Here we are at the end of 2020 already. In some ways it’s been a l o n g year but in other ways the time has flown by because there has been a lot of the same.
It is very rare that we are stateside for the holidays, and I think that has brought about some homesickness for the DR. We miss celebrating with our Dominican family and walking around town to see the lights. Braegan usually visits Santa at the local ice cream shop, and we are woken at all hours of the night for the Christmas parades.
Since we are in the midwest right now, there have been a lot of exciting things for the kids to experience. They enjoyed running through the leaves, and Braegan raked a few times to have a pile to jump in.
They both were wowed by the snowfall a few weekends ago. Braegan built a snowman and ran around the yard with a snow popsicle. Brantley could not stop staring out the window.
Driving around town and seeing the Christmas lights has been a lot of fun too! Brantley talks the entire time. Braegan has started a rating system too, based on whether the lights are synchronized with music, how creative the lights are, and if there is a theme.
We spent Thanksgiving in Fort Wayne with my family. My brother and his wife flew to Indiana from California. It was fun to catch up with them since we hadn’t seen them since the beginning of June.
The Sunday after Thanksgiving we received a call from Braegan’s principal informing us that Braegan was exposed to someone who tested positive the Tuesday before Thanksgiving. This meant that she was to be quarantined for 14 days since exposure. This took us by surprise, but thankfully our schedules are flexible to accommodate schooling from home. The following day we took her to the pediatrician’s office to have her tested for COVID, even though she had shown no symptoms. Her test was negative. Once the school week was up, we made a spontaneous trip to Peoria, Illinois to spend a long weekend with Jeff’s parents. We drove around town to see Christmas lights, played games, and Brantley got his first hair cut.
Ways you can be praying for our family:
-My Grandma Shaffer has been having a rough month with health issues. Please be praying for comfort and rest for her.
-Safety and health as we travel over the holidays
-The ministry of Solid Rock International as we head into 2021
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from our family to yours. We so appreciate your continued prayers, encouragement, and support during these unique times.