Year Review from Robin

I thought I would include some of what Robin wrote in our New Years Letter since this is "A Few Minutes with Robin and Andy" and yet she never posts anything. If you got our letter in the mail, this will be redundant.


Hope the New Year has gotten off to a good start for you. This past year has been made up of surprises -- bringing a range of emotions and experiences. 2005 will always be memorable year for us for many reasons.

Luke went from two to three year’s old this year. We have had a lot of fun with Luke this year. Some things has loved are playing hide and seek in the dark with flashlights, snow sledding, attending AWANA class, taking walks on our near by “nature trail” complete with a field of prairie dogs, a hawk, animal holes, a creek, flowers and sticks. He is crazy about trains, He likes making jokes and talking in opposites saying that his left hand is really the right hand and vice-versa -- and that Jack is really Drew, etc.

I won’t pretend, though, that he’s been a joy all the time. Luke has had a very difficult time dealing with the arrival of the babies. His “de-throning” process has been pretty painful and the emotions have been overwhelming to all of us, most of all to him I think. I can say that in the past 6 weeks, his disposition has improved greatly and we are enjoying more of the old Luke we used to know. My hope is restored!

Sweet Drew ~ Our hearts melt when we think about him. He is almost 6 months old now and has at least tripled in weight since he was born. In those early days, his arms and legs were no bigger around than my thumb. I had never seen a baby that small in real life. I love the memory I have of him sucking on his tiny, tiny thumb. He has a very charming smile and quite a noticeable cackle. These days he is busy chewing on anything that comes near his face, including Jack’s hand.

We call him Hungry Jack. He pants when he sees the bottle coming. He took a total 43 ounces of formula one day the other week. I think he’s trying to tell us, “Gimme some real food”! Currently he is drooling everywhere. He loves to stare at Luke and gives a hearty belly laugh at his brother’s antics, whether they are funny or not. He also enjoys playing with Drew’s ear.

For me, 2005 started out with dreadful sickness. I felt doubly sick this round of pregnancy, but had no clue why. Pretty soon, I was outgrowing all my pregnancy clothes that I had worn with Luke and had to hunt around for new ones. I was so very tired and insatiably hungry. At one doctor’s appointment I had gained 9 pounds in a few weeks and my doctor said my abdomen was measuring big. She was suspicious! I was in my 24th week, so it was time for an ultra-sound. The sonographer immediately saw our two boys!

Since then, this year has been filled with excitement, shock, extreme physical awkwardness (kind of comical actually – at around 7 months, I couldn’t walk through a store like Wal-mart -- it was too strenuous – I had to use the motorized wheel chair to get around!). I have been grateful, deliriously sleep deprived, at my wits end, and in awe of God’s ways all in the same day. Jack and Drew are all consuming, but God has provided well for us. My mom came to live with us for a couple of months. It took 3 people to care for 3 children in those early baby days. I could not have done it without her. We probably had 30 plus meals delivered to us from our church and the regional office. Also, women from my church still come once or twice a week to care for babies while Luke and I get out of the house together. All of those things have kept me sane. I would be in a very black hole had it not been for so many people serving us in various ways.

Andy had a full year of equipping leaders to reach others for Christ. In 2005, he led a training conference for a Int'l Project Leaders from accross the US, a mid-year conference in Mexico for missionaries in Latin America, and a STINT Team leaders this summer training for one hundred young leaders preparing to take ministry team all over the globe. He visited Asia in the Spring and Mexico in the fall to help launch ministries to of the largest cities in the world. One a day to day basis, he continues to help oversee our regions partnerships in seven countries.

The month of August was perhaps the busiest of all. Andy really jumped in with constant care of the babies – endless feedings, diaper changes, laundry. About 6 weeks into it, he asked me, “Now when do they start sleeping through the night?” Well, he is still waiting for that to happen!

Thank you for thinking of us and praying for us. We are looking forward to whatever the Lord brings in 2006!