Every year Daniel writes a wonderful letter to send out to friends and family along with a picture.
Blessings from Savannah, GA.
We hope this Christmas letter finds you well as we all prepare for the Celebration of Christ’s birth. For those of you who we have visited or visited us we always enjoy it and thank you for spending time with our family. For those who have not, please call and catch up, remind us we haven’t visited in a while. And remember as always you are welcome to visit us here in this beautiful city where we live.
If I had to put a title on 2011 it would be “Focus on the Family”. Shortly into the New Year Sarah gave birth to Felicity Noelle our second child. Interestingly enough she was born on the very same Saturday of Martin Luther King Jr. weekend as Nolan, making them 2 days shy of exactly 2 years apart. Putting a great emphasis on naming our children, each one has truly embodied their names’ meaning.
Nolan-”Champion” This year Nolan learned more about sports and so far is a fanatic about baseball, soccer, tennis, and golf. His eye hand coordination is truly exceptional and shows promise at becoming a great athlete. Big milestones this year were potty training, comprehending the alphabet, and counting. His favorite thing is to go around the house naming things and looking for confirmation from us as to whether he is right. And when we don’t answer right away he is persistent to ask repeatedly until we answer.
Felicity-”Happy” We thought Nolan was a pretty good baby, but I think it is safe to say Felicity is perfect, maybe too perfect. She sleeps well, eats well, and rarely cries meaning that when she does cry we tend to be overly concerned. She is a real sweetheart and loves personal interaction. Her four favorite things are to shake her head back and forth, sway to music, give you kisses, and “chase” her brother around the house. A true girl, she gets very emotional when told “no”.
Besides simply being a dedicated mother, Sarah decided to participate in her first half-marathon this November. With her mother at her side she finished in 3:22, which was an amazing accomplishment. She has also been very focused on evaluating our living space and working to make it more functional and organized. We are striving to lead a simple lifestyle.
Daniel found the time to try a few new athletic adventures this year including a 12 hour adventure race, full marathon, and adult soccer league. Of the three, the marathon was the only event he vowed never to do again. At work he took over as the public affairs officer and upgraded to first pilot allowing him to take the aircraft out on daytime missions. He truly enjoys being a Dad and hanging out with Nolan and Felicity as much as possible.
In this upcoming year please remember us in your thoughts and prayers as we explore becoming foster parents and adopting future children, travel outside of the U.S. to visit friends in Japan, and look for an extension in Savannah through 2014.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year,
Daniel and Sarah Lavinder
1 comment:
Yay! When are you coming?
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