Ryan & Kristin

Blessed Christmas to All!

We hope this newsletter finds you all well. This has been a happy year for us, despite some struggles.

In January, our little Patrick began to break out in eczema on his face. Over the next six to seven months, the eczema would come and go, sometimes moderate and sometimes severe. We tried many different creams and diets, investigating possible infections or food and environmental allergies, but without success until the eczema suddenly cleared up on its own in August.

In March, Justin celebrated his second birthday.

In April, Ryan ran in the federal election as the Christian Heritage Party candidate for our riding. I served as his official agent, managing the bank account and paperwork. We put up signs where we could, raised funds for the campaign, attended an all-candidate meeting, and sent out flyers to most of the homes in Don Valley East. We were very encouraged by those of our family, friends, and neighbours who offered their support, and by the handful of strangers who phoned to say they were glad to have a candidate like Ryan to vote for.

In June, my 20-year-old cousin Michael was killed in a motorcycle accident.  His death came as a severe blow to the whole family.

In July, we spent a fun-filled week with Ryan’s family at his parents’ house near Collingwood.  In August we went camping at Grundy Lake for a weekend with Ryan’s parents and younger siblings, and the following weekend we went camping at Port Burwell on Lake Erie with my family and some friends. Whereas Justin had to be coaxed into the lake, Patrick LOVED the water, and we had to watch him closely to prevent him from crawling in and merrily drowning himself.

In September, Patrick celebrated his first birthday.  Ryan ran in the provincial election as the candidate for the Family Coalition Party in our riding. We ran a smaller campaign as compared to our federal campaign.

The harvest from our little garden was grand this year.  I grew some beautiful sunflowers (squirrels ate them though), and grew some pumpkins for the first time too, in addition to my usual crops.

In December, Ryan and I went on a spur-of-the-moment second honeymoon to the Dominican Republic. The prices were cheap, and the grandparents were willing, so off we went, leaving the boys with Grandma and Grandpa. The vacation was so much fun! Lots of water sports and a few excursions into town to experience life in the Dominica.

As always, Ryan is keeping himself busy. This year he built a wood fence and gates to replace the old chain link fence and gate, and to keep the kids safely contained in the backyard.  Ryan also built a backyard playhouse and swing set for the kids.  He  re-organized his garage — twice! — and built a new worktable.  He re-organized his bike shed and gave it a face-lift with some new boards and a door.

Justin and Patrick too are busy boys, curious and energetic. Patrick loves to be tickled and chased, and is fascinated with blocks and books, boxes and baskets. He’ll also tag along after his older brother playing with cars and trucks. He is quite the climber, and will make surprise appearances on the dining room table from time to time. As I mentioned previously, he also loves water — the bathroom door is always closed at our house. To our delight, Patrick just started walking in the past couple of weeks.

Justin is obsessed with trucks of all shapes and sizes, but his favourites are firetrucks and digger trucks. He also loves working with tools, and has his own tool set,  tool box, and workstation to rival his daddy’s. He knows most of the tools by name, and will happily saw, hammer, chisel, and drill a block of wood if given the chance. Like his father, he is also an avid cyclist, and is thrilled at every opportunity to ride his two-wheel bike (with training wheels).  I am doing some pre-school with Justin, and he already knows most of the alphabet by name, and can recognize some geometric shapes as well.

As for myself, I tried my hand at some woodworking projects this year, constructing a toddler bed for Justin and a shelf. Currently, my health leaves something to be desired. I’m struggling with some fatigue and musculo-skeletal issues (related to the repetitive strain injury I suffered in my wrists a few years back) but otherwise I am happy and blessed.

We thank God for His goodness and grace toward us this year, and we pray for His continued blessing in the year ahead.

May the Prince of Peace bless your homes and hearts this Christmas and in the New Year.

