Christmas
Greetings from the cold Midwest! As we write this letter (3:30pm
in the afternoon), the outside temperature is a blustery 18 degrees
with a wind chill of 4 degrees {shiver}. Did we mention it’s quite
blustery? It’s hard to believe that Christmas is already upon
us. It’s the most wonderful time of the year,
the time when we reflect on all God has done for us. Christmas is
about God giving us the greatest gift ever, His Son, Jesus
Christ! May you enjoy this Christmas season by keeping
Christ at the forefront of all of your celebrations.
During this most wonderful time of the year,
we also thank God for the family and friends that He’s given us and the
acquaintances that He has allowed us to make. As we sit here
preparing Christmas cards/letters, we realize just how many people God
has placed in our lives over the years. We have so much for which
to be grateful. Whether our time with you was long or short, we
thank you for being a part of our lives. We consider it a
privilege to count you as friends and look forward to hearing from you
(anytime—not just at Christmas)!
Here are some brief updates on our family (we know you’ve been waiting for these)!
This year
Chris had a job change. He is still with Homeland Security however he
is now filling a newly created position. He’s happier and so are
we! About once per month he spends some time away from home for
his job. While this is not ideal, it’s worth it for him to enjoy what
he’s doing. A bonus is that Cindy occasionally will join him for
a couple of nights away.
Cindy hasn’t experienced any job changes this year. She’s still a wife,
mom, homekeeper, homeschool educator, nurse, mediator, etc.
Essentially, she is an impacter of future generations! Her
mission and calling are certain and she is so very thankful to be able
to be home with her children during these many formative years of their
lives.
Meghan stays very busy with babysitting jobs, crafting, selling on
Ebay, some cleaning for others and serving our family by handling the
grocery shopping and dinner preparation. The biggest change in her life
occurred this year when one of her best friends got married and then
moved away!
Matthew just recently returned home after spending much of the last 3
years in Texas volunteering with a ministry. While he was blessed
in those volunteer endeavors, it’s time to move on. Currently he is
looking for a job as an EMT, beginning his college career from home
(via CLEP tests and distance education) and pursuing other interests.
Sarah spent 2 months away from home this year. She greatly
enjoyed the EXCEL program for young ladies in Dallas (she and several
of her friends attended). While glad to be home with her family
again, Sarah does miss many of her friends that she made while in
Dallas. Sarah has her learner’s permit and will get her driver’s
license hopefully sooner rather than later. Mom just needs to find the
time to take her out to practice driving!
Nathan continues with his high school studies; he’s quite diligent and
is determined to graduate next year with Sarah. At a height of 5’
11½” and a shoe size of 12, we’re hoping he’s almost done
growing. Nathan has been running 3X per week and he’s hoping to
do a 5K run this year.
Stephen has grown about 3 or 4 inches this past year, becoming quite a
young man. Recently, we bought Stephen size 11 dress shoes!
We are wondering if he will challenge Nathan’s position as the tallest
person in the family. Once Stephen’s done with the amazing growth
spurt, we’ll have two more boys to experience this phenomenon with!
Micheal is still our rough and tough, fun-loving, full-of-adventure
child though he is no longer a little boy. He has had to take on
more chores around the house and usually does them willingly,
especially if he knows that computer time is to be rewarded for
diligent work! Micheal wanted us to say that he hopes to purchase
an airsoft gun soon so that he can join his brothers in airsoft battles.
David began the year not wearing his glasses at all. About
mid-year, he decided he would see better if he wore them. Then in
the last few months he started squinting trying to see. Yes, new
glasses have been ordered with a much stronger prescription for our
habitual reader!
Heather continues learning to read, excels in her math studies and
loves to color and draw! She also likes it that Kaitlyn is now actually
old enough to play dress up and other games with her. Heather
also loves listening to music and has been learning many of the
children’s songs that her older siblings learned years ago.
Kaitlyn, now 3, has grown and matured so much. She is no longer a baby
{sad face for Mommy}. At age 2, she had very few words in her
vocabulary. Now, she repeats just about anything she hears, and speaks
with excellent articulation most of the time. We’ve given up
trying to keep track of the many words in her vocabulary.
Recently we found her dancing to music in the kitchen while watching
herself in front of the dishwasher. Boy was she surprised when she
twirled around and realized we were all watching her!
There’s so
much more we could share as our lives are quite busy and full but it
wouldn’t all fit on this page so this letter must end. We wish many
blessings upon you at this most wonderful time of the year!
With love in
Christ,
Chris and Cindy McDaniels
Meghan, Matthew, Sarah, Nathan, Stephen, Micheal, David, Heather and Kaitlyn
clmcnm@sbcglobal.net
http://www.manymcdaniels.com
