We have not posted recently, primarily because of the busyness of life. In our last post, Jody began a new job with the Michigan Credit Union League. She loves her place of employment, putting to use her skills and learning new aspects of her job. Working 9 to 5 works well for us. However, this has added to the crazyness of life. Between work, church, school, athletic events, working out, etc., there is not a lot of downtime. Last week we returned from an 11 day vacation – a getaway we had been planning and looking forward too for the last few months. Joe and the kids left early, driving to Florida while Jody followed by flying down three days later. We spent 7 great days together in Sabastian, FL soaking in the sun, enjoying the beach, and sitting around the pool. It took us two days to drive home, stopping in Atlanta, Georgia to visit with our nephew. We cut our vacation a couple of days short to be home for Resurrection Sunday. For the belivers, this IS the greatest day of the year! Now, we push to finish the school year strong and enjoy time together this summer.
This spring, Seph is running track on the varsity team. There is no doubt he is dedicated to this endeavor. Each morning, he gets up before the sun rises and goes for a six mile run. He then comes home and gets ready for a full day of school and track practice. This year, he is the anchor in the 3200 meter run [2 miles]. At the Michigan State University invitational, he finished 6th out of 40 runners with a time of 10:38. He has the potential to break the freshman record by the end of the year. Jillian will also be running track. Her first track meet is next week, running in the 800m relay. Other than this, she continues to carry straight “A’s” and looks to finish the year strong.
There is no doubt, we are anticipating summer. The sun, warmer temperatures, being outside and the pool – something we look at 8 months of the year being unused. Florida was a taste of what is to come. Certainly, we are ready for it to arrive.
We have known very few people who have not been affected by the downturn in the economy including our family. In the last two years, we have seen all of Jody’s accounts close their doors, whereby we have watched our income become less and less. In addition, we have poured everything we had into bringing home Chloe and Caleigh. As we were looking to the future, we were carefully planning the months ahead with the potential of Jody looking for a full-time job this August. The Lord did not wait until August to bring an opportunity her way. Pursuing many part-time position, this opportunity was a full time position. After sending her resume, as well as two interviews with the Michigan Credit Union League in a matter of three days, Jody was offered a position as their Compliance Consultant. Her primary task is to make sure all 300 credit unions in Michigan are abiding by the laws of the land. Although this opportunity came about 6 months early, we could not let it slip away. In the fall, both of the girls will go to school. In the meantime, we’ve made arrangements until that point in time. We are grateful for the Lord’s provision in our lives. This week was Jody’s first full week at her new place of employment. She enjoyed her new surroundings, getting organized, as well as getting to know her new co-workers. Our lives have gone from being busy to becoming extremely busy. Yet, we are excited about the path laid out for us and the Lord’s continued faithfulness in our lives.
I should carry my camera around more often. This weekend, the two older kids went to Winter Retreat. Jake normally occupies Jillian’s bed on a regular basis whether she is in it or not. However, he likes to “sleep” with someone. A bit scared, I couldn’t tell you. Since he is not allowed in our room, he has to find his next viable option. Saturday, as the little girls were taking a nap, it was quiet in the house. Where was Jake? As I peaked into the girls room, there he was squishing Caleigh, hogging much of her bed, pushing her to the very corner. I couldn’t help but laugh. It has taken a couple of months for Jake to get used to the girls. This has seemingly been the final result - a bond that will last forever.
We’ve had another major breakthrough with Chloe and that is the pool. We went swimming in China at least every other day. Chloe was very clingy, perhaps because she had never been swimming before. Some days she sat on the side of the pool and other days she never even touched the water. When we came home, we began to work with her. In the summer time, because of the busyness of ministry, we often don’t have the opportunity to travel. So we enjoy much of those months in our back yard and our pool. During the winter, while our pool is covered with snow, we go to Court One, an athletic club about a mile from our home. In a matter of about a month, Chloe has gone from not liking the water to loving the water. Caleigh has taught her to jump in by herself, and sometimes, holding hands with her ”best friend” as Caleigh calls her. They may not jump or land in a sychronized fashion, but it is priceless to see the fun they have together. [p.s. - Sorry about the cloudy picture. This was the best shot I could get. The lense kept fogging up due to the humidity and because of the poor lighting, the camera wouldn't "rapid shoot." Wait until summer to get the good pictures outside.]
Yesterday was four months to the day since we received Chloe. What a transition she has made. In such a short period of time, she has learned a new language, learned to sleep in a new soft bed, learned to eat “foreign” foods, learned to love new people and even a dog, and learned to know what it’s like to be a part of a family. Along the way, we have learned some things. We’ve learned what it’s like to have four kids in a family; learned to listen more intently; learned to be more patient, learned to live on less; and learned to appreciate more. 
