Wright Family 2007 Year in Review

Since there's way too much to put into one post, I'll try to stick to the highlights . . .

This has been a year of beginnings for us all; I'll elaborate as we go on. And I'll start with the family member whose very life has just begun.

Malachi Joel shot into the world at about 10 to midnight on October 3rd. It's hard to believe he's over 2 months old already, and it's hard to imagine our family without him. The comment we get most is, "Wow, he really doesn't look like any of your other kids," closely followed by "What's that smell?" He actually looks a lot like his daddy did at his age, and he daily melts his mommy's heart. He is adored (a little too much at times) by his older siblings; the little dude receives dozens of slobbery kisses and bear hugs daily. For the first 8 weeks he used his lungs pretty often, but he seems to have gotten over the worst of it. His accomplishments include: holding his head up, smiling, cooing, and waving his arms wildly. He is the sweetest little baby in the world.

Karis Hope (Kari Bou) continues to live up to her reputation as the "armor-plated rhino". She's tough, she's loud, she's ornery, and she's all over the place. Lucky for her, she has the ability to smile and laugh her way out of just about anything. She loves to sing "Jesus, Lamb of God" while she's in her room waiting for a spanking, and her next favorite thing is to come into the bathroom in the morning and ask, "You puttin' on you makeup, Mama?" She started using the potty in June and celebrated her 2nd birthday in August. In September she began going to Sunday School for 2's & 3's, where she learned her first Bible verse. She loves to help out by throwing away dirty diapers for me - she gets very upset if anyone else tries to take her "job" away. She makes sure I get plenty of exercise chasing her around; and she also makes sure everyone in the family gets lots of hugs and kisses. She's super affectionate and loves to snuggle.

Rachel Nicole has had a big year. She turned five in August, and started Kindergarten in September. Her teacher is a very warm and nurturing person, and won Rachel's heart almost immediately. She loves seeing her friends every day, and is beginning to read and write full sentences. Her hair suits her personality - bouncy and fun (and a little out of control!). She is very nurturing with Malachi and Karis, and just plain bossy with Zekers, which, I suppose, is a pretty typical first-born girl trait (I should know!). Fitting adjectives to describe Rach would be: social; emotional; dramatic; expressive; nurturing; affectionate; sensitive and perceptive. It amazes me how she can often sense when I'm worn out and goes out of her way to thank me for dinner, or tells me she loves me. Sometimes I wish she understood the concept of personal space a little better; but I do love her sweet hugs and kisses. She's growing up so fast.

Ezekiel James (lovingly known as "Zekers" or "Mr. Beef") is three and a half, and continues to be his own little person. His favorite things include: dressing up as a cowboy; pretending to be a dog; talking incessantly about the trip we took to the pumpkin patch this fall; high school and college-age girls (no joke!); trains; Lightning and Mater (from Cars); and riding his big wheel at breakneck speed. He has a mind of his own - we've had to learn to choose our battles with him very carefully! He never seems to be paying attention to anything, but the other day I went through some flash cards with him and discovered he can easily identify 20 letters of the alphabet. When Rachel gets stuck on one of her verses, he finishes it for her. And I just found out he knows several vowel and many consonant sounds, probably from hearing me work with Rach. He is certainly a little man full of surprises . . . and quite possibly the slowest eater in the midwest! He gives wonderful bear hugs, and loves it when I sing "The Dream Song" from Cinderella to him at night.

This year our senior pastor moved to North Carolina, and Danny officially became the Pastor of Teaching & Adult Ministries. It has been, and will continue to be, a learning process, but he feels (and I would agree) that this is what he was made to do. He does a wonderful job juggling all his ministry responsibilities, as well as the responsibilities that greet him whenever he walks into his home! He has had the privilege of officiating seven weddings this summer/fall. We were able to meet with four of the couples for 4-5 sessions of premarital counseling, which we both really enjoyed (and hopefully they did too!).

As for me, I guess you could say this year held nothing new - just one more pregnancy and baby. But each new life is an unmistakable reminder of God's unmerited favor in our lives. Now, learning to be efficient and organized enough to mother 4 children without completely losing my mind . . . well, I'll let you know if and when that happens! It's often just (barely) controlled chaos around our house; usually I love it. Christmas has presented a bit of a challenge for me this year (which is why you are reading this update on a blog and not in a nice hand-made card with a long personal note!), but I've found that I enjoy cooking large meals and bargain shopping and all the happy noise that comes with having a family of six. And God has gifted us with a larger family of friends and relatives, which includes you. How thankful we are for your love and friendship.

And how thankful we are for the manger, the cross and the empty tomb, which make possible never-ending life with Christ. We pray that this Christmas will turn all our hearts and our minds to Him as we seek to bring Him glory.

Merry Christmas!!