Saturday, December 12, 2009

A Year of Learning for the Lewis Family

This year has been a year of learning for the Lewis Family.
We have all been involved in new learning experiences and are grateful for the growth that we have seen in our young family.

Ashlyn-Turned 1 on November 29th. Hence, the reason we didn't send out a Christmas card last year! Ashlyn learned to walk at 9 months. She also learned how to laugh, smile, wave bye bye, play peek a boo, eat solids, and RUN. She has also learned how to find a mess in each room, which we are grateful for and we are all learning patience from it. She is a joy to our family, and it's not hard to learn how to love her.
(3 month olds;Ashlyn was our sweet Valentine)

Malin William- turns 3 on January 29th! Malin learned how to wear "big boys" and is officially toilet trained. He is learning in Preschool with his cousins Emma and Carson, and also goes to Preschool with "teacher Leah" and learns so much from her. He has learned to love his Boxer dog Hollis and also learned how to teach her to sit and stay. He learned how to "shoot the bears" with his stick gun and he has learned to play imagination. What a fun stage. Being the only boy in the family, everything he does is so new for us. We are learning that boys are a lot more mellow than girls :) He learned how to get dressed all by himself this year as well. Malin LOVED doing sports class with his cousins Emma and Carson. He learned soccer, t-ball and basketball. Malin love the movie Incredibles and could watch it over and over again if his mommy let him! He is learning all silly lines from the movie. Our little Malin is a rough and tough boy and we are so grateful he is in our family!! (Malin on his 2 year old b-day with his bday gifts)

Aubrey-Turned 5 years old on November 14th! We prayed on whether we should put her in school because of her age, but she started Kindergarten this year and she is learning fast!! She has 10 spelling words every week, and she is learning to get her homework done SO fast right when she gets home. She is so blessed to have a great teacher, Mrs. Voyles, who makes learning fun! She has made some great friends in her class and is always making love notes to take to them. Aubrey is very creative and is learning how to make beautiful creations with any type of paper or object . Aubrey took Ballet class and Jazz class with her sister Savannah and good friends Netalia and Maleah, and she learned how to dance so pretty. She is learning how to ride her bike without training wheels and loves bike rides! Aubrey had fun learning how to plant a garden at our Stake Garden plot and she was SO excited to go find all the new vegetables waiting for us to pick.
(Aubrey with her Kindergarten friends at the Fall Festival)
Savannah- Turns 7 on March 3. She is our brainiac in 1st grade! She just recently learned a love for reading and wants chapter books so bad. She and Aubrey both go to a Legacy Traditional, a charter school. We are very happy with it. It's a great learning environment and very disciplined. She has 30 spelling words every week, and works so hard at getting them all right and learning the right spellings. She loves when mommy comes to volunteer in her and Aubrey's classroom once a week. She is learning that to have friends, you have to be a friend. And she really takes that concept to heart. Savannah learned ballet this year and she loves to dance! She's got the moves!!
She learned how to ride a bike without training wheels, and also love bike rides!
Savannah started piano lessons officially with her Aunt Esther and is learning so much! She loves to practice!
Savannah learned how to play soccer on a team during the spring. She enjoyed, but decided it's a little too rough for her:)
She is learning so many new things at church and constantly has questions about gospel topics which bring up many great teaching experiences. We can't believe our first born will be baptized in a little over a year!
Savannah gets excited about learning new scripture passages and memorizing them.
(Savannah was Fancy Nancy for Halloween, and she got to ride a horse at the school fall festival) (Savannah made it to the top, on our MLK annual hike)

Sarah(The Mom)- Sarah is learning everyday how to be a better mom. She is learning that she can't do everything, although she would like to, and often has to re-prioritize. Sarah is learning how to manage 20 piano students that come to her house every week. She is also learning online, after the kids go bed, where she is working towards her Bachelors in Psychology from Univ of Phoenix. The Psychology field is helping Sarah learn how to understand people and how they function, and specifically how to help her children and husband. Sarah learned how to be a Triathlete this year. She completed the Tri CommunityTri in the beautiful Gila valley and then improved her finish time in the Desert Grande Triathlon in Casa Grande. She is learning that exercise is necessary for her sanity. She enjoyed learning how to play the organ while she was the Ward Organist earlier in the year , and recently has relearned how to be "cheesy" in her new calling as the Children's Primary Chorister. She is learning that yard sales have the best deals. She is learning that life is beautiful and hard all at the same time and that Christ should be at the center of all that we do.
(Biking hard during the second Triathlon) (5 generation picture!)
Malin Warren(Dad)- Our Dad is busy , busy. He is learning in his Masters Degree and has 6 classes left!! Yeah!!! He is a great daddy and is learning of fun ways to entertain 4 energetic children. He always has a new trick up his sleeve. He enjoys learning from the scriptures as he studies his lessons to teach the priest in the Maricopa 4th Ward. He is learning that watching football with his boy is very relaxing! Malin learned how to build a chicken coop! He surprised the kids with 7 baby chicks back in January and we had fun watching them grow big and start laying eggs. Unfortunately, they didn't mix well with our dog, and you can guess who won that battle! Through our family scripture study and prayer, Daddy always finds opportunity to bare his testimony of the Savior Jesus Christ.





(Dad and his completed chicken coop)










2 comments:

  1. It was so fun to read and catch up on your lives! What a busy but fun life you guys are having in AZ! WE LOVE YOU! Merry Christmas
    (ps. this is Meredith, Malin's cousin!)

    ReplyDelete
  2. What a fun idea for a Christmas newsletter!! Sarah, you & Malin never cease to amaze me with how dedicated you are to each other, your little (getting BIG now!:) family and continuing to improve yourselves! Thank you for that example. You make me want to be a better person. Merry Christmas!!!

    ReplyDelete