Logan, Hayden and Madison
It's that time of year again that we send and receive Christmas cards and letters with updates from friends and family. With that in mind, here is our tribe's annual message.
Of course it was a strange year, but we made it and we still have smiles on our faces. It was our first full year in Bendigo and we moved into our new house in April of this year. We had a piece of land to build but had to sell it when my work situation changed, but it worked out fine and we now have a nice spot on the edge of the bush.
Our oldest son, Hayden turned 15 in March and is growing up to be a handsome young man. With all the COVID changes, he could only play a few games here with his new soccer team, which was a shame as it was a great team with a great coach and he loved it. He started refereeing for the first time but when the season was canceled he was only able to decide on a handful of games but he is back in training for the next year. He has just finished the 9th grade at his new school and has settled in very well. He's made some good friends and feels like he's really found his tribe. He has wonderful faith, a soft heart, and we are very proud of him, although Karen would prefer him to shave his seedy mustache before Christmas.
Madison turned 13 in November and had a wonderful year too. She was unable to play netball with her new club this year, but did manage to play a few basketball games. She is still full of energy and ideas and can walk around the house doing tik tok dancing. She and Logan graduated from elementary school this year, and she was thrilled to have her makeup and hair done for the ceremony by her very smart cousin, Yonah. She has a large group of fun-loving friends and made the most of our move. She and Logan recently started visiting youth in our church and have had some wonderful experiences there.
Logan turned 13 (of course) also in November and gave us a house full of teenagers. It is clear that some fun times are ahead. He's bigger than I know and even handed over his big brother, much to Hayden's chagrin. He has made some good friends at his new school and has kept in touch with his friends in Melbourne more than the others. He still loves his Minecraft and is back playing basketball. It's amazing to see how much he's grown this year and he's a kid's ripper with a sassy sense of humor and deep faith. I can't believe he and Madison will be in high school next year.
Karen had a great year of change and was lucky enough to find a new job at the children's school. While it's been a big change for her, she's doing a great job there and met some great colleagues. She continues to be the driving force behind the family, keeping them all active even when there were no organized sports. She enjoys being much closer to her sister and family, and their friendship has been a real blessing this year.
It was a very challenging year for me as for many people. I lost my new job (which was the reason we moved here) in March just before the huge impact of COVID here in Australia. It was incredibly tough months applying for a job that would have me. I was very fortunate to get a casual role, even though I had to commute back to Melbourne about five hours a day for a couple of months. I will not miss that. Then at the end of August I started a role in the banking sector which was a wonderful opportunity. I work with some great people and I am very grateful. My usual optimistic character has been challenged this year, but with lots of prayer, lots of walks with Dusty, and the support of my wonderful family through the bush, I'm still smiling. Oh, and Richmond won the AFL premiere too, so it wasn't a completely wasted year.
As a family we love Christmas and can hardly wait to celebrate the birth of Jesus together with the extended family. I hope you have a fantastic Christmas and Christmas season and thank you for your support and encouragement throughout the year.
So:
Laden …
