Dear Family and Friends,
I sit here to begin this letter with a full cup of coffee… Cut! No, not really; I drank half of it while checking e-mail and Facebook and making a couple of phone calls and texting a Navy co-worker. This reminds me that it is so easy to let the little busy things in life distract us from greater callings and blessings. We send this letter with hopes for a restful, reflective Christmas season.
Matt continues to work with Vann Pumping Systems; the company was nearly sold in November, but that hasn’t happened yet, so he still has his job. He worked occasionally at Breckenridge Village, something he’s done for years. Those occasional weekends find the rest of the family accompanying Matt and an entourage of special-needs adults to Subway, Walmart and other fun and exciting places. Matt continues to enjoy taking care of the house and yard; he recently converted to completely organic lawn care and is convinced this is why our grass is greener than the neighbors'. He’s excited about an Intro to Logic class he will be starting online through the Mises Institute in January. He’s currently reading How to Argue and Win Every Time, Spence (editorial comment from E – Should I be worried?), The Hunt for Red October, Clancy, Thinking as a Science, Hazlitt, and Principles of Logic, Joyce.
Elisa started working part-time at Bethesda Health Clinic in April. She loves providing healthcare in a caring, Christ-centered environment, and really enjoys spending time with her co-workers. In May, she spent two weeks in Nicaragua with the Navy Reserve on a goodwill-building mission to provide basic medical care in several small villages. Your taxpayer dollars at work! As part of the yard renovation project, she recently helped Matt plant 20 holly bushes to provide a screen in the back yard. In her spare time, Elisa knits, browses patterns and yarn online and in stores, and thinks about new knitting projects. Elisa’s currently reading The City of Falling Angels, Berendt, the book of Genesis (getting a head start on reading through the Bible this year) and is looking forward to starting Teaching the Trivium, Bluedorn.
Ethan is busy all the time, and it appears that the longer he’s left alone, the more creative he gets with his use of time. He and Noah attend First Christian Church Mother’s Day Out two days a week. His big accomplishments for the year were potty training (oh, wait, that might be one of Mommy and Daddy’s big accomplishments) and really improving in coloring skills, counting, singing the alphabet, negotiating, and picking up toys (again, these last two might be better categorized under What Makes Mommy and Daddy So Tired All the Time). He will be four in January. His favorite color is pink, and his favorite book is Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus, Willems.
Noah also made great strides this year, literally. He started physical therapy and speech therapy 6 months ago, because at 15 months he wasn’t walking, crawling, pushing up to a sit, or talking much. He is now crawling on his own and walking with help, and while he doesn’t say much, the words he says are important ones. Chocolate, for instance. He says that quite well. Nothing like motivation to get you spitting out three-syllable words at 21 months. His favorite color (according to Ethan) is green, and his favorite books have to do with trucks and animal sounds.
We’ll close with an invitation to drop by any time you’re in East Texas. Our house may be messy (I can pretty much assure it if you drop by unannounced), but our arms are open.
Wishing you Peace and Joy, Matt, Elisa, Ethan and Noah Morrison
