Christmas Letter 2020

 

Stepping into 2020 we knew it was going to be a year of change which usually means adjustments and challenges but we had no idea what we were really in for and I haven't even got to the part about Covid yet.

For starters Jonathan had just began working from home as a Medical Transcriptionist. This has been a really good fit for him and for our family but it certainly presents a unique set of challenges. When David transitioned from Highschool back to Homeshcool in February I was especially thankful to have Jonathan working from home. With five school aged children to teach I had my hands full and he was a big help taking on the older three for Science and helping Angeline and Samara with their online Social Studies class. When our province shut down mid March we thought we had it made. The kids were all homeschooling anyway so nothing much changed there and Jonathan was working from home. However, Jonathan's contract was suspended for about 6 weeks due to a lack of work because of cancelled elective reports. It ended up being a blessing in disguise because we had all hands on deck to finish another successful school year and his contract was reinstated just in time to see us into summer break.

We were thankful to have more or less a typical summer. We were able to visit grandparents and go camping as a family at Rathtrevor Beach twice and Jonathan and I snuck in a few camping trip just the two of us as well. We had hoped to go on a road trip to Alberta but that was postponed. In September we geared up for a new adventure... switching our homeschool approach to a Unit Study based learning and a new curriculum called Gather Round.

So far this year we have completed units on North American Birds, Asia and Space. We have started a mini Unit on Christmas and will begin learning about Europe this month. The awesome thing about this is that we are all learning together as a family. Jonathan even takes a break from work to read through our lesson and watch video's with us. I love this aspect of it. I have learned a lot this year! After lesson time each kid had a workbook that is designed for their grade level. Math we do separately and David is doing an online Science course but the bulk of our learning we do together. David has had the opportunity to do a Highschool Coop in Parksville once a month, and we have a local homeschool group that we meet with (though currently that has had to switch to online). We have also started to do book clubs this year, and I personally LOVED reading Around the World in 80 days by Jules Verne. There is a satisfaction with each Unit we complete and we are always looking forward to the next one.

Our oldest 4 are enjoying curling and Jonathan is coaching, though we aren't curling as a couple this year. We have scaled back a lot on activities but we hope to be able to be able to get back to a more regular routine once this second wave settles down. David is now 14, Angeline 11, Samara 9 (for another week), Rebekah 8, Joshua 6 and Naomi 3 (for a few more weeks). They are all growing too fast. We are so thankful for each of them. Some memorable family moments include 8km bike ride to Cold Creek with our oldest 5, nature walks, favourite video games (Minecraft Dungeons & Overcooked 2), lots of board games with Wingspan being a new favourite, watching the Mandalorian with the oldest 3, an epic float race with pool noodle paddles and water polo.

This years milestone for us was celebrating our 15 year Wedding Anniversary. Though we weren't able to have a wine and cheese like we had planned we did have a lovely celebration and dinner out. Another accomplishment for us this year was reading through the Bible in 4 months which we just completed yesterday. It meant we set an alarm most mornings to start reading before the kids woke up but what started out as a struggle developed into a disciple and routine. It has been invaluable to start our day in God's word and we look forward to beginning a 1 year reading plan in January.

It has not been a perfect year and it has not been an easy year but it has been a good year. Christmas this year may not be what we planned. We may have to do without certain traditions. We may have to make some adjustments and new traditions but our reason for celebrating remains. 

May Hope, Peace, Love and Joy fill your hearts this Christmas and in the New Year.

Merry Christmas!

Love,

Melissa & Jonathan

David, Angeline, Samara, Rebekha, Joshua, Naomi (& Onyx too)

Covid Christmas

Oh Covid 19! Regardless of how we feel about it, life has changed and Christmas is going to be different this year. We might fear it, loath it, or deny it but whatever our feelings are on the matter this virus is just not convenient.

As our province began shutting down this month I started to get anxious. Feelings and memories of my experience during the spring lock down began to overwhelm me. Frustration took over. That was my first response “oh no, here we go again.” I was thinking about Christmas and worrying over the very real possibility that for the first time ever Christmas would consist solely of me, my other half and our six children. Don't get me wrong... these are some of my favourite people but Christmas has always meant visiting extended family, cherished friends and celebrating with others who know the true meaning of Emmanuel.

