Dearly Beloved,
At
the end of another year, we thank you all for being a part of what has made and
still makes our life as happy as it is. We feel greatly blessed, and you are
each a part of that blessing.
Tim: I started the year with a five-day
trip to Spain in January, and returned in March for an 8-day tour with some of
my Spanish students from the High School. I was especially enchanted by the
southern region, Andalucia, and took Irene back there in June for a 10-day
tour. It was so nice to go and just be together for that time. D did
great back at home with his Oma and Opa. Also in the spring, we got to attend
my sister Mary’s wedding in Idaho. It was windy and wonderful. I spent the
summer working at the Anchorage airport for Delta Air Lines before started my
second year of teaching in August. Before school started, we took a vacation
down to Idaho and Utah for family visiting time. The fall has been extra-busy
as I have studied for and taken the GRE, submitted graduate school applications
(preparing to study applied linguistics), accepted new church callings, and
taught five sections of online Spanish in addition to my regular six periods at
the High School. On top of that, I convinced Irene to audition for a local
production of Fiddler on the Roof with me, and we got the parts of Perchik and
Hodel. We are in the thick of rehearsals getting ready for production in
February, and are loving the opportunity to act together.
As
for Irene, she is as productive and
competent as always. She has taken an average of 10 credits each semester
(including the summer) finishing her pre-requisite courses for a BS in
dietetics program. She will finish those courses this spring, and begin the
dietetics core in summer. Even with her classes, Irene was sure to make D her first priority – only studying when he was asleep in the early morning,
late evening, or for nap time. While he was awake, she spent her time with him
doing all his favorite activities. She also trained for and completed her first
triathlon in June, and has kept up a fearless regimen of exercise all year
(cross-fit three days per week, with 3-5 mile runs on the off days). She has
also loved finding a group of good “mommy-friends” up here in Alaska. But the
biggest news is that she is expecting our second child! She is 20 weeks along
as of January 1, and so far she hasn’t had time to be sick or interrupted in
any significant way, so that’s all right. We look forward to welcoming a sweet
daughter this coming May.
And
now the news you all care about most. D is now 2 ½ years old, with all that comes with that age. He loves to read books
(currently Curious George is his preferred series), play with play-dough, and
SING. The latter occupies nearly all his time. We have been surprised at his
ability to match pitch and memorize. He has nearly all of the music to Fiddler
on the Roof committed to memory, along with countless primary songs, hymns,
Christmas songs, and even John Rutter’s rendering of the “Magnificat” from the
catholic mass. He also plays legos daily, always building “a ship”. One
interesting thing has been his speech development. He talks constantly, and is
able to express his feelings and thoughts quite articulately. For example,
today he said to me, “No, if I wear underwear for my nap I might just soak my
bed, so I want to wear a diaper so that I don’t get my bed wet.” Can you tell
we are potty training? In the past few weeks he has discovered his agency, and
is really enjoying experimenting with it. This usually takes the form of
saying, “But I don’t want to (insert whatever we just said, even if it is
something he likes and wants).”
Finally,
this summary would be sadly incomplete without giving a special thanks to
Irene’s parents for sharing their home and their lives with
us. We have treasured this time with them and their family.
May
the Lord bless you and keep you,
Tim, Irene, and D Hall
Comments
Post a Comment