Christmas Letter 2012

Dear Friends and Family,


Thank you for following us over here to read our Christmas letter!  I chose to skip a few steps this year to save paper, ink, and a few pennies in postage.  Other incentives are not worrying about keeping it to one page and a few more pictures too!  We hope we find you in good health, bright spirits, and treasuring your loved ones this season.

This year was filled with the highest of highs and some very low lows.  Often times, they were paired together.  In January, while on a girlfriend getaway, I received news that my Grandma Ruth had passed away unexpectedly.  Then on another weekend away to celebrate my 30th birthday in September, (Ruth's beloved) Grandpa Bob went home to heaven as well.  Losing both grandparents just eight months apart was heavy on the family's spirit, but we are comforted in knowing they are in the presence of their Lord and holding hands once again.  Other illnesses have troubled people very close to us.  We continue to pray for healing and encouragement for those in difficult health trials.

More than anything, we were blessed beyond belief with wonderful experiences in 2012.
Scott and I, along with my parents, accompanied Noah and Hayden to Disneyland to celebrate their 5th birthdays in January.  It was an amazing trip!  I had always dreamed about experiencing the Disney magic through the eyes of our kids.  They dined with characters, swept the princesses off their feet, and even were chosen as the "clones" to fight Darth Vader in Jedi Training.

In April, we played tour guides to Scott's parents and enjoyed a whirlwind two-week trip to Ireland.  This adventure was a dream come true also.  It was a gift we had long been saving for and treated it as a joint-celebration for Steve and Kathy's most recent 35th anniversary and our upcoming 10th anniversary.  We rented a car and traveled clockwise around the island, stayed in B&Bs for the most part, splurged on a castle overnighter, and loved immersing ourselves in the music, history, friendly people, and culture.  The beauty of the country paired with the company truly made it a trip of a lifetime.

Soon after returning home, God urged us to plan a family mission trip with the twins in October.  For months, we fundraised, made arrangements, and set goals for our 10 days in the Philippines.  The boys helped with each step and most of our projects were their ideas: visiting a dump site and orphanage, giving flip flops to people in need, feeding the hungry, praying over people in the hospital, and providing a playground to a poor community in Cebu.  We worked with acquaintances, now great friends, from our church who are full-time missionaries there.  It was not just the boys who came home changed and with a better grasp on Matthew 25.  Scott and I were both challenged to our cores and are still growing and learning from the entire process.  God blessed our vision for the trip and continues to bless our family by the experience.  We hope to have opportunities like this with Gracie, Levi, and Carter sometime in the future as well.

Backtracking a bit: in the summertime, we were able to camp in Oregon with our dear Mullaney friends and also near Point Reyes with the entire immediate Gillespie side of the family.  When Scott headed down to Anaheim for a work convention, I was able to tag along with Levi and Carter.  Special time with just the little guys was wonderful.

So as you can see, we've had many awesome comings and goings.  But I'd love to summarize what "normal daily life" looked like when we actually stayed in one place:

Scott is about to complete his 2nd year with Concord PD and continues to enjoy working with this agency.  He has been widely praised for his performance and proactivity on several cases, and I am extremely proud of his heart for the people.  He's still really involved in the men's ministry at our church: teaching, cooking, supporting the leadership, whatever's needed.  This year he also took on a new hobby of training and running a couple of races.  Tough Mudder, an obstacle-packed race that he did with a team in Tahoe, was a fun challenge for him, and he looks forward to repeating it next year as well.  (Oh, I should mention here that he signed me up to do it with him. Ha!) 

I started out the year by taking a 4-month lay counseling class, which stretched me in big ways both spiritually and with personal relational growth.  Scott was able to participate in most of the class, so we enjoyed wrestling through the discussions that came up each week.  Besides the business of being mom, I've spent time blogging, reading, planning our family's adventures, and participating in Moms Together when I can.  One unexpected change for me was starting out homeschooling and then determining that God had a different plan for us.  Now the twins are attending Ygnacio Valley Christian School in Concord, and we are still trying to balance and juggle the school schedules and commutes along with out-of-the-car quality time.  Big changes, but we are confident that this is the absolute best decision!  Despite many ups and downs, this has been one of my favorite years personally.

March 2012

Noah (5), our little police officer in training (aka. tries to be the enforcer), had a fantastic year becoming an even bigger boy.  He loved being a Pirate on a little league team.  He learned how to swim and raced on the swim team, ditched the training wheels on his new bike, and lost his first two teeth as well.  Most importantly, he has shown some growth in leadership as the oldest brother and in selflessness by obeying God's heart stirrings in Cebu and since returning.  Noah is loving Kindergarten, showing excitement over reading and making many new friends.  

Hayden (5), the self-proclaimed artist and family clown, obviously had a fun-packed year of firsts like his twin.  Though more of a "Ferdinand"-type on the baseball field, he still enjoyed being part of the team.  He also raced on the swim team, earning himself a 2-wheeler bicycle which he mastered on the first ride attempt.  Hayden continues to cultivate a peacemaker spirit and a heart of servanthood and can easily buddy up with any of his siblings.  He absolutely loves school and is the most excited about learning how to read.

Gracie (4), the princess girl we all love to dance with, is as delightful and spunky as ever.  She loves attending preschool, singing, and picking up on nearly all that the boys are learning too.  She has been a supportive little sis in her big brothers' endeavors and shines as "the big sis in charge" whenever they are gone.  Besides preschool, her 2012 highlights include returning to day camp and looking forward to her upcoming 5th birthday Disneyland trip.  Gracie's favorite pastimes are coloring, twirling, playing make believe, going on mommy or daddy dates, cuddling, and making all of us smile and laugh with her sweet hilarity.     

Levi (3), our most joyful little love bug, has had a big year!  He started out at a special ed. preschool and has been a trooper through countless doctor and therapy appointments, evaluations, and orthopedic treatments.  He was given a diagnosis of cerebral palsy for his developmental delays, so we have been navigating through the services that are available to us.  His vocabulary has been my favorite improvement.  Right now, he's on a break from school until we can find one with a more fitting schedule for us.  At home, he loves keeping up with the "Big 3": playing trains, imaginative play, being read to, and superhero stunts.  Levi continues to grow in his role as tender big brother (but loves Carter a little too close sometimes ;) ).  We know that God has designed Levi's heart to endure and prosper through all of his trials, and we already are blessed to see his gentleness and joy affecting many others.

Carter (19 mos.), the crazy yet adorable caboose with those lovely baby blues and luscious curls, keeps us on our toes and my daily productivity to a minimum some days.  His biggest temptations are climbing on the counter, getting into the dishwasher, touching the TV equipment, sneaking ice out of the freezer... (okay, this list is getting super long).  Haha.  Anyway, he is an independent, persistent, and determined adventure seeker who reminds us the importance of consistent, loving discipline.  This year he managed to get away with only a chipped tooth and a broken nose, the latter received by pancaking out of the car.  He is a great commuting buddy and goes with the flow.  Carter loves hanging with the whole gang and is full of endless giggles and fun.  As expected, no matter how big he gets and what milestones we cross off the list, I cherish my forever baby and his tight mama hugs.  

Now wrapping up, I wanted to thank you again for reading our family's update.  Feel free to revisit this blog so you can read the posts throughout the year.  And at the close of 2012, we hope you also take inventory of God's blessings this year.  May you be filled with joy and thankfulness for His countless gifts, the birth of Jesus and the start of our salvation story being at the top of the list!  We love you all dearly and are grateful to have you in our lives.  Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you!    

Love,

Laura