PENT 6: December 2010

Friday, December 24, 2010

Greetings from a snow covered West St. Paul, Minnesota, 2010 style! As the Holidays approach quickly, I am found with the reality that I have yet to send out Christmas letters. I will try and assemble my thoughts and get this out before the year draws to a close. Scott and I have come to realize that raising four kids keeps us hopping. Michaela entered the fifth grade this fall and the fact that she could be attending her Dad's school in less than two years has come with the realization that time does indeed fly. She is staying busy with school and enjoying the Mythology Club. I think that must be her father's influence...as I'm not sure what one does in Mythology club! She loves the snow and is a true Minnesota girl! Elijah is in the second grade and keeps us all on our toes. He has a big heart and is keeping himself busy with swim club at the local YMCA. He enjoys being with the boys on the team. I think he gets a bit too much time with his sisters and to have boys around is OK with him. In August we reached a long awaited date. On August 12th he had lived in our home for more days than he did in the orphanage in Harbin, China. Most of the time we don't remember that he has not been with us for all of his life. We are so blessed to have him as our son! Sarah is also in the 2nd grade. She loves the Young Rembrandt's Club that she attends once a week after school. She is quite the artist and it is clear to us that she has a natural talent. Neither her dad nor I have that ability so it is fun to watch it develop. She is enjoying all the friendships she has made at school. She seems to receive many invitations and loves each and every opportunity to go to a "party." Joshua stays busy with his Early Intervention classes and therapies. He has made a great deal of progress and brings joy to all those around him. We pray he will be able to communicate with us more easily at some point, but for now we are thankful that he seems to be happy most of the time! He is a very special little boy. Scott continues to teach and is in his 11th year at Trinity School at River Ridge in Eagan. He enjoys the relationships he has develped with his colleagues, the students and their families. Barb works several shifts a month on the Oncology floor and feels blessed by her patients and co-workers each time she is there. Our extended families are in good health and we look forward to the time we will spend with them in the coming year. We lost a dear friend this year. Alick, our 94 year old friend from our church passed away in April. We were blessed to have him come live with us in January and he shared our lives until April 15th when he entered the hospital for failure to thrive. He fell asleep in the Lord peacefully on April 27th. We miss him, but were blessed to have had him in our lives for over ten years. We hope you have had a good year and look forward to hearing from many of you. Love from Minnesota! The Pentecost Family Scott, Barbara, Michaela, Elijah, Sarah and Joshua