But. On to the Christmas letter! I actually am going to send real authentic picture and letter out to whoever is on my list, if I still have your address! But that isn't happening till after Christmas. For my records I'm posting it here!
Dear
Friends,
A
Merry Christmas to you all! I think it's been at least two years
since I've done this! Our lives have been full and our hearts are
full too. God has been so good to us not only in our daily lives but
in teaching us lessons along the way ( He hasn't given up on us).
The fact I've come to know the best is that God's love and truth are
real and steady.
Two
years ago I was holding a tiny little baby in my arms and soaking in
baby girl. Jeanie's given us a fun girl change in the house. She
thinks she's one of the boys though so, so far things have been
humming along nicely. She does know how to put on the drama but
she's all smiles through the tears later. Her best attribute is her
uninhibitedness! Nothing is kept for dignity. Life is about living.
She gives us lots of laughs.
Zerrick
is in seventh grade and is learning things beyond my capabilities.
So we spend lots of time learning together. We get so many
conversations in along the way while we're schooling. If they were
off to school each day would all those fun conversations ever happen?
I'm glad for the experience and that God has taken care of my
panicky “how do I do this “ moments. Zerrick is my peace
maker/ helper/ big brother to everyone. I keep trying to realize
that in a year and a half he'll be running off to volleyball games
and youth camping trips without us. What???? Noooo!!!!!!! But yes
it's happening. It's amazing, this growing up of our boys.
Keagan
is almost eight. He's thriving and smart as can be. Right now we
have to keep on our toes to channel all his building and tearing
apart and checking out how and why things work like they do. All he
requires is space and a few thing like tape and glue and wires and
ropes and he WILL create something. Every time. So he's had to
learn a lot over the last two years about other people's property and
not to take their stuff apart.
Mathias
is five. He and Keagan are best buddies and hardly ever apart from
each other. Mathias requires much more human interaction and
relationship than Keagan. He still loves hugs and snuggles and
stories. I think I'll keep him five as long as possible. He's
still our healer and chief joy maker in this house. The other day he
was sitting by Jeanie and auctioning her off. I heard him lovingly
tell the crowd that she's a really nice girl to play with ” so
who'll give me a dolla?” And then he went on to say she's very
naughty so that is why we can't keep her.
In
Matt and I's lives, we've been taking care of these four charmers of
ours and finding our way in life moving toward 40 really fast. We've
got about a year yet to figure out how to be a put together 40 year
old couple.
In
the mean time we've kept really busy with Roofing season. Matt was
able to hire 8 guys from Mexico and help get their visa's and work
through all those legalities. That's been a fun experience and well
worth it. BTW those guys he hired can make some really good food and
they keep a super clean house. We were very impressed. They are all
back home to Mexico for the winter but we hope to bring them here
again for the next roofing season.
I
didn't bake for Market for the last two summers and am very reluctant
to start again. The cash is always nice but the time spent with my
littles while they're little has been so nice. And I feel like I'm
actually getting through the layers and layers of neglect that had
been going on in this house from my baking. Last summer we actually
gardened a bit more than usual and we wore our summer out fully. We
were ready for winter and school this year. It was all good.
We're
also ending our year of youth sponsoring for our church youth group.
They are a good set of kids and we have had such a good year with
them. My best memories I think are the youth camp-out in the rain
and then conversations around the fire, the coffee breaks in the
school kitchen, and listening in on their great sense of humor. They
treated us so kindly and we loved it. Thank you all of you!
Looking
ahead our next year looks like more of the same but with a new level
of steadiness and learning to trust God even more. Life throws
curve balls but I know Whom I have believed and am persuaded that He
is ABLE to KEEP that which I've committed………
A
Merry Christmas to you all and keep Abounding in Christ,
Amy
for the Matt Burkey Family
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