Every year we try to send out a current family photo along with a letter summarizing the last year. I am in charge of the photos, Jay gets the privilege of writing the letter. In my unbiased opinion, he is an excellent writer and injects just the right amount of humor. After all, our life is humourous so why not write that way! The following is our 2009 family letter with some recent photos! Enjoy!
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Christmas greetings to all of you. We hope this letter finds your family healthy and at peace. If not, join the club. Actually, we in the Falk home have managed to stay very healthy this year. Considering the amount of spitting up, drooling, licking, spilling, and dripping that goes on around here that should almost rival the Immaculate Conception on the level of “miraculous things to ponder” this Christmas. As for peace, we have discovered it comes at the times when we least expect it.
In one word, our year could best be described as change, no recovery, wait…finding routine. Who am I kidding? I have no idea how to describe this last year. Perhaps I’ll simply recap and one of you can just tell me what kind of year it’s been.
ARI
In one word, our year could best be described as change, no recovery, wait…finding routine. Who am I kidding? I have no idea how to describe this last year. Perhaps I’ll simply recap and one of you can just tell me what kind of year it’s been.
ARI
On February 12th, we invited into our lives the 5th child of our family, Arileigh Sarina Falk. Her arrival was as quiet as she is friendly and she has been a delight to raise…so far. She was born during the night at home while all the other kids were sleeping. She sleeps through the night, eats everything we put in front of her and smiles at anyone who is willing to give her the time of day. Really, my one and only concern about her began back in the womb when Chantelle commented that it felt like there was an octopus inside of her. Rest assured, the gene pool is good and Ari was born with the proper number of limbs, however, those 4 limbs do, in fact, move fast enough to appear to be 8. She is now 10 months old and shows all the signs of being our busiest kid yet. Yes, even busier than RJ! More than that, she appears to be progressing to the walking stage faster than the others. A dad of four other children should not fear the development of a fifth child the way I do but my gut tells me it may be warranted.
ALI
Aliyah is a healthy 2 ½ year old and exhibits all the normal signs of such. She is quickly developing her own style and has become very opinionated on a wide variety of issues, many of which she is unqualified to have an opinion on. She loves to talk, sing, look at books, play with babies, and cry. I am having a lot of trouble with this last one since my only sister was 7 years older than me and out of the house before I really began to understand the emotions and sensitivity of the opposite sex. I am discovering that “suck it up” really doesn’t apply in many of these situations.
Aliyah is a healthy 2 ½ year old and exhibits all the normal signs of such. She is quickly developing her own style and has become very opinionated on a wide variety of issues, many of which she is unqualified to have an opinion on. She loves to talk, sing, look at books, play with babies, and cry. I am having a lot of trouble with this last one since my only sister was 7 years older than me and out of the house before I really began to understand the emotions and sensitivity of the opposite sex. I am discovering that “suck it up” really doesn’t apply in many of these situations.
RJ
Rhéanna, at almost 4, is learning her numbers and alphabet and doing very well. She is a girly girl through and through and yet believes that whatever her brothers can do she can do, too. She is a trailblazer with no fear of adventure. She has recently revealed an interest in hair dressing and used herself as her first attempt. The result left her with 12 inches less hair and looking several years older. If I could allocate blame to my children for my gray hairs she would receive the most. She is a fascinating arrangement of all things beautiful and all things adventurous leaving no explanation as to why I will one day be enrolled in the long-gun firearms safety course.
From our family to yours, a very Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year!
Rhéanna, at almost 4, is learning her numbers and alphabet and doing very well. She is a girly girl through and through and yet believes that whatever her brothers can do she can do, too. She is a trailblazer with no fear of adventure. She has recently revealed an interest in hair dressing and used herself as her first attempt. The result left her with 12 inches less hair and looking several years older. If I could allocate blame to my children for my gray hairs she would receive the most. She is a fascinating arrangement of all things beautiful and all things adventurous leaving no explanation as to why I will one day be enrolled in the long-gun firearms safety course.
AJ
Adlai has, perhaps, surprised me the most this year as he has shown great patience in his newest venture-kindergarten. His comedic side left me believing school would not be his thing as there would be far more fun stuff to be doing. I think his accomplishments are a great testimony to the wonderful teacher he has and the creativity and energy she brings to the learning environment (Thanks, Mom!) AJ has a great imagination and enjoys expressing it in his drawings and in his lego creations. He continues to exhibit his fireball personality and yet has a remarkable capacity to care for his youngest siblings.
Adlai has, perhaps, surprised me the most this year as he has shown great patience in his newest venture-kindergarten. His comedic side left me believing school would not be his thing as there would be far more fun stuff to be doing. I think his accomplishments are a great testimony to the wonderful teacher he has and the creativity and energy she brings to the learning environment (Thanks, Mom!) AJ has a great imagination and enjoys expressing it in his drawings and in his lego creations. He continues to exhibit his fireball personality and yet has a remarkable capacity to care for his youngest siblings.
