep – you read that right, our sewage water was backing up into our basement. Again. This is the third time since we moved here that it has happened. The last time was in May and we really thought that we had the problem fixed.

Oh, by the way our landlord has been great about this.

This time however the problem wasn’t as clear. (Last time it was a broken pipe.) This time they aren’t sure why it’s happening. The plumber can’t come till Saturday. So here we are.

Then this morning Quinn starts throwing up.

Then Jason and I start fighting.

AHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!

Then some one makes mention of Ethos.

So ok – here is the good thing. Quinn stopped puking. Jason and I aren’t fighting. The plumber is coming, and the landlord had been very helpful. And tonight we got to go to a really relaxing Christmas party hosted by Quest Staff.

As for Ethos… well… we are here, and this is where God wants us. In the long run that’s what matters right.

Still as I sit here and type this I can’t help feel discouraged.

I wish I knew the future some days. I wish I could figure out where things are going. I wish I knew EXACTLY why God brought us out here. I wish I knew what was going to happen with Ethos.

Willoweve wishes she had dessert tonight. I guess we all want things that we can’t have and I guess we always will. No matter what are ages, the wishes just get bigger.

Although I am discouraged I am still very much looking forward to Christmas morning when the kids open their gifts.

So Merry Christmas!!!!

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I know it’s been a while since I posted. I have been sick, we’ve also been busy busy busy. Which probably hasn’t helped the whole being sick thing.

So I have bronchitis… again or still I’m not sure. The doctor doesn’t think it ever went completely away from when I had it in Maryland but now it is trying to turn into Pneumonia. So they put me on two antibiotics, a z-pack, and Levoquinn(SP??) and a narcotic cough medicine that is also helping me sleep. The doctor gave me strict orders to take the rest of the week off work and in her words “be a couch potato”.

She was kind of irritated at me when I told her I had to work – she insisted I HAD to get better. But I had to work yesterday after my appointment – I need to give 24 hours notice if I need off, but I did request a sub for the rest of the week. So my goal for the next few days is to be a couch potato.

Of course here’s the thing. I will feel guilty the entire time I am resting and not doing the countless things I need to do. Like the dishes and the laundry and the fact that I am requiring Jason to take care of the kids; which is my job.

I hate being sick.

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