Merry Christmas! We hope this finds you all well and enjoying the holiday season with your family. 2014 Has been a year of adventure for the Richey family and we are anticipating great things in 2015!
We wait in hope for the Lord;
he is our help and our shield.
In Him our hearts rejoice, for
we trust in His holy name.
May your unfailing love be with us Lord,
even as we put our hope in You.
-Psalm 30: 22
We started this year off with the kids' first trip skiing. As the planner, packer, and organizer I anticipated that we would get to the mountain, gear up, go out, and then be faced with cold, crying children. Boy, was I ever wrong! The kids LOVED it, I have to admit, I was a little disappointed because that meant that this mama (the non-skier) was in for a long day of helping kids practice staying up on their feet. There isn't a snowflake that graces this beautiful Colorado sky without ringing cheers from the Richey children to hit the slopes. They opened and closed the mountain two days in a row! Ian was asleep the moment he hit his carseat and Addison before we made it down the mountain for dinner. I am so glad that daddy finally has some skiing buddies!
Our sweet girl graduated from Kindergarten this year and became a first grader. I am not sure how this has happened. She will be seven at the end of the month and is growing so much, sometimes it seems, exponentially overnight! She chose to do dance this year as her extracurricular and just finished performing in a 5 show sell-out of highlights from the Nutcracker. She is adjusting to a full day program ever so slowly but we are seeing improvement as the year moves forward. She sang in the Elementary talent show and did so awesome! So yes, when you see this mama crying every time I hear Let it Go, you'll know why! That girl is a born performer! She makes my heart proud!
Ian turned 4 in November, and he is just as sweet as ever. He has been going to preschool two mornings a week and he absolutely loves it. It is so good to see him play with his friends and be delighted at his new found "big boy" status. He is learning which buttons to push to make big sister crazy, I am pretty sure he gauges his success on the volume of her squeals. He has been taking swim classes and has become quite the little fish! Health wise, he is doing pretty well. We had a scare at his check up in June, and had to undergo a cardiac CT, but thankfully those tests came back better than expected. We head back to cardiology on the 19th for his bi-annual check. Ian was an absolute rock-star for his appointment. It's funny when you have a kid that undergoes medical procedures regularly, you would think that over time, each time would get easier. We have found that there is no rhyme or reason to it at all. Some checks go like today, with a cooperative kiddo; and other times you would think it was the first time they've seen a doctor and easy procedures become BIG deals. However, today, the cardiologist was very happy with Ian's progress. We did choose to have an echo done just to see the difference, if any, between the one in June and now. Mostly to see if it confirmed CT results or if it was still being skewed. His left coronary artery was still showing some enlargement, which was one reason for the CT in June, but after discussing with some echo experts, and more doctors, and looking at the studies from the past they came to the conclusion that the reason why it shows up strange on the echo is because his artery is just anatomically larger at the point of connection to the heart, they aren't concerned because of how the plumbing is all connected, it is his normal-so to speak. The doc said that just by listening, you'd never know he had an issue, which is so good because he said in kiddos with Ian's CHD, you can usually hear it in his pulse. Music to my ears!
We are going to continue to watch his BP, and Dr. Darst said if we want, we can push to a year for a recheck-we will have to see about that!
On Labor Day, we learned that Andy would be RIF'd ("Reduction In Force") from the Air Force. It has been a long few months looking for a new job for him. We are trying to be patient and wait for the job that the Lord has for him. Please join us in praying that we will have a clear direction in this job search. Right now, he is planning on joining the Reserves and there is a possibility that he will be able to work a few months for them immediately following being off active duty. He has also enjoyed working with friends from our church in Tucson on a mission driven project helping young adults in Kyrgyzstan better their professional skills and ties with the West. I see a trip for him in the near future!
As for me, I have enjoyed another year being the room mom at Addison's school and helping out in Ian's preK class as needed. It has been nice to have a little break two mornings a week to hit the gym or go to the grocery, alone...yes, ALONE! With the onset of new circumstances, a position at Addison's school is opening up in January for a second grade classroom position (teachers having babies....). I, with the help of my husband, finished the application Sunday night, had an interview on Thursday and was hired on Friday! Whew! I wasn't really looking to go back to work, but the opportunity presented itself, and we believe it will be a great blessing. The job commitment is until the end of May, which will buy us some time while we wait for direction for Andy. Addison is thrilled that I will be at her school everyday, I am a little nervous, since it has been awhile since I've been in the classroom and because I've never left Ian. Fortunately, I have some pretty amazing friends that have offered to watch him, shuffle him from pre-k, and bring him to me at school for the next five months. If this military life has taught me anything; it truly is all about loving where you are and the people you are with, because they will love you in return. This mama has already cried many a tear, but I know that he will be in good hands.
This year, we have had several fun adventures too! We took the kids skiing at the beginning of the year, which they loved more than I thought! We also were able to steal Addison a few extra days over spring break and went on a cruise-it was such fun. The kids talk about going again all the time, it was definitely a trip to remember and we look forward to another one sometime! Over the summer, we took a road trip (delayed as it was, by court) to Ohio. It was so great to be "home" and with friends and family that we had been missing dearly. We also stopped in Missouri to visit cousin Brittany Carrender and her family on their farm. We all had so much fun! The kids looked forward to farm chores and riding horses. We got a tour of the land and just hanging out. So fun to see the kids together- a reunion must be in the works! I do have to say that our kids are amazing travelers. They are better than their mama when trapped in a car for 2.5 days. I loved the plains of Kansas, my husband thought I was seriously delusional from the long car ride! HA! In September we hosted Andy's mom and dad, Aunt Kris, Uncle Bobby, Aunt Carol, and Uncle Carl for the Colorado Springs Hot Air Balloon festival. Our children were in grandparent HEAVEN! It was so good to see everyone and get caught up on each of their families as well. The kids ask frequently when all the grandparents are coming back! My mom is headed out for Christmas and Addison's birthday. I am so thankful for all of our friends and family near and far!
We pray that you have a blessed holiday and new year.
We wait in hope for the Lord;
he is our help and our shield.
In Him our hearts rejoice, for
we trust in His holy name.
May your unfailing love be with us Lord,
even as we put our hope in You.
-Psalm 30: 22
We have been holding this verse near our hearts this year. We know that the Lord has a plan for us and we are trusting that his plan is better than we know. Thank you for praying for us during this time of transition!
Love always,
Andrew, Stephanie, Addison & Ian
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