{"id":19468,"date":"2017-12-14T20:28:44","date_gmt":"2017-12-15T02:28:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.flandersfamily.info\/web\/?page_id=19468"},"modified":"2022-12-07T12:21:44","modified_gmt":"2022-12-07T18:21:44","slug":"christmas-2017","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.flandersfamily.info\/web\/about-us\/our-christmas-letters\/christmas-2017\/","title":{"rendered":"The 2017 Flanders Family Christmas Letter"},"content":{"rendered":"

What follows is another yearly installment in our family’s complete history told via the 2017 Flanders Family Christmas Update. To see a full listing, see Our Christmas Letters<\/a>. For tips on writing your own family history in this fashion, follow this link<\/a>. In the meantime, enjoy!<\/em><\/p>\n

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The Flanders Family Update: 2017<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n

December 2016 Happenings<\/h3>\n

We spent a week in Big Canoe, Georgia, last December with most of our extended family. It was a long drive, but we took lots of potty breaks (\u201cspeak now or forever hold your pee\u201d) and stopped on the way to stretch our legs at Six Flags over Georgia (after so many hours of sitting in the van, even their famous \u201cstandup\u201d roller coaster sounded appealing).<\/p>\n

\"Six
Taking in the sights and sounds at Six Flags over Georgia<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Six
Everything seems brighter when you’re with the one you love.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\"Matti
Matti Noah<\/figcaption><\/figure>Visiting the Peach State allowed Jon\u2019s wife, Matti, to spend time with her side of the family\u2014a treat since they are normally separated during the holidays.<\/p>\n

She and Noah missed out on our \u201cFlanders Family Flannel Photo,\u201d but everyone else was in it, including a soon-to-be daughter-in-love, Rebekah Joy Follingstad, who stole Sam\u2019s heart with her (to use his descriptors) \u201chumble, efficient, and level-headed\u201d personality.
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\"Flanders
We call this the “Flanders Family Flannel Photo.” (Try saying that three times fast!)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

January 2017 Happenings<\/h3>\n

January found us in San Antonio celebrating Samuel and Bekah\u2019s official engagement and enjoying the still-shining Christmas lights along the River Walk. The stash of glow-in-the-dark necklaces, glasses, and tiaras Mom found on clearance at the Dollar Store added to the festive spirit and made it easier to count heads once the sun went down, although most of our party retired before the midnight fireworks began\u2026.<\/p>\n

\"2017
Two little love birds…<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A few days later, Doug traveled to Austin for WORLD<\/a> Magazine\u2019s week-long mid-career journalism course<\/a>. He\u2019d applied last year (after the deadline) and didn\u2019t get in, then forgot all about it until receiving word he\u2019d been accepted into this year\u2019s class. (He should\u2019ve known an acceptance letter was forthcoming: When we ate hibachi a couple of days earlier, Doug\u2019s fortune cookie read, \u201cThe WORLD is finally ready for your talents.\u201d Ha!)<\/p>\n

\"2017
Doug tries his hand with a can of spray paint at the Art Park in Austin<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

His first article for the news magazine was published the following week, with an obituary for a not-yet-dead celebrity to follow (although, the eulogized would hope, not anytime soon)\u2026.<\/p>\n

\"2017
Rachel and Abby enjoy a Florida sunrise (photo courtesy of Rebekah Lyn Flanders)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

We returned to Florida mid-month, stopping along the way for factory tours of Mardi Gras World, Sally Corp Animatronics, the Tallahassee Museum, a Dolphin Research Center, and Sweet Pete\u2019s Candy Shop.<\/p>\n

\"2017
We took a fascinating tour of Mardis Gras World to learn how parade floats are constructed<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"2017
Mouthing off in Jacksonville, Florida<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"2017
We enjoyed an up close and personal introduction at Dolphin Research Center<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Flanders
The kids got to dip their own pretzels at Peterbrooke Chocolatiers<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

We were at the National WWII Museum in New Orleans for Girl Scout Day. The $15 registration fee Jennifer spent to sign Abby up as a Daisy Scout a week earlier saved our family $106 at the ticket office, but the museum was well worth the admission price, even without a discount.<\/p>\n

\"2017
Scouting out all the great exhibits at the National WWII Museum in New Orleans<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

We also visited six Orlando amusement parks in six days (excessive, even by Flanders standards) and made two notable discoveries:<\/p>\n

\"2017
Mary Poppins… practically perfect in every way!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Flanders
With a smile and a song, life is just a bright sunny day, your cares fade away and your heart is young…<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\"GabrielFirst, we found out Gabriel has no sense of shame. When one mid-coaster camera captured a shot of him with his finger up his nose, we thought it was an ill-timed accident, but when every single photo on every subsequent ride showed him in exactly the same position, we realized he was staging the pose on purpose!<\/p>\n

