Thanks,
Kristin
Let me introduce myself. I am Benjamin Lewis Shaffer, and I am the reason you did not receive a Christmas letter from my family last year. Mom and Dad planned to send out our family Christmas letter after my arrival last year and include pictures of me, but I demanded a little bit more of their time than they had expected, thus the letter never got written. Actually, besides not writing the Christmas letter, they never even sent out a birth announcement about me. I was born on December 29, 2006 at Wesley Hospital. I weighed 7 lbs and 4 oz. I look a lot like my big brother Sam did when he was a baby. He brought me some cool gifts when I was in the hospital, and has been pretty nice about sharing his toys. He also was very patient with me for several months as I screamed from driveway to driveway anytime I traveled anywhere in the car. Sam didn’t seem to be bothered at all with my ruckus, but I think it drove Mom completely nuts. Finally I grew out of that, and Mom and Dad and Sam and I love going places in the car.
Not only do I enjoy riding in the car now, I’m also an experienced airplane and train passenger. I flew in July to visit my Uncle Kevin Keefer who lives in Pasadena, California. I did a great job of sleeping through each of the flights. We saw the new Pixar movie Ratatouille while we were there. Sam had been looking forward to that movie ever since he saw the preview at the Cars movie. I loved the beach and watched my brother ride the Santa Monica Pier Carousel, and some other kid rides on the Pier. The ocean was lots of fun. If only I could get some of that sand in my mouth. My brother reminded me just the other day when we were talking about the Christmas story that we stayed at the Comfort INN, while we were there and we woke up every day and went swimming in the hotel pool. We also visited a big Aquarium called the Aquarium of the Pacific. Sam had told me all about it because he had gone there last year (you know the year you didn’t get a Christmas letter). They have a huge mommy whale and baby whale hanging from the ceiling. Sam told me about it, and he was really excited when he finally got to show it to me. He said they were not real, just a replica of a real one. Over Labor Day we caught the Amtrak Train from Newton at 3:30 AM. (Of course, we stopped at the all night Daylight Doughnut store – Drubers- first.) This year, Sam wasn’t scared at all about getting on the train. He rode it last year (you know, the year without a Christmas letter) and was a little hesitant about getting on. After about 13 hours on the train, we arrived in Albuquerque, NM where I got to meet my Aunt Doris and all of my Dad’s cousins. I am especially fond of my cousin Katie who held me all day when we visited the Albuquerque Zoo. I met my cousin Brooke Dixon and my Aunt Lori Dixon who also visited from their home in Salem, Oregon.
Besides our trips to California and New Mexico, we went to Hutchinson (my brother tells me that is in Kansas) to an indoor water park and hotel for a fun weekend getaway. It was my first time in a pool, and I really enjoyed it. But my brother enjoyed it even more. We also went to the Abbey in Atchison in February to watch the Benedictine Ravens play a basketball game. My Great Uncle Hugh Keefer is the Basketball Chaplain for the team, so we got to see him. I slept through the game, and Sam enjoyed a couple of bags of popcorn. I’m fond of my Uncle Hugh because my middle name, Lewis, was Uncle Hugh’s first name before he became a monk and changed his name to Hugh. We returned to the Abbey for thanksgiving, just a few weeks ago. I love turkey and sweet potatoes.
I took some swim lessons at the Twin River Swim Club, but mostly I watched while Sam had his lessons. He passed the Red Cross Level 1, and looks forward to completing level 2 this summer. If only he could pass the level based on jumping into the water. We also spent many a Sunday afternoon swimming at my Grandma and Grandpa Keefer’s community pool. I think I will be as fond of the water as my big brother Sam is.
My dad still works at Bank of the West (formerly known as Commercial Federal Bank). I love going to visit him there, because all of his co-workers seem to always fuss over who gets to hold me first. He is very excited because they built a new building right across the street from the old branch and he now has his own office and his own direct phone line, so now I can call him anytime I want to. Sometimes my dad works so hard that he comes home tired, but he never is too tired to play with me. His leg makes a great rodeo bull, and I especially like it when he throws me up in the air. Mom convinced dad to try out Bible Study Fellowship, so he goes every Tuesday evening. That’s okay, because Mom, Sam and I usually get to do something fun, like go to programs at the library. He still leads a men’s small group Bible Study on Wednesday evenings, and is finishing up an online degree from Golden State Theological Seminary.
