I am so sorry it has been so long since I have posted anything.  I don’t think there has ever been such a large gap.  I hope this year is full of much writing.  I always have the best intentions and as some of you know all to well I can lack the follow through.  There is part of me that just wanted to jump right into 2015.  To tell you all about my hopes and dreams of this year.  After all we are already over a week in, but…  I really felt I did such a terrible job of  capturing 2014 here that I at least needed to say Good night to it.

Here is this years Christmas letter;

It is late December and once again I find myself sitting here reflecting on our year. 2014 has been a full year, filled with busyness and blessings. It is hard to know where to start.

Perhaps I will begin with the very end of 2013 and a bad toothache. I happened to squeeze in the last appointment before our dentist closed for Christmas and right before we left for our annual trip to Niagara. The news was what I had feared the tooth was abscessed, they did a quick repair job and the tooth would need a full repair in the New Year complete with a hefty price tag.

Fast forward to the New Year with me in a dentist chair, dreading the appointment, however when my dentist came in we had a conversation that I would never have expected. She asked how Joel was doing? I gave a brief update on him, and then she asked me if I was familiar with Rachel’s Kids the children’s charity she heads up. She explained that this year they wanted to do something new, and they wanted to give kids a special moment of joy and grant a wish, they wanted Joel to be one of the 1^st kids to receive one.

Having been dreading the impending dental work I was quite taken aback and mentioned that Joel had already received a wish from Make A Wish. She reassured me that this was something they wanted to do for Joel. She told me to go home and ask Joel if there was anything he had always wanted. So I did. In true Joel style he nodded his head soberly and in all seriousness announced he had always wanted an indoor pool. We told him to think a wee bit smaller. Making a rather long story short, we were blessed with a 27-foot, salt water above ground pool complete with deck, lifejackets, dingy and a plethora of pool toys.

This was not to be our only huge surprise this year while all the details were being worked on for the pool there was another group of amazing folks busy at work. Ever so quietly without Dave or I knowing our church community had decided they wanted to do something incredible for us. They knew that we were a one… umm large van family, and could really use a second vehicle.

As we sat in church one Sunday our Pastor was finishing his sermon on Acts 2 when he then said he had had the privilege of belonging to a church once where there was this family, a large family, they had 4, no 5, could be 6 kids. One of their children had health issues. Mom was home with the kids doing her best and Dad was working hard. They had a big vehicle to fit all those kids but it wasn’t the greatest for the Dad driving back and forth to work. At this point Dave leans over and says, “You know, he’s not talking about us.” I was thinking are yah sure, it sounds like us. Our pastor went on to say that the church got together and bought them a little Toyota, and not only that they got such a good deal on the vehicle that they were able to give the family $500 in gas cards and another $2000 to cover licensing and any future car expenses.

It was at this point that our pastor picked up the keys to a car and an envelope and handed them to Dave and I. It has been several months now that we have been driving that little car around, what a fantastic vehicle. Words cannot adequately describe how loved and cared for we feel.

On our wee homestead things have been busy again this year! Now the guys will not be impressed with me because I honestly do not remember the numbers, but we had more chicks hatch out this year. We also ordered some specialty breeds to round out our laying hens. For the first time ever we did meat chickens and we were able to put 50 birds in the freezer. Butchering days were not for everyone in the family but Joshua, Joel, and Hannah were all very interested and learned how to pluck a chicken and how to cut off the feet. I would not have guessed that would be so interesting to them.

In late Autumn Dave hosted his 1^st (perhaps annual) Chicken Cull Extravaganza. He opened it up to anyone who wanted to come and learn how to butcher a chicken, surprisingly folks came.

It was a cooler summer and some things did not do as well in the garden as we would have liked but we were able to expand the garden and grew a few new things. Our strawberries were phenomenal we had a bumper crop, can’t wait for the other berries to catch up.

Our children all continue to grow, this year saw Elijah turn 16, Taliah 14, Joshua 11, Joel 9, Hannah 7 and Samuel 3.

Elijah continues to enjoy the Air Cadets, this summer he left for 3 weeks for Survival Camp and had a great time. His interests continue to broaden and I look forward to seeing where his interests will lead.

Taliah continues to amaze us with her artistic abilities she is very creative. She too left us for a week this summer and had a fabulous time away. I love watching her exploring the world more and more. Taliah continues to grow in her knitting and crocheting skills. Taliah has been growing in her faith and decided to move forward in making it her own and was baptized.

Joshua is at that age where he teeters between boy and man. He is a real thinker and we see him already planning his future. He felt it was important to learn how to butcher a chicken so he would know how to when he is grown. He held on to his birthday money for sometime finally deciding on an axe and enjoys chopping wood. Joshua has also learned to knit this year.

Joel is growing, literally, 10cm since beginning growth hormone injections. He needs to do the injections 6 days a week and he handles it like a pro. He still struggles scholastically and with his speech but he continues to make small gains. He lost a sweet buddy this year, Odee, the therapeutic horse he rode past away. Joel took this news hard. I truly believe that horse played a huge role in Joel’s healing we miss him greatly. Joel has also learned to swim without his lifejacket this year.

Hannah continues to be our charming ball of energy. She too has learned to swim without a lifejacket. She is interested in all kinds of animals she is becoming quite the artist too. She has also learned to knit. Her new favourite thing to do though is dance. She loves to go and has said she just might dance for the rest of her life. She is taking Step Dance and Highland Dance.

Last, but he would definitely make it known that he is not least, Samuel. Oh my, he is funny. He keeps us on our toes. He is an incredible storyteller. Some of the tales he weaves are pretty tall though. He loves to help and he will gladly follow Dave around in the garden. He has been found munching on peas, strawberries, raspberries, or carrots. He has a wonderful imagination and will amuse himself by setting up little worlds with his toys, he is a delight to watch.

As for Dave and I we just try and keep up with it all. We started a group in our home just over a year ago, we meet every other Saturday and share a potluck meal together while enjoying some great fellowship, we started out as 3 families and have grown to a group of over 50 people if everyone shows up, so far our max has only been 39 though.

We are also enjoying the warmth of a new woodstove we had installed this year makes me feel like a real Homesteader. Well I guess those are the highlights of 2014. We wish you and yours the very best in 2015 and a Blessed Christmas too!

God Bless you all!

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