Hello Family and Friends,
Kevin and I would like to send you a Merry Christmas greeting from Rochester, Mn. As always, we are covered in beautiful white snow! Each year as we sit down and write our Christmas letter we get to look back through the year and remember our lives together as a family of two. Lord willing, next year we will be writing you as a family of three! Our little Logan is due to be born on December 27th. The Lord has led us down the path of an open adoption. On August 24th, 2011 we met face to face for the 1st time with Katelyn (Logan's birth mom) and her family. Not even in our wildest dreams could we have imagined the relationship we would develop with our birth mom and her family. We have decided to stop trying to wrap our minds around what the Lord is doing in our lives through this adoption. God is too awesome to grasp!
In March Kevin and I had the opportunity to go to a Marriage conference in Texas with some dear friends. This was our 2nd year to have the privilege of attending this conference. We always leave being deeply affected by all the teachings and speakers. It truly is a time that Kevin and I get to bond and share our hearts with one another. This Spring and Summer I also enjoyed my small gardens in my backyard. Each year it is my hope that I am able to learn more and more while playing in the dirt!
In April I had a fabulous time spending a week with two of my girl friends and their babies. I do not get to see these ladies near as much as I would like. They flew in for a girl’s weekend that we all planned together! We have decided to make this the first of many “Girl’s Weekend” getaways!
September was a special month. My mom and Nana flew in for an extra long visit. A few highlights of our time together include: Mom and Nana getting to meet Katelyn and her parents, seeing the musical Hairspray, taking a tour of Niagara Falls Cave, watching so many movies we lost count, playing the Wii, and Nana deciding that she wanted to spend a few nights in the hospital. She sure gave us a big scare. We all had a wonderful time together and are looking forward to their next visit!
In October we had our annual family camping trip with Kevin’s family. This year we all chose to camp the same weekend Iowa State had their family weekend. It worked out perfect! We camped together as a family and then got to see where Lizzy and Kalynn (our nieces) are going to college. It was a short weekend together, but we all enjoyed the time that we shared.
A few other things we did together this year: Went to an Iowa Hawkeye game, saw Steven Curtis Chapman in concert, fishing, sleepovers, stained our deck, Chili Cook-off, Lizzy’s graduation, and watched lots of football!
As Kevin and I are closing up this year we are preparing for our new season of life. To be parents! We have decided that I will be staying home to raise Logan. My last day of work at my current job is December 18th. I am overjoyed to start my new job as a housewife and stay at home mom. I have longed for this day for many years!
Year after year the Lord shows us endless amounts of grace. All that we do not deserve. The blessings that He has given us are countless. It can be challenging at Christmas, in the world we live in today, to truly celebrate Jesus and what He has done for us. Kevin and I are trying to be more intentional about not turning Christ’s birthday into a selfish holiday and putting all the attention on us. We really do want our hearts and minds focused on Christ as we celebrate who He is and what He chose to do for us. We serve an awesome God that deserves way more then we can ever give Him!
In Christ,
Kevin and Nicole
