December 2002

Greetings friends and family!

The year 2002 has brought many changes in our lives. So what else is new, eh?  We are doing well and are constantly grateful for God’s blessings here in Wichita.  Let’s see…

Leslie is going to preschool three days a week and loves it.  On Friday we went to her Christmas program, which was an absolute delight.  She’s a very independent little thing and insists on doing many things on her own.  It’s like pulling teeth to get her to ask for help.  Sigh.  My mother just laughs.  She enjoys crafts – any kind of cutting or gluing will keep her content for hours – and playing with her baby dolls.  Her favorite television shows are Madeline and Dora the Explorer.  She can recognize many letters and form a few of them and enjoys “reading” (she mimics us or makes up the story).  She’s been in gymnastics and in swimming this year and thoroughly enjoyed both.  She’s very good at gymnastics. She’s extremely affectionate and fairly outgoing.  Overall, she is becoming more fun to be with everyday.

Collin is learning to read.  He’s actually pretty dogged good at it.  He’s at the top of his class and reads at least one book to us almost everyday.  He played baseball in the fall and most likely will again in the spring.  Although he excels at reading and loves math, his favorite thing about school remains recess and P.E.  He’s a very social child, and likes best to be around other children.  A natural leader, he tends to be a bit bossy, but he’s beginning to make better choices in social settings.  Unfortunately, he was involved in a scuffle with another boy at school this week and has a broken collarbone.  He has to wear a brace for three weeks, but it doesn’t hamper his movement too much.  Now that we are over the initial pain, he’s doing very well.  His favorite things to do are to play outside, or on the computer.  His favorite TV shows are Batman (the original 1960’s one) and Rescue Heroes.   His favorite toys are Legos and cars – he has a track that he can put together – anything building.  He’s a very sweet boy – always trying to make others feel better – and he’s becoming the “class  clown” in almost every group situation.

I am plugging along here at home.  Which is actually a great deal of fun now that we have one.  Oh! Did I forget to mention that?  We moved into our new home at the end of August.  I’ll talk about that in a minute!  I have been doing some odd-jobs that relate to my theatre background this year.  I’ve stage managed a few things and am doing a bit of event coordination.  Central (our church) has begun a drama ministry that I’m spearheading and that has been a joy to be involved in.  I’m also involved in some web design – check out our family page at www.1stthings.net - And I’m learning to play the guitar.  So far, I can tune it! Hehehe. I’ll get there!  My favorite TV show is Alias, which I watch with (via telephone) my friend Mitzi in Michigan every week, and Trading Spaces.  Between the drama team, my odd jobs here and there, moving, and coordinating the schedule of three students, it’s been a busy year for Mom.

          Jason just finished up his first semester of nursing school.  Woo Hoo!  One down, three to go.  He goes to school during the day and works in the operating room at night, so it’s a challenge sometimes to find family time. But we’ve done fairly well so far and know that this is a necessary step for Jason to be where he wants to be professionally.  He is involved with the Praise Team/chorus at church and really enjoys watching Enterprise and Trading Spaces on television when he gets some downtime.  The term he uses to describe this semester is “survived.” He is currently enjoying a lengthy Christmas break (whew).

About our new house:  it’s a delightful little 40’s ranch that had tons of potential.  After removing miles of ugly wallpaper, rolls of green carpet, and a gazillion overgrown bushes and unhealthy trees, we are now sure that it is as charming as we had hoped it would be.  The children have their own rooms and we have a great back yard for them to play in.  It is right across the street from Collin’s elementary school and just three blocks from Leslie’s preschool. It has friendly neighbors and sidewalks for bike riding, roller-skating, and chalk art.  We feel blessed every time we pull into the driveway.

          So, that’s our year in a nutshell!  We hope that you see God’s hand in your lives as well.  We are constantly amazed at how much more he blesses us with than we ever ask for.

Our prayer for you is joy and peace to you throughout this season and the whole year.

Jason, Sandi, Collin & Leslie King