What a year!

Click on the picture above for our complete year at a glance with photos. When you get to the bottom of the page, click "Older Posts" link to continue.

• We started the year by making huge progresses on our home renovations. We continued much progress through the whole year.
• Kelsie (our oldest) turned 18, and graduated from High School.
• Kelsie moved to Cleveland, Tennessee to attend her first year of college.
• Kirk retired from the Navy after 20 years of service. He is currently flying for a civilian contractor working with the Army in Afghanistan flying surveillance missions.
• Kirk is hoping to fulfill his dream job in the new year with a commercial airline.
• Andrew turns 16 and is working on getting his driver's licence.

We close the chapter of this year, 2011, with thankful hearts. God is forever sovereign and faithful in our lives; He has revealed that to us many times this year. His plans are always perfect even though we don't always understand them. The LORD asks us to simply trust Him with all our hearts. As we begin 2012, we look forward to His direction with an attitude of hope and adventure towards what the future holds as He directs our paths.

May God bless YOU, as well as all our friends, and our family as we share in the goodness of 2012 and the Hope that is yet to come!

Family Updates

Life has a way of sneaking by and before we know it, time has passed and we're getting ready to start a new year!

My family has had four Birthdays (Andrew, Teri, Jessie and Kirk), several holidays, and random happenings since my last "family" update post in August when Kelsie left for college. So with that said, I dare not start 2012 without finishing 2011 with our year end Wymore happenings and family updates.

SEPTEMBER~

Andrew turns 16...

... and is surprised with a "stang"

(2001 V6 Mustang, stick shift- the not so fast model).

He also got a shotgun for his birthday.

Andrew likes to hunt birds and target shoot.

Andrew earned his letter man jacket last year for varsity swimming, but received it early his 10 grade school year.

OCTOBER~

Jessie turns 10!

We celebrated with a small family party.

Pumpkin carving~

Jessie and a few friends carve for part of the fun for a sleep-over.

Halloween 2011

NOVEMBER~

Andrew tries on Kirk's Army issued bullet proof armor since he has aspirations to someday go into the military. Kirk went through training with his new job in September-October and was issued this vest for his time flying in Afghanistan as a civilian flying Army C-12's. Kirk's first rotation to Afghanistan started mid-November and he came home mid December.

Jessie plays soccer on the Padre Thunder team.

Since dad was away, Andrew was in charge of cooking the turkey for Thanksgiving; the job Kirk usually does.

Joe helped make the Pumpkin Pie. Jessie also helped.

(notice the newly renovated kitchen compared to past posts? I have not officially posted before and after photos, but Kirk and I have recently completed the dining and kitchen areas and will post comparison photos soon.)

DECEMBER~

Decorating their individual Christmas trees that go in their bedrooms.

The kids posed in front of the Dining Room Christmas tree to send to their dad in an email while he's away~

He'll be home for Christmas Dec 13-Jan 5 !!!

Jessie and Joe on the last week of school the day of their Christmas Concert.

After school they receive a special gift from Kirk in Afghanistan...

A Christmas book with a DVD of Kirk reading the very same book (notice the computer screen of Kirk sitting in a chair reading). The USO provided this service to parents (a book with a DVD of the deployed parent reading the book) who have younger kids back in the states.

Andrew had several swim meets over Christmas break and practices most every day. Andrew's Men's 200 Free Relay Team are focused and set to break the school record (1.34:08) this year!

COOKIE MAKING TIME!

Christmas Eve~

CHRISTMAS DAY 2011~

We enjoyed Christmas Day together in the quietness of our home.

Kelsie finds the first Christmas Pickle hidden in the tree.

An Old World Christmas tradition- after all the gifts are open from under the Christmas tree, the kids begin to hunt for the hidden Christmas Pickle (an ornament). The first child to find the hidden ornament will enjoy a blessed year and receive a special gift.

At our house, we let each child find a pickle (we hide four pickle ornaments between two trees) and each child gets a little gift after they find their pickle.

The boys are still looking!

Joe is very close.

Yeah! Teri gets the cement mixer she'd hoped for. She loved making "mud". There's a lot of work to be done outside with our home renovation and this machine will come in handy (save time and her back)!

We wondered where all the ice from the ice machine was going... HERE IT IS!!! Joe was trying to make "snow" on the sidewalk by crushing ice cubes with a brick. The problem is, it's 78 degrees out side and the "snow" is melting almost as fast as he makes his "snow".

MEMORY VERSE #23

A great verse to remember this time of the year when many people (myself included) are tempted to spend more money than they can afford on Christmas gift giving. Also a great reminder to continue the debt "to love one another"... this is the only debt God wants us to always carry.

“Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law.”
(Romans 13:8 NIV)

SSMT #23

My family and I have been faithful in saving cash through the year in our "Christmas Pig" (a holiday decorated piggy bank). Whatever dollar amount is in the Pig the day after Thanksgiving (when we count it) is the cash we will spend on Christmas gifts and Christmas donations to needy families. This method has worked great for us over the years. Having the cash on hand has helped us not be tempted to accumulate a bunch of uncontrollable credit card debt during the Christmas season!