Merry Christmas 2013

           

Merry Christmas 2012

Merry Christmas from the Pridemores 2012

            I remember being a young child and hearing older people talk about how quickly time would go once I got older.  It sounded so ridiculous, that time would speed up as I aged.  I felt like I had to wait forever for the next holiday or special occasion.  But, now that I am older I am finding time to move at warp speed.  I am sure it has nothing to do with the fact that we have three super busy boys (ages 9, 7 and 4), two busy jobs and all the things that go with them.  It must just be that time has sped up. J  Well, as we end another year I am profoundly aware of the ways our children are growing into young gentleman right before our very eyes and what a blessing it is to get to be here for each moment, even if the moments are going way too fast.

            Josh is now in 4^th grade and loving it!  He is enjoying the Eagle Program at school yet again and loves getting to work with his amazing teacher.  He also loves his regular classroom that just happens to contain his two best buddies.  I’m sure there is lots of learning going on, but that is only thanks to his other amazing teacher.  She does a great job of making sure he is challenged and is teaching him to step outside of his box a little.  He joined a competitive soccer team this year and loved getting to play fast paced U10 soccer.  He learned quite a bit about being part of a team and making new friends.  And we learned how to keep our mouths’ shut on the sidelines. J  It was so much fun!

            Andrew is now in first grade and learning to read.  As the first grade reading teacher in his building I get to enjoy seeing him multiple times throughout the day.  Sometimes he makes me so proud of his deep thinking and hard work.  Sometimes he gets the Momma eye to remind him to stop talking to his friends.  He definitely has a lot of his Momma in him, poor kid.  Andrew played soccer this year also and is beginning his basketball season this month.  He has such a gift for making new friends and caring for others that he quickly loves any new situation as long as he can interact with people.  We are so enjoying getting to watch him become more confident with his growing skills, whether academic or athletic.

            Titus is still in preschool at wonderful Child’s World.  He loves getting to see his friends and often shares the new ways he has discovered to entertain them.  We are working on learning the right times to entertain and how to be a better listener at the other times.  We have had many days, as of late, of celebration for great choices at school and we love it!  He continues to amaze us with his natural athletic ability and gift for evangelism.  In fact, one of his teachers recently told me he thought Titus would grow up to be the next Tim Tebow.  No matter what he grows up to be Titus is certainly going to keep us on our toes and make us proud, all at the same time. 

            Todd just celebrated his one year anniversary at The Food Bank for Central and Northeast Missouri and loves his work.  He is now the Development Team Supervisor and spends his days not only making sure the fundraising event s of The Food Bank go off without a hitch, but also tries to help members of the development to be able to do their jobs to the fullest.  He continues to love hunting, fishing and everything else outside.  He is a Bass Pro hunting pro staffer and writes for their blog as well as two newspapers about his outside antics.  It’s always interesting to see what he has said about us. J

            I am in my second year as First Grade Reading Teacher at Southern Boone Primary.  I think I have finally figured out how to balance cooking and working full time.  However, my house cleaning has definitely taken a hit with being gone so much of the day and then trying to get homework, baths and other necessities done when I get home.  I continue to enjoy running and managed to squeeze in a few races this year. 

            Even though time is flying past, and I fear will only go quicker as the boys get bigger and busier, we are so grateful for all the ways God has blessed our year. As always, we hope that you have had a year full of God’s grace, peace and love as well.  Please keep us in your prayers as we keep you in ours.  Merry Christmas!

Love,

Todd, Carolyn, Josh, Andrew Titus

 

Let the celebrations in heaven begin!

After our story about Esther during tonight's devotion, Andrew told me "I want to be baptized" with such urgency.  We've had this discussion before and so I asked why.  He seriously told me, "Because I want to follow Jesus."  His intensity caught my attention.  I stopped what I was doing and sat down on his bed.  When I asked for more details I was astounded at his serious answers.  He knew that Jesus had died for his sins (like when he does bad things at school and hurts his brothers) and that Jesus loves him very much.  I called Todd in and the two of us talked with him some more, trying to determine whether or not he truly understand the importance of this decision.  We both felt that he did and we asked him if he wanted to pray and ask Jesus to move into his heart and be as Andrew put it, "be in charge".  He said he did and we had the priviledge of listening to our precious six year old ask for forgiveness, ask Jesus to move into his heart forever and to be in charge.  He was so excited and wanted to share this moment with his teacher (we love you Ms. O), his grandparents, and his Aunt Sharon.  I shared with Andrew that his Mimi was celebrating with the angels over his decision.  How special to know she is a part of this as well.  What a fabulous day!

