This is our version of an annual family letter. Some of you will be getting it in the mail with the Christmas cards that I still haven't mailed! Hopefully I will mail them before Valentine's Day!
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In January, Joseph turned 6 and we celebrated with a party at the Scrap Exchange. The Scrap Exchange is a nonprofit organization that collects discarded materials from businesses or individuals to be recycled and reused for creative projects. At the birthday party the children were given a goody bag to fill with materials to take home for future projects. I received a call that evening from one of the parents who attended the party. Her child had put some old buttons in his goody bag and one of them had a very vulgar word on it. So, we learned to always check any materials your child brings home from the Scrap Exchange!!
Another exciting thing happened in January....Jarrod got a job after many months of unemployment! The job is in Maryland, so he commutes home almost every weekend. We have learned many things through this transition! It is tough to be the single parent of 2 curious and creative boys. How do full-time single parents do it all?! Fortunately we have had the support of family and friends to ease some of the burden on Dana during the week.
We spent Easter celebrating with Snoopy at Kings Dominion! We learned that this is a good place to meet so Jarrod doesn't have to drive all the way home every weekend. Joseph is typically a very cautious child when it comes to unknown situations; however, he became very brave and adventurous during this trip to Kings Dominion. He and Jarrod went on everything that he was tall enough to ride! Poor Eli wanted to ride with them, but he was stuck riding the "kiddie rides" with Mommy!
In May we joined a pool and it was one of the best investments for our family. Joseph quickly learned that the water at the end of the slide was over his head, while Eli learned exactly how far he could walk before the water would be over his head. With lessons and lots of practice, Joseph learned to swim underwater a good distance.
In June, our little daredevil Eli broke his arm while sliding/tumbling down an inflatable at Monkey Joe's. He learned that having a cast during the summer is NOT fun...especially when your family just joined a pool!! Our trip to the beach was quite an adventure as well. Dana found a waterproof cast cover and it was worth EVERY penny!! We highly recommend DryPro cast covers (the company is based in Wilmington, NC so it is nice to support local businesses!)
Unfortunately July brought a time of grief for our family. We learned just how serious allergies to insect stings can be. Dana's father was stung by one wasp and within seconds he was in anaphylactic shock. The doctors were able to keep his heart beating with the use of machines and medicine, but he was not able to recover from the damage to his brain due to a lack of oxygen. Through this time of sadness, we were reminded that we are loved by so many people. Visits, phone calls, emails, meals, flowers, babysitting, etc....we were overwhelmed by the outpouring of love shown to our family.
One important lesson that we learned this year is that plans change, and that's ok!! Dana found that she was overwhelmed with teaching, single parenting, hospital visits, etc and she had "too much on her plate." She had to give up her plans to travel to Kenya for a mission trip, as well as mentoring for Team in Training. Even though she was very disappointed, she knew it was the right decision for our family.
Our family has also learned that sometimes God leads us in unexpected directions. We have been members of The Summit Church (formerly Homestead Heights Baptist Church) for many years and have developed strong friendships that will last a lifetime. We have recently felt God leading us to Ridgecrest Baptist Church. The boys have gotten very involved with their Children's Ministry and have made some really good friends. Jarrod and Dana found a great Sunday School Class and look forward to it every week. We are excited to see what God has planned for our family as we become more involved at Ridgecrest!
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