“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities – all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.” ~Colossians 1:15-20
Dear Friends and Family,
This year has been full of the good, the ordinary, and, a few times, the not-so-ordinary.
January: Preaching, teaching, and counseling have continued to be Jason’s focus at church. He started the year with a series on “Biblical Communication.” Then, after 2 ½ years, he finished his series on the book of Acts. He is currently preaching through a series on the “Commitments and Distinctives of Our Local Church.” It has been a blessing to be reminded of what a special and unique place our church is, and how thankful we are to be a part of it. We had the privilege of having an intern from The Master’s Seminary with us this summer…but he decided to stay for a year! He has been such a big help in so many ways, and we will all miss him when he returns to school next year. We also began a new children’s program on Wednesday nights, which Hannah and Titus have both enjoyed. It has been a joy to watch our church grow in so many ways over the year.
February: Titus is now 5, and in 1st grade. This boy loves to learn! He is a great student, and genuinely seems to enjoy each of his subjects. (But, he says Math is his favorite.) He has memorized several Bible verses and passages, in addition to the books of the Bible in Generations of Grace (our church’s new children’s ministry), and is always ready with some great questions for his teachers! He has become a real bookworm, and reads anything and everything he can get his hands on. He got his very own library card this year, and checks out stacks of books each week…mostly on Dinosaurs, his newest passion. He loves teaching his little sisters how to correctly pronounce each of their names, and sharing random facts about them. He is a serious, thoughtful little boy who is growing up so quickly!
March: Rachel turned 2 this year! This is such a fun stage! She is a curious little girl, and loves to explore. And, she is constantly surprising us with her ever-expanding vocabulary and amazing memory! She tries so hard to keep up with her big brother and sisters, and loves do whatever they are doing. So, she has officially joined us for pre-school this year, and absolutely loves being included in our school days! She is still so young, so although she does a great job of listening, and participating in her lessons, we are leaving lots of time for play! This girl just loves life, and brings so much joy to our family. She has the best giggle, and loves to make people laugh! So far, she remains the baby of our family, but she is definitely not a baby anymore!
April: Hannah turned 12, and I am amazed by just how grown up she is. She is my right hand girl, and is a competent and reliable help each day. She loves to be in the kitchen…especially if it involves baking! But, she is also willing to help out with everyday meals, and clean up. She has continued playing the flute this year. She loves to practice, and has shown great ability and improvement over the last year, and has moved up to the Intermediate Band. She is currently busy getting ready for 2 concerts! School has been a big change for her this year. She is officially in junior high, and her classes have definitely become more challenging (for her, and her teacher!), but she is working hard, learning to manage her time, and continues to approach everything with her characteristic joy and sweetness.
May: May was a busy month for our family, and even involved a little bit of travel! At the beginning of the year, I became a consultant with HomeWorks by Precept, which represents BJU Press and other homeschooling resources. In May, I had the opportunity to travel to Arlington, Texas, to work at my first homeschool convention of the year, sharing about the curriculum that we use, and helping other homeschoolers find the best options for their family. Shortly after I returned, Jason left for Washington DC, and spent several days at Capitol Hill Baptist Church, for their “Weekender.” It was a much needed time of refreshment and encouragement. He came home so excited about all he had observed and learned, and ready to apply it in our church!
June: Hannah and Titus took 2 weeks of swimming lessons this summer. Titus went from a fear of getting his face wet, to putting his face in the water, swimming (somewhat) independently, and even willingly jumping off the diving board! Hannah, made a few new friends (of course!), and went from only being able to do the most basic “doggy-paddle” to diving in, and learning several new strokes!
July: Veronica’s parents, sister, and our nephew moved to Texas this summer! After spending our entire married life in a different state than one, or both, sides of our family, it is a special blessing to have all of our parents, siblings, nieces and nephews nearby! (Even if we still don’t get to see everyone as often as we would like.) The kids have greatly enjoyed having all of their grandparents close, and have loved playing with, and getting to know their cousin.
August: Although we weren’t in the path of totality, we enjoyed watching the (partial) solar eclipse from our front yard. We experimented with the supposed gravitational differences caused by the eclipse. And, a friend gave us some eclipse glasses so that we could all watch safely. That was on Monday. By Friday of that week, we were in the path of Hurricane Harvey. We were so thankful for the generosity of so many friends who offered us refuge, should we need it. Thousands of people were displaced due to flooding (including several of our own friends and family), and the state is still very much recovering. But, God was incredibly gracious to us, and our home and church buildings remained safe and dry.
