Happy New Year!!

A very warm welcome to 2014 from the Brock family to you!

This has been a good year: not the best of years, but to be honest I don't know if I even have one of those or not! It certainly was a decent notch above 2011 and 2012, and that's all we can ask for around here.

I had a look back at some photos tonight to remind myself of the highlights upon which to reflect. These included several trips and events for my (Steph's) work, like visits to both Shetland and Orkney and various fun days across the Diocese. There were a couple of school events for both Caleb and Adam including Sports Day at the Sports Village (Caleb) and a 10th birthday party at Woodlands for Adam. Also noteworthy of course were Caleb and Agnes' birthday parties, and a visit (two in fact!) from Oma and Opa from California. Oh, and in June we got chickens!! Yes, three hens we call "the ladies", Tilda, Foxy and Ben (the hen). They are fun, they are productive, and so far have survived the weather and the neighbourhood fox so here's hoping for another year to come!

We had parties, we had walks and play sessions out back, we had some crazy weather that Adam and I tried our best to record. But the three most memorable events of 2013 had to be, in order of amaze-balls-ness:

Number 1...Adam finishing chemotherapy for his Leukaemia on 09 October 2013, after two years and four months of treatment. Needless to say we celebrated and ate our fair share of cake!

Adam taking centre stage at his celebration at St John's (our church in Aberdeen)

Number 2...our trip to Germany in August, the first family holiday in all of Agnes's life and our best one ever!      

Three smiling little faces, at the New Botanical Garden in Tubingen

And number 3...finishing the work on our house which has left us with space to entertain, to eat together, to run about, to lounge ''upstairs" and to look to a future which includes friends and family around often.

Opening Christmas presents, with a view to the kitchen.

And a few more recent photos to send out 2013 in style...

The family on Christmas Day in front of the tree at St John's

Post-Nippy Dipper in Aberdeen on Boxing Day, with stalwart friends and brave dipping colleagues Sarah, Joy and Helen

Family Boxing Day walk to our favourite hill overlooking Aberdeen...blue skies and sunshine!!

All in all it's been good, and we look forward to a new year of increased health and a return to normal immune functioning for Adam, we look forward to a short trip during Brian's sabbatical this spring, we look forward to 3, and 8 and 11...all good years for children I'm told! And finally, we look forward to more time with friends, more energy to pursue the things for which we were created, and more laughter and love to share around as we are able.

I hope and pray the same for you and yours, and hope sincerely that 2014 brings us into contact with friends near and far. We now have space for you if you come to the great North East of Scotland!

Happy New Year to you all, and God's blessings on you and yours.