Dear family and friends,
Since we obviously missed the Christmas letter deadline, we would now like to wish you a happy Valentine’s Day! And in the spirit of love, we would love to share with you some of the things we each have enjoyed about this year.
We spent the beginning of this year in Utah where David’s parents’ generously housed us and fed us for several weeks while we searched for new housing and waited for David’s post doctoral fellowship to begin at Stanford. We finally made the move to California at the end of January. Here’s a summary of the highlights for each of us.
David has enjoyed beginning new research in the lab. We live about six miles from the school and David bikes there and back most days of the week. This year he had the wonderful opportunity of attending a conference in Germany. It was his first trip to Europe and he loved it. The rest of us missed him, but were so happy when he returned with lots of amazing chocolate! In other news, David also seems to be getting clumsier as he approaches the ripe old age of 30! This year he fell off his bike and bruised a rib, stubbed and broke a toe on a door, sliced his finger open at work and had it stitched back together, and broke his collar bone when he fell off his bike again and had to have it surgically plated and pinned together. He’s still recuperating from the last escapade. My only consolation is that Stanford hospital is across the street from his lab, and that in a couple of years he’ll hopefully be done working with toxic chemicals and will let his students have all the fun. Nevertheless, we’re praying daily for his safety!
Tanya – I have adapted fairly well to California. The first couple of months were calm and relaxing as we had few commitments and little to do but unpack boxes and entertain three kids. It was nice. But then it became boring so we got busy again with preschool groups and lessons and trips to the zoo. I keep myself busy nowadays by volunteering at Callie’s school and by acting as a room parent. I also babysit a few times a week and do the usual take care of a family of five kind of things. I recently was called to lead the nursery at church where we have lots of toddlers/preschoolers and I love it! My favorite things about California are affordable and delicious produce, a mild climate, the wonderful people who have befriended us, and the fact that I don’t have to have a baby to persuade family members to visit us! We were happy to have both our parents stay with us this year. Friends are welcome to visit, too! I also have to add that I loved visiting our families in Utah and West Virginia this year.
Callie’s big news of the year is that she started kindergarten! Callie is loving kindergarten and thriving. She has made many friends and loves her teacher, Ms. Francis. She still loves running, climbing, and playing, but she’s added coloring, drawing, and writing to her array of interests. She also loves transformers, dinosaurs, and dragons.
Alyssa has enjoyed making new friends, participating in a parent led preschool, and taking ballet and swimming lessons. She was sad to see Callie start school without her, and cried the whole way home and then some on the first day of school. But now she has recovered and is her usual cheerful self. She loves to color and loves to pretend she is different characters – usually a type of dinosaur or one of many transformers.
Haven’s big accomplishment is growth! She has changed so much over the course of the year! She’s mostly talks in sentences (although she’s still missing a lot of consonants, so Mom has to serve as interpreter), she learned to use the potty, and started nursery at church. She really wants to be a big girl like her big sisters. She loves her baby doll and totes it around with her often.
We miss you all and we are grateful for your love and friendship!
Happy Valentine’s Day
Love,
The Michaelis Family
