Dear Family & Friends,
It is 67° outside and sunny – hard to believe it is early December in Illinois! It seems hard to get into the “Christmas Spirit” when you would rather be outside, enjoying the fall like temps! However, the calendar and my “to do” list show that Christmas is a few short weeks away so I guess I’d better get to work!
We continue to be a very busy family. I honestly think our schedules get crazier with every passing year! It definitely makes us thankful for the quiet nights at home.
This past year was a fun year with a big vacation to the
East Coast. We toured DC and the
surrounding area (so rich in history!), traveled down the Outerbanks of North
Carolina, and ended our time in Baltimore for a Cubs game! Ten great days with lots of wonderful
memories made!
Matt just passed his 1 year anniversary with Northwest
Respiratory Services. He is still
delivering oxygen to Vets and drives up to 200-400 miles a day! We are very thankful for God’s protection
while he drives that many miles. He
stays active in church with bible studies, helping on the security team and
meeting with a few men during the month for prayer and fellowship.
Kaitee – 15 ½ . **Deep breath** She is looking forward to
taking Drivers Ed in January. When did this happen? Kaitee has a joy and love
for life that I don’t find in many other people. She always has a hug and a smile on the
ready. Most days, you will find her with
her ear buds in, listening to a Broadway musical. This summer she was given a
life changing opportunity to travel to Guatemala with church. She LOVED it!
Another highlight of her year was being elected Treasurer for the high
school French Club.
Alex – 13. Alex keeps our calendar full! She loves music – flute, saxophone (jazz
band), school musical and choir. She
auditioned for the Select Choir as well as tried out for cheerleading – making
both! She is also involved with WEB (Where Everyone Belongs) as an 8th
grader this year. She had a long summer of Physical Therapy to work through
some knee/leg pain she was having. Because of this, she wasn’t able to
participate in Cross Country as a runner. She did enjoy being the manager
though! We are thankful that most of the pain has disappeared.
Will & Maddie – 11. They are loving Middle School. This is the first year where they are in different
classes – I would say that they like that!
Will joined Cross Country this fall and then participated in
First Lego League. They just finished their “season” with the regional
competition this past weekend, held at John Deere Headquarters. His teacher pulled me aside and told me that
Will has found his niche with the programming and Lego Robotics building. What a wonderful thing to hear! The trombone
is still his choice of instrument.
Maddie also ran Cross Country – she was given the
recognition of “Most Improved” for the 6th grade girls. She and Will
are both in the 6th grade choir.
Maddie also is on the yearbook and newspaper committees (with Alex). Her
favorite school activity is decorating lockers for birthdays. She’s used her own
money to purchase streamers, tape and candy! She has many ideas and is ready to
present one of them to the school counselor this week (regarding a new club).
She’s always two steps ahead of us – keeps us sharp, I guess! Ha!
All of the kids are involved with church activities –
childcare, worship team, youth group. After 13 consecutive years attending
Awana, we are in our final year (seems hard to believe!). Alex and Kaitee
volunteer their time while Will & Maddie complete their last year of
participation.
We adopted two guinea pigs this spring – Rosie and
Carmel. I never thought I’d give in to having
animals in the house. It was a nice
surprise for the kids and they do a pretty good job of taking care of
them.
I am busy shuffling the kids back and forth to school and
activities. I enjoy it most days! During the quiet evenings, you will find us
at home watching the latest episodes of The Middle or Survivor (and the Cubs
during baseball season) or playing games as a family. I am still with Chick-fil-A (7 years) and
love how the job fits my strengths. Last year I was given the “Employee of the
Year” recognition. It was a humbling
honor, to say the least.
We pray that you are doing well and finding joy during this
Christmas season.
Have a Merry Christmas & a Blessed 2018!
With Love,
Matt & Becki Hart
Kaitee, Alex, Will & Maddie
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