Christmas 2006
The Andrews Family welcomes you to our home for Christmas. The snow is deep,
but the lights are lit, and the nativity decorates our front door.
We still live in the same house in the Cotton Creek. Kirsten has been here 16
years, and Richard 10. The children have lived here all their lives. We enjoy
the mountains, camping and four-wheeling as a family.
We added yet another cat to our family. Nuage has grown up. The first photo
is Nuage as a
kitten, the second in a larger container taken this fall.
And now we have D.B. D.B. stands for many different things, or whatever you want
it to stand for: dusty brown, dust bunny, dirt ball, etc. D.B. was saved from a
shelter, and now enjoys playing with Nuage and the two cats sleep together,
especially under the Christmas tree.
We did some re-arranging and removed our fireplace insert, so our TV is now
where it was.
Richard and Kirsten
We renewed our wedding vows on the weekend of our tenth anniversary. We were
four-wheeling with the Calvary four-wheelers near Silverton, Colorado. We
stopped at Animas Forks for our ceremony, which Richard's brother Bill
officiated. Bill's wife Missy read from the Bible. Becca was my maid of honor,
Jonathan and Kiyanna held the rings. It was beautiful, and a bit of a surprise
for me.
Richard
Rich continues to work for TransZap in downtown Denver, and play tuba with the
Cathedral Brass Quintet at churches and weddings. The quintet had two successful
mission trips to Europe, one in 2003 and another in 2004. They hope to go to Europe for another mission trip as they continue to watch the strength of the dollar against the Euro.
The plan is currently for an early 2007 European trip, but no dates are set.
For most of this year the Pinzgauer has been out of commission. First we
replaced the front axle because of some major problems, and in one of the early
trips in the spring the back axle housing was broken. We did not have the funds
to get it fixed, so it was unusable all summer. Finally we were able to pay for
repairs this November, and after the repair there were some electrical/ignition
system problems. Since Rich has an electrical degree he set to work, and found
what the mechanics had missed. He was on his way back to the mechanics when
someone cut him off, turning right from the left lane and the Pinz was totaled,
and Rich received 17 stitches in his arm. I'm so glad he made a great hard top
for the Pinz, that saved his head! We have received a settlement, bought back
the Pinz, and are considering our options for a good four-wheeling vehicle.
Kirsten
In March a car accident caused the sudden death of my Dad. It was such a shock,
and this year has had many firsts without him. I've been spending about two days
a month with my mom to help in any way needed, from moving boxes, sorting
through Dad's office, and helping with paperwork and finances.
Being a mother continues to be a blessing, a hardship and a very busy job.
I baby sit in the morning for the woman's Bible study and attend in the evening.
We also help the pantry at
church once a week. Jonathan is a big helper at pantry.
This fall we went to a pumpkin patch to pick pumpkins.
Becca
Becca started high school this fall. It is a much bigger school than she has
ever attended, about 500 in the freshman class alone. She attended the
homecoming dance, and looks so grown up.
Her leg (she had a pathologic fracture of the right fibula as a result of an aneurysmal bone
cyst and a plate attached to her bone) has been feeling some tendonitis from the
metal plate. We are hoping that surgery to remove the plate will not be
necessary.
Becca watches the musical Cats on DVD often enough to learn many of the
songs and dances. She got to see a live performance in Denver with one of her
best friends. Then she even dressed as a cat for Halloween. She did her makeup
and costume herself.
In December Becca's other family moved to Wisconsin. She went to visit
before Christmas, and because of the blizzard in Denver she is unable to make it
home for Christmas. We miss her, and she misses us. This is her first Christmas
with no grandfathers.
Jonathan
Cool Lego creations can be found around the house, built by Jonathan for imaginative play of all kinds.
Jonathan just turned nine years old. He is learning Bible verses in AWANA and enjoys our
Friday homeschooling classes. Jonathan is big, like his uncle Bill and Daddy.
Kiyanna
Kiyanna is also in AWANA, learning Bible verses. She also attends kindergarten
on Friday with other homeschool children. It is a great time of fun and
learning. She'll turn six years old February 2007, coming soon.
