Monday, December 28, 2009
Nieuwsma/Schemper Update: Winter 2009/2010
“I fine…I fine…I do it myself!”
Elia is now 2 1/2, and it’s looking like she’ll live to see 3. (It was iffy there for a month or two.) She loves to entertain groups with song and dance, draw circles (I keep Googling to see what that means), and tease her older sister. Though it happens much less often now, she does get frustrated when we can’t figure out what she’s talking about. For a while “French fry” sounded like “butterfly,” and “time-out” just like “chocolate milk” (all commonly used words in the Schemper house), so you can see how that made for some unfortunate situations for her. Elia loves to love. I watch a boy her age, and if ever I hear him whining, I know what I’ll find—Elia lying on top of him, pinning him to the ground. One day, after I’d told her in no uncertain terms that she was not to lie on him again, I heard that familiar whine. I ran into the living room to find her lying on the ground, holding him on top of her. I can’t remember if she was punished for that or not (technically she didn’t disobey). She is truly a delightful, charming, strong little girl, and her eyes are just big enough and blue enough to help her forge through those moments of terrible two-and-a-half-year-old-ness.
“What am I going to be when I grow up? A teacher? A nurse? A chocolatier?”
Kate, now 4 1/2, is changing so much! It has been fun to see her explore, develop and learn. She is in a Spanish immersion pre-school this year, and even, upon occasion, will use a Spanish word at home. Kate took swimming lessons last summer, and it’s hard to say if she enjoyed them or not (she was recently surprised to find out that she’ll have to continue taking them.) She has really blossomed this year, and is developing a quiet confidence. Turns out Kate has a bit of her mother’s planning tendencies in her, as she’s recently decided who she’ll marry (her best boy friend), and that she’ll be living right next door to us when she grows up (yay!). If she knew it existed, she’d be the president of the Barney (yes, the dinosaur) fan club. Kate is a determined, smart, friendly, sensitive little girl, and a great companion. Filled to the brim with questions (often unanswerable ones), I occasionally have to place a ban on further questions, to which she of course replies, “Why?”
“This shouldn’t take long.”
Greg is a busy boy. He coached Freshman soccer again this Fall, and has spent this semester teaching 6 classes, with 3 preps (and around 180 students). He spends most every night and weekend grading and doing lesson plans. We’re looking forward to next semester when he’ll be back to 2 preps and 5 classes! He’s excited about the possibility of teaching a film production class next year. As I think I mentioned last year, Greg did indeed take a 9-day spring vacation in California where we used to live, and where his brother and sister now live. He said it was “a perfect vacation,” and I try not to believe that it was because I wasn’t there. We were glad he got some much needed rest and sun. Greg left a day after school dismissed for the East Coast with a group from school to visit Walden Pond, re-enact the 1870s on a Massachusetts farm, and do other East-Coasty things (including acquiring Lyme Disease). When he returned, he went right to work on his garden plot, planting 240 potato plants, 120 tomato plants, and various other (less excessive numbers of) vegetation. If you want some potatoes, I'm sure they're still good, though you'll have to dig them up yourself.
“Elia went pee in the potty, Elia went pee in the potty, Elia went pee in the potty—she’s a big girl now! Oop, she gets a peppermint. Oop, she gets a peppermint…”
Yes, it takes very little to excite me nowadays. I continue to clean houses and an office building and baby-sit two days a week. I still try to get together with my friend Sue, one night a week to write/talk together. Kate has a Shel Silversteen poem on her wall, which she has me read to her every night before bed. It’s the one where Peggy Ann McKay can’t go to school cause she has a hole in her ear, and her hair is falling out etc. One night I looked at Greg and said, “I’ve got everything on this list!” He nodded solemnly. This past semester has been filled with three traumatic events (the third of which was a five hour heart palpitation that landed me in the ER…heart is fine and strong by the way), which have left me feeling more anxious than I’d like. After a couple panic attacks, I’ve recently begun taking some medication for this. It’s a bit frustrating to find that I can’t seem to handle everything I used to handle, but I think this is forcing me to develop better habits. Such as exercising (I gave it up for lent…two years ago), and I’m in the process of handing over the grocery shopping responsibilities to Greg (well, half of them, and I’ll still be writing the lists—yes, I have issues with control). It is still my tentative plan to look for a full-time job this summer, and if I can actually find one, and find someone to watch Elia and drop Kate off at Kindergarten five days a week, (and, ideally, clean and cook for me) it’s a done deal. I’m actually leaving this one up to God (though I’m still writing the lists). One step at a time, people.
