Dear Family and Friends,
Merry Christmas from Colorado! I (Emily) am grateful for the opportunity to write this year’s annual report, as it’s been uplifting to me to reflect on the year and the blessings we have received. I suspect you are missing Neal’s unique humor and brevity about now, so I apologize and promise to keep things lighthearted. As I initially thought of what on earth to include in our yearly review, I was hard-pressed to think of much beyond frustration and stagnation, because we’ve had a lot of that (depressing, I know—that’s what lack of sleep will do for me). Thankfully a few minutes of serious reflection and a bit of dark chocolate helped me to remember that, in actuality, it has been a year of progress, learning experiences, growth, family memories, and joy.
Neal has been hard at work all year. Hospital policies and politics aside, he is very much enjoying his day job as an anesthesiologist. The vacation time isn’t bad, either. But because hard work is so much a part of who Neal is, most of his vacation time is spent, well, working hard! Whether is it is fulfilling his USAF Reserves obligation in DC, herding boys at scout camp, or working on his current construction project at home (there is ALWAYS a project going on), he is working. And we sure love him for it. When he does have occasional free time, he skis with the kids or we enjoy family vacations (which, to be honest, also fall into the category of hard work).
Sally is in the 5thgrade and is growing up fast in every way. We are finally seeing the light of life without babysitters, as Sally is more than capable of holding down the fort for a short while…and probably for a long while, but we don’t want to burn her out quite yet. Sally has gotten to the point on the piano this year that she will admit that she actually likes it, although please don’t ask her about doing scales with the metronome or you will get a different answer entirely. At school she enjoys being a percussionist in the band and took a brave step into the uncomfortable unknown by playing on the girls’ intramural basketball team. Sally is still a voracious reader and read more pages of print this summer than I thought was humanly possible for any child, but somehow she can tell you all about each and every book she consumed. Sally is wonderfully helpful at home and works hard in school. 5thgrade has brought significantly more homework with it than past grades, but she manages it all in stride.
Austin (3rdgrade) is as full of energy, conversation, ideas, and fun as ever. His baptism in February was the highlight of the year for me, and a great source of joy in our family. He still idolizes his Uncle Christian, whom he asked to baptize him. Of the 10 or so career choices Austin aspires to, all of them involve science and technology, and he enjoyed a summer robotics camp and is now doing an extracurricular science club after school. Like his sister before him, reading is something that he excels at and enjoys, and he can often be found in his closet at night long after bedtime trying to fit in a few more chapters of whatever book has caught his attention (mostly Harry Potter at this point). Austin enjoyed soccer this spring and is currently playing basketball, but, like his father, skiing may be his real love when it comes to sports. His love of conversation is sometimes problematic at school, especially when he is seated next to his two best friends, but he assures me that he tries hard to be good and “barely” gets in trouble.
Micah has grown so much this year and is a very capable and confident 1stgrader. Another highlight of the year for me was watching Micah conquer the challenge of riding a 2-wheeler. A bad experience on a bike a few years ago shook his confidence, so it was with great joy that I watched him face his fears this summer to become an independent rider. Micah is a great student and is quite the opposite of his brother in the conversation department—at least at school. Never one to draw attention to himself in public, he diligently and quietly does his work and rarely has to be reminded to do his homework once he is home. Micah is currently trying out basketball for the first time, and enjoys practice but gets nervous about games. Thankfully the promise of a snack after each game is a great motivator. Micah has really taken off with reading this year and will now read some chapter books on his own! He is participating in his school running club (as are Sally and Austin) and gets up extra early twice a week to run. His hard work paid off, as he was able to run in and finish the neighborhood Thanksgiving Day 5K that Neal organized.
Ivy is quickly joining the ranks of school children, and this August started a 4-day a week Pre-K preschool program. She loves school while she is there, but, because she has a flair for the dramatic, likes to tell me occasionally how much she hates it. She daily amuses us all at home with the songs and rhymes she learns at school, so whether she loves or hates it, at least we know she is learning. Ivy decided to give soccer a whirl this spring, which was a definite learning experience for all involved. We learned to never again have 4 children in soccer simultaneously. We also learned that springtime in Colorado is more often than not windy and cold—conditions under which Ivy either refused to play or played grudgingly. I cannot blame her, as simply watching on the sidelines with Ashton was torture. Frigid wind is simply not to be borne. Ivy discovered a love of drawing this year and has also discovered how to access the mother load of printer paper in our house. While she does produce many treasured works of art, I suspect that she is also keeping the local recycling center in business.
Ashton is 20 months old and is trying hard to keep up with his older siblings. While somewhat slow to talk, he runs, climbs, jumps, plays, and eats like a champ. Ashton loves books, animals, trains, and bikes, and despite not speaking much (yet) is quite good at imitating both trains and animals. He is our first thumb sucker but not our first blanket lover, and can often be found contenting himself in our busy household with thumb in mouth and blanket in hand. Watching Ashton grow and experience each new phase is something that brings us all so much happiness. He is such a pleasant and easygoing fellow that keeps us smiling and reminds us to enjoy the sweet moments of life.
As for me, I’m daily fighting the good fight trying to keep up with the demands of home and family. It’s equal parts satisfying, humbling, exhausting, and fulfilling. I wouldn’t have it any other way. While I sometimes feel like my hope of having an updated, tidy, well-ordered home is a pipe dream, home improvement projects are starting to wind down and the dust has settled considerably since moving to our home in Colorado a year and a half ago (and someday the kids will grow out of the toys, crayons, and dress-ups that never seem to stay in their places, try as I might). Putting in the time to create a home that we love is important to me and has taken a lot of my time this year, but I’m so grateful for the daily reminders that creating happy childhood memories for my children is infinitely more important, and I truly love reading to, playing with, exploring with, and cheering on my little crew. Accepting the calling to serve as the leader of the children’s organization in our church congregation added a new challenge to my life this year, but it is a blessing to be able to serve and interact with so many precious children, and I am very grateful for the many things I am learning.
In keeping with our tradition of being modest travelers exploring the wonders of the USA, we enjoyed a spring break trip to South Dakota to visit Mount Rushmore, and fit in visits to three National Parks—Great Sand Dunes NP and Rocky Mountain NP in Colorado, and Mount Rainier NP in Washington. Our kids are getting good at being Jr. Rangers! Thankfully most of these visits were in conjunction with spending time with family and friends, and we made some very happy memories. The highlight of our summer was spending almost two weeks in the Pacific Northwest visiting many of Neal’s family members and enjoying a reunion with my parents and siblings. Unfortunately during that trip our home was hit with a devastating hail storm that required us to completely revamp the exterior of our house…so just as the dust was starting to settle inside, the opposite was true on the outside. That experience left us with a daily headache that thankfully (hopefully!) will soon end. As I type, roofers are hard at work making what is to me a very joyful racket, because it means one more thing is getting taken care of.
Through all of the ups and downs of life we joyfully cling to each other and the gospel of Jesus Christ. We have so much to be thankful for, and counting you among our friends and family is truly a blessing.
Love, Emily, Neal, Sally, Austin, Micah, Ivy, and Ashton Peterson
No comments:
Post a Comment