Dear Family and Friends,
It feels like I just mailed off last year's Christmas letter and here I am writing another one! Last year we had so much news to share with you - a new baby, a new job, a new home, and all the transitions that accompany these milestones. This year has been less eventful. We have had time to catch our breath and settle into this phase of our lives.
Our family has settled into our house, and it feels more and more like home all the time. We spent much of our summer in the yard, making what seemed to a small amount of progress. We laid sod in October, just two days before the first snowfall. In many ways, winter has been a welcome relief - no yard work for a few months! We love our neighborhood and ward, and are so happy to be raising our family here. The highlight of our year was our family vacation. We really needed to get away, and our trip could not have turned our any better than it did. We spent a few days in St. George and went on several small hikes in Zion National Park. We then drove to San Diego and laid on the beach for four days straight. The weather was beautiful (hot and not a could in the sky), our motel was right on the sand, and our favorite donut shop in the world was only five minutes away - what more can I say? It was by far the most restful vacation our family has been on. We came home tan, happy and ready to dive back into our busy lives.
Cameron is settling into his job at Stoel Rives. He completed his first official year and is now a second-year associate. His job has required him to work long hours on many days, but he was somehow able to escape for a week-long fishing trip to Alaska with my dad and brothers and our brother-in-law. They had a wonderful time, especially fishing for halibut. They shipped four large boxes of halibut filets home and we still have a freezer full! He is still serving as the high priest group leader in our ward and is doing his best to keep up with the calling. He is a busy man, but still finds time to be a great husband and father to our family.
I guess you could say I am settling into being a mother of three. I still try to avoid taking all of them on errands, but we have figured out a pretty good routine that works most of the time. It almost makes me laugh to think that I felt motherhood was sometimes overwhelming when I had just one little one. As the years roll by, I find that more and more of my time, energy and life are wrapped up in my children. The years will fly, and they will be grown and gone before I know it, so I am doing my best to love them "to the moon and back," and enjoy each day with them. I am working as a dental hygienist two days a month - just enough to keep up on my skills take a small break from everyday life. I was also recently called as the primary secretary - a great calling for me because it requires organization, which comes naturally, and is "behind the scenes," where I am most comfortable.
Our children have settled into new schools and new friendships without any difficulty. Austin loves second grade and is currently planning to be a scientist when he grows up. His teacher requires him to read 20 minutes every night, which is never a problem with him. In fact, we have a hard time getting him to turn off the light and stop reading, sometimes as much as two-and-a-half hours past bed time. He is currently reading the Harry Potter series at record pace because we told him we would only buy the movies if he first reads the books.
Ashleigh is growing taller every day and is a ray of sunshine in our home. She is my best "helper," always wanting to make her bed, clean the house with me, or take care of Hayden. She loves to go to preschool and is constantly asking me how many days she has left until she gets to ride the bus with Austin and go to kindergarten. She is quickly learning her letters and now knows how to writer her name. She loves to draw pictures and always wants to give them away to someone she loves.
Hayden has more energy than any three children I know. He has a battery that never quits! He is always on the move, usually getting into something that is off limits. He is a very happy child and so much fun to raise. He recently announced his first word, "Ash!," as he stood at the top of the stairs and yelled to see if his big sister was playing in the basement. He loves to be chased around the house and especially loves to get in on wrestling matches with Dad and the big kids.
We continue to be blessed beyond measure, most especially with loved ones near and far. How thankful we are that a loving Heavenly Father has seen fit to cross our path with yours. We feel deep gratitude for His Son, the baby born in Bethlehem, who grew to be our Savior and Redeemer. Through Him, we know that the ties that bind us together can last beyond this life and into the next. There is no greater gift than this! We send our love to each of you and wish you much happiness in the year to come.
Merry Christmas!
Cameron, Amy, Austin, Ashleigh and Hayden Sabin