As I reflected on what we wouldn't be able to do and how much it wouldn't be the same this year, the Christmas story started to scroll through my thoughts and I began to realize there are some similarities to the inconveniences of Covid Christmas that parallel with the very first Christmas.

Though Mary recognized the honour of being chosen to be the mother of God's son it wasn't easy for her. Unwed teen pregnancy and having to travel long distances for a census while 9 months pregnant would have definitely had its challenges. Not having a clean place to deliver the Messiah and being far from the comforts of home was certainly less than ideal. The challenges didn't stop after Jesus was born.

Perspective and thankfulness can both go a long way at helping us remember how blessed we are even when circumstances are challenging. I have good days where I can wrap my mind around this and bad days where I shed a few tears as I am waiting in a lineup. What comes to my mind when a friend shares similar struggles is “you are not alone” but it just feels wrong to say that because the reality is we are all alone, or are we?

This Christmas whether we end up being able to celebrate with family and friends or not let's remember to celebrate the true meaning of Christmas, Emmanuel... “God with us.” We are never alone.

(This was a reflection I wrote for our Homeschool Paper, the AVEC Gazette, November issue)

Christmas Letter 2018

It's December 1st and I am posting our Christmas Letter on time which feels like an accomplishment in itself. We have a lot to celebrate in 2018 as we prepare to ring in the New Year. Like any other year it hasn’t been without it’s challenges but we can even celebrate the hard times when we reflect and see how they allow us to grow. It feels like a huge year of growth for all of us.

One if he biggest changes this year was Jonathan's decision to go back to school to become a Medical Transcriptionist. He started the 1 year program in September and it took a while for us to find a balance. Some weeks are more challenging than others but all in all we are loving the flexibility of schooling from home which will be very similar to working from home when he graduates. When we moved a year and a half ago he was hoping to "do something different"... studying Healthcare Documentation has certainly proven to be different and is allowing his skills to be expanded and used in new and different ways. We are so proud of him.

This year I had the opportunity to attend a Christian Homeschool Conference in Kelowna for the first time. It was such a valuable experience that it left me wondering why I waited into my 7th year of homeschooling to attend. I am looking forward to attending again in the Spring. I have a new found love for indoor plants and am expanding my collection. I’ve also found a new appreciation for art, through teaching art and have started my own drawing sketch book (in my spare time so you can imagine how many pages are filled). 

David continues in his love of reading and has read through the Harry Potter series and is now reading the Lord of the Rings. Spring through Fall he made some extra $$ mowing lawns and now he volunteers as a Library Helper at school. This fall he joined the Jr. Curlers league and has been enjoying learning a new sport. He enjoys reminding us that by his next birthday we will be parents to a TEENAGER, something we are still wrapping our minds around.

Angeline will be turning 10 in the Spring. She is blossoming into a lovely young lady with the occasional bit of pre-teen ATTITUDE. I would get on her case about her eye rolls but she probably learned that from me. We are constantly thankful that she jumps in to help without being asked. She enjoys playing Lego and Shoppies and she loves art, choir, playing "Donkey Kong" and board games.

Samara turns 8 next week. We are proud of her decision to join choir despite the fact that performing is not her "thing." She has a beautiful singing voice and enjoys the weekly rehearsals. Samara is more "behind the scenes" than her older and younger sisters. She is loyal and caring and quite witty when you get a glimpse behind the shyness. She is clever at math and strategy games. She is a good mix of competitive and kind.

Rebekah is our bubbling 6 year old. I love that she frequently jumps up and down when she is happy about something. Her joy is contagious. She is loving homeschooling and has learned a lot in her first few months of Grade 1. She definitely finds herself "stuck in the middle" and can often be heard saying "I don't know if I am big or little!?" She is looking forward to her first choir performance tomorrow night, singing in Wee Glee with her two older sisters at the Capitol Theatre.

