Merry Christmas!
‘Tis the season for friends, family, and fun memories! We decided to start a blog this year to make staying in touch a bit easier and less expensive than mailing letters! I can't promise that we'll update it too regularly, but we'll see how it goes!
We hope you all are enjoying this Christmas season and keeping it all in perspective. Our Savior Jesus Christ was born so many years ago to bring us salvation and hope! This gift has never seemed more precious than when we said our earthly goodbye to my Mom this past June. She had a valiant 2 year fight against breast cancer and she taught us so much during that time. We saw her spiritual strength grow as her physical strength weakened. We were blessed to be able to care for her at home. I have never seen more loving friends and family members come in and serve her and the family. Christ's love was expressed in ways I had never experienced before. We miss her each day, but are so happy that she is in Heaven completely healed and free from pain! And I know she is having so much fun finding out how many people she's related to! (She was always able to find a connection with people she talked to.)
Jeff has been staying busy with work, helping out at church, and tinkering around with the house. Thankfully, work has been steady for Jeff despite a slower economy. He has been with DMWPV in Charlottesville now for over 5 years working as a structural engineer. Jeff designs structural systems for all different kinds of buildings, from the new high school in eastern Rockingham County to a community college building in Virginia Beach to a new apartment building in Charlottesville. At church, Jeff has been helping with a building project to expand the children's department, which includes a new room for nursing moms and babies. At our home on Maple Ave in Waynesboro, Jeff enjoys tinkering around on our 100-year-old house, where there is always something to do! Most of all though, Jeff loves to come home and spend time with his beautiful girls!
We hope you all are enjoying this Christmas season and keeping it all in perspective. Our Savior Jesus Christ was born so many years ago to bring us salvation and hope! This gift has never seemed more precious than when we said our earthly goodbye to my Mom this past June. She had a valiant 2 year fight against breast cancer and she taught us so much during that time. We saw her spiritual strength grow as her physical strength weakened. We were blessed to be able to care for her at home. I have never seen more loving friends and family members come in and serve her and the family. Christ's love was expressed in ways I had never experienced before. We miss her each day, but are so happy that she is in Heaven completely healed and free from pain! And I know she is having so much fun finding out how many people she's related to! (She was always able to find a connection with people she talked to.)
Jeff has been staying busy with work, helping out at church, and tinkering around with the house. Thankfully, work has been steady for Jeff despite a slower economy. He has been with DMWPV in Charlottesville now for over 5 years working as a structural engineer. Jeff designs structural systems for all different kinds of buildings, from the new high school in eastern Rockingham County to a community college building in Virginia Beach to a new apartment building in Charlottesville. At church, Jeff has been helping with a building project to expand the children's department, which includes a new room for nursing moms and babies. At our home on Maple Ave in Waynesboro, Jeff enjoys tinkering around on our 100-year-old house, where there is always something to do! Most of all though, Jeff loves to come home and spend time with his beautiful girls!
Janelle continues to be a full-time, stay-at-home mom. I enjoy cooking and baking and taking care of our home. It's amazing how much laundry a family of four can produce! I'm enjoying Katie Jo's new school routine, as it helps keep me on schedule and brings some structure to our days. I continue to be an AdvoCare Nutrition Coach and love helping people get healthy! So many health problems in our country result from lack of proper nutrition. I am passionate about teaching others how to incorporate healthy choices in their busy lives. I'm super-excited about our biggest event yet--the AdvoCare V100 Independence Bowl! Be watching for it on December 28 on ESPN 2. There's more info at www.slimdownwithadvocare.com. You can contact me when you see the commercials to get a free SPARK! I also plan to travel to Dallas once again this January for training. It'll be my last trip for a while as we're expecting baby #3 in May! You'll have to wait with the rest of us to find out if it's a boy or girl! I have a hunch it's a boy, but we'll see!
Katie Jo is 5 and started PreK this year! She attends Bethany Lutheran Preschool, which is right down our street. Earlier in the fall, we walked to and from school many days. She is doing wonderfully at school, but has a hard time getting up to get there on time! I think that a 9:30 a.m. start time would suit her just fine! But no such luck--8:30 it is. She is making new friends, has a wonderful teacher, and is reading. I am thankful that everything is going smoothly and look forward to a successful second half of the year. I hope to make it to her PreK graduation, but that is the time the baby is due. So we'll just have to wait and see!
Aubrey is 2-1/2 and enjoying her mornings home with Mommy! The first day we took Katie, she just about broke into tears! But she does much better now and enjoys time exercising with Mommy or playing on her own where she doesn't get into trouble with her big sister! Aubrey can be quite the goofball and loves to be silly and play. She is going to be so much fun with a new baby as she loves all the little ones in the church nursery. It's going to be fun to watch both girls with a new sibling.
Our yellow lab, Rookie, just turned 5 years old, and is still a bundle of energy. She is very companionable and loves to just be around the family. Her other favorite things to do are to play fetch and go for walks. Blue Ridge Christian Fellowship (blueridgechristian.info) is our church home here in downtown Waynesboro. Jeff serves on the church's board and as treasurer, while Janelle heads up the nursery. BRCF is part of the Calvary Chapel network of churches, where we believe in simply teaching the Bible simply, as we grow in our personal relationships with Jesus Christ.
We have just recently joined many fellow Virginians in digging out from a major snow storm! We got 27 inches here and it's looking to be a white Christmas!We hope you and yours have a very merry Christmas and look forward to seeing our friends and family over the holidays. God Bless you all!
Love,
Jeff Janelle Katie & Aubrey
