Christmas Letter 2011

Dear friends and family,
We hope that you are all doing well, and looking forward to a meaningful Christmas season. We love to hear from you, and hope you don't mind this paperless version of our news. Feel free to just look at the pictures, which you can enlarge if you "click" on them, as it's a bit long! :)

I have often equated this past year with having felt like I'm a novice juggler, trying my very best to keep all the "balls" in the air. However, despite my best intentions, there tends to be those that fall to the floor. Fortunately, none of the dropped items have been a flaming torch, so I'm hoping that there has been minimal damage! :) All that to say that it has been a challenging year at times, but our memories work on such a short-term circuit now-a-days that we mostly just remember the good times. And we have had our fair share of blessings. I can think of at least five... Here's our yearly update on the children. ( I can't just say "boys" anymore...)

James.. he'll be 18 in January, and seems so grown up now. He continues to be very independent and focused on what he thinks is important, which are traits that I recently learned are part of his Myers-Briggs personality typing of "Mastermind". I am finally beginning to understand what makes him tick... it's all so logical!

James' calendar has become increasingly booked this year. He's been working more frequently at McDonald's... here he is at Halloween flipping burgers. (His costume only caught on fire twice!) He does well at saving his money, and built himself a super computer down in his room over the summer. We see even less of him now!

At school, James continues to head up the sound department with his friend Michael. Besides the thrill of playing with so many buttons, the other perk is that he gets to miss a lot of class time to set up for chapel and band concerts. :) He also is active doing sound at church now, so we appreciate his expertise. I guess his piano lessons helped with some aspect of music in the end... at least that's how I console myself.

With this being James' Gr. 12 year, his class had a graduation trip to Merritt in September. The thought is that the kids will bond early in the year from experiencing fear together on the 2 days of river rafting down the Thompson river. James did have a wonderful time with all his buddies, although he couldn't feel his feet much afterwards! He is looking forward to a great year ahead, with a trip to Europe at Spring Break with the Music department. He may not enjoy learning about the birthplaces of historical classical musicians, but it will be an eye-opening experience to travel. In terms of post-secondary options, James is hoping to attend BCIT or UFV where he would focus on computer information systems. (Think "anti-hacking security specialist"... scary!) For now, we're just focusing on getting that C+ in English 12...

James, on the front left, has always been a daredevil!

Charles is in Gr. 11 this year, and with having turned 16 in August, we now have two young drivers in the house. His driving style is opposite of James' heavy foot,  which we are totally okay with! :) Mostly, Charles is still pretty close to home, which is a great help for us. He is frequently in charge of Nora and his brothers when Scott and I are working. School is not so fun right now in terms of the course load, with French and Math haunting Charles in his waking hours.  But with his helpful nature, Charles is coming out with an A+ in P.E. for the first time... those service hours really help! I know Charles will figure it out eventually, but I wish it wasn't so painful for everyone concerned. He's had a lot on his mind this term, with having a girlfriend at school. :)

Charles did have an exciting summer as he chose to return to Camp Stillwood in Cultus Lake, to work as a volunteer for 3 1/2 weeks. He was on the Utility Crew this time, and learned such skills as rappelling down cliffs to hack off brambles with a machete, as well as mopping the kitchen nightly. He enjoyed the group of guys he was with, although wasn't too impressed with the mess of their living quarters.

 Charles searches for room deodorizer?

In his off time, Charles, AKA "Ironman", enjoyed the amenities of the camp and made a lot of  new friends. The skateboard park was a definite draw as well.

Long boarding is now his new passion, and yes, it is apparently quite different than skate boarding. Either way, I tend to experience heart palpitations...With the rainy weather, Charles is definitely missing his "board" time. Rosie misses getting her exercise with him, too. Piano and sketching are other activities that occupy Charles' down-time.

As tends to happen, younger brother Thomas picked up an interest in skate boarding over the summer as well. My general policy is not too watch, except to make helmet checks, but I'm thankful for boy-bonding at least.

Here is another brotherly activity... setting up funny photos together which Lewis is directed to take. Apparently this is what they do when I'm not home?!

