Merry Christmas Letter!

Merry Christmas from the Merrys

2014

We hope this season finds you well and enjoying the Christmas celebration of our Savior’s birth. There are many delights in this season, but none as great as a Savior who has conquered sin and death! We love getting updates from so many of our friends and family. Thank you for sharing your lives with us!

This year has been a journey for us on many levels; most of which have surrounded our youngest, Vivien. Through this journey, we’ve come to thank God for things we’ve often taken for granted. Until she came along, we never thought to give thanks for the fact that our kids could breathe on their own! Through the mountains and valleys we’ve gone through since April, we continue to see God’s faithfulness. Feel free to peruse the previous blog posts to find out more about our journey.

A song that has been especially strengthening is called “Come to Me” by Jenn Johnson. Here are the lyrics:

I am the Lord your God,

I go before you now.

I stand beside you

I'm all around you

And though you feel I'm far away

I'm closer than your breath

I am with you

More than you know

I am the Lord your peace

No evil will conquer you

Steady now your heart and mind

Come into my rest

And oh, let your faith arise

And lift up your weary head

I am with you

Wherever you go

Come to me, I'm all you need

Come to me, I'm everything

Come to me, I'm all you need

Come to me, I'm your everything

I am your anchor, in the wind and the waves

And I am your steadfast, so don't be afraid

Though your heart and flesh may fail you

I'm your faithful strength

And I am with you

Wherever you go

Come to me, I'm all you need

Come to me, I'm your everything

Come to me, I'm all you need

Come to me, I'm your everything

Don't look to the right or to the left, keep your eyes on me

You will not be shaken, you will not be moved

I am the hand to hold, I am the truth, I am the way

Just come to me, come to me

Cause I'm all that you need

Here’s an update on each of us. We’ll start with the smallest:

 Vivien continues to grow well (6 lbs 14 oz) and will be 3 months old on December 10th. She is doing well on the continuous feeding. Her equipment and care has come second-nature to us. As of late, we’ve been able to regulate her sleep/wake patterns a little better, and she seems happier for it. She is constantly oogled by her older brother and sisters, especially Iva. The next event on the horizon is getting her ready for heart surgery. Her cardiologist would like to see her at 11 pounds for this but there is a possibility that it could happen sooner if she needs it. We have a great team of doctors who have given her excellent care.

Iva (2) has taken on the roll of back-up Mommy for Vivien. We regularly find her watching Vivien, singing her songs, helping give baths and telling us what Vivien is thinking. We all agree that Iva has an uncanny ability to “gel” with many personalities. Her usual laid-back nature allows her to be the glue among her other siblings. Iva loves to make others laugh and will often play the role of “jester” to get a rise out of the others. She is by far the most physically affectionate and loves to give out hugs.  She is also talking like crazy and we love to hear her little two year old thoughts.

Lucie (4) has been given the nickname of “Happy Sunshine”. She’s doing great with her phonics and especially loves her Bob books. If you come to our house, you will find random drawings of happy little people peppering the walls. These have all been lovingly left behind by “Little Lu”. Lucie’s love for elephants is evident by her bed covered with the stuffed icons. When we asked Lucie what she wanted to tell you, she said she loves you and wants you to have a great day.

Silas (7) has been enamored by anything mechanical. He and Todd have been taking apart miscellaneous items from Goodwill to see how they work. They’ve re-wired RC cars and used motors from can openers to drive Lego vehicles. He has shown himself to be a philosopher of sorts and is often mulling around a deep thought for the day. Silas just started piano lessons (he’s been so excited for this) and is doing well. He wanted us to tell you that he recently gave a presentation on Mars at co-op complete, with a paper mache’ model of the planet and moons.

Maggie (10) is the bookworm of the family. She especially likes Trixie Belden and is re-reading the series. She wastes no time, even reading during meals. She recently declared her favorite subject is Astronomy (has always been history). She continues to explore her skills in art, primarily painting and drawing. After two years of piano, she is now trying her hand at the violin and seems to like it. When asked what she wanted to tell you, she said that she’s really excited to move into her own room in a few weeks. She says “Hi” to all of you.

