Skip to main content

Caleb, move, and 2020 for the Pillmans

Hello family and friends, 


We are getting excited about the arrival of the new year 2021, but here is what we have been up to this past year, 2020, in case you were curious... 

 

We had the goal as a family to try and find ways to be twice as helpful this year, but found it extremely difficult under the circumstances. You guessed it, Covid-19, among other things, shook up our lives in more ways than one. Nonetheless, it has been an interesting year, particularly full of family time, rest, and reflection. 

 

 However, we have been blessed in different ways than are normally expected: Such as purchasing a new house two months earlier than planned. We were able to move in early summer and secure it even after 15 other offers! Each day we continue to be thankful for God’s provision of more space, being closer to Lucas’ work, and the unexpected things such as a nice view looking out at our deck and backyard. Despite Covid-19 restrictions, we have still been able to host family and friends. We look forward to using this new gift to grace others with elements of hospitality. On that note, anyone want to come visit?! We would be honored to have you as our special guest! 

 

This year we took many family road trips, often mini ones, to get refreshed and out of the house. Even though our travel plans to Florida were upended, we decided to make the most out of those low gas prices and travel to eastern WI staying with friends and family. We traveled up north to Duluth, along the Mississippi River looking at landforms along the way, and introduced Anna to fishing at several lakes in our area. We also had many opportunities to try out Lucas’ version of the tiny house camper, a project that has been keeping him busy on evenings and weekends.

 

Pregnancy has also been a large part of our lives this year. Yes, even Lucas had his own special involvement: in helping prepare more meals in the week than usual, and prepping our old house to sell by fixing it up and moving heavy furniture here and there, and then back again. Seldom do items seem to stay in one place for very long, although I like to blame my nesting instinct for that.

 

Anyhow, getting to the point, Caleb Lucas Pillman arrived on November 11th! That was ten days early to our surprise. What a little bundle of joy and sweet cuddles. Anna abundantly shows him grace and excitedly stepped into the new role of big sister. She upholds her role very well by being thoughtfully sensitive to his needs and helping out with bath times and bottle feedings. 

 

Overall, much has remained the same. Lucas continues to work at Airborne; making basketball shooting machines, and I continue to invest full-time in our kids as a mother.

 

Anna, as an almost 2 year old, continues to learn things at seemingly hyper-speed. We all have a hard time keeping up with how much she is learning. Recently, she has learned to sing the first verse of “Away and a Manger”, enjoys learning Ballet, reading books, learning how to match objects, and making up fantastical stories joining the magical world of pretend play. Caleb, now 1 month old, mostly sleeps, but while awake finds special interest in watching his sister and participating in family activities. 

 

We are so thankful for the people who have been a part of our lives throughout this past year. This year has certainly reminded us of the importance of spending time with family, taught us how to be intentional helpers, been a time of rest, and taught us the value of each and every moment here on earth. We see next year as another opportunity to live life to the fullest, use our time wisely, and be involved in the lives of people God puts in our lives each day. 

 

Live Generously 

Love Fully 

And walk in Faithfulness, 

The Pillman Family: Lucas, Katie, Anna, and Caleb 



Popular posts from this blog

Remote work: Relational tasks or transactional tasks

 Remote work or in person work. That is the question these days. Rather than where work takes place it is the nature of our transactions between coworkers: Are they transactional or relational? Much of work is things we do for our fellow coworkers. It is more enjoyable and we do it better if it is a relational transaction (e.g. like bringing a cake to my friends birthday party) and not transactional (a call with comcast about bills). It's also true that many of our best friends and relationships are the result of circumstances and not choice. Few of us choose our first college roommate or our platoonmates in the military. So the goal of good work culture is to provide the circumstances that create a relationship for our work and coworkers rather than caring about the physical location of the rest of our transactions. Do I care where my friend texts me from to invite me to a birthday party? No. But without some type of shared physical experience together it is hard to have a gre...

Christmas 2021

Dear friends and family, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! In case you were wondering, here is a little update about our year together.  Early this year, we were vacationing in Daytona Beach, FL. Playing at the ocean with our two children, we enjoyed the sunny and rainy days in the tide. At home, we were moving and building our garden structure, as well as developing a natural playground in the woods. We adventured, by camping in our DIY tiny house, and also camping at Lake Beauty Bible Camp with family. Most enjoyed the swimming and horseback riding. Soon after, we learned a baby girl was on her way and due on March 2nd, 2022! Lucas was changing roles at work and is now a Product Manager at Airborne, while Katie took on teaching roles to help tutor in reading and host a neighborhood Vacation Bible School. Our family was enjoying the Pillman Family Reunion. Playing games and swimming at a neighbor’s pool, it was great to catch up! As Fall began, it was exciting to welcome our F...

Twice as helpful: Who

Another pitfall but also an opportunity surrounds the core question of “who is my neighbor” when it comes to how we measure helpfulness. While I write this my daughter is patiently asking for me to play with her doll. I might by helping someone by writing this (That’s the hope. More on this later.) but at the same time I’m not helping my daughter learn and grow. The key then to understanding being more helpful is that it both includes those close to me like my wife and daughter even as we partner together to be more helpful to others. Jesus answered this question with a story: The Good Samaritan.  The answer to the question of who is those in our path of life that need mercy. I think of this sometimes like a pyramid weighted by need and opportunity. At the bottom of the pyramid is my family. I see them often and I’m responsible for much love and mercy as it relates to them. And it is a pleasure for the record. Next are those I already have a commitment to and interact wit...