With love,

Ryan, Kristin, Justin, and Patrick

Here is a FANTASTIC wedding hymn that a friend posted on Facebook some time ago.  I want to marry Ryan again just so we can sing this at the wedding.    (Kristin)

________________________________

Oh, Jesus Christ! How Bright and Fair

Oh, Jesus Christ! How bright and fair / The marriage of your children where

Your blessings rich attend them! / What gracious gifts you here bestow,

What streams from heaven ever flow  /  In blessings which you send them,

Grant they true stay To you ever, Lord! Leave never / These two, vowing,

With one heart before you bowing.

When man and wife are married well,  / And peacefully before you dwell,

In faithfulness united,  /  The streams of bliss will strongly flow

And we your children here below  / Like angels be delighted;

No rain, no pain, can destroy it or annoy it—what you’ve given

To the pair that hopes in heaven.

To man and wife, O, grant your grace  /  And in this holy, blessed place

And from your throne in Heaven  /  With loving arms protect them, Lord,

And daily keep them in Your Word  /  And nightly angels send them.

Though we must be hither, thither roaming ever till you give us

Pious homes and thus relieve us.

The man is like a mighty tree  /  Whose branches spread so fair and free;

The wife a vine life-bearing  /  She yields her fruit in holy love

And blest by grace from God above / The family she is rearing.

Gemstone, man’s crown! Husband’s treasure! House’s pleasure! Jew’l of honor!

On his throne God smiles upon her.

O wife! the Lord has chosen you  /  That from your womb shall life anew

Increase the Church and build it  /  This wondrous work forever mounts,

The mighty word His lips pronounce: / What here you see, shall yield it

Handsome shall come,  / Sons and daughters to the waters of salvation

Finding grace and good vocation.

Wie schön ists doch, Herr Jesu Christ

Author: Paul Gerhardt (1607-1676)

Translator: John Kelly (alt. Matthew Carver)

2008 Tune: WIE SCHÖN LEUCHTET [O Morning Star]

Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year!

We hope this letter finds you all well.

God has been good to us once again, although this year presented a few big challenges.

In March our friends, the Montagues, came and stayed with us for a week
in preparation for their Toronto rally and court hearing regarding Bruce’s challenge of Canada’s tyrannical gun laws.  We lent our support to the cause, though it is an uphill battle to convince the government that it should not have a monopoly on firearms.

In mid-March I developed complications in my pregnancy which put me in bedrest for 3 weeks. Ryan’s sister Ariel came and stayed with us for those weeks to take care of Justin and manage the household tasks, for which we are very thankful.  Some of the highlights of the month included Justin’s first birthday and the wedding of our friends the Guldemonds which Ryan attended in Oklahoma.

We were grateful when on May 19th (our second wedding anniversary) we finally regained the peace and security of our home when a tenant who had started using drugs finally left.

Later in May we celebrated the marriage of Ryan’s brother Joel to my childhood friend Christine, a match that we had conspired and put in motion at our own wedding two years prior. Ryan and his brothers and sisters were all in the wedding party.  The wedding was beautiful and the feast lasted seven days (at least the leftovers lasted that long!).

During the summer we concentrated on renovations.  We replaced our drafty, thirty-year-old windows and made some significant upgrades to the bathrooms.  Ryan and Justin enjoyed some good father-son time biking around the neighbourhood, with Justin safely strapped in a toddler rider seat mounted to the cross-bar on Ryan’s bike.  Justin also visited the neighbourhood playground with Mommy and Daddy and had a grand time swinging and sliding, and playing in the sand.

In September we joined Ryan’s family for a week together at a cottage near Bancroft.  We had an amazing time together, organizing a regatta and a scavenger hunt/obstacle course, canoeing, swimming, playing board games, and sharing good food and good laughs. Then scarcely a week after we returned home, we were blessed with the arrival of our little Patrick Henry Kidd.  Everyone was excited at the new addition. Patrick was baptized into God’s Covenant Family a little over a week after his birth.

The month of October saw the celebration of Thanksgiving with family and friends.  On October 29th and 30th, we attended an Ezra Institute conference on “Reclaiming a Biblical Vision of the Family,” which Ryan helped to organize.  This month (December) Justin is thrilled to play in the snow, and we are all eagerly anticipating Christmas visits with family and holiday food and fun.  I have my decorations up and am playing
Christmas music all day long.

