December 11, 2010
Merry Christmas! It is truly a Minnesota Christmas. As I write, we are experiencing one of the top 5 snowstorms in Minnesota history! Which means, my dear husband Chase is out plowing, has been for the past 17 hours, and probably will be for several more hours. Meanwhile, the kids and I hunkered down for a snowed-in day. I comforted Coleton, who was much distressed that our plans to go to “Grandma and Grandpa’s house” for the day were thwarted, by telling him that he and I would make “Homemade Candy Bars” when Sarina laid down for her nap. When the time came, and as we started the first steps on our bars, I was horrified to find that I had forgotten to buy a key ingredient at the grocery store: graham crackers! I considered making the drive to the store, but as I opened our garage door and found that the snow had drifted over 2 feet behind my Jeep, I realized that was not going to be an option. As a last resort, and for the sake of my almost-in-tears 4-year-old; I called the neighbor. “What do you need, Honey?...I have a whole box and I never use it...” Sweet neighbors are so wonderful!!! I told Coleton to stay and watch over Sarina while I walked across the street. “Okay. I will go check on her,” he said in a serious take-responsibility tone. Snow was blowing hard, and I sunk through over knee-deep snow just to get across the street, but the afternoon was salvaged. Later, we watched “Christmas at Plum Creek” from “Little House on the Prairie, Season 1”. Although it’s not a Christmas classic, it’s my all-time favorite Christmas movie. As little Carrie asks, “What’s Christmas?” Pa explains to her that Christmas is about God sending His Son to earth, and that on Christmas we celebrate Jesus’ birthday. As plans are carried out to buy each other extra-special gifts for Christmas, it touches my heart to the point of tears as the love each shows for one another far outweighs any thoughts they have for themselves. Later, Carrie uses her penny to buy a star for their tree, which she says is a present for Baby Jesus. The movie ends with Carrie looking up at her star and saying, “Happy Birthday, Baby Jesus!” How good it is to be reminded that, of all the gifts we receive, the very best gift of all is God’s gift to us: His Son, Jesus Christ our Savior. Also, sometimes it takes the simple insight of a toddler to remind us that, of all the wonderful things that happen at Christmas, our celebration is all about Jesus’ birth.
Looking back on the year, we give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ for sustaining us, blessing us, and challenging us to grow! Despite our country’s economic struggle, the Lord has faithfully provided work for Chase. How many times, when work has been slow or the budget has been tight have we been reminded that the Lord has NEVER not provided for all our needs plus some extras on the side. Chase continues to work for his dad’s company, Crown Excavating, doing excavating and even more landscaping this past year. He also keeps busy during the winter months plowing snow. He loves to hunt, both with bow and gun. No luck this year, but our freezer still holds plenty of venison from last year. He also enjoyed playing softball this past summer on a team with his brothers. With all the activities he enjoys, we are blessed that he faithfully puts his family first, and he takes good care of us all.
As my children grow too fast, I become more grateful every year that I get to spend most of my days home with them. Every day is full of wonder, new phrases, hilarious happenings, and yes (lest you think we’re not human) moments of wanting to scream. Being a mom is definitely challenging, but I wouldn’t trade it for the world!!! I continue to teach piano lessons and love it. A highlight of my week is when Chase takes me out on a date and we just get to spend one-on-one time together - away from the home I love, but that beckons me to its many projects; and away from the children we love. Being a mom is priceless, but I find that the best gift I can give to my children is to be a wife first and foremost (not to mention, it just feels special to be dated).
Coleton turned 4 this past November! He has grown up so much this year. It is so fun to have conversations with him throughout the day. He got goldfish for his birthday, and he loves to watch them and take care of them. His favorite places to go are Culver’s, McDonald’s, and Cabela’s - to see the animals and fish. He is very protective of Sarina, and they have become the best of friends. They spend most of their days just playing together. We continue on with Coleton’s Immune Tolerance Therapy (I.T.T.). Overall, his hematologist has been very happy with how things have gone, though we have had some setbacks throughout the process. We continue to give him factor daily (via needle through his port) and one oral immune suppressant. The inhibitor has been held at bay, but still lingers. The coming year will likely hold many decisions to be made regarding his treatment, and we would be grateful for your prayers for wisdom as those decisions are made. We thank God for another year of minimal bleeds and protection over Coleton! He is a real sweetie and brings so much joy into our family!
“Sarina-Bean” was 2 in July. She loves to jump, dance, and sing. She is talking so much more these days. She is our wiggle-worm, hardly ever wanting to sit still for more than a couple seconds; but she has her moments of loving to cuddle, and we often hear, “Wanna cuddle!” She loves her big brother and calls him “my Coleton”. She is daddy’s little princess and loves her daddy’s kisses, from butterfly kisses and eskimo kisses to princess kisses and monster kisses. Her melt-your-heart charmer smile, which also doubles as her mischievous gotta-love-me smile, is almost impossible not to fall for. She brings a lot of life into our home, and we all love her so much!
Sarina is also excited to be a big sister! Yes, we are expecting a new little bundle of blessing in June 2011! Praise the Lord, the first trimester is over, and now I’m just waiting for that 2nd trimester energy-burst so we can start preparing our home to accomodate 3 little ones. We’re ecstatic! Each life is so precious.
We hope this Christmas finds you rejoicing in the reality and the awesomeness of Christ’s birth and the hope of salvation that He brings into this world!
With Much Love From Our Home to Yours,
Sarah, for all of us
Chase, Sarah, Coleton, Sarina and Baby
