Family Update

I tried to produce a newsletter with some pictures of my trip to Haiti as well as other stuff going on in the family to send out with our Christmas cards. I had trouble printing the thing, and then could not post it in any form on the website or blog, so I am trying to put some pics out there and send the update that way. Matt and Josh started preschool in the fall. They are in a class with half special needs and half 'typical' kids. They are both doing well in their respective classes and mom enjoys the little bit of respite too.
Katherine and Rebecca are doing well. Big sister Katherine is a big second grader at Prass School in Kettering. She is a social butterfly, always on someone's party invitation list. She volunteers at our church's Sunday morning coffee shop and is in Discipleland Club. Little sister Becca is quite a character. She has an opinion on just about everything, and is not afraid to express it.
Christopher is in fifth grade at an online public school called the Electronic Classroom of Tomorrow (ECOT). He is doing a modified curriculum for math and language arts, and is doing mainstream fifth grade level science and social studies. His first quarter was a great success as he pulled down all A's! He is involved in our church's Cite 54 youth group and spends his spare time researching and learning all there is to know about Transformers. He also helps out with the cafe at church and sometimes in Children's Church. Maya took a group of ladies to the Hearts at Home conference in Lansing Michigan the last weekend of October. One lady from our church joined Maya and my mother and two of my sisters for the experience. They all came away with some great tools to use in the home, and even my mom found much useful in supporting her daughters and daughters in law as well as for her job. Also, the MOPS group that Maya and Deb Esala and others had planned launched well in September, and Maya wisely stepped back from leadership in the group to focus on needs at home and to receive support from MOPS. For more information about Hearts at Home click here and for more information about MOPS click here.