Merry Christmas from the Mentze Family!
I wrote everything out and was set to push post....and it didn't save it. In an effort to simplify and still give an update, we will share our top 10 (in no particular order) highlights of 2019. While you are reading, enjoy a Christmas song here that has been on repeat this year.
10. We celebrated 11 years of marriage this year! We sometimes are amazed at how much has happened and how long it has been. We are so thankful for God's kindness in our marriage journey.
9. Annalise turned 1 in October and is a very busy little girl. She is adored by her brothers and has a wonderful sense of humor. Her vocabulary is growing daily as she is jabbering so much.
8. Since high waisted jeans are in style these days I jumped at the opportunity to also join the minivan club. We (especially the kids) are enjoying our (new to us) "living room on wheels" 2006 Honda Odyssey.
7. Eli turned 7 this year. He graduated from kindergarten and began 1st grade and is thriving in his environment and class. If you give him a cardboard box, glue, tape, scissors (thank goodness I have managed to keep him away from staples), he will build you something and spend hours working on it. He loves creating and building.
6. We are heading to Disneyland here in the next week or so to have some family Christmas fun. We are very excited to take Annalise on her first trip to Disney.
5. Zak turned 5 this year finished his last year of preschool and began Kindergarten. He is growing and thriving in his class and we couldn't be more thankful for the love and care he has at school. This year we challenged Zak to be in a school drama/music club, and while it is not his usual comfort zone, he is stretching himself and trying really hard, and we are so proud.
4. Erik still works at NXP and hasn't had to travel until this past September where he took a trip to China. He was able to walk (some) of the Great Wall and see some other great sights. He won't travel again until February when he will go to France.
3. This past summer we went to Oregon where we biked, went to parks, relaxed, visited Lincoln City, and celebrated the fourth of July.
2. We also took our annual fall break trip to Oregon and enjoyed pumpkin patches. We hope to go to Idaho AND Oregon next year for fall break.
1. We can't possibly highlight this year without highlighting God's great kindness to us in sending His Son. The gift that we celebrate this time of year is one that we are so thankful for every day of the year. God's glorious plan was revealed to save the world and we cannot help but celebrate His great kindness.
