On behalf of this segment of the Morgan family, we send our warmest wishes to all of you for a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. We hope this letter finds you all healthy, happy, and enjoying the festivities of the season. As always, we like to take this time to reflect on the year gone by, and look forward to the year ahead. 2009 proved to be a very challenging year for many families, and we hope from the bottom of our hearts that 2010 proves to be a wonderful year for all of you, who make each year of our lives so special.
This year Gavin reached a major milestone in his life, one which Lacey and I are still somewhat in awe of. This year Gavin turned six, and this meant the start of 5 day a week school, in kindergarten! Gavin embraced the change with open arms, welcoming the challenge with arms wide open. He absolutely loves school, his teacher, his classmates, and being big enough to ride the bus to and from school each day. He really feels like a big man these days, and likes to prove it to his little sisters by reading them stories at bedtime each night. He really has morphed from a little boy to a little man, taking great pride in doing homework, practicing his reading, and making sure he looks handsome each day before heading to the bus. Gavin played his first season of flag football this year, and absolutely loved it. He also enjoys playing tennis, riding his big boy bike with no training wheels, and playing with all his friends. Even with all this maturing, Gavin has maintained his sweet nature, always looking out for the welfare of others, and being as sweet and loving as possible. We could not be more proud of the boy he is, and how much fun and love he adds to our lives.
Ellie has had a big year as well. She turned four this year, and continues to flourish in her preschool as well as ballet and tap. She is still pretty small for her age, but what she lacks in size she makes up for in determination and personality. She tries as hard as possible to keep up with her big brother, trying to read and “help” him with his homework at night. Ellie is the artsy one in the family, spending as much time as possible coloring pictures, playing with sticker books and molding play dough sculptures for us. She also enjoys playing outside with her friends, playing tennis, and riding her razor scooter around the neighborhood. Ellie is a wonderful sister to both Hadley and Gavin, and her smile and warm personality light up our home. She still adores Taylor Swift, and even went to see her this year in concert at the Rodeo. The older she gets, the more she looks like her mommy, which is a wonderful trait to have. We are very proud of the way she continues to mature and blossom, and simply cannot get enough of her.
In 2009 Hadley went from being a little baby we toted around and doted on, to a beautiful little girl determined to carve out her own niche in the family. Hadley is wise beyond her years, and very independent. She takes her cues from Gavin and Ellie, and tries her best to mimic their words and actions. She absolutely loves to go to school, play with baby dolls, and takes great pride in making sure they are fed, burped and wearing a clean diaper. It is amazing how much she has blossomed over the last year, speaking in clear words and even sentences at times. She too has become a big fan of music as well, particularly Taylor Swift. It is really something to watch her dance around the living room on Saturday mornings to Taylor Swift videos and singing along with the words. For a girl her age she sings fairly well, and manages to dance in rhythm much better than her old dad. She must have gotten those genes from mommy, and hopefully for her sake she will grow up to look like mommy too. She melts our hearts, and makes all of us laugh with her funny antics and sense of humor. She has been a wonderful addition to our family, and we cannot wait to see what the future holds for her as well.
Needless to say, with three kids six and under Lacey has had another busy year. She is currently the room mom for Gavin’s class, and spends time volunteering at the girl’s school as well when needed. She remains an active blogger, and an accomplished stock trader. Even as our family’s schedule grows more hectic, Lacey manages to take it all in stride and makes sure everyone is where they need to be, when they need to be, and well prepared for whatever they are doing. Her selfless dedication to our family is reflected in the wonderful children we are proud to call ours. Somehow in the middle of all of this, Lacey trained for and completed the Houston half marathon this year, which made us all extremely proud. We are extremely thankful that Lacey continues to provide the perfect role model for our girls to look up to, and for Gavin and I to admire and be thankful for. We certainly could not wish or ask for more than she provides, and are so grateful to have her in our lives.
We are extremely blessed to have been able to vacation once again in Destin this year, at what we like to refer to as our “dream” home away from home. The kids talk about that trip for about 364 days leading up to it, and once again it surpassed our expectations. We are already talking about and planning our next adventure down there, and cannot wait to make more memories that will last a lifetime. It seems our lives these days create a new memory of something special on a nearly daily basis, and we are extremely thankful and appreciative for the life we have. We cannot tell you each enough how much your friendship and support mean to us, and just how much joy that adds to our lives.
After a tumultuous 2009, we hope that each of you take the time this holiday season to reflect on the things that matter most in life, which to us is our family and friends. I know we probably do not convey it enough, but we are extremely grateful to have all of you in our lives. We sincerely hope that 2010 is a wonderful year for you and your family, with continued prosperity, health and happiness.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year,
The Morgan Family