PEPE
Payton is 6 ½ going on 13. He is developing into a responsible capable young man with a compassionate heart and a love for giving. He is a remarkable reader and an excellent student. He, too, has a great imagination and can often be found in creative thought in his lego box. He has learned to tell time and is specifically interested in knowing when it is 4 pm as that is when his new neighbor friend, Ethan, comes home from school.
Both Pepe and AJ made the life-changing decision this year to make Jesus their forever friend! We, as parents, could not be more excited as they begin to understand who God is, who they are, and the impact that will have for the rest of their lives and eternity. That they understand that God loves them and that they can love God back is an extraordinary occurrence that compares to very few experiences we have had so far in life.
JAY & CHAN
Chantelle finds herself in the unfamiliar place of having a 10 month old and not being pregnant again. It seems to be a bittersweet time for her as she realizes that chapter (we think) is closed, while at the same time enjoying the routine that comes from not having an infant. She fills her days with home schooling (which she is extremely good at), barn and BeautiControl business, MOPS preparation, and a whole host of personal projects, most of which can be found on her blog site, ThousandSquareFeet.blogspot.com
I (Jason) continue to battle through the adventure of raising hogs in a time of crisis unlike any other in the last 50 or more years. Many an opportunity has arisen for me to practice virtues such as trust, faith, hope, and forgiveness. I can thank Peter Mansbridge and the CBC for that last one. In my eyes, he is about ¼ inch tall, just the right size to hit with a fly swatter, which is exactly what I want to do each time I hear him say “swine flu”. If any of you get the chance, please kick him in the shins for me! Oh, wait. I said forgiveness, didn’t I?
Other Highlights of the last year
* We celebrated our 10 year anniversary with a two night getaway.
* We purchased a 5 acre lot near the farm where one day we will build our next home
* Jason joined the church leadership
* We enjoyed our first full year back in a care group after several years in hiding
In spite of the challenges that continue to face us, we are very thankful and at peace with our situation. Thank you for allowing us to share our lives with you. We love you all and look forward to sharing in your lives as well.
Kids Say the Funniest Things:
Pepe: When asked if he (Pepe) had sins that he would like Jesus to forgive, he said “yes” followed by, “I know Adlai sure does!”
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As Chantelle heard the water running for a long time in the bathroom, she asked AJ what he was doing. “Nothing but trouble!” was his response.
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Conversation between Chantelle and RJ:
R: Ari was in your tummy.
C: Yes, she was!
R: And I was in your tummy. And AJ, but not Pepe.
C: Pepe wasn’t in my tummy?”
R: No. He’s too big.
C: Where did he come from then?
R: From the grocery store, maybe.
Payton is 6 ½ going on 13. He is developing into a responsible capable young man with a compassionate heart and a love for giving. He is a remarkable reader and an excellent student. He, too, has a great imagination and can often be found in creative thought in his lego box. He has learned to tell time and is specifically interested in knowing when it is 4 pm as that is when his new neighbor friend, Ethan, comes home from school.
Both Pepe and AJ made the life-changing decision this year to make Jesus their forever friend! We, as parents, could not be more excited as they begin to understand who God is, who they are, and the impact that will have for the rest of their lives and eternity. That they understand that God loves them and that they can love God back is an extraordinary occurrence that compares to very few experiences we have had so far in life.
JAY & CHAN
Chantelle finds herself in the unfamiliar place of having a 10 month old and not being pregnant again. It seems to be a bittersweet time for her as she realizes that chapter (we think) is closed, while at the same time enjoying the routine that comes from not having an infant. She fills her days with home schooling (which she is extremely good at), barn and BeautiControl business, MOPS preparation, and a whole host of personal projects, most of which can be found on her blog site, ThousandSquareFeet.blogspot.com
I (Jason) continue to battle through the adventure of raising hogs in a time of crisis unlike any other in the last 50 or more years. Many an opportunity has arisen for me to practice virtues such as trust, faith, hope, and forgiveness. I can thank Peter Mansbridge and the CBC for that last one. In my eyes, he is about ¼ inch tall, just the right size to hit with a fly swatter, which is exactly what I want to do each time I hear him say “swine flu”. If any of you get the chance, please kick him in the shins for me! Oh, wait. I said forgiveness, didn’t I?
Other Highlights of the last year
* We celebrated our 10 year anniversary with a two night getaway.
* We purchased a 5 acre lot near the farm where one day we will build our next home
* Jason joined the church leadership
* We enjoyed our first full year back in a care group after several years in hiding
In spite of the challenges that continue to face us, we are very thankful and at peace with our situation. Thank you for allowing us to share our lives with you. We love you all and look forward to sharing in your lives as well.
Kids Say the Funniest Things:
Pepe: When asked if he (Pepe) had sins that he would like Jesus to forgive, he said “yes” followed by, “I know Adlai sure does!”
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As Chantelle heard the water running for a long time in the bathroom, she asked AJ what he was doing. “Nothing but trouble!” was his response.
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Conversation between Chantelle and RJ:
R: Ari was in your tummy.
C: Yes, she was!
R: And I was in your tummy. And AJ, but not Pepe.
C: Pepe wasn’t in my tummy?”
R: No. He’s too big.
C: Where did he come from then?
R: From the grocery store, maybe.
From our family to yours, a very Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year!
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