Real Life: Merry Christmas!!!

It's Christmas morning. I'm the only up yet with breakfast already eaten. Demands of the little one inside of me! :) Everyone is still sleeping good at 8:30 AM! We had a great evening just here at home last night. We ate a delicious meal! We read about the birth of Jesus. Everyone was tickled with their gifts we have one another. (More on that later.) Mike washed our feet. Then we prayed and thanked God for all our blessings! We then went downstairs to watch a true movie about whales. It was really fun and a wonderful night!!!

Now, it's Christmas morning and we have a full day ahead with family! We are so blessed!

Here's the Christmas letter we sent out with our cards! May God be glorified and may you be blessed this Christmas!

Merry Christmas to you!

Each time I write another Christmas letter to send out, I marvel at how fast each year goes by. I am very grateful to reflect on yet another year of memories and good times! Christmas is the best time of year and everything seems so bliss and radiant. It’s the only holiday that we go all out with decorating the house with fresh pines, holly & poinsettias. We even string lights outside. It’s the only time we bake different kinds of cookies and make yummy chocolates. We burn extra candles. We sing carols at home, at school, at church, and to our neighbors. We wrap and unwrap gifts. We spend extra time with family and friends!!! We read and reflect on the birth of Christ and go visit any local outside nativity scenes that we can. Being reminded again of how Jesus came to the earth as a baby, born in a stable, grew up with knowing he came for one purpose! One! Jesus came to die for our sins so that we can live with him in eternity! Forever & ever! He made an impact everywhere he went! The sick, the hurting, and the dying came to him constantly to be healed! Jesus brought and still brings living water to all who thirst for him! He brought life and hope to us sinners! He brought to us the best gift of all … the gift of salvation! Let’s reflect on the real meaning of Christmas this year and let Jesus be the center of all your celebrations!

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16

Looking back at the year of 2014, we have had wonderful times! Here is a bit about our lives.

Michael: Mike loves his job at Lapp Structures and has been there for many years. You will find him there most of the working week. He loves to learn and enjoys learning more and more about wise investing. He gets out on the golf course a few times during the warmer months and he really enjoyed his trip to Florida on a golf outing with LP. He also took a trip to Texas to do some more investment learning. Mike loves to travel but his family would much rather have him at home! J Mike took on a new sport of biking this summer. He loves it and trained well to go on a 125 mile bike ride from Black Rock, PA to Rehoboth Beach, DE. He spent many hours on his bike this past summer and loved every bit of it! He also still loves the game of baseball and so we all went to Matthew’s little league games where Mike pitched for Matthew’s team and then to the Gators games where Mike coached. He played in some fundraiser tournaments and helped a team in Gap one night a week. We go to many baseball games throughout the summer months but its fun because it’s something that every one of us family members enjoy! Mike is a wonderful husband and daddy! He adds humor and laughter to our home! Planning for a remodel job for our house is on his list of jobs right now. He loves the Lord, is a great Sunday school teacher, and is a great leader! We love him so much!

Lori: Being a mother of three sure keeps me busy! I love being at home with them and caring for them! I am excited to also be pregnant with baby #4! We are all thrilled to add another baby to our family! July looks like a long way off yet, but if time keeps going by quickly, it will be here before we know it. J We took a family trip to Sarasota, FL, last February and we enjoyed all our extra family time! We love to break up the winter weeks with some sunny sunshine from the south! We seemed to have the best of both worlds last winter. Tons of snow, then some warmth in Florida, then tons of more snow again. We weren’t sure there for a moment if winter would ever leave us. Of course, it did but it left our school scrambling to fill in all the absent snow days. We were all very ready for summer vacation to arrive! I am so grateful for the wonderful school and teachers that we have because with just two weeks of teaching the children while being on vacation, I was ready to give the job back! J I still like photography and taking photos of our children is such fun!

Hadassah: Hadassah is in the seventh grade and is doing well in middle school. She works hard at her studies and is rewarded with good grades! In February, she played basketball and loved every bit of it! She just finished up playing volleyball games with the school team and really, really liked that too! This keeps me busy with going to the games and cheering! It’s so fun! Listening to Odyssey and pinning on Pinterest are great past times for her. She is still taking piano lessons and hearing her play Christmas music is lovely! She’s growing and is as tall as I am! She will be my huge helper when baby arrives! She loves to shop and finding deals is fun for her! Ginger is still her dog and loves her a lot! Hadassah is sweet, pretty, loves to hang out, laughs a lot and brings much fun to our home!

Matthew: Matthew is 9 and in the fourth grade. He also does well in school and likes his friends. His all-time favorite thing to do is be outside throwing a ball with his daddy. They toss a softball in the spring/summer and now it’s a football. He loves sports. He likes to create things out of paper and he climb trees. Riding his four wheeler and new bike is great fun! He really does love his two sisters but teasing them seems to be such a thrill for him. He is really wishing for a baby brother! Matthew played for the Rockies again last summer again and they were so proud to only have one lost! They played great in their tournament and finished in second place! Playing baseball with these friends and seeing them get better as a team was worth another trophy! Matthew is a great kid. He’s a lot like his mom when he gets an idea in his head. He pursues it “now” and expects it to be accomplished sooner rather than later. J He is starting on an orthodontist journey. He just got an expander and braces on his upper teeth. Matthew adds tenderness into our home with his soft heart. We love when he laughs from the heart.

Ashlyn: Our toddler is growing up too. She is three and her “terrible two’s” are behind us! She is a sweet gal and really loves to do puzzles, play games and color! She still plays with her two favorite dolls and loves to play doctor. Or pretends to cook food. Or builds a house with her wooden blocks. She will put all meat aside and reach for her vegetables. She is adoring our baby kittens right now! Please let us know if you would like to give a cute kitty as a Christmas gift! J She enjoyed helping me in the garden this past summer and picked so many of our tomatoes, string beans and sugar peas. Riding her pink bike, drawing on the driveway with her sidewalk chalk and getting swing rides are fun for her! She will not be our baby for much longer. She too is looking forward to having a baby in the house. Ashlyn LOVES babies and I know she will be a big help! Just like all our other toddlers, Ashlyn loves her dad and enjoys every minute he shares with her! Ashlyn is our blonde, blue eyed darling and she is a tremendous blessing to our family!

Well, that’s just a bit about our family. We are excited to make many more precious memories in 2015.

May this Christmas season be filled with lots of laughter and fun and good memories for you and your families!!! Jesus really did come to the world to save us from our sins! Reflect on his birth and salvation this Christmas!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!

Love … Michael, Lori, Hadassah, Matthew and Ashlyn Lapp