happy new year!

This Christmas, with out of town family visiting, Sam's middle of the night scare, and Kayla going on a nap strike, what should have been a restful break was instead marked by chronic and ongoing sleep deprivation. Lucky for us, though, the Holy Spirit has made good on His promise to be our rest. Despite being a little bleary around the eyes, the entire Pak household is in good spirits and looking forward to the New Year. And Kayla, graciously, has humored us with a little dance to ring it all in! Enjoy and best wishes to you and yours in 2008.

merry christmas

"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? Matthew 6:25-27



Christmas is upon us and the energy of the season is thick in the air. As Christians, this is a time of year when we are preparing to celebrate the gift of new life and the birth of Christ. But instead of being filled to overflowing with joy and peace, at the Pak house there is a gnawing sense of of stress and anxiety that has been slowly building since the day after Thanksgiving.

The season never starts out in a bad way, in fact it really begins quite innocently. The trimming of the tree, the careful scheduling of holiday outings and events, the meticulous planning for those "just right how did you know" gifts for friends and family. But then the tree topper gets lopsided and events get double booked and all that last minute gift buying turns into frantic overnight shipping fees. Soon, before you know it, all those good intentions and hopeful wishes turn into a stressed out Liz, an overtired Kayla and a bewildered and exhausted Sam.



Last night, Sam had a seizure. A frightening middle of the night ordeal where for that haunting hour everything we should have been holding close but were really too busy to think about hung in the balance. For that brief moment in time we were gripped in terror, unable to worry about tomorrow because all of a sudden today was no longer a guarantee.

As the family spends today recuperating from our late night ordeal, we have had time to reflect. The seizure was a brutal reminder of the true meaning of Christmas, and the blessings we have received from our merciful Father. Sometimes we get so caught up in our day to day we forget His promises and provisions. Yet He is patient to remind us and for that we are thankful.

So what if the gifts don't arrive on time or the Christmas cards don't get sent. So we don't hit all the tourist stops on the Seattle Holiday Must-Do List. It's a little late in coming, but this year, the Paks have decided to forego the usual holiday madness and spend some time cherishing the real gifts of the season: salvation and sanctification in our Lord Jesus Christ.

Blessings to you and your family and Merry Christmas from the Paks. Hope you all have a fabulous Holiday season and a wonderful New Year!

happy birthday samson!

Last Friday December 14th heralded the quarter century landmark of Sam's 25 years here on planet earth. We celebrated by having a mini-celebration/semi-surprise party on Saturday, complete with coconut cupcakes, a wii tournament, and some old school go karting. Thanks so much to everyone who came, special gold star goes to Mike Johnson who partied with us from beginning to end, Joel Nickerson for staying up way past his bedtime, and Wing and Ryan for officially buying us every game system we've ever owned.

Highlights from this past year:

Discovering the Aquarium


Mariner's Baseball Games minus the Moose


Our first family road trip to Vancouver BC


Slumming it at Lake Tahoe with Mars Hill's High School Ministry "Proxy"


Getting a PS3: Seriously, thanks guys


Thanks again to everyone who came out to help us celebrate. It was great to see you all, and we sincerely missed those of you who couldn't make it. Next year, no excuses! We expect to see all your smiling faces.

walking in a winter wonderland

While Liz was at the women's training day at church, Sam had Kayla all to himself. And were the two of them in for a treat. The first snow of the year! Sam could hardly wait to take Kayla out to experience it for herself. It didn't go so well.

What the heck is this stuff? It's freezing! And its touching me!



No seriously, Dad, I hate this. Lets do something else



Something inside! INSIDE! Oh save me....

What kind of kid hates snow? But Sam is no child-torturer, so he relents. The two retreat to the toasty warmth of the house to finish their snack. Back inside, Kayla enjoys the beauty of the snow from the safety of the living room couch.

Hey, Dad, check out this white fluffy stuff!

It's totally amazing! I've never seen that before!

Wouldn't it be fun to touch it for ourselves?

Are you kidding?!?!?! We can go out there?!?!? Well, what are we waiting for?????

Amazing how quick these kids turn around! And who was Sam to deny his daughter a second chance? Just to make sure he had his bases covered though, round two was conducted with an extra toasty jacket. For maximum snow enjoyment.

Oh, man, I can barely contain my excitement. I don't even care that I've lost my hands!

Here goes nothing....

Wait a second....

Now I remember!

I hate this!

Its cold and its touching me! Dad, help, its touching me and I lost my hands!



Let's go back inside!

Ah, the fickleness of toddlerhood. We can't wait for Whistler next Spring! Stay tuned as the saga is sure to continue...