“Waa Ahh Ca”
Sweet baby Avery was born October 19th, and Josh and Meredith took her home two days later. To say she’s adorable is an understatement. She has been the greatest, most tiring gift they’ve ever received, and it’s been fun to see them both so incredibly happy. On their fourth night with her, we all met at my parents’ house for supper. Josh and Mere came in the door (with everything they owned), rather distracted and incoherent. Meredith confessed, “We’ve never been so tired in our entire lives!” Greg told me later that I shouldn’t have laughed so hard, or so long. This is what I’ve been waiting for all these years. That, and seeing them so happy. And being an Aunt!
“I have a cuteness scale…it used to be that #1 was a kitten chasing a butterfly, but now, next to Avery, the kitten looks like a frog, chasing a dragonfly.”
Josh is still working on his Master’s degree in Counseling Psychology. He hopes to begin his internship mid-year, and graduate next winter. Because his classes meet once a week, and at night, he will be able to stay home with Avery until his internship starts. Josh was able to attend a gaming convention last summer with some friends. So if ever you need the scoop on the latest board, video, or computer games, he’d be the one to talk to. (He’s going to complain about his paragraph, I just know it.) Josh is pretty much turning into my dad—in the way he talks, argues, and his mannerisms. This is good news, if you like my dad! I of course like them both, but it’s a little uncanny to see sometimes, and probably unnerving for Meredith. They both are good listeners and well-versed in many subjects. Josh will make a great counselor, though I will never know for sure, cause he refuses to be mine.
“I’m a little worried about Josh’s cuteness scale, because I used to be #2. That means now I’m below the frog chasing the dragonfly.”
Meredith is in her second month of baby leave from work. She has loved this opportunity to care for and bond with Avery 24/7, but has recently confided that she will be excited to see her co-workers again and get into a less-nocturnal routine (and fancier clothes). Mere is still at her job at the Reformed Church headquarters, and the past year was filled with as much job travel as any other year (a lot!). Meredith has gone from journaling her work outfits for the upcoming week, to logging Avery’s eating & poop schedule…both equally fascinating, but considerably different! She has fallen into the role of Mom quite quickly and skillfully.
“Rouf!”
Sasha is still alive and well, though getting up there in years. She has adapted well to another baby in the house, and loves to check on Avery to make sure she’s ok.
“Yeah, I uh, was wondering if you were thinking of doing a Christmas letter this year.”
Dad is still alive and well, though getting up there in years. Dad has been asked to go to Myanmar (known as “Burma” to those who don’t listen to NPR) in February to speak at a graduation and lead a workshop for pastors and students at the Reformed Theological College of Myanmar. (Initially we assumed it was so they could crown him king, but apparently it’s just the Burmese refugees who know and revere him.) Actually, my traumatic event #1 involved his 2-week stint in the hospital the end of the summer. He was golfing (of course—the world was still revolving) and felt some dizziness and shortness of breath, so of course drove himself to the ER. They wouldn’t let him go home until they put a defibrillator/pacemaker in him, in the case this happened again. One day after returning home, he was back in the ER due to what they concluded (after some excitement) was blood in the pleural cavity. Apparently they nicked a blood vessel in the process of inserting the wires for the implant. They told Dad he had to wait 3 weeks to golf again, which he did—to the day. In September, Dad’s younger brother Daryl died in a farm accident (traumatic event #2). The four of us went to Iowa for the funeral, for which Dad led the service, beautifully. Just yesterday I babysat for a friend whose sister died. Kate said to me afterwards, “So Papa’s brother and Lydia’s aunt are together in heaven right now!” It’s good to know that they, at least, are not sad.
“I tried a new recipe…it’s probably no good. You don’t have to eat it.”
Mom is still an immaculate hostess. She continues to sub for a couple schools nearby. She has worked several days here and there, which seems about the perfect pace for her. For their church, she is a GEMS leader, teaches Children’s Worship and a Sunday School class, and still coordinates and mentors for the Kids Hope tutoring program. One of her short-term goals is to see her granddaughters as often as possible, and one of her long-term goals is to clean out the storage room in the basement. Mom’s entire family came to Holland last summer for the first Dykstra reunion—it was fun to all be together for the first time in many years!
Well, that about sums it up. I had intended to keep this letter short, but three pages later it seems I had a lot to say after all. We pray that God will protect us all from traumatic events in 2010, but also know that if He doesn't at least prevent them, He'll hold us through them (sometimes, even with a little help from medication). God is good, and we praise Him for another year.