Joshua is now 4 going on 8. He is our most helpful four year old so far and can vacuum, sweep, fold laundry, wash dishes and help prepare meals. He can often be found in his Batman shirt and mostly switches between that and his Batman pyjamas. He likes to earn points towards screen time by doing chores but is also motivated just to be a nice guy. He loves to laugh and make others laugh. He lives life to the fullest.

Naomi loves singing, listening to stories and playing with play-dough. She is working towards giving up nap time and hopefully soon will be potty trained. She seemed to transform from baby to toddler over night. She turns 2 in 2 weeks. She's not a big fan of the camera so we haven't yet been able to capture her rendition of "twinkle, twinkle" and she often frowns for pictures or anything else that isn't her idea. She is strong willed and a tease and right now her favourite word is "NO!"

Onyx turned 1 at the end of August. She is a good dog! We are happy that we made the decision to get a puppy last fall. She still gets excited when we have company and will sometimes jump up but is improving as she continues to mature. She is supper good with the kids and I wouldn't get out for my walks without her.

Our highlights are often the same year to year. We LOVE CAMPING and look forward to increasing the time we spend in a tent each year. We also love hiking and spending time at the Lake. We LOVE playing board games, drinking tea and sitting by the fire (indoors and out). We look forward to making new memories and spending time with loved ones. 

One new tradition we started this year was to let the kids pick a family outing rather than give them a birthday gift. I thought it might take some time to win them over to this idea but he kids have all enjoyed choosing an activity and spending time together as a family. We have enjoyed swimming at the Nanaimo Pool, Mini Golf and Bumper Boats and we are looking forward to ice skating, more swimming.... and an ice cream date at our local creamery. Everyone is looking forward to continuing this tradition in the New Year and for many more years to come.

We wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Love,

the Neufelds

Melissa, Jonathan, David, Angeline, Samara, Rebekah, Joshua, Naomi & Onyx

PS- I hope to post a family picture soon... that is one things on the never ending to do list that we haven't conquered yet.

Christmas Letter 2016, December 1

Happy December 1st!

With the arrival of December come the start of the official Christmas Season. We hope you enjoy our Christmas Letter with updates on all 8 of us! Besides adding another paragraph to our Christmas Letter we also updated our vehicle to a 12 passenger Nissan NV. I had the same reservations about driving a big van as anyone might but I LOVE IT!

2016 has been a year of interviews for Jonathan, 5 in total.  We started the year with thoughts of moving to a smaller town. For now we are continuing to enjoy our home in Delta but we are not sure what 2017 will bring. In June Jonathan scored the winning goal at the final soccer game of the season and we were actually there to see it. He has also been making a real kick in Karate completing his first grading in August and receiving his yellow belt in September. We recently enjoyed having him home for 2 weeks and are looking forward to him taking some parental leave in the New Year.

David completed his first Karate grading and earned his White Stripe Belt in May (the kids move up with stripes in between colours). He completed Grade 4 with all A's and B's and at his portfolio meeting his teacher was especially impressed with his Minecraft Biome Project which he came up with entirely on his own. Another highlight from Grade 4 was attending Nature School, spending 1 day a month in the woods. Once Grade 4 was complete he somehow turned 10, which I am still trying to figure out. He made an early start to Grade 5 at the beginning of August and has done really well learning French with the Duolingo App. It seems he would be a good candidate for late entry French Immersion so that is something to explore in the next few months. He also recently graded for his Yellow Belt in Karate and we are waiting for his results.

Angeline turned 7 in March and soon after lost her first tooth. She is continuing to do well with school and enjoys attending class 2 days a week at HomeQuest's new location, Annieville which is just a few short blocks from our house. She continues to enjoy Ballet and Swimming Lessons. She also enjoys mothering Joshua and will often read him bed time stories and has even been known to change a diaper or two. She is looking forward to having a baby to help out with soon.

Samara graduated from Kindergarten and is in full swing in Grade 1. She is very clever in Math and enjoys English as well. She is progressing in her reading and also learned to ride her 2 wheel bike while we were camping this June at Rathtrevor Beach. She recently joined her sisters in the "stitches" club, having fell and split her chin. In a weeks time she turns 6!