September: We started our 8th year of homeschooling this Fall. Our “one house schoolroom” is a busy place during the week. I teach 7th grade, 1st grade, Pre-K, and preschool. We rotate through a daily routine of lessons, play time, chores, errands, music practice, and general chaos. It can be exhausting at times, but it is definitely not boring. I think I say this every year, but this really might be my favorite school year yet! At the end of the month, Jason and I had the opportunity to attend his 20th High School Reunion. It was fun to spend some time wandering around his hometown, meeting/reconnecting with some of his high school classmates, and attending his high school’s Homecoming football game.
October: Rebekah turned 4, and started Pre-K this year! She is my high energy girl. She runs, skips, and twirls everywhere. Sitting still and being quiet is not one of her stronger skills. But, she has really surprised me by becoming an eager and enthusiastic student. She is usually the first one ready to start our school days, and often asks for more work when she has finished. She has one volume – loud. But, she has a surprisingly shy, timid side as well, especially when she is faced with new people or new situations. I often describe her as sweet and spunky. She has her own unique style, ideas, and opinions…about everything. But, she is the tender-hearted, encourager, and cheerleader of our family.
November: We became a house divided, as the Houston Astros played the Los Angeles Dodgers in the final game of the World Series! My son even called my hometown team “the bad guys!” And, I found myself alternately cheering for both sides. Ultimately, we were all happy with the outcome…and the victory was especially sweet after all that the city of Houston has been through this year.
December: And, this month already promises to be full. We are looking forward to Christmas concerts, band and choir practices, church fellowships, Bible Studies, and time with family…all celebrating the best, most extraordinary Gift ever given.
So many years ago, in the birth of a tiny baby in Bethlehem, we were given the “image of the invisible God,” in whom “the fullness of God was pleased to dwell.” He was, and is, the promise of our hope and our salvation, “making peace by the blood of his cross.”
What an amazing thing to reflect on, and celebrate…this Christmas, and each day of the year to come.
By His Grace,
Jason, Veronica, Hannah, Titus, Rebekah, & Rachel
February – Titus turned 4 on February 7th! We celebrated with a Monster Truck-themed party with a few of his friends from church. Superheroes, Transformers, and monster trucks are his newest obsessions. He often tells me that he wants to be a monster truck driver when he grows up. And, he has already promised us all a ride! He is in Kindergarten this year! He is still young, so, I know I should say that our plan is to go slow and keep it simple…but, it’s not. He is not having any of that. He loves school! I thought some of his first-day enthusiasm would have worn off by now, but he continues to amaze me with his eagerness and hard work each day. He asks for more work than I have planned. He is disappointed when his schoolwork is completed for the day. And he has been known to cry when I tell him that we don’t do school on Saturdays. Reading is his favorite subject, and he loves practicing his new skill by sounding out everything he can get his hands (and eyes!) on! He has become very responsible, remembering and diligently doing his chores each morning. He loves his sisters, even if he does show it by alternating between terrorizing them and being their best buddy. Sometimes, it is easy to forget how young he really is, because he is growing up so fast!
March – We celebrated Rachel’s first birthday on March 23rd! I don’t think I’ve ever seen a one-year-old so into opening presents! She thoroughly enjoyed every single moment of her party…just like she does everything. This girl has brought so much joy to our family this year with her sweet smiles and silly antics. She started walking shortly before her first birthday, and has recently mastered climbing the stairs! (Going down is still a bit of a work in progress!) She rarely sits still, but, when she does, she is a cuddle-bug. And, she gives the best hugs! She loves being outside, coloring, play dough, all things Minnie Mouse, and playing dolls with Hannah. She shares a room with her big sister, Rebekah, and it is so sweet to hear them talking and singing together before they go to sleep. Her vocabulary seems to grow each day. And, even after 4 kids, I still treasure each new each new word and sentence. She greets me each morning with a big smile and a loud “Peek-boo!” She rarely says yes. Instead, she always responds in the affirmative with an enthusiastic “Sure!” But, I think my favorite is hearing her sweet prayers before bed and mealtimes. We look forward to seeing these simple prayers grow into a true faith and obedience in the years to come.