 Rosie has the best "poker-face"...

Thomas is officially in teenage-hood now, with his recent birthday in November. His transition to high school has gone fairly well and he's tolerated being called and compared to James and Charles. (They don't take it as well being called "Thomas"...) His report card did not surprise us with similar comments as to "Thomas needs to work on not talking to his friends so much." It doesn't help when everyone is your friend! He is an outgoing guy with a quick wit and helpful attitude. He's also enjoying getting involved with the youth group at church as well.

 Our Grade 7 Graduate

 How can I get this behaviour at home?

In his spare time, Thomas is still a heavy-weight reader, is working on his Gr. 6 RCM piano and theory, as well as getting to taekwondo weekly. He recently tested successfully for black belt and will have his black belt induction later this month.

 June 2011

Thomas is also a lot of fun as a big brother. It is not surprising that two of Nora's favourite words are "Lew" and "Tom".  He is quite fond of trying to teach her obscure words and facts, so that I occasionally have to remind him to start with the basics first.

 July 2011... Nora is "attached" to these two!

Lewis turned 10 in May, and has made the transition to Gr. 5 at middle school without blinking an eye. This is a boy that doesn't get too outwardly excited about much. Everything seems to take little effort, including his school-work, and everything always makes sense to him. However, when he is "psyched" about something, you will either not see him for long periods of time as his focus becomes extremely intense, or be able to direct him to any other activity. His current obsession is working with tools borrowed from Grandpa. There are wood chips all over his bedroom carpet, and he won't even mention the blue fingernails he has from missing with the hammer... they're not a big deal apparently. Lewis definitely has a very mechanical mind, so it's interesting to see him seeking out new experiences to teach himself. We would really like Grandpa to consider taking him on as an apprentice on Saturdays. :)

Gr. 4 Farewell Assembly

Lewis does't mind being active... P.E. is his favourite "subject" at school. Cross-country running is one area where he is competitive and tries to run near the front of the pack. Also inspired by Charles, he's learning to skateboard. (Unfortunately!) Taekwondo is still something he does weekly, although he'll say it's not his "thing".

Catching some air...

Other activities that Lewis enjoys are working with K'nex to build rollercoasters, playing piano at rapid speed, making 3-D greeting cards, and learning how to cook simple meals. He loves to watch movies, and his favourite books are Tin-Tin comics. He is quite helpful, especially if repairs are required in some capacity, and  is a sweet brother to Nora by entertaining her or  showing her how to play with her toys. Lewis' latest passion has been teaching himself to juggle... I just wish he would pick the right place to practice instead of right beside displays of fragile Christmas ornaments. He continues to be the organizational side to Thomas' imaginative one... they are quite the dynamic duo. :)

Miss Nora is an ongoing concern, with her tendency to run off in any public places like church. The best solution to know her whereabouts are to have her wear her "squeaky" shoes, but they end up annoying everyone after a few minutes as they squeak with each step. :) Her strong-willed nature is evident to even complete strangers, with her favourite word being "No" and the occasional meltdown when she is tired. But that is what being "2" is all about, right? We could do without her recent trend of yelling "Ow, ow ow", when we pick her up when she's upset, or how she shrieks "Eeww!!!" when she sees clumps of dog hair on the floor or lint between her toes! Otherwise, Nora is charming and cute, always ready to explore her world. I do have fun with her wardrobe, too.

Dressed up for the Youth Dessert Night

Nora has grown so much in the 15 months that she has been home with us now. She is so very active and understands everything. She is using less baby sign language now to communicate, and is repeating more of our words when asked. Her speech is somewhat delayed, but we're not concerned as she continues to make monthly progress. Regardless, she can make her thoughts known with just one look if necessary. :) With being quite petite, she is nevertheless a definite force to be reckoned with. Parenting the second time around, which is what it feels like, is exhausting at times but we're also kinder to ourselves in letting certain expectations of perfect parenting (and housework) go out the window. We focus on the main things and make an effort to have family time together.

 A big change from last Christmas already.