As for our little boys, they are so precious! We joy at watching Justin grow and learn.  He is quick to smile and giggle, he loves playing with his trucks and having Mommy or Daddy read books to him.  Justin also loves to be a “big helper” for Mommy: pushing the broom, fetching things for Mommy, scrubbing, and putting the clean laundry away.  He adores his baby brother.  As for Patrick, he is a happy, content baby who is skilled at charming Mommy, Daddy, and just about everyone else.

We thank and praise God for yet another year in which He has so richly blessed us, far more than what we deserve.  We are especially grateful for the gift of our little Patrick.  Life is so much more precious when one realizes just how fragile it is.

This year had its share of trials and uncertain days, but God is faithful and does not test us beyond what we are able to bear.  God has been refining us, so that we reflect more and more the image of Christ.  Our prayer is that, whatever difficulties we may encounter in the path God has carved for us, God will give us the strength of character we need to remain faithful to Him and to His Word.

Blessings this Christmas and for the New Year,

Ryan, Kristin, Justin & Patrick

View Patrick’s Picassa Web Album

Patrick, Sept 24, 2010

With deepest joy and gratitude to God for the safe arrival

of our precious baby,

we would like to announce the birth of our second son,

Patrick Henry Kidd

born at 6:53pm on Friday, September 24th, 2010

weighing 6lb 9oz (3.0kg).

Patrick’s Baptism

Patrick will be baptized at

2:30pm, on Sunday, October 3, 2010

at the New Horizon Church in Scarborough.

See www.newhorizonchurch.ca/map for directions.

Everyone is welcome to attend.

There will be a time of refreshments after the service.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What are Patrick’s birth specifications? A: weight: 6 lb. 9 oz. (3.0kg);  length: 21inches (53cm), brown hair, brown eyes (for now), no major birth marks.  (Note: Justin had the same weight and length measurements)
2. How long was Kristin’s labour? A: 16.5 hours.
3. Were there any complications? A: initially Patrick’s head was facing forward which seems to be a factor in slowing labour, but he turned around at the end.  Kristin did great during the labour, though the final stage was more painful than Justin’s birth.  She came away with minor tearing only.
4. Where was the birth? A: Patrick was born in 18 inches of warm water (birth pool) in our home attended by midwives.
5. How is breastfeeding? A: Patrick latched on for about 20 minutes immediately after birth, and seems to be feeding pretty well.
6. Why did you name him Patrick Henry?  A:  We wanted our son to be inspired by the courage, tenacity, statesmanship and Christian character of the American founding father, Patrick Henry.  See this list of Patrick Henry quotes for a glimpse of the historical man’s thought. (Sorry, the Wiki-pedia article is typical humanist bias.)  The names together literally mean Noble Home Ruler.
7. What were Patrick’s first words when he was born?  A: “No taxation without representation.”
8. What were Patrick’s last words while in the womb? A: “Give me liberty or give me death.”
9. What’s Patrick’s theme verse? A:   Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. – Philippians 4:8 (New King James Version)
10. Why are you choosing to baptize your baby? A: No, we do not believe baptism will make the baby go to heaven automatically.  But just as male babies received the covenant sign of circumcision in the Old Testament, we believe that God requires us to put His mark of ownership on our children, and in baptism He promises to save our children if they grow up to repent of their sins personally and to love and obey the Lord Jesus.
11. Do you need meals or anything for the baby? A:  Ryan is off work for 2 weeks so we are abundantly supplied with great home cooked rice.  And of course we have all the baby things that Justin has passed on.   So at this point, we might suggest sending a gift to the Christian Blind Mission in honour of Patrick’s birth.   CBMI provides eye operations and life saving treatments to children in the third world who are truly in need.  Donate Online

Thank you all for your love and prayers for us at this precious time!

