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