Although we had to delay the celebration a few times, due to illness, we celebrated Hannah’s 11th birthday this year! Of course, she handled the delays graciously, with a maturity far beyond her 11 years. She is our sweet, creative, dreamer. She loves to write stories, draw pictures, and make cards for her friends and siblings. She is in 6th grade this year, which I am told is considered “middle school” here in Texas (but, that just sounds a little too much like junior high). Her favorite subject continues to be science (Zoology), because, in her words, “we are finally studying land animals!” Her favorite land animals are horses…which we will begin studying shortly after the new year. But, she has already checked out every book our library has on the topic of horse care and training, dreaming of someday getting one of her own! Her grandparents gave her a day of “horse camp” for her birthday. She spent a Saturday at a local stable, where she got to ride and groom a real horse! Even cleaning the stalls could not make her enormous smile disappear! I think it was the highlight, not only of her year, but of her life! She has also joined a homeschool band, and is learning to play the flute. She seems to be a natural, and absolutely loves it! She is currently preparing for her first concert, which is coming up this week! She is a wonderful big sister, and continues to be a capable and willing helper. She cares for her siblings, and works hard at the many things she is asked to do around the house. But, her favorite place right now seems to be in the kitchen. She loves learning how to cook and bake! And, we all got to enjoy the results of her hard work when she made a delicious chocolate chip-pecan pie for Thanksgiving – all on her own.
August – Jason and I celebrated our 15th anniversary. The celebration really was quite simple. More than anything, it was an opportunity to reflect on, and thank the Lord for the life, the children, and the ministry that the Lord has given us so far.
re out how to fit in all we want, and need to do each day. This year, I am teaching 6th grade, Kindergarten, and Pre-School…while simultaneously trying to keep a 1-year-old (constructively!) entertained. At the same time, I am also trying to get everyone to weekly band practice (during naptime!), grocery shopping, keeping track of the giant stacks of library books we check out each week, potty training, feeding growing children 3 (or more!) times a day, and attempting to keep the resulting piles of laundry and dishes under control! My days, and hands, are definitely full! Some days, it miraculously all gets done. Other days are a little (or, a lot!) crazy. The good days are sweet reminders of graciously answered prayers. The chaotic ones are too, but, they are also vivid reminders of God’s patience with His children, and opportunities to rely on His grace and strength when my own is severely lacking.
October – We celebrated Rebekah’s 3rd birthday! I think her favorite present was the bouquet of balloons from her party. She sang about them for a week! This little girl loves music! She loves to sing, dance, and pretend to play all sorts of instruments (but especially the flute, like her big sister!). Rebekah is equal parts sweetness and spunk. She is very compassionate, and it just breaks her little heart to see anyone sad or hurt. She is always the first to offer a hug when one of her friends or siblings is upset. And, she is our family cheerleader, and can often be heard encouraging her brother or sisters (or mom and dad!) with a hearty “Good job!” when they finish a chore, or project. She has joined us for pre-school this year, and is having fun with her own lessons, as well as listening in on a few her brother’s and sister’s. But, since she doesn’t like to sit still for too long, we are keeping things simple and fun for her this year. She would much rather be outside, “fwinging” (swinging), climbing up the slide, going to the park, riding her scooter or tricycle, and catching lizards or butterflies.
Jason, Veronica, Hannah, Titus, Rebekah, & Rachel Whitley
Rachel Susannah, was born at 2:17 p.m., on March 23rd. She weighed 8 pounds, 7 ounces, and was 20 ½ inches long. Her joyful, content personality has been such a sweet addition to our family! She is now 8 months old, and is all smiles and giggles! While teething has disrupted her normally-good sleeping patterns a little bit, it hasn’t changed her sweet disposition at all. She now has 2 teeth, and is currently working on a third! I love hearing her grunt and babble at her books, toys, and her big siblings! She loves to eat, and has enjoyed trying out all sorts of new foods. Right now, anything she can feed herself seems to be her favorite! And, as I type, she is probably only days away from crawling…and keeping up with her big brother and sisters!
While we originally dismissed what would be our new house as a possibility, the Lord perfectly worked out the timing, the finances, and so many little details and desires, and gave us a new home that we absolutely love! (And, even though we are technically in a new town, we really only moved across the street. And, we are still only a mile from our church!) We moved in at the beginning of September, and are enjoying the process of getting settled, and working to turn our new house into more than just a place to eat, sleep, and store our belongings.
I am a {pastor’s} wife, homemaker, and {homeschooling} mommy to four! Most of my time is spent teaching, training, and treasuring my children, and tending to the care of our home...Usually with a cup of {strong!} coffee in hand. My days are full, but my life is far from complicated!
