Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!
It is our sincere hope that this letter finds you in excellent health and joyous spirits as another wonderful year winds down. As the sun sets upon 2007 we will attempt to give you our traditional one page recap of the year.
Starting with the most recent news, The Renners have moved! We could not be more pleased with our new home, as it is more roomy than our other one. We moved in on the first of December, and we are slowly getting settled in. While we have a garage full of boxes, we also have a fully functioning kitchen and everyone's closets are unpacked and organized. The previous owners were gracious enough to let us get into the house before we even closed, so we wound up putting new flooring down in all of the bedrooms and also painting them. Jillian enjoys having her own bedroom and has taken care of it nicely. Jacqueline got a promotion out of the baby crib and into the bottom bunk, and Jessica is the queen of the castle up in the top bunk for the first time. Jeanna and I have a bedroom which is about twice the size of our other one, and we realized that our furniture never really fit too well in the other room. No wonder it had that Alice in Wonderland kind of feel!
Getting our other house ready to sell, packing, unpacking and other moving related items have really taken up about all of our free time this year. We did manage to have a little fun, I started a new job and, oh yeah, we had a baby in June!
Jeremiah made his entrance to the world at 3:03 am on June 27th weighing in at 8 pounds and 3 ounces and he has been a pleasure ever since. He has light brown hair and very dark brown eyes. Everyone except Aunt Shell and his two grandmas say he looks like his daddy!! It really is pleasant to have a boy in the house, though we would have been just as happy with another little princess. He has had good health so far, and for this we are blessed. While he does take medication for reflux, he has otherwise checked out quite well and couldn't be more happy, healthy and, of course, cute. At this point in his development, he can sit up for a short time if you get him started. He also can roll either way, babble a little and grab stuff. He has said ma-ma, ba-ba and da-da, but hasn't really attributed those words to people or things yet. I don't think his feet will have to touch the ground too often with all of the other mommies--I mean, big sisters--floating around.
Jacqueline is two and a half now and has exploded with language skills, thinking skills, memory and a funny sense of humor! It is fun to laugh with her at what she deems funny. It is refreshing just watching and talking with her. She is pleasant natured and easily persuaded as long as it is logical. Jacqueline's days are filled with learning, laughing and fun with Miss Vianca, Estella, Estella, Damarise and Bevvie. She adores all those ladies and they enjoy her. They have taught her all her body parts, letters, shapes, colors, and some Espanol too! We hope they continue with the Spanish because she is like a sponge right now. Jacqueline also looks forward to Mondays when she gets to exercise on the Tumblebus! (aka: buppabus) We love those at Adventures In Learning and Jeanna couldn't work happily at Grant Line Elementary if it weren't for the excellent care and education Jacqueline receives there.
Jessica is a kindergartner at Jeanna's school, Grant Line. Jessica is funny, social, and full of energy. She bounces all over the place and is the number one friend in the room. She is independent and will make an excellent leader, provided she keeps her honesty and fairness in check. Gee, she's 6...it's still all about her! Jessica is excelling in kindergarten and can read quite well. Jessica is looking forward to another summer of swim lessons. She did very well last June and will be excited to return.
Jillian is in third grade at Grant Line and is in an academically challenging room. I am grateful for this, but have realized that my smart little Jillian is a lot forgetful, like her mother! She aces most things, but then there are times she forgets homework, books, agenda books, etc. Hey, it's hard growing up! I'm proud of her grades and effort. Jillian is quiet, kind, fair, specific, thorough (most of the time) and a true thinker. She likes to either explain things or have things explained to her in great detail until it all makes sense to her. Jillian also took swimming lessons last summer and learned so much. She is looking forward to another session this summer. Jillian also joined a soccer league in the fall. She was a great defender and learned so much from the first practice to the last. We can't wait until the spring session begins. She will be with the same group of girls and will likely have the same coach as well. Their season record wasn't that great, but as I said, it was truly amazing how far those girls progressed.
Jeremy has been busy learning a new job not completely unlike the one he's had for the past 3 years. Instead of in-servicing high school teachers and team teaching with them at Shawnee High, he is in charge of about 8 different elementary schools whose teachers all have laptops and projection devices. This brings him back to his love of the elementary age. He takes appointments, provides embedded professional development, and works with teachers in their rooms to help them provide the best education possible using the latest technology tools. It is really a daunting task in which Jeremy has truly excelled. Plans to be a building principal have been put on hold for now. Jeremy just really enjoys this particular venue. He is working as an administrator of sorts and has lots of flexibility in his schedule without the stress, headache and time spent away from family of a typical building principal.
Jeanna is still at Grant Line teaching second grade. She is a master teacher and is particularly good at getting her students to love writing. Jeanna tutors after school and provides a themed enrichment program at home for interested students during the summer. She is bittersweet about little Jeremiah being the last installment of the Renner clan, as she has been pregnant or nursing a baby for 7 of our 10 years of marriage. This is quite an adjustment period for our family. Jeanna continues to scrapbook and attends weekend retreats whenever she gets a chance.
Please take note of our new address--there is always room for visitors! We sincerely hope you all enjoy another year full of love, laughter and health. May God bless you and keep you. May he make his face shine upon you and give you peace. May you draw near, this year, to His desire for your life.
The Renners
Jeremy, Jeanna, Jillian, Jessica, Jacqueline, and Jeremiah
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