It turns out printing and mailing Christmas cards just isn't our thing, so here's to another year of our online Christmas Card!
Here are some highlights from the Hawks Family:
Nathan is 4 (and a half!) and is just an awesome kid. He is super smart and loves to learn as long as it's his decision- don't try to force him to do anything! He is excelling at sports- his abilities continually astound us- and this year he has played t-ball, soccer (twice) and basketball (twice). He has loved them all. He also has a passion for animals- he would love to read, watch, and talk about animals all day. His favorite TV show is Wild Kratts and he learns so many random facts about animals from it. When he grows up he wants to be either be a "sports player" or a "zoo guy". He started school at a pre-K in August and he loves it. He wishes I worked full time so he could go all day, every day; unfortunately for him he has to settle for 3 days a week.
Abby is almost 3 and is a fire cracker. When people first meet her she is super shy, but give her enough time and she will explode with craziness! She loves to pretend she is as old as Nathan and her obsession with princesses is growing daily. Her favorite thing to do is mother Elise, and she does a pretty good job of it too. She is our cuddly child and loves to snuggle every morning and after every nap. Her lack of coordination skills leaves us astounded and she constantly has bruises, bumps, and scrapes. She started going to "preschool" this September (taught by a rotation of 5 moms) and she absolutely loves it. Sitting in on Nathan for 2 years definitely has given her the edge up and she would go to school everyday if she could.
Elise is 16 months old and constantly amazes us with her cuteness and stubbornness. She learned to walk at 12 months and hasn't stopped going since. She had a rough first year of sicknesses (and just generally being a kind of grouchy kid) and now that she can move freely and is healthier for longer periods of time she is a completely different child now- she's finally happy! She is super smiley and ticklish, loves to steal toys from the other kids, sneak snacks, climb on everything, and dance. She loves to read books and take pictures on herself on our phones. She also loves to be outside and play on our trampoline. She is a talker and can say so many words- one of her first was "football" which made Chris pretty happy.
Chris is still working away as a Physician Assistant working in Orthopedic Surgery doing hip and knee replacements. He loves his job and finds it exciting, but we all wish he worked fewer hours. Thankfully there is no shortage of older people needing new hips and knees so we are grateful for great job security! He keeps his sanity by playing basketball and volleyball every week and tries to spend as much time with the kids as he can- he is their jungle gym and they all love him more than me :) He is now a clerk in our ward and is liking it minus the extra meetings he now attends. The highlight of his year was definitely going on a cruise right after Thanksgiving to Mexico with no kids. Our first real vacation (and my first time leaving the kids overnight) was a smashing success.
I stay busy at home and (most times) love it. The kids definitely keep me busy but I am so grateful have to opportunity to be here with them. I make good use of the child care at the YMCA and it is my sanity saver. We spent almost every day this summer at the pool and I still miss it. We got a new van at the beginning of the year and I love it- I'm definitely a proud minivan driver! My church calling as Compassionate Service Coordinator has kept me busy in our ward with seemingly endless opportunities to serve but I'm hoping that the past year has helped me learn to love others more and judge them less. I started tutoring once a week to a girl in high school and have loved the opportunity to use my teaching skills again and I look forward to keeping that up this coming year.
We hope you are all having a wonderful Christmas season!
Merry Christmas,
The Hawks Family
Chris, Sarah, Nathan, Abby, Elise
