... and a Happy New Year

So, this was going to be a Christmas letter, but Rick was the only responsible person this Christmas and he did all the shopping and I managed to not get the Christmas cards out.  Sigh.  This in turn is a HAPPY NEW YEAR (11 days after New Year) letter / thank you card.  I sadly admit, that with my record so far, this is apt to be my best chance at telling anyone thank you for the absolutely wonderful gifts and cards and love they shared this here Christmas.  :)

As I look at my “Christmas Card Door” I can’t help but to feel blessed. We have such great friends, family and a wonderful church. It’s nice to be surrounded by people we love.  This Christmas reminds me how God supplies our needs, and then He uses His people to show that His grace is not just sufficient, it is bountiful.

What a year, right? It’s hard to believe all that has happened. It was just last year that we were waiting for Rick’s first book to be printed, and since then things seem to being moving in warp speed. DayStar published two more of our books, and both Rick’s e-books are best sellers on Amazon, and Roadmap Through Revelation ended the year as the #1 New Testament Commentary on Kindle. I remember my brother, Jeremy, say once, “What I love about being in the ministry is that you get do something you love and that you would do for free, but you get to do it for a living.” That’s how we feel about writing. We write because we love it, but it’s so nice that people buy them too.

This year I turned 31, had my 8^th anniversary, gave birth to my 4^th child, wrote my 1^st book, got our 1^st king size bed for Christmas (thanks mom and grandma S), got like 7 new outfits that make me not feel like a frumpy mom. I also got to spend a day as an 18 year old. (That’s me in the picture wearing Brooke’s clothes as I was her for a day and she was me. All moms should be able to do that. Super Fun!!!) All around this has been an awesome year. I seriously feel that God just keeps blessing me more than I can ever thank Him for.

In July our first boy, Silas Richard, was born. He is such a good baby. He loves to smile and be talked to, but his absolute favorite things are being naked and being upside down. Which we’ve never tried simultaneously, but I’m sure he’d love it. J

Charlotte turned two this year. She is extremely attached to her mommy, and her “mee mee” (her blanket). She is without a doubt the family clown; always making faces and dancing to make people laugh. We have to keep our eyes peeled, because she tries to fly under the radar and be naughty. Some distinct things about Charlotte are that 1. She talks all the time, but never uses consonants, and 2. If she is silent she is either taking off her clothes somewhere, going potty somewhere other than the bathroom or stealing someone’s snacks.

Lily is four and seems to have grown up dramatically this year. She is no longer a little girl, but a preschooler. She is still our most serious child, best known for her contrariness and creativity. Her Master club and Sunday school teachers always tell me how much they enjoy her friendly, social attitude. We love to take her out alone on dates and hear her non-stop chitter-chatter and story telling. Her major areas of weakness are that she vocalizes everything she feels (and she feels a whole lot) and she lives so in the present that she often makes a mess and moves on to the next project without looking back. She constantly hears her mommy saying two things; “Lily, feel the uncomfortable feelings and do right anyway.” and “Lily, I think you forgot to do something before you left the room.” to which she returns and cleans up. 

 Kiera will be turning six in April. She is very compassionate, concerned about doing right, and learns so quickly that she draws illustrations on her worksheets to keep herself from being entirely bored. We work on Math and Spelling, which she does to humor me because she really wants to play “Ratchet and Clank” with her daddy. She is very good at UNO and pretty much anything she puts her mind to. Yet, her curiosity is also her greatest weakness. If there is any trouble going on in the house, I can usually ask, “Kiera, what are your two rules?” She replies, “Don’t touch people, and don’t touch their stuff.” After her reminder, peace seems to come over everyone. Christmas was especially difficult for her because there was so much new stuff that needed to be explored and touched, but she had to keep her hands off. I love that girl.

Brooke Jean, who wins friends around the Schworer house mostly because she’s awesome at video games, has also brought a lot of fun, hugs, wet willies, wrestling, bruises, late nights, texting, and someone to talk to who is over five.  Her friendship to Rick, the girls and I has had a circular effect.  She is an encouragement and help to us, and we in turn have been able to encourage her personal walk with the Lord.  It’s exciting to see God’s hand be so real in her life.

That's it.  That's the updates for the year at the Schworer household.

SO MERRY CHRISTMAS / HAPPY NEW YEAR / THANKS Y'ALL FO DA AMAZINESS??