2014 Shetler Family Christmas Letter

Shetler Family Christmas Letter 2014

Ten Years Ago!

What an amazing year!  The biggest surprise of the year was a  positive pregnancy test on January 1, 2014.   We had no idea that we’d announce  two births in two years.   For two months of this year (Aug 29 through Oct 24) we had THREE children age TWO and under.   After five painful years of waiting, it hardly seems possible!   Yet truly all things are possible when God wills it!

A View from Half Way Up...

Joey and Pam celebrated their 10th Anniversary on June 5, 2014.   We celebrated at the beach.  We hiked up to the summit of Neahkahnie Mountain--right into the clouds.  Literally…it was sunny and clear at the bottom (Southside) and rain and cloudy at the top (Northwest side). We took it at a painfully slow pace for the baby (six months along).   

We hit the batting cages and played 18 holes of mini-golf.  Joey even took Pam to the outlet mall.  In July, we once again hung out with our High School Youth Group at COVE Palisades State Park.  No boat rides for Pam this year but her 7th month of pregnancy didn’t keep them from sleeping out under the beautiful Central Oregon stars. 

Seal Rock

In February work was a bit slow so Joey surprised us with a family weekend at the coast.  We stayed in Lincoln City.  It was hard to find a place that would accommodate six people (his sister Julianna joined us.)  Fun!!!   Seal Rock at low tide (south of Newport) was a winner!  A short/steep hike down for close up views of seals and great tide pools.

In August, Joey’s 2nd Cousin Forest Teele came out with his beautiful wife and five fabulous children.  We had such a fun weekend!!!  Emma hopes (and begs) for their return!  If any other out-of-towners want to visit, let us know!  We love visitors!!!

We continue to play volleyball in the summer on our lawn (even 2 weeks before due date, Pam safely managed a few games!)  If you would enjoy a bit of friendly competition, consider yourself invited! 

Joey continues to work hard at Blazer Industries and enjoyed another year of Men’s Round-Up.  He has a Community Garden Plot at church and also a thriving vegetable garden at home.  He has discovered a hidden talent of making delicious onion-free salsa from all his fresh ingredients.  He also continues to serve as the AWANA game leader.  They introduced cup-stacking this year which uncovered another hidden talent.

Pam joined other women from Church at Cannon Beach in February.   She continues to volunteer with MOPS and finished up her 10th and final year of CBS. L She will be focusing in more intently on homeschooling.  With baby number four arriving, Pam has intentionally slowed down her photography business this year, but still enjoys a few sessions here and there! 

 

Emma finished up 2nd Grade.  She adores math.  She endures reading.  She loves AWANA and our home school Co-op S.A.L.T.  She faithfully takes care of our animals every day and is, in general, a great little helper.  She enjoyed another week at Canyonview this year.  She is becoming quite the little horsewoman thanks to her Auntie Julianna.

Katelyn is busy protecting all that belongs to her from those who would like to play with it or look at it.  She is in love with her baby sister and is always gentle with her (unlike the way she treated Gideon, who she began “toughening up” right from the hospital.  She talks incessantly and is becoming more and more understandable (which is-thankfully-helping to decrease her melt downs.)

He REALLY likes eating...

Gideon has been busy learning basic life skills like walking and chewing food and keeping his toys out of his sister’s hands.  He enjoys wrestling, being tickled, throwing things and eating.  He had three hair cuts before his first birthday, and three since.  He loves to sing and dance and spin. If he puckers up, chances are good that he’ll give you a kiss, but he might change it into a solid head butt on the way in….he is all boy. He LOVES balls and books!  Likes playing with his big sisters and loves on Evelyn (sometimes even gently)… 

Evelyn Ruth is a delightful baby! She arrived on August 29, 2014 at 7:50 AM via C-section.  She is our tiniest so far at 7 # 1 oz  and 19” long  (Compared to Emma at 9# 7oz; Katelyn at 9# 12oz; and Gideon at 8# 5oz)  She only cries when she is hungry.  She is an excellent eater and when she is not sleeping she is alert and curious about the world around her.  She began giving her double dimpled smiles about 6 weeks in and bestows it graciously on her many admirers. She slept in very short bursts for the first 8 weeks.  (Pam treasured the rare three hour stretch.)  The she suddenly began going 8-11 hour stretches seemingly overnight. (Pun intended)

Emma-isms

• Daddy killed the bacon (Her report of the breakfast Joey had made—for the record this was a one time event…he has made quite a few Sunday breakfasts in the past few months and they have been great)

• While passing by a cemetery Emma thoughtfully commented: “Look at all the people who have died…and they didn’t even see “Frozen”

•  “Grandma and Grandpa keep babies in a jar.”  (HUH?!?)  Yeah, when they run out of babies for their gun, they get more babies out of the jar.  (OH! BB’s!)

• “Katelyn needs a nose-blast”

• Emma had to choose her favorite occupation for AWANA.  Her choice?  To be an “Art-er” (Artist)

According to Katelyn:

• Our children’s names are: Emma, Katelyn “G-een” and “The-Other-One.”  This later progressed to “Elephant,” “El-Eh-Vun,” and eventually, “Elowyn”

• When Pam can’t come and help right away she proclaims, “Mommy is Z-B”

• Katelyn likes to walk around with a crown on her head claiming to be a   Jesus. (Princess)

• Can you translate the title of this song she sings all the time?                                               …            “Hall-lu, Hall-lu,  Hall-lu!  Kay Zee Water!”

• A sausage patty is actually a “Meat Cookie”

• Everything is “MINE!” In fact, eventually Evelyn became “MineKatelynSister”

• Frozen and Tangled are her favorite movies and she can’t play hiding seek without breaking into “Let it Go!” or “I’ve got a dream!” (this makes her incredibly easy to find…)

Giggles with Gideon

• He clearly says: “NO!”  and says “more” often.  Nonk means “Milk.”  He likes to play “ah-boo!” (Peek-a-boo).  He can often be heard sing “Ah-Go!” which is his version of “Let it Go!”  He adds new words to his vocabulary daily.  He is parroting well (with sometimes hilarious results)

 

Merry Christmas 2014 and a 2015 full of 
God’s Grace to you and your family

Joey & Pam Shetler

Emma + Katelyn + Gideon + Evelyn

BONUS SECTION

EMMA
Emma:  I have nipples on my cheek.      
Pam: (thinking: “What???”  Nipples?  Don’t laugh!  Umm….i guess maybe she means pimples?  Pimples mean hormones! Oh great, I guess it is getting close to having THOSE talks.) Let me see what you think are nipples. (Emma points to her face.) 
Pam:  Emma, those are freckles.  
Emma:  Yeah, I have freckles on my cheek.

Emma:   I practice eating with my left arm…in  case I lose my right arm.

Joey: “Emma, do you think Jesus used a fork?

  Emma: No! (ha ha) Used hands with the little pinkie up!

 J: Jesus used his hands?

E: OH!   I thought you said Cheese-its!

 J:  No.  I said “Jeeee-sus”

 E:  Oh….um, no He didn‘t use a fork.  He used a spork...they’re real you know.  I’ve seen them.

KATELYN

Katelyn is Daddy’s helper because she can hand daddy his “Stoo-biber”

Gideon is a baby toddler….and I am a BIG DADDY toddler!

She calls freckles “Sparkles”

“I did it!  I did it!”  She proudly boasted next to mommy’s remodeled laptop!   Apparently she thought popping all the keys off was an improvement!