Dearest Friends and Family,
Emma is practicing her recorder in her bedroom (the walls
are not thick enough.) Ben is giving
Spencer a spelling test, “SWERVE…I swerve to miss a deer in the road.” Jasen is looking up airsofting gear on the
computer and asking my opinion about ACU’s verses BDU’s??? Michael is warming something up in the
microwave, even though dinner is cooking.
Overall, a pretty average evening at the Dawson house!
Our year has been a good one and we are happy to share some
of our highlights. They shouldn’t take
longer to get through than it will take for me to lose my patience with the
recorder! Enjoy!
Michael is a Senior this year. He has finally found a fondness in his heart
for Mountain View High School and he proudly struts his orange and maroon! He played soccer for the HS team during the
spring and enjoyed it immensely. He also
played soccer for a city league team this fall.
Both experiences proved to be beneficial in his quest towards soccer
perfection. He was moved, mid-term, from
his Spanish 3 class to an IB Spanish class and is still maintaining an A. In fact, all of his grades are fantastic. He has a sweet girlfriend and they enjoy
seeing each other on the weekends. This
year Michael has enjoyed, Prom, jumping bikes off of ramps into the lake, dancing
in a Dance Festival with 1,500 youth, The Great Gatsby, dressing up as a
zombie, a DC United game, apple picking, Homecoming, running fast, NYC, bro-nights,
a three day canoe trip, The Walking Dead and Lord of the Rings marathons.
Jasen is a Sophomore this year. His greatest achievement this year…he learned
to whistle! FINALLY!! He has 100% attendance in his early morning Seminary
class for the second year in a row! He
is doing great in school and has straight A’s (if you ignore Geometry). He is working with a personal trainer in
weight training and loves it! As the
tallest in the family he has just topped 6 ft.
He has created his own youtube webcast about airsofting. The ladies love him and he loves them back…but,
we still owe him $1,000. This year Jasen
has enjoyed a Polar Bear Plunge into the frozen lake, airsofting, Dance
Festival, a Zombie Apocalypse birthday party, airsofting, Call of Duty, DC
trips on the metro, Heather Jones, Sandy Relief Efforts in NY, airsofting, lake
parties, The Walking Dead and LOTS of church dances…with the ladies.
Emma is 10 and in the fifth grade. She just participated in the DARE program and
her essay was chosen to be read during the graduation. She competed in a choir competition with her
school and got to sing at King’s Dominion!
This fall she was picked to join her school’s drum ensemble and has
loved it. We all enjoyed her
concert. It was amazing how great they
sounded…no seriously. She played soccer
for the city league in both spring and fall and loved it! She had a super fun Makeover-Photo Shoot
birthday party. She spent countless
hours this summer playing at the lake.
This year Emma has enjoyed Jamestown, kayaking, neighborhood animals,
The Lost Hero, secret crushes, Activity Days (except not the knitting part),
skyping with cousins, Pokémon, date nights with Mom and Dad, Williamsburg and
Lord of the Rings with her brothers!
Spencer is 7 and in the 2nd grade. He is math wiz and loves studying about
different Native American tribes. He
loves to run and climb and we often find him in a tree, especially at
church. He played soccer this fall in a
city league and really enjoyed it. He
scored in nearly every game! He spends a
large majority of his free time building with Legos or drawing. His creations
are always very entertaining. He has
become an excellent swimmer and has even considered joining a swim team this
spring. He loves to do all kinds of
silly and wild dives off of the dock into the lake. This year Spencer has enjoyed rescuing
turtles, fireworks, jumping his bike off of ramps, pogo stick-ing, making new
friends, dancing, playing the Wii, helping Mom cook, hitting things with
sticks, loosing teeth, staying up late, playing in the bath tub and hanging out with family.
Ben is a Sophomore this year. You heard me correctly, Ben is
back in school. College has been a fun
addition to his already full schedule.
He has completed two English classes, one Algebra class, one Anatomy and
Physiology class and one College Prep class so far this fall. His grades are excellent! He spent a couple
of weeks travelling with work to Afghanistan, Japan, Hawaii and the Carolinas. He was the assistant coach to Spencer’s
soccer team. He is in the Elder’s Quorum
Presidency and enjoys driving a car load of kids to Seminary every
morning. He still enjoys working on
Quantico, helping Marines find the jobs of their dreams. He is still a happy guy who loves his wife
and kids! This year Ben enjoyed long
runs, fishing at the lake, laughing with kids, Alphabet Dates, New York
disaster relief and the Dresden Files.
Andrea started a new job working in an elementary
school. She spends time in classrooms
and library but the majority of her time is spent in the cafeteria during
lunch. She is an expert Go-gurt
opener!! She went to Girls Camp as the
ward camp director and fell in love with the girls of her ward. They still come over to the house to “hang
out” even if the boys aren’t home. She
also works in the Relief Society Presidency and loves planning parties and
activities. She planted a fun and
successful “salsa garden” last spring and even canned some salsa. This year Andrea enjoyed watching soccer
games, listening to shower singers, driving with teenagers, books on tape, dating
her sweetheart and electricity!
You are already in a blessed group for even considering reading
this Christmas letter. Our year has been
a happy one and we have seen many blessings in our lives, not the least of
which are good friends and loved ones.
Thank you for being a part of our happiness!
Much love and the Merriest of Christmas wishes,
Ben, Andrea, Michael, Jasen, Emma and Spencer
