Merry Christmas from our family to yours!

Dear friends and family: 

'Tis the season for madness. I'm not talking about long lines, busy schedules or unhealthy eating. It's that time of year when we make Ryker get in family photos with the rest of us. For most families, it gets easier to take family photos the older the kids get. That theory does not hold true in the Denney house, where a photographer's child just cannot get his act together for a photo shoot that could take 20 minutes. With Ryker, it lasts half the day. And if we're lucky, we get ONE good shot. 

This year, we nearly missed Abby's musical rehearsal and didn't get all the poses mom wanted and had to eat lunch in the car. But we decided to go with the flow and do something different and Abby-inspired .... because the memory isn't really in the "perfect" photo anyway. The memory is in the experience and all the outtakes that come with the perfect shot. 

Enjoy our 2012 digital (and "green" and might I note...on time!) Christmas cards by clicking on the gray link below, and if you have the time, read the letter posted below!  

2012 Christmas


     2012. 
     No ordinary year. 
     Reeling from a serious bout of pneumonia turned into potentially deadly sepsis, Dan was still off work and recouperating in January. As the high doses of steroids wore off, his back condition -- a herniated disc -- was suddenly at its worst! It had not quite been six months since he'd had three rounds of high-dose steroid injections in his spine. Still, he ended up getting three more. 
     As the demands of raising children and balancing a household became apparent, Amy stepped away from the first 9-5 full-time job she'd had in nine years and only managed to keep for seven months! Then she went on a short-term trip to Africa to get stories and photos and build a website and blog for missionary friends, Rick and Paula Miller. Check it out at lifegateinafrica.org. Dan and Amy are praying about a planned trip to Sierra Leone in December 2013. If you are interested in construction, journalism or orphans, start praying about joining us! 
     Dan took a short-term trip to Ukraine in August, and about the same time, Amy officially formed Mighty Strong Girls, a non-profit to battle the downward spiral of negative self image in girls. She is officially a missionary and working to raise up supporters for this new ministry. 
     Keeping us busiest of all are the kids! Baseball and softball in the spring. A fun two-week session of drama camp in the summer. Ryker emerged as a great leader on his football team this fall. They lost twice as many games as they won, but they were so fun to watch! They battled back to win an exciting bowl game, and as soon as football ended, basketball began. Abby auditioned for the 9-year-old lead in "White Christmas" at a local theater. She didn't get the part, but she landed on the children's choir. She's singing and dancing in three numbers, with opening night set for well, tonight! We'll be busy with that the next three weekends, and both kids are ready to audition for another musical. They keep us chasing our tails, but it also prevents us all from getting into any trouble! 
     The orphan we support in Sierra Leone apparently wasn't immune to the family drama. He got a nasty case of malaria that threatened his brain and landed in the hospital. Not the kind of hospital we might want our children to go to. He was in a small dirt-floor room with no window or door coverings for IV  medicines and other treatments for several days. But James, who is 9, pulled through and we got to see photos of him smiling in front of his orphanage after he recovered. Praise God for so many answered prayers! 
     Dan was elected elder at our church this fall and is looking forward to serving as a leader at Athens Christian Church once again. 
     We can't thank you, our precious family and friends, enough for your prayers in the last 12 months. They have been the most emotional and challenging months of our married life, draining us financially and emotionally. And yet, this time has left us feeling nothing but blessed. We were filled up with the Holy Spirit, thanks to you! I'm literally moved to tears thinking about how you prayed us through each and every encounter -- good or bad -- we experienced in this last calendar year and gave us your support through any means you have available. God has been so, so good to us, and we are far from spiritually drained. He has filled up our tanks, given us more hope and grace than we deserve, and inspired us with visions of how we can use our gifts to serve Him in 2013. We are ready for anything and looking forward to all of it! 
     May God bless you abundantly in the coming days, weeks and months! 
     Much love,
     Dan, Amy, Abby & Ryker Denney

P.S. The kids think it's pretty funny how easily I made this face! Watch the video for more funny faces! :-) 

Taking a break from sports???

Ryker had a rough end of season in football last year, as in one hard (from behind) tackle when a play was over. The other boy was bigger and ruthless and the illegal act went unnoticed. He was disheartened. But he played great all year, and we saw that he has great potential. Still, he doesn't want to play football this year, and I'm not pushing the issue because I'm honestly not a big fan of tackle football at this age especially since our local program doesn't have a concussion-prevention component to it. 


Here's the thing about Ryker, though. He's actually got great potential with just about any sport he tries. He's naturally gifted in sports, very coordinated and competitively motivated, while also being a great teammate to his buddies. When it comes to sports, he makes us very proud. 


Thankfully he's talented at other things, too, particularly reading. I love my little nerdy athlete! Ryker also very much enjoys Boy Scouts and camping, and those activities have been great for our whole family. The problem is that our around-the-calendar sports schedule allows for little time to camp and fully enjoying the Scouting activities. 


So when Ryker suggested not playing football this year, and then waffled between football and soccer for several weeks, I had an idea. How about no sports for the end of summer/start of the school year? Both sports play games on Saturdays or Sundays, and having a few months with weekends and most week nights free would be a REAL blessing. 


I thought he might agree. But his response, "You guys can go camping while I play soccer."


He does NOT want to sit out a season. He's 7. I think it could be a great time for family bonding, togetherness and a breather from the hectic-ness that has become our collective life of sports. Plus, he's never played outdoor soccer, so I'm thinking why start something new?


Here's my dilemma, I feel strongly about my position, and I know it would be good for us and good for him. However, part of me acknowledges that when school starts and the other boys are wearing their football jerseys and talking about upcoming games, he will be upset that he's not a part of a team. 


I should point out that if this were Abby, the decision would be easy. It wouldn't break her heart, and she would be over it. But she's a leader, and Ryker is very much a follower. Part of his identity is tied to fitting in with the boys. 


So, I must know....what would you do???