Rebekah turned 4 in August and really wishes she could have started Kindergarten this year. All the same we give her "school work" to do and have been working with her speech. She loves going swimming and we are talking about starting her in swimming lessons next month. She is really looking forward to her Ballet Class in January. She loves to colour and makes us lots of sweet pictures.

Joshua turned 2 in November and has been busy developing into a little boy. At the beginning of the year we were pulling our hair out a bit, forgetting just how busy little boys can be but he has really come around and is able to be curious without causing so much trouble. He loves to listen to stories, play trucks, cars and trains, sing and play the drums (he is actually surprisingly good for a 2 year old!)

Baby #7 is due to arrive on Christmas Day! We are expecting him/her to arrive in 1-2 more weeks seeing as all of our kids have been about 2 weeks early. When I first started the draft for this years Christmas Letter I had planned to delay posting it until after Baby arrived so that I could include our news in the letter. I have since decided to keep with tradition and post on December 1st. We will post a separate announcement after Baby arrives later this month.

I started the year continuing with Zumba and then being introduced to "Refit" which is a Christian dance workout. I loved Refit so much that I even looked into becoming an instructor. In April I was finding myself all of a sudden exhausted and then discovered we were pregnant with our newest bundle of joy. In April I also attended a Women's Retreat at RockRidge Canyon and was happy that I could finally try zip-lining (usually I am pregnant when the opportunity presents itself). It was lots of fun and as it turns out I was pregnant (but just barely). That leaves me almost 37 weeks along and planning for our first (and last) home birth.

As far as an actual Christmas Photo goes we are waiting to include Baby. If Baby arrives too close to Christmas we will just make it a Happy New Year Photo.

As much as this can be one of the busiest times of year we have worked hard to simplify life as much as possible so that we can enjoy this season of Advent. The kids are enjoying a break from school work and I am enjoying a bit of calm as we continue to anticipate the arrival of our youngest child.

We want to wish you all a Happy Christmas.

Love,
Melissa & Jonathan
David, Angeline, Samara, Rebakah, Joshua & Baby

12 JOYS of Christmas, 2015 (PART 1)

This Christmas I have my work cut out for me and lately I catch myself feeling like Mrs. Grinch instead of enjoying, and helping my family to enjoy such a very special time of the year. So this morning, as I was scrubbing my bathtub I was struck with the inspiration to write this post. Maybe it will be a one time thing or it might just become an annual tradition. Its amazing how much more joy we experience when we stop to focus on the good.

1. Rebekah is 3 this Christmas and besides her growing anticipation of opening presents she has noticed Christmas Music on a new level this year. Her favourite song is "Little Drummer Boy" and she will boldly announce that "Rubber Bum Bum" is playing whenever she hears the tune. SO CUTE! She also does an absolutely adorable rendition of "Go tell it on the Mountain."

2. Joshua opening presents. I had a preview of this while I was wrapping gifts. He got hold of one and I was happy to have him play with it while I finished up but I didn't anticipate how quickly he would figure out how to rip the paper off. There is something so joyful about kids ripping into their gifts. I remember how exciting it was (and sometimes still is) to unwrap a surprise.

3. Samara memorizing her lines for the church preschool pageant. She STILL likes to rehearse them for us even though the pageant performance was on the 13th. We are planning a bit of an encore on Christmas day. This was a huge accomplishment for her and rightfully so she is proud of herself.

4. The joy of lights. David mentioned this year that one of his favourite parts of Christmas time is when the lights are off and the Christmas tree is lit up. He even made furniture rearranging suggestions for maximum viewing. Driving around to see Christmas lights is always a highlight.

5. C A N D Y. Tomorrow we are decorating our homemade Sugar Cookie Ginger Bread Houses. We assembled them today and the kids can't wait to get their hands on the candies to decorate. Angeline made one already at a friends birthday party and was so proud of her candy covered mound. She also took the liberty if decorating the plate and concluded that next time the roof should go on afterwards so that you could fill the entire house with candy.

6. Family Portraits. This is definitely one of MY favourites. If it wasn't for me the rest of my family would be happy never to pose for a group picture. It means a lot to me to have us all together in one picture. It's a lot of work to get everyone looking at the camera let alone smiling but it's worth it.

