2009

Year in Review


I blinked my eyes and then 2009 was at its end. Honestly, how fast can time really go? I've been delinquent in my updates so here's my attempt to summarize our last year.

Scott has continued to enjoy his role as Missional Team Leader for U of Illinois Cru. In the fall we were thrilled to add 15 interns to our team of 12 full time staff! They've all been all stars and we've really loved being on a team with them, even with some of the small challenges of leading a very large team.

Some other highlights to Scott's year: his iphone, which has made his life so much more efficient,
not to mention fun, the Colts being undefeated in this current season, and the growing up of our kids, which means less pull ups and bathroom issues in general, and more interactions with them that are just fun and meaningful. He does school with Mya on Wednesdays when I'm away and they enjoy the science experiments I would rather avoid, while also tackling Math.

For me, I'm enjoying (for the most part) our third year of homeschooling Mya, even though there are days when I'd rather not crack open a book! I'm also on campus one day a week training 1 new staff and 1 intern, while doing some evaluations for intern applicants for our region every now and then. I still really enjoy being a part of our team meetings twice a week....keeping my heart engaged in what we're doing on campus. I continue to find myself in the middle of multiple books because I get so excited about new books and can't wait to start the next one! Currently I'm reading "The Screwtape Letters" by C.S. Lewis, "Blue Like Playdough" by Tricia Goyer (the subtitle is "the shape of motherhood in the grip of God"), "First Family" by David Baldacci, a devotional book for the advent season whose title I can't remember, and "the Lucky One" by Nicholas Sparks. OH, and an ebook that I've started is "Anna Karenina." Too ambitious? Maybe.

In November Scott and I celebrated our 15 year wedding anniversary and the summer before that we hit the 15 year mark on staff with Campus Crusade for Christ. Again, I have no idea how those 15 years have passed by. Our wedding date is also my mom's birthday, so we collectively celebrated by having my whole side of the family go to Camelback Inn in Scottsdale, AZ. It was a lovely few days of beautiful surroundings, hiking, eating great food, and I even got to sneak in a therapeutic massage. We got to surprise my mom with the trip, so that was fantastic.






Mya is 7 and she is just growing into a little lady I'm very proud of. She continues to grow in her love for Jesus...she loves reading about Jesus, sings worship songs, tries to apply Biblical principles to her life, and is just honest about her love for Him. She is such a kind big sis and she's usually the ringleader in creating play for her and the twins.

She enjoys homeschooling, especially the Co-op day on Thursday mornings when she gets to see some friends and do school in a larger context. At the co op she's taken PE, a lapbooking class, and beginning Spanish. Next semester she'll continue with Spanish and PE and add a physics class as well. At home Mya's favorite subjects are history and science, though she reads really well and loves being read to. Her favorite outside-of-school books have been the American Girl series. Currently she's reading on her own C.S. Lewis's The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. Mya is also taking piano lessons and is on a soccer team in the fall and spring. She's a happy little girl who is really a delight to be with.

Ava is 3 and we often call her the clown or the charmer in the family. Not quite as compliant as her big sis, she likes to push the boundaries! Recently she told me that I needed to "go to my room and think about sharing" when I jokingly said I didn't want to share her with grandma (she and my mom are very fond of each other :)). She is very independent and has a "can-do" attitude about life...she usually doesn't want much help. She has been enjoying the PreK 3 class at the co op on Thursdays...getting exposed to letters, numbers, coloring, gym time, and Bible stories. Ava is also really into dressing up, singing, Tinkerbell, and being a princess.

My buddy Jaden is also 3 and is my little skinny thing. His appetite isn't quite as hearty and he has zero percent body fat, it seems. While Ava wants independence, he wants help ALL THE TIME. And do all boys not flush the toilet and leave the light on in the bathroom? Sigh. He is the snuggler in the family and he LOVES daddy. Mommy is alright but daddy is his main guy. He loves Diego, cars and Cars, and Woody and Buzz Lightyear. He can repeat anything he hears and can sometimes be found singing songs I had no idea he knew...including Beyonce's "Single Ladies." What?? It is on my ipod that I use to run, but still. He's a smart little guy, enjoys sitting in my lap to listen to stories that I read for Mya's level, but he can definitely be the ornery little brother to his sisters.

Other Berkey Highlights from 2009:

• January kicked off the new year with the twins moving into big boy/big girl beds in their own rooms. We were grateful for a smooth transition!
• Jaden potty trained during spring break week in March.
• May meant we were wrapping up school and heading to our favorite summer project spot in Ocean City, NJ. Our kids love that environment.
• Ava and Jaden turned 3 in July!
  
• After the project in July we vacationed in NH and Maine with some friends. Got to see Acadia Natl. Park...gorgeous! After vacation we dropped off the kids at my parents and went by ourselves to Ft. Collins, CO for our biennial staff conference. It was 9 days without the kids, and we missed them, but I must say it was lovely to have no responsibilities for those days while connecting with friends from all over the country.
  
• In August we kicked off our 9th school year at U of Illinois with the largest team we've ever had.
• September brought upon us a new semester at the co op...a highlight is that I've connected with a couple of moms there this year, and that has been a real blessing.
  
• Mya turned 7 in October and received her first real, grown up Bible...with a cool butterfly cover and all.
• November began all our traveling. First the anniversary trip to AZ, then to Indy for staff conference, and then we finally got to see Scott's parents' new place in Thompsons Station, TN. It is gorgeous property and it was great to be with everyone, esp. for the cousins to be able to play together.
• Now we are in December, 2 days before Christmas. I'm grateful for my family, for our work, our friends, and I'm so thankful for Jesus, who put aside all His glory in heaven and became a human baby...to experience all of humanity and then suffer and die for us so that I can have a right standing with God. No one else offers that.

The kids and their cousins