Whirlwind of Activity

Where has the time gone since our last post?!! We have been busy with everything December brings (especially for a music teacher.) Here are some of the activities we have done since our last post:

Nov. 22 - Rachel performed trumpet in her first band concert. She did an awesome job! She also sang in the J.A. Hughes Music Makers that I directed. 1 concert under the belt!

Dec. 1 - Sarah and Rachel performed in their school Christmas program. Sarah was a "snowflake" and Rachel was a narrator/chorus member in her show. We had a packed house that evening. Jordan had her little program the next day but was sick so we missed out. I was able to hear her sing in her dress rehearsal.

Dec. 3 - Todd and I went to see the Concordia Christmas Concert in Moorhead. Wonderful music! One of my former students sings in the Concert Choir so we went with his parents. What a joy to see him perform.

Dec. 11 - The Red Lake Falls Community Christmas Cantata was performed. I directed a Children's Choir made-up of 24 voices, the adult Cantata and sang with Heart of Worship. We also had a lasagna supper (which I did a lot of the organization for) after the concert. Proceeds benefited our local Girl Scout Service Unit. We made close to $750!! Rachel sang in the Children's Choir and Todd sang in the adult choir. Needless to say - it was a super hectic day!

Dec. 18 - The St. John Sunday School led the church service for their program. All of the girls participated and sang well. Sarah was the only one to have ALL of her parts memorized. The older students were able to read their scripture readings. I had a nice time playing piano for it but do miss getting to see the girls perform.

Dec. 19 - The Lafayette High School Choir had their Christmas Concert in the evening. They did a wonderful job! It was so nice to have it on the stage with sound and lights. I was proud of what each of my student accomplished.

Whew - this has been a busy month (not to mention we had Advent Services every Wed.). Now school is out and it is time to relax, visit with family and friends, and catch up on all of the tasks that have been neglected. I think the first project will be to wrap Christmas presents!

I will post some pictures when I get a chance!

Here is a copy of our Christmas letter (I only mailed one to people I don't have regular contact with):


WIELAND CHRISTMAS LETTER 2011
Merry Christmas!

Greetings from the Wieland family. We hope your year has been full of joy, peace and happiness.

Here are some highlights of our year:
· Todd had a wonderful harvest this fall. We were blest with beautiful weather where he was able to combine in record time. He is now on our local board for
Thrivent Financial for Lutherans as well as an elder and our church and on the board for Cenex. In his spare time, he enjoys hunting and fishing as well as playing with the girls.

· Jen started her 15th year of teaching music in the Red Lake Falls School District. She enjoys teaching and creating music with her students. She has also directed a
· Summer Drama program for kids, the Community Christmas Cantata and sings in a
contemporary Christian group “Heart of Worship.”

· Rachel is a 5th grader this year. She enjoys playing basketball, participating in Girl Scouts and playing the piano. She also took up trumpet and made it into “Big Band” very early on in the year. We think she likes trumpet because her mother can’t “help” her learn the instrument.

· Sarah in 2nd grade and is learning many new things. Her interests include reading, arts & crafts, basketball, Girl Scouts and playing piano. Although most of her
activities take place indoors, she is our little farmer at heart and would love to be with working with Dad most of the time.

· Jordan began Kindergarten this year! She is in an “all day, every day” program which is really nice. Jordan loves to play with the boys at school (should we be
worried?) and thinks she should be in hockey with them. I think we will stick to
basketball! Jordan enjoys playing with her sisters and cousins, playing Wii and still doesn’t mind snuggling with Mom or Dad once in a while. We were thankful to be done paying daycare—or so we thought…

· The biggest news is that we are expecting our 4th child in early March! It was
unplanned but certainly a blessing. The girls are ready to be big helpers and we are slowly getting things prepared for the big arrival.

· We were able to celebrate Todd’s Dad’s 80th birthday this past June and his parents 50th wedding anniversary in November. What a blessing to share these wonderful occasions with family and friends.

May God bless you as we celebrate Christ’s birth, reflect on all of our blessings and look forward to the plan He has in store for us during the coming year.
Love,
Todd, Jen, Rachel, Sarah & Jordan Wieland