Christmas 2010

Merry Christmas Family and Friends, Writing these letters, I have come to realize how much we live with constant change and distraction. Though I left out some bigger events, I couldn’t pass up the year to take advantage of again sending out a Donahue Top Ten. Top 10 of 2010…

1. We take a magical trip to Disney World and Melbourne Beach over Spring Break. Lauren gets to have dinner with the Princesses. Joshua rides Space Mountain for the first time and we all eat breakfast with Mickey!

2. Joshua, now seven and in the second grade, tallies over 200 Reading counts points during his first semester. He’s at least a hundred points ahead of his closest classmate (whatever that means!) and I still scratch my head wondering from where he’s gotten this “reading gene.” He’s even known to sneak flashlights so he can read after being put to bed! (This, coming from his father who, when he was growing up, forced his mother to read to him instead of doing it himself!)

3. Lily turns one August 28th and begins showing lots of personality. She “seems” sweet and patient, but is certainly a little loud! But who can blame her? She does live in a house with three rambunctious older siblings; she’s just trying to make sure she’s not forgotten!

4. BJ quits teaching Sixth-grade math in the spring after only one year to return to full-time ministry back at Piner Baptist Church, where he’s entered his fifth year on staff there and new additional responsibilities serving now as youth and administrative pastor.

5. After a year off at home with the newest addition to the family, Melissa starts back to work in the Fall, teaching a clinical for Northern KY University once a week.

6. Melissa catches the entrepreneurial spirit and joins with three ladies from church to form the Cake Pop Girls. These ladies hand-craft chocolate covered cake balls on sticks decorated to suit any occasion. Four months into the venture they have already shipped to customers as far as Washington and California! Check it out at www.cakepopgirls.com and order your own!

7. Jacob, now three, joins with his older brother in a Star Wars addiction. All four even dress up as Star Wars characters for Halloween. At all times we must now live in fear of a light saber battle, an attack launched against dad using the Force or a couch dismantled for fort or mountain creation! (Thanks Grandma Pat!) He’s got a great personality and is all boy!

8. Lauren, still all girl, now 5 and a half, begins Kindergarten more for the “social” aspect, but has begun to really excel in all aspects. Luckily, she has a dress code to abide by this year. I don’t look forward to 1st grade where she’ll begin to have her choice of outfits to wear! We may need to decide the night before, or else face a two-hour decision in the morning!

9. The year of the broken appliances and need for house maintenance … We started by completely redoing our laundry room, moving appliances around, putting in cabinets and painting. Outside we worked to finish up the backyard transformation planting grass and trees. We painted the kitchen and living rooms and started on the foyer and hallway until the wife decided she didn’t like the color! We replaced dryer components, oven parts, a kitchen faucet (which is sitting in our garage to my wife’s chagrin), a toilet (which is also sitting in our garage to my wife’s chagrin), and a washer machine (which… sad to say, is also sitting in our garage to my wife’s chagrin… all serving as trophies of the great work I’ve done throughout the year!)

10. Though there were lots of changes and challenges this year, a couple things didn’t change…we didn’t move, nor did we have another baby! But… it was an even year. We only have odd babies (03,05,07,09)! So…

10a. (Online addition) In March, Joshua and Daddy were passing the frisbe in the back yard until, on the final throw, for this express reason, Joshua perfectly threw the 200g heavy duty frisbe straight towards Daddy's head . Dad missed it and it gave him his first black eye ever, a black eye which lasted over six weeks and was still easily visible when BJ performed a wedding of one of his closest friends, Kerry Spencer! Even now, when he gets tired that eye darkens first!

We love you all and hope your Christmas is blessed. May God continue to provide and may we continue to be ever thankful. The gift of Christ this year is not only to us a reminder of His salvation, but also of the confident hope we have in His sovereign hand over our family, our church, and over all creation. May we find rest and peace, trusting in His faithfulness this coming year.

The Donahues