Merry Christmas from the Chongs

Sometimes God’s blessings fall unexpectedly and the fullness of life overcomes us in ways we could never have imagined – a fitting summary as we look back at a very eventful 2007.

Latest Family Addition
Jonathan Alec Chong – “Baby Jack” is by far our biggest story of 2007, a welcome and surprising addition to our family. Karinna and Jeremy were thrilled to have a new baby brother. What happens when the kids outnumber the parents? To our surprise, Karinna and Jeremy have stepped up and not only assumed more personal responsibility, but have also been very helpful in taking care of the baby. Both enjoy reading to their baby brother, and both take pride at being able to perform goofy tricks that get a chuckle out of him. Karinna makes a strong claim that she taught Jack how to give “high-fives”. Jeremy often reminds everyone of his ability to be the first to get to baby when he’s crying in the crib and calm him down. (It helps that he shares a room with his baby brother.)

Participating in the Global Economy
Having a newborn normally adds enough excitement to one household, but we were blessed with even more. Ivan was given the opportunity to step in as General Manager of one of his company’s new business units. As most of the employees are based in Ireland, Ivan has had to travel extensively throughout the year. It’s been very challenging to aggressively grow the business, but what a blessing it has been to receive such tremendous support from company executives and board members. Even more so, Teresa has taken on the role of Super-mom – single-handedly managing the school calendar for two elementary school children while nurturing a newborn. 2007 was not a year where we got very much sleep.

Full Activity Schedule
Baseball was a big theme this year. Karinna enjoyed being a pitcher in her softball league. Jeremy had a successful rookie season in the local T-ball league. Thanks to one of Ivan’s co-workers, Karinna and Teresa got really nice seats to watch Bonds hit his 715^th home run.

A third grader this year, Karinna is still enjoying time in the Peninsula Girls Choir. Just this year, she joined a local music conservatory to continue her piano lessons. She performed several classical pieces for her initial recital. As for Jeremy, we were very relieved to watch him successfully transition to first grade, given the additional demands of sitting still and a longer class day. His naturally outgoing nature makes it easy for him to find friends. Pokemon cards, Star Wars light sabers, and Lego sets tend to dominate their interests.

As we look back on the year, we marvel at the many different ways God has blessed us. So it is with thankful hearts that we send our Christmas greetings to you this year as we celebrate Emmanuel – God is with us.

Most Sincerely,

Ivan, Teresa, Karinna, Jeremy and Jack-Jack