After spending a lot of time and energy making a Christmas card and then realizing that getting them sent out wasn't feasible this year I hope you enjoy this version of our card and letter with the assurance I will get them out next year!
This past year brought many exciting changes for our family; here's a few of the highlights:
Chris stayed super busy finishing up all of his clinical rotations and school work before graduating in December with his Master's. He really liked his surgery rotation and decided to do an elective in orthopedic surgery. He really enjoyed it and is currently pursuing a job in that field. Some surgeons have shown an interest, and we are waiting for an official offer. We are hoping he finds a good fit. He just got called into the Elders Quorum Presidency at church so we're interested to see what all that will entail. In his little free time he likes to play with the kids, catch up on sports (he rejoiced the day college football started up again)- particularly anything involving BYU, and when he can, playing basketball twice a week.
Nathan has changed so much this year. It's hard to believe how much his vocabulary has grown. He is so smart and bright and constantly amazes us with the things he says and does. He loves cars, trucks, airplanes, and back hoes. He also loves animals, especially horses and dogs, and sometimes wakes us up as he barks in response to the neighborhood dogs. He always prefers to be outdoors and has motor skills that astound me. We are finally getting more answers about his medical problems- after pulling him off all dairy, rice, eggs, and soy for months we later discovered that food allergies were not the problem- we're glad he can have a normal diet again. We now know he has inflammatory bowel disease and we are starting new treatments. Hopefully this coming year will provide more answers.
In February our sweet Abby was born and boy is she is a firecracker. She's a big girl- always topping the growth charts. She loves to eat anything she can get her hands on and frequently can eat more than Nathan. She is passing all of her developmental milestones a bit too early for my comfort, but she is such an independent girl. She is currently walking and gaining her footing. We expect in no time she'll be running all over the place. Her favorite person is definitely Nathan- we love seeing them play and interact together. We can't believe how fast she's grown- it truly feels like she was just born.
This year has been one of change for me as well- learning how to mother two children has been a hard and fun transition. They keep me on my toes and make me laugh, cry, and want to scream all within a few minutes. I teach preschool once a month for Nathan and a few of his friends which is always an adventure- there is a reason why I studied secondary not elementary education! I am still in the Young Women's Presidency in our ward which keeps me busy- the girls are fun and they make me feel old and young at the same time. I have been busy for the past few months moving into our new home which is amazing. We are excited to make Houston our official home for years to come- it is great to finally feel settled.
We hope you are all having a wonderful Christmas season. We are so grateful for the many blessings we have and are especially grateful for the life our our Savior.
Merry Christmas!
The Hawks Family
---You can follow our happenings throughout the year at chrisandsarahhawks.blogspot.com---
