ROGER AND DORENE

Many of you have already received our typed newsletter inside our Christmas card. But as many of you that didn't receive it know, our printer broke right in the middle of newsletter printing!! We don't know yet what is wrong with it, but suspect if it would need service, that it would be more financial sensible to just buy a new one! But there is some new news, which I will address immediately. There also are other updates within.

Just this morning, 12/30/03, I received the sad phone call I had kind of been expecting - my grandmother has passed on. But of course it is not really sad news, as she has joined her husband, sister, brother, parents, & baby girl in heaven. She was almost 92 1/2 when she went to be with the Lord. But of course we miss her very much and it is hard on the whole family. I feel fortunate that our family had had a lot of opportunities to visit her in her home this year, and that she knew how much we all loved her.

As I stated in the newsletter, 2003 was basically a year of the working outside-the-home parents, both balancing lives as best we could! Oct. 02-May 03 I worked about 25 hours a week (including at-home typing for that law firm). July 03 - Dec. 03 I worked full time at another law firm. Rog's job is flexible, and he tried to be as available as possible for emergency pick-ups of the children while I was at work, as did his mom and my mom & other family members.

I parted company with the first job due to their needing a full timer, and also my missing a lot of time, in May. We then reevaluated our decisions in May, and the full-time job hunt for me started after we found full-time child care. After working temp jobs in June, I landed a full time job and I started on July 14. Although our child care changed late in the summer it was set and steady for all three children. However, in December everything started falling apart with frequent colds & intestinal junk. Even with my family's best efforts, I began to miss too much time. Luckily, though, we never (so far) have gotten the dreaded flu going around. To be safe we did get Ryan the flu shot.

Nonetheless, on December 22 I was let go from my job due to missing too much time. This was deja vu from last May, of course, and showed me that finally I need to be full time at home with my children. I gave it my full effort at both jobs to be punctual and reliable, and it just did not work. I thank again all my family and friends for picking up my children, etc., when they were ill, and I know you all gave it your best in helping me. Thank you. Both were nice places to work and I enjoyed the work I did and the people I met. But all in all I can see the Lord was directing me back home. And in being home yesterday (a work day - Monday, the 30th of December) I was able to spend a long time with my grandmother on her last day on earth. The Lord has a plan.

Now that I am home I am planning to organize myself and my home, in order to be there as efficiently and productively for my children and husband as possible! I could not do that while working. I will probably just do a few projects a month for people for whom I have typed at home. So I am looking forward to my new busy life at home. I have not been home in this capacity except for my three maternity leaves, and briefly in the summers of '97 and '99 when I found myself jobless before getting lots of at-home typing. This time I do NOT plan to seek lots of at-home typing, so this shall be a new and novel experience! I am looking forward to it!

Rog has obtained his own cleaning contract this year as well, and that keeps him busy on the weekend! Rog is also keeping his eyes open for a new job with good benefits. I will finally now have the time to assist him! Rog would still like to get back to school, most likely Cleveland State, to get his bachelor's in business management.

You may remember this statement in my printed newsletter: "My dream of someday going back to school to get my bachelor's degree in music therapy, which will be either at Baldwin Wallace or The College of Wooster, began recently as far-in-the-future dream but nice to have in the back of my mind, anyway." Now I am hoping perhaps to start online classes next fall!

Ryan just HAD to say something: `1 juyt8uuc jjjjjjjjjjjjyvv tgvtzc

We also hope in about two years to move to the Wadsworth, Ohio area. We love the beauty of that area. Also, it is both close to the country and close to Akron, Medina, and the Cleveland area and to the truck-driving hub for Roger; and relatively close to the College of Wooster if I should go there. Roger could also easily go to either Cleveland State or Akron U from there. They also have an EXCELLENT school system for the kids! Meanwhile we keep fixing up our house so it will be more easily sold, and we'd been working on paying down those credit cards...

CHRISTOPHER -

Our handsome teenager, doing well at the end of this year 2003! Christopher is attending Middle School now for Junior high which is going very well! His health is still improving, and his teachers are pleased with his progress! His lactose/whey allergy has lessened, and, though we still have to watch, he can enjoy an occasional slice of pizza, though Chris would like the whole pizza! Chris won the Music award for his class last year for which we were so proud!

Ice skating and swimming (and Colleen's art lessons) had become challenging to attend this year, but these are options we want to strongly pursue in the new year. Our friend Mr. Thomas, who helped us last year at the Y with swimming, has just become available again. Last spring and summer we also had the assistance of a sweet lady, Nicky, from a health care association. She was working for us 14 hours a week and luckily this also coincided with two hospitalizations for Chris, one in May and one in July, where she helped greatly with his recovery period. The Lord helped him through two infections by his eye, which were very scary to us.