Second, we learned Daniel suffers from a crippling fear of elevators\u2014a fact that became embarrassingly apparent when at last we made it to the front of the line for the Tower of Terror and, upon realizing the entire ride takes place in what appears to be a malfunctioning elevator shaft, Daniel went into total freak-out mode. Wailing and gripping the railing with white-knuckled fists, he refused to board until Dad shot him a look that said, \u201cStop making a scene\u201d and ordered Mom to pry his fingers lose and help him to his seat.<\/p>\n

While we don\u2019t normally recommend dealing with children\u2019s fears in such a callous way, in the case of our nearly-12-year-old Dan, this proved to be the right move. The ride ended up being his absolute favorite (he even made us wait in an hour-long line for a second go at it) and\u2014after surviving those 39 mph drops\u2014he can now ride regular elevators without batting an eye (and to think that all this time, we assumed he was taking the stairs because he wanted the exercise)!<\/p>\n

\"2017
Isaac and Daniel enjoying the great outdoors at the Tallahassee Museum<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"2017
Rachel leads the way on the ropes course at TreeUmph!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

February 2017 Happenings<\/h3>\n

In February, Mom got her first pressure cooker (our family has since eaten a metric ton of lentil soup<\/a>), Daniel fell off the monkey bars and snapped both bones in his right arm (he needed surgery to reduce the fracture)…<\/p>\n

\"Daniel
Right after surgery… and feeling much better<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

… we found a new church home (when our old congregation moved out to Bullard, we started looking for something closer, ultimately landing in Grace Community\u2019s 8 AM service), and Isaac (who at 6\u2019 3\u00bd\u201d has now passed his Dad in height) attended TeenPact<\/a> for the first time.<\/p>\n

\"2017
Here’s the proof: As of this year, Isaac is officially taller than Dad!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Rebekah staffed this year and had to be there early, so Doug drove Isaac and Rachel to Austin and stayed a few days to lobby on behalf of the Texas Society of Anesthesiologists.<\/p>\n

\"2017
Rebekah with the other TeenPact staffers<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"2017
Three of our kids at the State Capitol building with all their fellow TeenPacters<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

March 2017 Happenings<\/h3>\n

March brought an easy transition to spring: We pulled weeds. Jennifer hung photos in the stairwell. Isaac read the entire Hunger Games trilogy aloud to the family. The girls attended a high musical tea with our new neighbors.<\/p>\n

\"A
We had a lovely afternoon with lots of tea and finger sandwiches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\"2017<\/p>\n

And we hosted Nana\u2019s Sunday school class for their annual tour of the Azalea Trail, which was resplendent in its early blooms. As usual, Doug chauffeured the ladies around town and provided a running commentary on all the beautiful homes and the people who\u2019ve owned them. Oral tradition has long been Doug\u2019s forte. After 30 years of parenting, he has learned that when he prefaces remarks with, \u201cI probably shouldn\u2019t tell this story, but…\u201d, the children immediately prick up their ears to hear whatever it was he wanted to say. (This is so much more effective than, \u201cListen up, kids, I have something important to tell you.\u201d)<\/p>\n

\"Fun
You can talk till you’re blue in the face, but it does no good if your kids aren’t listening!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Evidently, the same trick works with grown women, as well, for the good doctor kept us in stitches with his outlandish tales and Tyler trivia. If laughter were medicine, we would have overdosed!<\/p>\n

April 2017 Happenings<\/h3>\n

By April it was obvious the lawn our builder put in last fall was in serious trouble. Jennifer hoped a little patience, patching, and fertilizer might see it through, but Doug was convinced we needed to rip the whole thing out and start over.<\/p>\n

It didn\u2019t take much digging to vindicate his decision. Judging by all the concrete, sheet metal, bricks, wire, and paint lids we found buried just below the surface of the old sod, Doug was right: our yard would never have flourished apart from our taking such drastic measures.<\/p>\n

We hauled away three industrial dumpsters full of dead grass and debris, installed a couple of French drains, then leveled and graded the entire yard. And by we, I mean our trusty yard man, Anthony Bendy, and the crew of laborers he hired to help him.<\/p>\n

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These guys took our yard from looking like a lake every time it rained to being lush and level, without a puddle in sight — even in the middle of a downpour. So grateful for all the good work done by our sweet friend, Anthony Bendy. #thanksbro #lookingood<\/a><\/p>\n

A post shared by Jennifer Flanders<\/a> (@flanders_family) on