Merry Christmas!

Friends and Family,

We didn't get a chance to write a Christmas letter this year so we wanted to take the chance to use technology to update everyone (who reads this) with a little summary of our 2009. As much as I like to get letters in the mail at Christmas to read from many of you, I know how much work goes into getting it ready and out the door into the mailbox and I know you do, too! This isn't quite the same as fun snail mail, but we hope you can still enjoy it a little.

Life is getting busier and busier as I'm sure it will before it starts getting slower, but I have really enjoyed the richness of this busy time with the kids and how full life can be. Not full of things to do, although that is true, but full of the richness of the blessings that God has given us in our children and our life whether it be the exciting joys or the deep sorrows and struggles. I'm finding less time for extras and more days where I feel like I just wake up and then it is bed time and I'm not sure that I did anything although I'm sure that I was busy, or more than busy it seems, all day. We've been back in CA for about a year and a half and Derek is still with Weyerhaeuser. He's been there for 11 1/2 years now and is accruing 4 weeks of vacation a year now... wow! Now we only need to find the time and where-with-all to take 4 weeks of vacation. We're feeling at home in Norco, a fun little horsetown here in the middle of the continuous city that is Southern California and, after a year of looking, we finally found a church home that we are so grateful for.

This year we started our fourth year of homeschooling. It is an ever-changing adventure that I am thankful to be able to do with our kids. Anna is in third grade, Jack is in first and Leah started Kindergarten this year. Each child I add and each year they get older, the work gets more involved and more intense and I'm only still in the elementary years! Even though it can be a full-time job on top of my other full-time jobs as a mom, I have yet to wish for anything but what we are doing. Seeing the kids learn and grow in our home and under our guidance is rewarding for me and has so many benefits for the kids. We don't know where we'll go on this journey, but for now we hope to continue homeschooling for a number of years to come.

Anna is 8 and is in third grade. She really does well in her school work, but primarily LOVES to read. She reads faster than Derek, I think, and uses a broader vocabulary than even me sometimes from all of her reading journeys. I am thankful for the library and good books that are available at so many publishers these days. One night last month as a special treat I told her that she could stay up until midnight reading if she wanted to try it. I thought she'd probably make it, but Derek was shocked. I think he went to bed well before her and she wanted to go on past midnight! Her other primary interest is anything to do with horses. Norco is perfect for her! Last month she took a horsemanship class and beamed all the way through it. I love how she loves to cuddle and works hard at her jobs and is such a sweet helper to the other kids.

Jack is 6 and in first grade. He is a bright little kid and catches on quickly to most of the things we go through. He started taking piano this year (along with Anna) and he's zipping right through it as it seems a natural for him. Not Mozart-style natural, but intuitive for him in some way. Last spring he did Little League T-ball for the first time and absolutely loved it. He'll probably do regular Little League this spring. He's still debating between that and flag football this year since we told him he can only do one. Jack is so tenderhearted and sweet to others and open to training and I've loved to see those qualities in him. He's quick and gentle when caring for others and has been a big blessing and encouragement to me.

Leah is 5 and in Kindergarten. She is the character in the family, although Luke might be giving her a run for the money soon. She's really enjoying school work and just finished her ballet class with a Christmas recital. She loved the spotlight of the show, but has had enough of the classes. If it were up to her she'd do show after show after show. She's always there helping me or wanting to know what she can do to help me, even if the others are off having other fun or playing. Those who've visited or spent time with her can probably attest to her asking what she can do to help-- whether it is cleaning or cooking or otherwise working alongside you. She also got her first haircut this year. Really it was just a trim, but she was begging for one and since she was 5 (!!), I thought it was about time. She still has some of her curl, though, which I love.

Luke is 3 and is still my cuddly baby. He's doing his own preschool work during some of our school time and loves to do what the others do, whether it is school projects or play and isn't far behind them in their running around. It is fun to watch his personality show itself more through his expressions and takes on life as he starts to talk more and more. I usually understand him and it is so fun to hear him get all excited and talk-- mostly in a high pitch and very rambly but so adorable. He gives some of the best hugs and kisses! He also got his first haircut a few months ago. We chopped off all of his curls, which was sad, but they started to look more like a rat's nest than surfer-boy hair. He loved it, of course, because it was a big-boy thing to do. Although being the youngest, he leads the records in at least one area: broken bones. In March he broke his nose crashing into a coffee table and about 5 or 6 weeks later he broke his collar bone falling out of bed. Child Protective Services didn't visit, but I was pretty careful about what I let him do for awhile after that! He's fearless (or more accurately, foolish-- like most children) in a crazy way and I often hold my breath when he jumps off of things. Lord willing, he'll keep that record steady this year.

We are thankful for so many of you, our friends and family, that bring richness into our lives. We often work our way through this Christmas season busy with gifts, parties and food but we pray that this year we, and you all, are reminded of the baby that came to die and that without His death we would be without any hope in this world. Praise God that he uses the foolish things of the world to shame the wise!

Merry Christmas!

The Pools