Something irritated his eye (left in May, then right in July!) both times and the skin became infected. I just have to assume it was due to the allergy periods of spring/summer. We surely hope this is not something that will be repeated!! But Rainbow Hospital sure is a wonderful place of care, and we appreciated their round-the-clock aides they had in place to help us care for Chris.

Nicky has moved on to other endeavors, and we miss her much but are grateful to call her friend. We are searching for more respite providers to add to our schedule, in addition to Mr. Thomas who is now assisting us some on the weekends.

COLLEEN

a beautiful young lady, enjoying her friends and pets and progressing very well in the 4th grade. She recently received two awards for Good Effort and Good Citizenship, and also was nominated for student of the month! She has continued to spend weekends often at Grandma's, and spent a lot of time over there in the summer while I was working and there was no school. She had fun in participating in Grandma's household purchasing guinea pigs, fish, frogs, and snails, and enjoys taking care of "her pets" when she visits there.

Colleen went back to art class at the Ymca this Fall and we hope to get her back into session in the Winter. She is a very talented artist! She won the Art award for her class last year.

Colleen: "and my fish had a fry which is a baby fish. She probably had 20 of them but only 1 lived."

RYAN

loving life and learning every minute! Ryan will be 2 in February and loves to dance and is always smiling! He also loves to sing. He loves Barney and the Wiggles. He also seems to have a great appreciation for Sponge Bob! Ryan is speaking some and seems to understand us well. He is, however, having a speech evaluation in January to ensure that everything is progressing as it should. If there are any delays we want to have a heads up to get him therapy immediately. In April Ryan had ear tubes placed after months of numerous ear infections and some temporary hearing loss. He has not had an ear infection since and since then has also gained weight appropriately and has been healthier. After being a little thin last spring he is a pleasantly filled-out toddler!

But Ryan is ALSO beginning to be a very TYPICAL toddler -- hee hee - you can see where he typed here - he was DETERMINED to do that, no amount of distraction would keep him from this keyboard! We need to get him a play keyboard!

MISCELLANEOUS

House stuff is progressing. With our working many more hours this year we had some assistance from family in doing more home renovation. We worked more on the bathroom with getting it leakproof, and still have more to do in that area. We also moved our desk to the wall of the living room by the bathroom, and opened up our dining area for the dining table -- though at the moment that space contains the Christmas tree! Chuck has built us a new cabinet for the kitchen that shall be installed for storage of cooking utensils, etc., once our table is back in the dining area, which will be placed there once we get the tree down. We also hope to get wood tile this year through the house.

Weight loss has been at a Standstill! Twice the past year I had brief success with Richard Simmons Foodmover program, but have not been motivated to stay with it long enough to see lasting results. I Know it will work, and I truly hope this January 2, 2004 will be the beginning of my getting healthier again. Another key that had been lost to me lately was exercise - I've needed to somehow fit it in again. I could have been taking full advantage of fitness programs, thanks to our Y membership which was Chris's benefit from Family Resources this past year, since June, but I just hadn't figured out when to go. There weren't enough hours in a day, it seemed! But now, as you may have guessed, I am planning to start attending this year coming! I am going to start working out on Mon. Jan. 5 at the Y as I have signed up for a fitness pass to take a Mon. and Wed. class, step aerobics. I will probably pass out....... Rog is also going to go with me when he can on his days off and work out. We are really excited about this!

I also was able to attend my 20-year high school reunion this year, which was very fun! There are links to it on here. It was nice to relax and visit with everyone.

We miss Rog playing in the church band, and I miss choir & playing for the children there, but time had been nonexistent! We have had a hard time getting to church this year, partially because of Chris becoming much more active and strong, and partially because of our work schedule. We are praying for a door to open in that direction -- perhaps a helper that would be available every week with Chris at church.

We had a blessed Christmas season and are looking forward to this true new beginning for 2004. We had a wonderful gathering over Christmas with family and friends, and enjoyed fellowship with all. Our children enjoyed all their gifts and the bountiful food at family and friend's homes, and the fellowship. This is such a blessed time of year.

We are wishing all of you a very blessed 2004 and that things will go well for you all. As last year, we wish you all wisdom and strength for your days, and that your lives will be touched with beauty and grace.

Love, Roger, Dorene, Christopher,
Colleen and Ryan

Mary's Song

Luke 1 - 46And Mary said: "My soul glorifies the Lord 47and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, 48for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, 49for the Mighty One has done great things for me-- holy is his name. 50His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation. 51He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. 52He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble. 53He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty. 54He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful 55to Abraham and his descendants forever, even as he said to our fathers."

2003 Christmas pictures, part 1

2003 Christmas pictures, part 2

2003 Christmas Pictures

Main Christmas page

Roger's NEW

Dorene's NEW

Polly's graphics