2006 Year in Review

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
2006 was the year of "change" for the Wieder family. The best of the changes being that we welcomed Theodore Thomas Wieder into our world on March 22. He was and is the best little guy ever. He smiles all the time, is incredibly easy going, and is loved by his brother and sister in a way that I only hoped for. They are both very protective of him and LOVE to make him laugh, which isn't really hard, but they love to do it. Teddy, as we call him, is starting to crawl, a little bit behind the other two in timing, but having to chase after Brendan and Cecelia is enough right now, the fact that he is still slightly stationary is a good thing. He is as snuggly and lovable as his name, Teddy, implies.
Brendan is now in 4k. He is starting to write his name and any other words you spell out for him. He is still VERY energetic. He even explains himself as "just having a lot of energy" to people. He is constant motion. Brendan has gained an intense liking for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, which I had no idea were still in existance!! They were out when I was young. He likes to practice his "ninja" moves on Cecelia. Typical! School is going well for him and he will be going to the public school next fall for kindergarten. CRAZY!! I can't believe he will be turning 5 this year. It seems like just yesterday I was bring him home from the hospital panicking and praying that I would be capable enough to keep him alive to 6 months....and here we are almost 5 years later. Not only is he still alive, but he is FULL of life. Brendan continues to be our sweet hearted tender child. He is so in tune with people and their emotions. When someone is upset or left out, he is the one to try and include them. He is very sensitive. I hope he never loses that.
Cecelia is our perfect middle child. She likes everything Brendan does, but she also likes the color pink. We are in the process of painting her room pink with butterflies, fairies and flowers. VERY girly, which isn't really her personality if you knew her. She likes to practice her "ninja" moves as well, but also has a love for Dora the Explorer, which includes NO fighting moves making mommy very happy. Cecelia is also in school this year. Quite the change for her. It hasn't been the easiest transition for her. Where Brendan is the people pleaser and LOVES to make the teacher happy, Cecelia likes to make Cecelia happy. When asked by her teacher to clean up, she told BomBom (the teacher's nickname), "No, you can do it." Then when she was asked, after sassing the teacher for a minute, "Cecelia, who is the adult here?", Cecelia pointed to a boy in her class and said, "HE IS!" Gary and I laughed, BomBom did not! She is stubborn and strong willed, which we believe will serve her very well when she is older (especially when it comes to boys!!). In the mean time, she is in for some tough lessons. She is very smart, sometimes too smart, and remembers everything. She is our "goofball" child. She likes to make us all laugh and likes to come up with ways to do that. Just the other night, she came running out of her room, pants around her ankles, waddling/running into the living room and fell. She looked at me, got up, ran around a few more steps then fell again. She did this for about 3 -4 minutes. Giggling the whole time.
Since "change" didn't seem to escape anyone, Gary had it sweep through his life. On top of having a 3rd child, his job changed. He is no longer employed for All Saints. He and his boss/friend took the church service they put on at All Saints and relocated it as a church unto itself. So now Access is a church! It has been a TON of work and LONG days and nights, but we couldn't be happier. It was very nerve wracking, and still is, but in such a faith affirming way. It has been such a blessing to see God work in our lives like He has. Gary, Tim, Angela, Craig, and the countless amazing volunteers have done an amazing job putting this together. It was sad to leave All Saints and sad to not be a part of the every day life there, but it has been amazing to see both churches grow and be blessed by the change.
As for me, I too have had quite a bit on my plate. I have taken a second job at a free medical clinic here. I am the data entry/office assistant person. Along with working at Friendship Place, (the soup kitchen) I now work out at this medical clinic that is a full blown doctor's office to the uninsured of the community. It is a place where people are seen by some of the best doctors in the community who donate their time completely free of charge. The work that gets done there, with hardly any recognition to the doctors, is nothing short of miraculous. I feel very blessed to be a part of such amazing organizations. I have the best bosses who do so much for our community. I love what I do and look forward to doing more this year!!
Well, I hope this posting finds everyone happy, healthy and in good spirits. I wish I had more contact with people and had more opportunities to see everyone. Hopefully 2007 will reunite me with friends and family MUCH more often than 2006 did. We love you and even miss you all. God bless you in the new year!