Molly (who finds brevity a challenge) doesn’t have any hobbies or social activities anymore and if you come over she will be home as she never leaves the house. Kidding…(sort of). Blogging and Facebook are possible because she has to actually sit to pump milk for Vivien, but putting on a pair of jeans instead of sweats and wearing earrings is an exhilarating experience. Her fears about a lifestyle adjustment since Vivien has been born have been realized but she is surprisingly content and happy. She still finds time to squeeze in a trip to the theater, a play date or a Bible study occasionally but knows that this is a season of life that will pass quickly. There is not much downtime. She told Todd that when she prays for wisdom about her schedule she feels like instead of asking, “what should I do next” she feels it’s more appropriate to ask, “what should I neglect the most?” She often feels like she can’t get to everything and is trying to assuage the guilt about relationships that she is not keeping up on. Those of you who are reading this and feeling neglected please know she loves you! She is trying to savor every moment of toddler and babyhood despite the work. There are moments of craziness and chaos, but also moments of happiness and sometimes she just truly can’t get enough of her babies and who are growing up quickly. She is amazed by how sweet and beautiful Vivien is (who finds the camera flash a regular occurrence) and loves spending “girl time” with Lucie her shopping buddy. She relishes her good talks with the older two, can’t stop squeezing Iva every chance she gets. She still has the itch to travel but lives vicariously through the memories and photos of Oahu last year at this time, of Disneyland with the older kids in January, Seaside in July, and pictures of friends’ trips on Facebook. Despite the strain the last year has been, she is grateful for Jesus’s grace and the prayers of so many that enable her to say that she is honestly doing well emotionally in this rather intense season.

Todd continues to love homeschooling the kids. Though it takes a lot of time and effort, he feels so blessed to have the opportunity to teach them. He loves teaching at co-op as well. As our church (Mars Hill Bellevue) has gone through a difficult season, he’s been less involved with coaching Community Groups in Renton and Newcastle. He has loved his one-on-one roll as a mentor to some great leaders. His job with King County Medic One proves more fruitful every year. The job is rewarding on so many fronts and he really feels blessed to work with the people he does.

After attending Mars Hill Bellevue for almost 4 years we are in transition. Both of us were involved in leadership capacities and love the wonderful friendships they made there. While we are sorry to see some of the decisions made by Pastor Mark and the leadership, Mars Hill and Mark Driscoll have had a tremendous influence in our lives when it comes to understanding and appreciating what Jesus has done on our behalf. This season of seeing Mars Hill come to a close has been emotionally difficult, although after Vivien was born, things were put into perspective and our focus shifted to her. We are in prayer both for the Driscoll family and for those who were hurt and sinned against at Mars Hill. We know that no leader is perfect, that Jesus’ redemptive power is at work and in the end; His Body will continue to thrive no matter where we locally attend. We are hopeful for everyone involved, and are looking forward to seeing what He will do next in our lives.

This has been a year of interesting reading. Some of Todd’s favorites were Future Grace and God is the Gospel by John Piper. Also, Bonhoeffer by Eric Metaxas and The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom. A couple heavier reads were The Brothers Karamazov by Dostevsky and Twelve Years a Slave by Solomon Northup. Love Does by Bob Goff was also a highlight. Molly enjoyed some of the Boundaries books, The Story of Marriage by John & Lisa Bevere, Beautiful Battlefields by Bo Stern, Good News for Weary Women by Elise Fitzpatrick, Total Truth by Nancy Pearcy, The Women of Christmas & The Girl’s Still Got It by Liz Curtiss Higgs, The Explicit Gospel, by Matt Chandler, A Call to Resurgence by Mark Driscoll, The Blue Parakeet by Scot McKnight, and on the lighter side (not necessarily recommending) - A Little bit Wicked by Kristen Chenoweth and Bossypants by Tina Fey.

As we celebrate this time of year what Christ has done for us, a favorite passage that stands out is I Peter 1:18, “For Christ also suffered once for sin, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God….” Our God and Creator has sent us a Redeemer out of love. Because of his birth, death and resurrection, we can be given new life. As we have witnessed last year, it doesn’t mean life will be easy. But there is purpose in the trials. He gives us grace and hope for the days ahead. This past year, His grace has been tangible on some very dark days. We look forward to the day when He will one day wipe away every tear from every eye. We hope that you have a beautiful Christmas!

Love,
Todd, Molly & All

PS - Please enjoy all the 2014 pictures in the blog post following this one!