Merry Christmas From the Pridemores-2011

Merry Christmas 2011
As we reflect on the past year, we are reminded of the many blessings and the loss since our last Christmas letter. When I wrote last, I mentioned how thankful we were for another year with Mom. However, my Mom passed away on Christmas Eve, 2010. My sister, Dad and I were by her side and got to watch as she peacefully transitioned from her previous life of pain and forgetfulness into a body that can walk, talk and remember again. While this has been an incredible loss for our family, we do find hope in the fact that we will see her again and she will be whole. We also remember the joy of watching swim lessons, soccer games, t-ball and baseball games, three boys start school, pictures being colored, wrestling matches, playdough creations, and even DS’s being played and an endless series of Phineas and Ferb. I am amazed at how quickly they grow and change and find myself not wanting to miss a minute.
In November, Todd left his previous position of 12 years at Memorial Baptist Church after feeling called to a new ministry. He is now Food Drive and Special Events Coordinator at The Food Bank for Central and Northeast Missouri. It has been a blessing for him to get to minister in this new way and I often think about the people his work impacts in this tough economy. He continues to lead our small group ministry in our home on Friday nights and has started to lead us in worship at home as we search for God’s leading to our new church home.
I went back to teaching full time as the first grade reading support teacher at the Southern Boone Primary school and love it. It is taking some time to figure out how to balance a family of three busy boys and working full time, but it is so fulfilling to help little ones put the pieces together to be able to read. Another perk is I get to see Andrew in the halls at school.
Josh is now in third grade and doing very well. He continues to love playing soccer, reading, doing anything Pokemon related, and riling up his brothers. Josh seems to have found new confidence in third grade. He has made many good friendships and always wants to have someone over to the house to play with.
Andrew began Kindergarten in the fall and loves it! He revels in the time with friends and always has interesting tidbits to share. For example, one night as I was reading to Josh before bed, Andrew got up to tell me that he had made a “text-to-self connection” with the book I was reading. He continues to make us laugh with his wonderful sense of humor and silly faces.
Titus is 3 and began preschool in the fall. He also loves spending time with his friends and often shares which friend is his “best friend” that day. He has learned his letters so quickly and amazes us with the things he notices around him. He still loves playing anything with a ball or wheels and is not too far behind those big brothers in whatever they are doing.
Through grief and joy, one thing has been consistent, God’s love and good friends. We are grateful to count you as a friend.
Todd, Carolyn, Josh, Andrew and Titus Pridemore

An answer to prayer

Tonight after getting home from work I went into Josh's room (as usual) to give him a hug goodnight. As I walked in the room he said, "Hi Mom. I've had a tummy ache for the last few days." I asked why he thought that was and he said he thought it was because "God has been knocking" on his heart. I laid down beside him and asked what he thought about that and he said he wanted to open the door and let Jesus in. I asked some questions about why Jesus came and what sin was and then asked if he wanted to pray right then or talk some more about it later. He said he wanted to pray right then. We prayed and immediately his whole demeanor changed. His voice went from burdened to at ease and he was so excited for me to go tell his Daddy. What a special moment to share with my first born son! When we were finished praying I asked how he was feeling and he said, "Good, I have been working on that since I was 5". The angels are rejoicing tonight and so are we.

It's not a lot of snow, but we are enjoying every flake!

We got just enough snow to hit the hill this morning and we are loving it! Titus got his first sled ride and immediately said, "More!" when we reached the bottom. What a wonderful way to spend a gorgeous snowy morning!

Todd's new deer

Here is a picture of my guys next to Daddy's deer. It was quite a hike down and I didn't think we were all going to make it back up, but it was worth it to see how proud they were of their Daddy.