Speaking of the computer. I can’t keep my hands off of it. Mom and Dad keep saying, “No touch, Ben,” but those lights are so intriguing. If I stand on my tippy toes, and reach up high, I can touch the keyboard. When I touch the keyboard, the screen lights up. It’s magic.
Mom still has her “career” as my brother calls it. She teaches flute lessons at Bethel College in Newton, and plays in the Newton Mid Kansas Symphony Orchestra. I guess I’m taking up too much of her time, because she decided to take a year off from playing in the Hutchinson Symphony. This spring she even gets to be a soloist in a couple of concerts. She is going to play the Latin American Suite for flute, harpsichord, and string orchestra with the Newton Mid Kansas Symphony on February 10, 2008. After that she is going to be the soloist on Bach’s Brandenburg Symphony #5 with the Bethel College Chamber Orchestra on March 18, 2008. Last year, Mom was asked to be a Children’s Leader in Bible Study Fellowship. She agreed, but was a little hesitant because she had just found out that I existed in her tummy. It was a fun year, so she says, of teaching 2-year-old boys and girls the truths found in the Bible, God’s true word! She just missed teaching in the month of January, since I was a little time consuming those first weeks, but I allowed her to go back in February. It was a trade off because Grandma Keefer would come over and play with me while Mommy was gone to Leaders meetings and for Class day. This year Mom has graduated to teaching the 3-year-old kids. Sam joins her on Wednesdays for his class too. Only one more year and I’ll be old enough to go.
I sure love my big brother Sam. He knows just how to make me laugh. Sam goes to Asbury Preschool on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons. It’s the same preschool that my mom and dad and Uncle Kevin went to when they were little. Sam loves preschool and always tells me right after class what his responsibility was (line leader, lights, prayer, flag helper etc.) and what they had for snack. He has just decided that he can write his own name, and we had a glowing report from his teacher, Ms. Ladonna, at his first parent teacher conference. My brother has started to read a few books, and he reads with much inflection. He is constantly asking what words mean, and mom has to look the words up in the dictionary. Mom and Dad have to figure out where Sam is going to go to Kindergarten in the fall. Mom keeps saying she can’t believe that Sam is old enough to be going to Kindergarten. My brother has lots of cool toys, most of which he doesn’t like me to play with. He has really gotten into board games. Monopoly Jr, and LIFE are his favorite right now.
We still go every week to visit our adopted Great Grandma, Ethel Bowlby, at the Life Care Center. It is a treat, because they have ice cream there, and I found out that I like sharing a cone of orange sherbet with my Grandma Keefer. We have a great time during our visits as I try to make everyone smile, and Sam entertains us with his toys or reading books. I’m pretty close to walking, Mom thinks maybe by my birthday I’ll have it figured out.
Every evening during dinner, we have been reading the story of Jesus’ birth. Even though there are cool lights, and Sam told that big guy in the red suit with the funny beard the things I want for Christmas, Mom and Dad are trying to teach us the real meaning of Christmas. That Jesus came down from Heaven, was born in Bethlehem, and lived a perfect life so that he could die and pay the price for our sins, so that we might live in Heaven with him forever when we die. My brother Sam asks some hard questions about heaven, like will my toys be there, and I don’t want to go there because Mom and Dad won’t be there. But the truth is we want all of our friends to be there, and it is our special job to tell our friends about Jesus. (This is what Sam has learned from Bible Study Fellowship).
Next year I might give this job back to my brother. If you wonder what we are up to all year long, please check out our blog at www.samshaffer.blogspot.com . There we try to post pictures, and semi regularly write updates of what is going on at our house. Mom said she would try to put this Christmas letter on the blog along with some pictures that show the events I talked about in this letter. I’ll try to take a few good naps so she will have time to finish it.
We love hearing from all of you, and if you ever want to come by and visit me, or my family, you are welcome anytime.
