2011 Reflections/Christmas Letter

Greetings Family and Friends,

2011 was a year of change for the Jaquet household.  While celebrating Christmas 2010 with our families, we announced the coming of our first child in August 2011.  This Christmas, we will be celebrating with our 4 month old daughter, Esther Noelle.  For almost 5 years, we have enjoyed life as a married couple – having the freedom to go and do as we pleased with our only responsibility being our 3 year old dog, Lily, who (let’s be honest) pretty much takes care of herself.  This year we transitioned to being a family of three.  This change has been accompanied by tears, long nights, frustrating moments, increasing responsibility, and a steep learning curve.  We have had to re-learn what it means to sacrifice, to love, to surrender, and to be a family.  While the change has not been easy, it has also been accompanied by smiles, little laughs, gurgling, kicking, finger-grasping, and developmental milestones that somehow seem to make all the challenges fade into the background.

While our home life has drastically changed, our work life has not.  We are both thankful to be at great jobs we enjoy with awesome co-workers.  Scott is finishing his fourth year at R.J. Corman, a railroad company.  He is on the road a lot, making sure the administrative side of the derailment divisions he’s in charge of run smoothly.  This typically involves handling their paperwork, hiring/firing, and making sure they can access money to buy things they need.  This year he spent most of his time in Pittsburgh and Toledo with a few visits to Huntington, Nashville, Columbus, and Atlanta.  It has been a challenge for both of us to deal with the traveling now that Esther is here.  We are both thankful he is always home on weekends.  Weekend mornings have become a daddy/daughter time, which allows me time to grade and work on things for school. 

I will be finishing my sixth year at East Jessamine High School, teaching Biology and AP Biology.  I am teaching 3 class periods this year instead of four.  The decrease in work has helped give me more time at home with Esther, but it has been challenging learning to balance the demands of work and home.  In May, I graduated from Asbury University with a Masters degree in Education and an endorsement in Teacher as Leader.  The work I was involved in at Asbury ignited a change in my classroom.  I piloted a new approach to teaching high school and had the privilege this past year of sharing my experience with teachers in the district and state.  I spent time this summer teaching teachers on this approach and have found it to be a rewarding experience.  I was honored when my school recognized these efforts by naming me East High’s 2011 Teacher of the Year.

Esther Noelle made her arrival into the world on August 27, 2011.  She was named after my Grandma, Esther Gerber, whom I always admired and felt close. She seems to be a pretty chill baby (though we really have no frame of reference).  She is growing, changing, and developing.  It has been fun watching her transform.  She spends her mornings and early afternoons at the babysitters, who are lovingly referred to as Nana and Papa by the kids they watch.  She has also loved getting to spend different weeks with her Grandmothers when they come down to visit.

We look to 2012 with anticipation of how Esther will change as she continues to grow.  At the same time, we know that these changes will continue to stretch and grow us as parents.  We are thankful to God for the blessings he has given to us, for his companionship when things get rough, and for wisdom as we look to Him for guidance on our journey into parenthood. 

Scott, Jolene, and Esther Jaquet