Dear Friends and Family,
Here we are again at the close of another year. Time seems to be going at speeds I never imagined! It has been a busy but blessed year. We have much to be thankful for this year. We enjoy living in Apex. North Carolina can be very beautiful! We especially enjoyed the leaves changing colors this year. They were gorgeous! We’re thankful for a wonderful church family to support us and encourage us to grow in our faith in Christ. We are thankful again for the opportunity to homeschool our kids. With time going so fast, these moments are so precious to us.
Lately, we have come to be even more thankful for things that we’ve taken somewhat for granted in the past. Michael’s never had any problems with job security, but when the economy begins to shake around us we are reminded to be very thankful for this huge blessing that God has given us! We have been able to visit with all of our living grandparents recently. We count it such a wonderful experience to be able to share our grandparents with our children! It is an answer to a childhood prayer of mine that my grandmother has been able to know my children. We visited Grandma Ulsh in PA for Thanksgiving. It was so nice to be with her and my aunt Sue and Uncle Jim and their family. The kids loved being with grandma and her dog, Doc. They were so excited to hear that she is in Greenville, SC for Christmas! Yes, we are VERY thankful for family!
We were also very blessed to have lots of friends and family visit this summer. Five of my “little sisters” from Petaluma, CA (Emily, Larissa, Erin, Laura & Erica) came. They were such a blessing and we truly enjoyed our time with them. We also had a nice visit with the Kings from Southern CA. Our other summer blessing was Leo our new kitten. Bear is adjusting, but slowly. He is finding new necessary strength to defend his title as king of the house.
This has been a good homeschool year. Brendan is in 2nd grade and Caleb started Kindergarten. Kaitlin joins us occasionally for story time, memory time, and just to say the pledge of Allegiance. Overall, she has done very well during school time. She is 3 years old and not even “in school”, but she is soaking up so much! Her vocabulary is extensive. She enjoys language and I find her creating her own words frequently during her play time. Caleb has a gift for art and has done great with all writing activities this year. He also enjoys reading to us now. Brendan continues to be an avid reader which is a tremendous blessing when homeschooling!! His engineering and practical sides are being displayed more and more in his creations. The boys’ favorite activity this year was soccer and they look forward to playing soccer again next year. Kaitlin took some ballet this year and loved the classes, but we decided that if you don’t like to put on tights then you’re too young for ballet. ?
My (Julie’s) life stays busy teaching and helping my four wonderful blessings. Yes, Michael is a great blessing, too! There is much to do all around us, but we find more and more every day that we can do nothing without Christ. He is our help and our strength every day. Without Him we mess up the easiest of tasks. We are so thankful for the gift of Christ and forgiveness. May you all know the peace of Christ and His work for us. Have a wonderful Christmas and a blessed New Year!
Love,
Michael, Julie, Brendan, Caleb, and Kaitlin
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