It is Christmas Eve and we are thinking of you.  It just seems to have snuck up on us so quickly this year, and we have been a bit slack in getting our cards and letters, so as impersonal as an email is, we figured at least you would know that we are thinking of you at Christmas.

 

2002 has been an interesting year for us, a year of hope, a year of tragedy, a year of miracles, a year of promise.  We are glad it is over.

 

We moved to Rouse Hill just over a year ago now, after taking the plunge and buying our first home.  We are really enjoying our own little pad and we finally feel like we have settled down.  We live right at the end of a little cul-de-sac and we look out from our bedroom windows at paddocks with cows grazing and we can see right out as far as the blue mountains on a clear day. Our street has only about 15 homes and almost all of them are young families.  So as you can imagine the kids all get out on the street with their bikes and roller blades and have a wonderful time together.  We have also made some wonderful friends with our neighbours and are truly blessed to have such great people in our street.  We have nick-named our street RAMSEY Street!

 

As most of you will know, this year has seen the toughest times we have yet faced.  It started our with a surprise that Tania was again pregnant with our third child, then the excitement that followed with the preparation for the new baby, and then the absolute devastation at losing our little baby girl Montana Sky, two weeks before she was due to be born.  We are still thanking God that Tania's life was spared by nothing short of a miracle.  It has been a journey that has taken us to the deepest, scariest places we have ever been, but we have been strengthened by the experience. Our love is stronger, our faith is stronger, our family is stronger, our relationship with our friends and extended family is stronger as a result.  Once again, Thank You! from the bottom of our hearts for your love and support through the last 3 months. 

 

Maddison has had a pretty amazing year too, she started school this year and has been doing 3 days per week in Prep at Castle Hill SDA Primary.  She is a very clever little girl and is doing very well with her reading and writing and maths.  She is really looking forward to going to Kindy next year 5 days per week.

 

She has also started Ballet this year and has excelled.  She was doing so well her teacher bumped her up a class which put her several months behind the other kids, but managed to come out the other end after her exam with a high distinction.  She loves her dancing, and performed well for her first concert at a sold out performance at the River Side Theatre in Parramatta. We were very proud of her achievements in ballet this year.

 

I thought she could possible extend her dancing to figure skating and took them ice skating a week or two back, and she did really well.  Right up to when I accidentally skated over her fingers!!!  She is OK, but I am sure it must have hurt terribly.  So a bit of a shaky start to her figure skating endeavours.

 

Brooklyn is growing into a beautiful young lady and is now 2 and a half years old.  She is a clone of Tania with beautiful blonde hair and blue eyes, and her mums milky fair skin.  The exact opposite of Maddison really.  It is hard to believe they are sisters when you see them together. She is just growing up so quickly. Her latest success has been the potty, and she is very proud she now knows how the potty works.  And we are happy to not have to be changing nappies any more! 

 

She is also mastering her language more and more every day.  Their little personalities come through so much clearer when they start talking and she really is a character, and gives us a lot of laughs.  She is a very caring, loving, independent little girl with a great sense of humour.

 

Tania and I have stayed busy at church again this year, with both of us taking on senior leadership positions for the contemporary services at Kellyville.  We have also been involved with David Jack in the early stages of a new church plant at Rouse Hill, the Rouse Hill Community Church.  This coming year we have again agreed to leadership positions at  Kellyville and we have a great team with loads of exciting ideas for a great 2003 which will no doubt keep us out of mischief.

 

Early in 2003 we are leaving for a 3 week holiday with the Ellis Clan (Tania's family) which we are just hanging out for.  We are spending a week in Los Angeles and will visit Disney Land and Universal Studios etc and then on to Vancouver for a few days to spend time with some relatives and then up to Whistler for 2 weeks of skiing and boarding. There is a pretty large group going, and at it's peak in Whistler there will be 27 of us there.

 

Work for Steve is going well and he is still with J.D.Edwards and loving his work.  Towards the end of last year he finished up his time with News Ltd. after almost 14 months with them.  He then started on Electrolux Home Products which manufactures a lot of our well known white goods products, and also Crane which is another large manufacturing company.  Both these projects are reasonably close to home which has been wonderful.

 

We want you to know that we are thinking of you this Christmas eve and that your friendship is something we treasure.  We are looking forward to catching up with you in the new year and we hope that you have a wonderful Christmas and that 2003 will be a happy and fulfilling year for you.  God Bless You!

 

With lots of love,

 

 

From the Chan Clan