Elia is now 2 1/2, and it’s looking like she’ll live to see 3. (It was iffy there for a month or two.) She loves to entertain groups with song and dance, draw circles (I keep Googling to see what that means), and tease her older sister. Though it happens much less often now, she does get frustrated when we can’t figure out what she’s talking about. For a while “French fry” sounded like “butterfly,” and “time-out” just like “chocolate milk” (all commonly used words in the Schemper house), so you can see how that made for some unfortunate situations for her. Elia loves to love. I watch a boy her age, and if ever I hear him whining, I know what I’ll find—Elia lying on top of him, pinning him to the ground. One day, after I’d told her in no uncertain terms that she was not to lie on him again, I heard that familiar whine. I ran into the living room to find her lying on the ground, holding him on top of her. I can’t remember if she was punished for that or not (technically she didn’t disobey). She is truly a delightful, charming, strong little girl, and her eyes are just big enough and blue enough to help her forge through those moments of terrible two-and-a-half-year-old-ness.
“What am I going to be when I grow up? A teacher? A nurse? A chocolatier?”
Kate, now 4 1/2, is changing so much! It has been fun to see her explore, develop and learn. She is in a Spanish immersion pre-school this year, and even, upon occasion, will use a Spanish word at home. Kate took swimming lessons last summer, and it’s hard to say if she enjoyed them or not (she was recently surprised to find out that she’ll have to continue taking them.) She has really blossomed this year, and is developing a quiet confidence. Turns out Kate has a bit of her mother’s planning tendencies in her, as she’s recently decided who she’ll marry (her best boy friend), and that she’ll be living right next door to us when she grows up (yay!). If she knew it existed, she’d be the president of the Barney (yes, the dinosaur) fan club. Kate is a determined, smart, friendly, sensitive little girl, and a great companion. Filled to the brim with questions (often unanswerable ones), I occasionally have to place a ban on further questions, to which she of course replies, “Why?”
“This shouldn’t take long.”
Greg is a busy boy. He coached Freshman soccer again this Fall, and has spent this semester teaching 6 classes, with 3 preps (and around 180 students). He spends most every night and weekend grading and doing lesson plans. We’re looking forward to next semester when he’ll be back to 2 preps and 5 classes! He’s excited about the possibility of teaching a film production class next year. As I think I mentioned last year, Greg did indeed take a 9-day spring vacation in California where we used to live, and where his brother and sister now live. He said it was “a perfect vacation,” and I try not to believe that it was because I wasn’t there. We were glad he got some much needed rest and sun. Greg left a day after school dismissed for the East Coast with a group from school to visit Walden Pond, re-enact the 1870s on a Massachusetts farm, and do other East-Coasty things (including acquiring Lyme Disease). When he returned, he went right to work on his garden plot, planting 240 potato plants, 120 tomato plants, and various other (less excessive numbers of) vegetation. If you want some potatoes, I'm sure they're still good, though you'll have to dig them up yourself.
“Elia went pee in the potty, Elia went pee in the potty, Elia went pee in the potty—she’s a big girl now! Oop, she gets a peppermint. Oop, she gets a peppermint…”
Yes, it takes very little to excite me nowadays. I continue to clean houses and an office building and baby-sit two days a week. I still try to get together with my friend Sue, one night a week to write/talk together. Kate has a Shel Silversteen poem on her wall, which she has me read to her every night before bed. It’s the one where Peggy Ann McKay can’t go to school cause she has a hole in her ear, and her hair is falling out etc. One night I looked at Greg and said, “I’ve got everything on this list!” He nodded solemnly. This past semester has been filled with three traumatic events (the third of which was a five hour heart palpitation that landed me in the ER…heart is fine and strong by the way), which have left me feeling more anxious than I’d like. After a couple panic attacks, I’ve recently begun taking some medication for this. It’s a bit frustrating to find that I can’t seem to handle everything I used to handle, but I think this is forcing me to develop better habits. Such as exercising (I gave it up for lent…two years ago), and I’m in the process of handing over the grocery shopping responsibilities to Greg (well, half of them, and I’ll still be writing the lists—yes, I have issues with control). It is still my tentative plan to look for a full-time job this summer, and if I can actually find one, and find someone to watch Elia and drop Kate off at Kindergarten five days a week, (and, ideally, clean and cook for me) it’s a done deal. I’m actually leaving this one up to God (though I’m still writing the lists). One step at a time, people.
