Merry Christmas from the Merrys!
We hope this crazy year finds you healthy and surrounded by loved ones. 2020 has been a tumultuous year for us all and remind us of the strong hope found in Jesus alone. This season especially has brought to mind the passage from Isaiah 9:6…
“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
As you receive this, we are praying peace for you and your family in these times. We love you and wish you the best. As with you, our year has been one of adaptation and change. December 14th 2019, we brought Joseph home. Having six kids really does seem insane at times, but we do love our times together and life is never boring. Here is a brief summary of everyone, starting with the oldest.
Maggie (16 years old) is now driving with her permit! It seems like only yesterday we brought this girl home from the hospital! We love the teenage life that both Maggie and Silas have brought as of late to our family. Maggie is especially connected with so many good friends. This is Maggie’s last year at HIS Ministry Co-op, then she will be off to Running Start at Bellevue College next year. Maggie has recently applied for work as well! She loves being involved with Bible studies (now mostly on zoom) and virtual and real conversations with friends.
Silas (13 years old) continues to be the “cool kid” of the house. We are all jealous of his hair and natural athletic abilities. But, it’s in the area of playing the piano that we all are truly amazed. He comes up with new melodies on a regular basis and pounds them out on his keyboard like a master. He has also taken to his Toastmaster’s class, where he has found a new love for speaking in front of others. God has given this young man a heap of talent and we are so proud of who he is. He got a chance to see his favorite speaker, John Bevere this year and he joked that he wasn’t going to wash the hand that he shook. He came back with lots of insights and direction from God.
Lucie (10 years old) is now taller than Molly and Maggie! Lucie is a tween paradox. She has a child’s heart and loves her dolls and toys while at the same time is so responsible, nurturing and caring for anyone in need. Lucie likes to recount funny stories and makes even the most mundane of days into a day of joy (her middle name!). Lucie loves to care for Viv and Joseph and still has her eye on nursing or maybe physical therapy in the future. Lucie is also our helper with tasks in and outside of the house. If Todd ever needs a dutiful partner to help with a new project, or help with detailed work, Lucie is his girl!
Iva (8 years old) is always the glue that holds our family together. Iva is loved by everyone and fits so well into the diverse personalities we have in our family. She is content with everyone, one-on-one or by herself. She is an avid reader and especially loves Garfield and Peanuts comics. She recently started voice lessons. Iva will often put on headphones, play worship music and dance around the house. She is a bright light to us all!
Joseph (7 years old) has grown 8 inches this year! This young man has become an integral part of our life and loves people, charming everyone who comes through the door with his conspiratory grin. We are so thankful for the therapists, caregivers and doctors who have been such a blessing in caring for him. In February, Joseph got his G-tube which has greatly helped with his nutrition and aspiration. Both he and Viv now have therapy at home, which has been much easier on us than going back and forth. Joseph participates with much of our daily life, including some family trips and camping earlier this year and loves going to school over zoom. He interacts with his teacher and everyone on screen with excitement and is eager to learn.
Vivien (6 years old) graduated to Kindergarten this year! She Is doing classes over Zoom at Hazelwood Elementary. While Viv does not really connect over video, her teacher and therapists have been sending out some great hands-on learning devices. Thanks to some new medication, she is finally putting on some weight. Vivien brings smiles to everyone and is a delight.
Molly - This has been one of the most challenging years of her life in learning how to care for Joseph along with keeping up with the rest of the kids. She is not involved in any regular outside activities as she has in the past, due to both the adoption and coronavirus, but is fairly (and in some ways surprisingly) content for the moment and is enjoying life with teens tweens and the littles. In October we received more caregiving hours for Vivien and our first caregiver for Joseph, which moved Molly from completely overwhelmed to just busy which is a better place. She is hopeful to be involved in more things in the future. but at the moment is focused on things that can be done from home like writing and blogging. She just finished a book about Vivien and is hoping to publish it sometime next year. She still gets out jogging 3 times a week to maintain sanity and has tried to squeeze in at least a couple short trips this year, the highlight being to Bend Oregon with Todd in October.
Todd is loving being a dad more than ever! He’s thankful for a job that gives him the opportunity to be involved in the kids’ lives. He’s also also thankful to be at Medic One with so many other great medics and firefighters. He is on the board of the organization that helps Home of Hope and worked hard this fall raising funds for other kids like Joseph who have so many needs in Uganda. He’s enjoying some fun home projects and planning out an addition to the house we hope to complete next year. Though this year has been one of many challenges, especially with Joseph’s arrival, he is thankful for God’s faithfulness and grace. Sometimes it is only by His grace we get through these days!
While the coronavirus canceled some trips for us this year we were still able to enjoy Seaside and Maggie Lake this summer as well as fun at Lake Washington. Thanks to having caregivers for Joseph and Vivien, Todd and Molly were also able to get away for the first time overnight with no kids in 6 years to Bend this fall. Smith Rock State Park is gorgeous!
We feel like a word for this year is Faithfulness. God has taught us to be faithful with what He has spoken and faithful with what He has entrusted us. Sometimes it just feels more like putting our heads down and getting through the day than a big glorious calling. Our kids, now Joseph, the board work for Home of Hope and just our day to day activities have been our focus. The coronavirus in a lot of ways has narrowed our vision and scope, but also caused us to enjoy life and slow down. With so much tumult in our country, and world, focusing on God’s faithfulness to us, as well as wanting to be quietly faithful to Him has been our theme this year.
Thank you for reading to the end of this letter! We pray God’s blessing on you and your family. Thank you for your friendship.
Blessings,
The Merrys
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