Only 4 1/2 weeks until my due date: September 26! My sister is hoping the baby comes 2 days early (on her birthday) and my uncle wants the baby to come 2 days late (on his birthday). My guess is that our little one will arrive on September 30th. We’ll have to wait and see! Stay posted for the announcement.    -K

by Kristin

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!

We hope this newsletter finds you all well.

We have been truly blessed by our gracious God again in 2009, having enjoyed health and strength, loving fellowship with one another, our daily provisions, and the coming of our precious son Justin.

In February, we celebrated our first Valentine’s day as a married couple. Being the unique couple that we are, we took a stroll through the aisles of Home Depot to mark the occasion. Memory fails me as to what we purchased, although Ryan could probably tell you.

The baby was due on March 6^th, but by the end of February we were already impatient to see our little one. Thus you can understand our dismay when March 6^th came and went. After a little over two weeks of anxious waiting, I went into labour early in the morning on Saturday, March 21^st.  At approximately 5:30pm Justin Wilberforce Kidd was born, and we rejoiced to have been given a healthy baby boy.

Justin was received into the Covenant Family of God through the sign and seal of baptism on March 29^th. Ryan took two weeks paternity leave to help with running the house and caring for Justin while I recovered from the birth.

During the month of April, we were thrilled at the opportunity to get to know this new little person better and watch him grow. Determined to be good parents, we bundled Justin up and took him for his first bike ride in his baby bike trailer on April 13^th.

In May, Justin helped with raising donations for the Pregnancy Care Centre Walk for Life, and was the youngest participant in the walk. He hitched a ride in his snuggly with Daddy. My graduation from the Philosophy B.A. Honours program at Tyndale University College took place the same weekend. Towards the end of the month, we celebrated our first wedding anniversary by going on a family bike ride and picnic in Sunnybrook Park followed by a stroll through Edwards Gardens.

During the spring and summer, Ryan kept busy assembling and selling tandem bicycles. Justin spent many a happy hour watching his Daddy work on bicycles. I planted a variety of vegetables in my tiny plot of garden in the backyard and reaped a fairly good harvest.

On the Canada Day holiday, we went on a short bike tour of the Niagara region and saw the Brock Monument, the Arboretum, and the Niagara River and the Falls. We enjoyed dinner and a fireworks show with our friends, the Wells, and spent the night at their place.

In August we drove out to Ottawa to visit our friends the Zinks, and had a great time of fellowship. Our Justin and their little Heidi (who is only a few months older) enjoyed some happy playtime together.

In October we attended two different conferences. The first was the Deconstructing Darwin conference at Westminster Chapel, and the second was the Ignite the Culture conference organized by the ECP Centre. Both were excellent.

We enjoyed time with both families on Thanksgiving weekend, and went on a great hike on a section of the Bruce Trail.

At the end of October, we made the decision to upgrade our quarters, painting and renovating the main and second floors of our home on Shawnee Circle.   Most of November was spent cleaning out junk, painting the walls, re-finishing the floor, and doing other renovations to prepare the house for us to move in. We have now moved and are slowly settling in while we continue to finish the details.

As for Justin, he is a happy, content, and outgoing baby. He’s had a great year of growing and developing. Born weighing 6 lbs 9 oz. (3 kgs) and measuring 21 inches (53 cm), he now weighs over 20 lbs and measures almost 30 inches. He cut his first tooth when he was just four months old, and now boasts seven big chompers. He was sitting (with support) at about six and a half months, and in the past few weeks has started the combat crawl. He loves to play peek-a-boo and to kick his feet.   Justin’s favourite things include mommy’s milk, banana, tags, zippers, and paper.  With his Daddy’s help, Justin is well on his way to becoming a man’s man.

God is good and we continue to rest in His love toward us demonstrated in so many ways.

Blessings to you this Christmas from the Kidd Family,

Ryan, Kristin, & Justin

For more photos of Justin, view our

Picasa Web Album

We will attempt to update this web album periodically with new photos of our growing boy.

It was a joyous occasion with many friends and relatives in attendance as Justin was formally entered into the promises and oaths of covenant with our God.