Happy Holidays! One of the blessings of this time of year is the opportunity it gives us to connect with you, our friends and family. We’ve had a happy, busy year here in the De Jong household…
Ryan turned 3 in May and can usually be found within 3 feet of his mother, “helping” with whatever she is doing. In March he had surgery for what looked like a growth inside his nose, but actually turned out to be a red pellet from one of his big brothers’ airsoft guns! Thankfully he recovered quickly. During the course of 2015, he also stuffed the outside furnace vent full of rocks (requiring a visit from the furnace repairman,) rolled down a hill into a pond, and opened all the drawers in Dad & Mom’s dresser, causing it to topple over on top of him. He definitely keeps us on our toes!
Kara graduated from Kindergarten in May, and was excited to join the older kids in catechism this fall. She turned 6 in July, and has made dozens of rubber band bracelets since then. She loves first grade, coloring pictures, and writing letters to her cousins, and can light up a room with her smile.
Luke celebrated his 8th birthday in September. He is in 2nd grade, and started piano lessons this fall. He can often be found playing Legos or reading. He enjoys sports, and was thrilled when his softball team took first place in their division this summer.
Evan hit double digits in October. He loves to read and plays the piano quite well. He likes sports of all kinds, and was thrilled to be able to play on our school’s soccer team this fall. He is also working on mastering the game of chess so that he can beat his Dad. Just before school started, he took a rough tumble off his bike, and was the first of our kids to require Dad to use his sewing skills.
Jenna turned 12 in August, and we celebrated with a cake she baked and decorated herself! She’s currently in 7th grade and enjoying the perks of being in the “Upper Room”, including a trip to the Iowa state capitol this spring and the annual Pahoja campout this fall. She enjoys running, and plays the violin and piano beautifully.
Our family travelled to Disney World for the first time in May, and made many magical memories along the way. The highlights included Splash Mountain, It’s a Small World, the evening parade/fireworks, Expedition Everest roller coaster, Sea World, lunch with Pooh & friends at the Crystal Palace, and many hours spent swimming in the little pool behind our townhouse.
This summer we were blessed to spend quality time with both sides of the family… with the Van Egdoms at Lake Pahoja fishing, snail-catching, kayaking, paddleboating, and roasting smores; and with the De Jongs at Webster Lake swimming, boating, tubing, riding the Dixie, and eating ice cream.
During teacher’s convention in October we met some of the De Jong cousins in the Black Hills. We visited Rushmore and Crazy Horse, saw lots of wildlife, went spelunking, horseback riding, and hiking, and had a great time. The weather was gorgeous and the fall colors were beautiful!
During a road trip to Illinois this summer, we started watching for license plates from the 50 states. We saw 46 of the 50 on that trip, all except Alaska, Hawaii, Delaware and Rhode Island. This fall we spotted an Alaska plate just a few blocks from home. While in the Black Hills, we were excited to see a car with Hawaii plates parked right next to us! We’re still on the lookout for Rhode Island and Delaware, and hope to see them on our way to Illinois for Christmas.
Our family enjoys geocaching, and back in June of 2011 we placed a trackable travel bug in a cache here in Sioux Falls. This photo of a golden retriever (just like our golden, Molly) has since travelled over 29,000 miles all over the world including the states of Tennessee, Alabama, Idaho, Colorado, Connecticut, Michigan, & New York; the Canadian provinces Quebec & Ontario; Grenada, St. Lucia, US Virgin Islands, Germany, the Netherlands, Crete (Greece), Czech Republic, Cyprus, Germany, Luxembourg, and Scotland. It is currently in the country of Latvia. We are excited to see where it goes next!
A big change coming up next year for our family will be a new job for Paul. After 10 years in Sioux Falls and 7 years with Sanford, he has signed a contract with Avera Hegg Memorial Health Center in Rock Valley, Iowa. Over the next 6 months, he will be wrapping up his practice in Sioux Falls, and then starts in Rock Valley in July 2016.
And last but not least, we are excitedly anticipating the arrival of the newest member of our family. Baby De Jong is due to arrive in April of 2016, Lord willing. : )
That pretty much sums up 2015 for our family… We are thankful for God’s abundant blessings, and pray that each of you may also be blessed during the holiday season and in the coming year!
With Love,
Paul & Erin De Jong
Jenna, Evan, Luke, Kara & Ryan
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