“Waa Ahh Ca”
Sweet baby Avery was born October 19th, and Josh and Meredith took her home two days later. To say she’s adorable is an understatement. She has been the greatest, most tiring gift they’ve ever received, and it’s been fun to see them both so incredibly happy. On their fourth night with her, we all met at my parents’ house for supper. Josh and Mere came in the door (with everything they owned), rather distracted and incoherent. Meredith confessed, “We’ve never been so tired in our entire lives!” Greg told me later that I shouldn’t have laughed so hard, or so long. This is what I’ve been waiting for all these years. That, and seeing them so happy. And being an Aunt!
“I have a cuteness scale…it used to be that #1 was a kitten chasing a butterfly, but now, next to Avery, the kitten looks like a frog, chasing a dragonfly.”
Josh is still working on his Master’s degree in Counseling Psychology. He hopes to begin his internship mid-year, and graduate next winter. Because his classes meet once a week, and at night, he will be able to stay home with Avery until his internship starts. Josh was able to attend a gaming convention last summer with some friends. So if ever you need the scoop on the latest board, video, or computer games, he’d be the one to talk to. (He’s going to complain about his paragraph, I just know it.) Josh is pretty much turning into my dad—in the way he talks, argues, and his mannerisms. This is good news, if you like my dad! I of course like them both, but it’s a little uncanny to see sometimes, and probably unnerving for Meredith. They both are good listeners and well-versed in many subjects. Josh will make a great counselor, though I will never know for sure, cause he refuses to be mine.
“I’m a little worried about Josh’s cuteness scale, because I used to be #2. That means now I’m below the frog chasing the dragonfly.”
Meredith is in her second month of baby leave from work. She has loved this opportunity to care for and bond with Avery 24/7, but has recently confided that she will be excited to see her co-workers again and get into a less-nocturnal routine (and fancier clothes). Mere is still at her job at the Reformed Church headquarters, and the past year was filled with as much job travel as any other year (a lot!). Meredith has gone from journaling her work outfits for the upcoming week, to logging Avery’s eating & poop schedule…both equally fascinating, but considerably different! She has fallen into the role of Mom quite quickly and skillfully.
“Rouf!”
Sasha is still alive and well, though getting up there in years. She has adapted well to another baby in the house, and loves to check on Avery to make sure she’s ok.
“Yeah, I uh, was wondering if you were thinking of doing a Christmas letter this year.”
Dad is still alive and well, though getting up there in years. Dad has been asked to go to Myanmar (known as “Burma” to those who don’t listen to NPR) in February to speak at a graduation and lead a workshop for pastors and students at the Reformed Theological College of Myanmar. (Initially we assumed it was so they could crown him king, but apparently it’s just the Burmese refugees who know and revere him.) Actually, my traumatic event #1 involved his 2-week stint in the hospital the end of the summer. He was golfing (of course—the world was still revolving) and felt some dizziness and shortness of breath, so of course drove himself to the ER. They wouldn’t let him go home until they put a defibrillator/pacemaker in him, in the case this happened again. One day after returning home, he was back in the ER due to what they concluded (after some excitement) was blood in the pleural cavity. Apparently they nicked a blood vessel in the process of inserting the wires for the implant. They told Dad he had to wait 3 weeks to golf again, which he did—to the day. In September, Dad’s younger brother Daryl died in a farm accident (traumatic event #2). The four of us went to Iowa for the funeral, for which Dad led the service, beautifully. Just yesterday I babysat for a friend whose sister died. Kate said to me afterwards, “So Papa’s brother and Lydia’s aunt are together in heaven right now!” It’s good to know that they, at least, are not sad.
“I tried a new recipe…it’s probably no good. You don’t have to eat it.”
Mom is still an immaculate hostess. She continues to sub for a couple schools nearby. She has worked several days here and there, which seems about the perfect pace for her. For their church, she is a GEMS leader, teaches Children’s Worship and a Sunday School class, and still coordinates and mentors for the Kids Hope tutoring program. One of her short-term goals is to see her granddaughters as often as possible, and one of her long-term goals is to clean out the storage room in the basement. Mom’s entire family came to Holland last summer for the first Dykstra reunion—it was fun to all be together for the first time in many years!
Well, that about sums it up. I had intended to keep this letter short, but three pages later it seems I had a lot to say after all. We pray that God will protect us all from traumatic events in 2010, but also know that if He doesn't at least prevent them, He'll hold us through them (sometimes, even with a little help from medication). God is good, and we praise Him for another year.
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