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Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Christmas Letter and Picture

2009 Christmas picture! Love it =) I went more electronic this year and tried to cut back on our send outs. Hoping this gets to everyone who wants to know what we've been up to this year!


Greetings to you all! December 2009

What a blessed year the Lewis Family has had! It never ceases to amaze me when I look back on the year and see where God’s hand has been in our lives – in everything and everywhere. Let’s see… where to begin… This year’s biggest challenge was adjusting our lives to being a family of four. We’re still learning, as we should always be, but things have finally settled a little bit and we’ve gotten into our routine. Let’s start with Eden a.k.a. Little Miss.

Eden came into this world with her own agenda and has seemed to stick to it! I can’t believe what a sweetheart she is. She certainly has her preferences and lets you know all about it but her gummy smile, big dimple and wet kisses make everything worth it. She just celebrated her first birthday on Nov. 25th and has quickly grown into her own little person. Eden’s favorite things right now are music, Rollo our cat, laughing at/with her big sister, when we come home from work, being a very independent eater, animals of any kind, waking us up in the middle of the night, taking her first steps (she’s so proud!), her mama, being chased up and down our stairs and her baths.

Now for big sister, Claire. Wow has she changed this year! She can’t wait to be four in March. She is ALL girl and not just because she loves anything to do with princesses or anything frilly but because she has such a tender heart. She is so empathetic and is always looking to be generous to those around her. She definitely is challenging her boundaries but learning how to make better choices. Some of Claire’s favorite things right now are pretending, dressing up, drawing and practicing writing her name, singing while usually creating her own songs, her books, pretending, peanut butter sandwiches, going to school once a week, did I mention pretending?! Her imagination runs wild all day long!

Neil continues to work hard at Northwest Vista College and has made it to the half way point of his 3 year Department Chair position. He has been able to teach at least one course a semester which has been great because he really misses classroom teaching. This leadership role has been a great experience and we know he has been blessed with this position to help and influence others. He just turned in his tenure portfolio for review and hoping to become officially tenured this next semester. Outside of work at NVC, Neil is the most incredible dad EVER! His fun loving and imaginative play keeps the girls entertained and all of us laughing. I can’t believe how patient he is and how blessed I am to be on this journey of life with him. Some of Neil’s favorite things right now is reading as many books as possible at one time, seeing his girl’s faces when he gets home (including me!), hiking, spending time with friends and family, leading discussion when we host our life group, chocolate chip cookies & planning and carrying out community service. As the wife writing this letter, I must say he’s amazing.

As for me, I keep crazy busy staying home raising Claire and Eden. It’s the hardest job but the most important and by far most rewarding. We play at home, keep up with the house, get to playgroups during the week and run around getting things done. I’ve continued with my private voice studio as well. I teach 10 kids on Mondays while Claire is at MDO and Eden stays with our wonderful friend, Stefany. Mondays are great days for me to be teacher and continue to keep my feet and heart in the music world. It energizes and refreshes me to get back home with my babies. I’ve also been given opportunities to take on more of a leadership role in our church’s music ministry which is very exciting for Neil and I. Some of my favorite things right now are keeping up with our family blog (www.nkclewis.blogspot.com), getting together with playgroup and life group, scrapbooking, visiting the kids resale shops, singing with our worship ministry, watching my girls grow, a full night sleep and spending time with family and friends.

This season is so magical. We’ve learned that even more now that Claire is old enough to look forward to everything! We constantly remind her that we are celebrating this time of year with the greatest gift God has ever given us, His Son, Jesus. I pray that this letter finds you praising Him not only for the gift of Jesus but the promise of the gift of eternal life when we completely surrender ourselves to Him. Have a wonderful Christmas and Happy New Year!
Grace & Peace,
Neil, Kathryn, Claire and Eden Lewis

1 comment:

Kathi said...

What a sweet family you have! May you continue to be blessed and grow in love throughout the years. Merry Christmas! (My blog name is Bubbe which is a Jewish grandmother- this is Kathi Kardon!!)