I plan on posting a part 2 with an additional 6 Joys after Christmas.
Wishing You much Joy as you reflect on the many blessings this season brings.

Christmas Letter 2015

Dear Friends and Family,

I thought I would be smart this year and start my Christmas letter in August. I know what you are thinking... brilliant, right? Brilliant might have been saving it to the desktop. Not so brilliant was not being able to find it and starting over again.

Oh well... think merry thoughts!

Having 5 kids is CRAZY! Most of the time it is CRAZY fun and we are CRAZY in love but it is always CRAZY busy. Sometimes things get out of hand and crazy fun turns into insane crazy and occasional insane crazy becomes senile (which is NOT fun). Balancing homeschooling 3 kids with my regular mother and housewife duties is challenging and I have had to make some adjustments to our schedule. I am still fine tuning it but I think we are figuring it out. The trick is how to get everything done, squeeze in some fun and have a little room left over for sanity. 

I don't get a lot in the way of personal time but I do enjoy the occasional cup of loose leaf tea. In June I took (and passed) my driving test so that I no longer have to drive around with a “N” sign in my glovebox (I mean on the back of the van). I had my “N” for over 15 years, some sort of a record I am sure. I started a new devotional app in July called First5 which has been really good. This fall I had a lot of fun attending Zumba classes.

     A Major Milestone for us this year was celebrating our 10 Year Wedding Anniversary. After 10 Years, we still do! In celebration we had a family ring made so that is certainly a highlight for me as well.

     Jonathan was officially promoted at the start of the year to head store manager. He played soccer in the Spring on our Church team and this year they made it to the playoffs. He joined Karate this fall and has been attending classes with David. He is continuing to enjoy board game nights monthly.

     David took art classes in the Spring and we were really impressed with his work. He is training to grade for his white stripe belt in Karate. He started Grade 4 this fall which means he now gets letter grades. He is attending Soaring Eagle Nature School once a month where he spends an entire day in the woods. He joined DIY for kids and now has an online portfolio and is earning badges for projects. It's like a modern day boy scouts. Check out his page at: https://diy.org/misterd9

     Angeline is now in Grade 1 and is continuing to do well. She attends class 2 days a week for about 8 weeks each term. She thrives at school and at home. Earlier in the year she attended a mixed dance class and she will be participating in Dance Week later this month. She is currently in swimming lessons. What we are most proud of is her gift of welcoming others. She has a natural ability to find a friend who is new, shy or struggling and taking them under her wing.

     Samara is just about to celebrate her 5^th Birthday and is now in Kindergarten. A lot of change has come her way this year and she is now on her own for some of her activities where she is used to having her big sister. She has also had the opportunity to be the big sister as her and Rebekah took a Ballet class together this fall. She is in a K/1 split with Angeline at School and will also be participating in Dance Week. I really feel like she is coming out of her cocoon and we are enjoying her now as a butterfly.

     Rebekah is now 3 and enjoyed her first Ballet (or as she says "Balleray") class this fall. She has been waiting patiently for her turn and loves having a dance class to attend. She quite enjoys her time with Mommy and Joshua when her sisters and brother are at school. She will often ask me not to pick them up. :) We thought she had coasted safely through the accident prone 2's (Angeline broke her arm and Samara broker her collar bone when she was 2) but shortly after turning 3 she landed herself with 10 stitches above her eyebrow. Her bangs hide it, if I have time to blow dry them to the right.

Joshua is now 1 and has been walking about for the last month and a half. He is certainly in a very busy but also a very fun stage. Our Baby Boy is growing up too fast. We love his kisses, his car sounds and his growing vocabulary. He loves his bath time, the naked time that follows, cars, trains and going outside.

I am continuing to update our family blog if you are interested in updates throughout the year. Visit neufeldfamily.blogspot.ca

Wishing you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Love, Melissa, Jonathan, David, Angeline, Samara, Rebekah and Joshua Neufeld

PS- Our family Christmas Picture will come in a later post. I still have to pick up the boys shirts. For now here is a sneak peak of the girls in their Christmas dresses.