Countdown to Christmas!

Well school is out and we are excited about Christmas getting so close.  Josh & Cate just can hardly contain themselves.  They had a school party and got to wear their pajamas and take a pillow to use during the Polar Express movie.  This was a blast for them and they handled it very well.  They are improving so much on their understanding of what is happening most of the time.  We still have our communication issues but for the most part the English is remarkably improved.  We've had some relaxing times at home wrapping gifts, stuffing Christmas cards, playing games, watching movies, and of course....tickle time!

Our friend, Miss Mindy, was taking her residents from St. Annes' on a light tour in our neighborhood.  She stopped by and asked if we with the kids and Zoe (our schnauzer) would like to hop in her bus and tour the lights.  We took some cookies and joined them.  It was really quite fun and the kids got a kick out of "a bus full of Lolas!"  Lola is the word for grandma in their language.

Our neighbors from past years were in town and came by to visit us and meet the kids.  They have 4 year old Ryan that the kids enjoyed meeting.  It was great to see Ran & Naiwei Huang again.  We love these guys and were thrilled to have them in our home again. 

The Chapel had their big Christmas production finale this past weekend and it was fun to see a live camel walk down the aisle.  The kids loved it as much as the adults.  Thanks Chapel family for all you do to spread the word about Jesus!

It's been a good week in the Clark house.  We did some shopping with the kids and that was pretty overwhelming but for the most part they are gearing up to experience their best Christmas ever.  We are keeping them focused on the star of Christmas, our Lord, Jesus Christ.  I pray that you keep Him at the center of your Christmas and you are blessed for your obedience.  Looking forward to 2012 and the good news He has for us there.
Choosing Joy,
Chris & crew

More excitement as December rolls on!

We have continued to decorate for CHRISTmas at our house.  First of all we got the tree out of the box which is a strange thing really.  I mean who keeps a tree in a box?

After getting the tree out of the box then came another exciting adventure....Josh lost a tooth at school.  He'd been having a toothache but the tooth that fell out wasn't even the tooth that was hurting.  We did see the dentist.  Evidently Josh has many more teeth to fall out so the tooth fairy will be very busy at our house.  Josh was very excited to find out about the tooth fairy. Cate is anxiously awaiting her teeth to start falling out!

Jeff was gone all week on travel so the kids and I decided to surprise him with a pick up at the airpot.  This was their first time back to the airport since coming from the Philippines.  We were all very excited to see Daddy Jeffrey come through the door and he seemed excited too.  Jeff said after being away for a week it was surprising to him how good their English has gotten.  They were able to carry on normal conversations at the airport and he hadn't expected that.  I guess when we are living the daily life we don't see how much growth really is taking place.  Maybe this Mommy needs a week away to realize that fact!  Anyone up for a girls' week away?

Jeff's company, Raytheon, gave families a gift of a free movie so we all got up Saturday morning and headed to the movies.  We saw Happy Feet 2 and really enjoyed ourselves.  Thanks Raytheon for treating us.  We loved it!

Josh & Jeff got invited to a boys' night out by our good friend, Bruce Graham.  They treated Josh & Jeff to a Fort Wayne Komets hockey game.  This was a really fun outing for Josh.  He loved it and it's always good to get some male bonding happening.  When asked about his favorite parts he said "fighting".  Oh dear.  A good time was had by all.  Thanks Bruce and Brent!


To wrap up our week we had a fun evening of food and fellowship with our bible study group.  Nice to see you again Miss Tarah!  Thanks Brent for supervising the downstairs party. 

We did have some time to just relax at home and play in the snow.  Snow is always exciting around here.

As we draw closer to Christmas we are working hard to keep the CHRST in Christmas at our house.  I wish the same to you.  Blessings to you at this holiday season continues and remember to Choose Joy!

Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow!

Well we've had the first big snowfall of the year and the first snowfall of their lives for Josh & Cate. It has been exciting. We have played in the snow before school and after dark and as much as we can inbetween. They are loving it.

Nick, Autumn and Sweet Nolan came for a visit and that's always a huge blast.  Nick helped get the Christmas lights started outside while I pretty much just enjoyed Nolan and Autumn.  Thanks for visiting the grandparents!

Cate took the picture above and it's pretty good except for the whole Jeff's head cut off thing!

We were fortunate to have Mom Deborah visit us.  She was a interim director at King's Garden Children's Home when our kids lived there.  She and her husband, Pastor Ray, are in the states now raising support money.

We attend The Chapel and are always so thrilled by the way they decorate for Christmas.  They do it up right and we love their passion for celebrating the birth of our Christ.  We took the opportunity to take a few pictures in front of their tree.

As you can see we are getting into the Christmas spirit around our place.  There's no denying the fact that Josh & Cate are making us feel special this Christmas.  Throw Sweet Nolan into the mix and we just can't believe how great our God is sometimes!  Have a great week and remember to continue

Choosing Joy,

Chris & crew