I could post a bazillion adorable photos of Nora here, but I have already done so this past year in this blog. Feel free to peruse it at your leisure, but at this point you may need to take a couple of hours! :) Blogging has been a fun activity for me the past few years to share my family news with my extended family and Nora's new friends :) . With my sister Ann having moved to Manitoba in September, I have new motivation to keep her up-to-date also. My other extracurricular activities of quilting, playing piano, and gardening continue to remain out of reach, but I know that my time with Nora at home will go too quickly. (It means that right now I am not very involved anywhere, except for hanging out in my laundry room.) Reading novels about China, or historical and Christian fiction is another favourite past-time, even if it's just in the van when Nora falls asleep.

Wow, I look like a blonde here...

When I'm not busy as "Nora's Mom", I have been working as a casual (on-call) RN at a residential care facility specifically for those with Alzheimer's dementia. With having returned only recently to nursing, I still feel like a "newbie" at times but am feeling more confident with often being the only RN in the building on evenings, nights or weekends. With consistently being with the same residents, I find nursing less stressful than if I were in a hospital setting so it is much easier to balance with my home life. I also enjoy working with older people, who may not know who I am day to day but are often quick to give compliments and hugs. Getting to know and encourage the families that visit is also rewarding. The only drawback to my present situation is the irregularity of the work, with most of it in the summer or this month with staff vacations. I do not feel ready yet to take on a second position somewhere else with the learning curve that would entail. With Scott working two jobs already, throwing in my occasional shifts makes life that much more crazy. Thankfully my parents, a friend from church, and the older boys help out with childcare, too. And now, a few words from Scott. :)

With getting older I find it is easier for me to "think backwards" as I reflect over 2011.  Since Thanksgiving, I have been spending a lot of time with my mother, driving her back and forth to visit my Dad in the hospital in Vancouver.  He initially went in for vascular surgery to increase the circulation to his leg. The surgery was a success but a day later in recovery he suffered a heart attack, and a stroke shortly after that.  He is currently back in a rehab. facility after a couple more procedures to correct ongoing health problems.  We are thankful to God, and to everyone who has prayed for my Dad, as he has almost fully recovered from the effects of the stroke. He still at times thinks he is back in Pink Mountain, but don't we all?!

This past August, Susan and I went to San Francisco for our 20th wedding anniversary.  How time flies.  It feels just like yesterday that we stood in Bear Creek Park getting our wedding photos taken.  As a matter of fact, I had fun taking Nora for a walk in the park recently and pointing out those very spots!  San Francisco was great, and we were able to connect with some taekwondo friends that moved there a couple of years ago as well. I also enjoyed taking many photographs, which is something I have picked up again in the past year.

Close-up view of the "Golden Ears"

Working at the church kept me busy this summer.  I oversaw Vacation Bible School, a summer youth intern, a missions team from Texas, as well as cleaning and organizing.  I continue to help lead the staff and take care of the many details behind the scenes it takes for a church to operate. It is never dull...

Master Karpiuk with retiring Grand Master H.U. Lee

Last June, I travelled to Little Rock, Arkansas for the annual World Championships.  Although I don't compete anymore, I did perform a successful testing toward my next ranking in taekwondo.  My goal is to test for 7th Degree Black Belt within the next couple of years.  I'm not getting any younger so we'll see what happens!  I enjoy teaching three nights per week and conducting the odd seminar.  It is the marketing and administration of running a business that don't excite me anymore.

 Cane self-defense... I am getting prepared!

God has blessed our family this past year with good health and safety... especially since I have been teaching  my two oldest boys how to drive!  Some advice with those who have teenagers:  Don't let them play "Need for Speed" on the computer leading up to getting their "L"!  I love being a Dad to my children, which means different things to each of them.  Having a daughter now is especially interesting. :) My wife Susan is great and I couldn't ask for a better partner and friend as we continue together on the journey God has given to us.

Daddy's girl

We are thankful for the countless ways that God has cared for us this past year... He is so good. In closing, we wish you all a Merry Christmas with your loved ones, and may God bless you richly in 2012, in all ways.

Love, the Karpiuks.