{"id":9127,"date":"2014-12-25T17:54:44","date_gmt":"2014-12-25T23:54:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.flandersfamily.info\/web\/?page_id=9127"},"modified":"2025-02-09T18:05:44","modified_gmt":"2025-02-10T00:05:44","slug":"christmas-2014","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.flandersfamily.info\/web\/about-us\/our-christmas-letters\/christmas-2014\/","title":{"rendered":"The 2014 Flanders Family Christmas Letter"},"content":{"rendered":"

What follows is another yearly installment in our family’s complete history told via the 2014 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: 2014<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n

December 2013 Happenings<\/h3>\n

Last December took us to Branson, Missouri, the week before Christmas. Having enjoyed fourteen inches of snow during a previous stay at Big Cedar Lodge, we were hoping for a repeat this time around. What we got instead was lots of rain and a lingering stomach virus<\/strong>. The trip was memorable, but not in the way we\u2019d imagined.<\/p>\n

\"Christmas<\/p>\n

\"Christmas<\/p>\n

Although Gabriel turned six while we were there, Mom forgot to pack his present<\/strong>, so all he got from her on his special day was a quarter and cookie she\u2019d saved over from that morning\u2019s time-share presentation, wrapped in a paper napkin. She felt bad about the situation, but Gabbers just hugged her neck and declared, \u201cYou\u2019re the best Mommy I\u2019ve ever had\u201d\u2014a little sad, but technically true.<\/p>\n

\"Driving<\/p>\n

Fortunately, the day was not a total bust: David came prepared (he remembers all our birthdays), Bethany baked a cake<\/strong>, and Daddy drove to town with the siblings who had not yet succumbed to the stomach virus and came back bearing more surprises for the birthday boy.<\/p>\n

\"2013<\/p>\n

Only three of us were sick when it came time to leave, but God mercifully granted us a hiatus from vomiting for the eight-hour drive home<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\"Driving<\/p>\n

January 2014 Happenings<\/h3>\n

Our grandson Grayson was hospitalized with meningitis in January, less than a week after the birth of his new baby brother<\/strong>, Easton.<\/p>\n

\"Our<\/p>\n

\"Easton's<\/p>\n

So while Matti tended the newborn and Jon comforted the sick, we kept watch over Aiden, Sawyer, and Chase for a few more days\u2014a recurring theme this year, as Matti was hospitalized with cellulitis the following month and Jonathan with a staph infection this summer.<\/p>\n

\"2014Thankfully, Grandpa came up with a capital way of burning off these busy boys\u2019 energy: He hires them to clear all the pinecones and sweetgum balls out of our yard<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Since he pays per piece, it also hones their math skills (already pretty sharp, thanks to Matti\u2019s excellent homeschooling).<\/p>\n

\"Picking<\/p>\n

\"MyPlus, for every minute they spend outside picking up, they aren\u2019t inside dragging out\u2014an added bonus!<\/p>\n

Our younger kids pitch in, too, treating the job more like a game than a chore.<\/p>\n

Speaking of chores, you wouldn’t believe the controversy an Age-Appropriate Chore Chart<\/a> Jennifer posted on our blog created when it was picked up this month, first by Maria Montessori\u2019s Facebook<\/a> page, then by the New York Times<\/a>.<\/p>\n

We got a massive amount of traffic — nearly 150K visits per day before it crashed our site — but the comments were evenly split between people who thought our chart made perfect sense and those who insisted we were robbing our children of their childhood by requiring them to make their beds<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

February 2014 Happenings<\/h3>\n

\"Joseph\"Our newly licensed Joseph accidentally backed over our neighbor\u2019s mailbox<\/strong> in February, just two short weeks after his brother backed into a car the same neighbor had parked on the street.<\/p>\n

We paid for damages both times, but when a \u201cFor Sale\u201d sign appeared in their yard a few months later, we couldn\u2019t help but wonder if our family had factored into their decision to move<\/strong>….<\/p>\n

We drove to Dallas for the TCAL State Tournament this month. Having led the state in his division for rebounds, scores, and steals, Ben was named co-MVP of the league<\/strong> and given a spot on the all-tournament and all-state teams, as well.<\/p>\n

\"Benjamin<\/p>\n

\"2014<\/p>\n