Another year is almost in the books. Yet again, we ran out of time on the Christmas cards! We have had such a busy, not so smooth, insane year that we didn't even have time to get family photos done.
As a photographer, you always feel that shooting your own family session will be a fantastic idea. The only way it is an optimal choice is if you keep taking long, slow breaths, you picture your children as someone else's kids, and your husband keeps a great sense of humor about the entire ordeal.
I can say that Joe was extremely patient and found himself grateful for time with his family instead of at work. He also found our ridiculousness hilarious. Aubrey only broke into tears once and stormed off screaming about how she didn't want to make a funny face for the pictures. I call that a success. <3
2019 has been a hard year for us all but we've had many bright moments that have blessed us and brought us joy. Owning a home continues to be a huge blessing; we enjoy caring for it and improving it together. Our front yard is almost where we would like it. Next year, we move on to the backyard. We have fabulous neighbors that we love dearly. We no longer have chickens but hope to again one day. Watching the kids grow at church throughout the year has been awesome. Gwen & Travis did great in this year's Primary Program. Watching Enoch, Travis, and Gwen perform in their school's winter concert was AMAZING. We traveled to Utah as a family for a mission farewell for Maddie and had a great time seeing so many family members.
We find ourselves turning our thoughts to our Savior Jesus Christ more and more every day and we feel blessed to have the chance to grow closer to Him. His atoning sacrifice has blessed us daily and we couldn't be more grateful.
We love & enjoy the Christmas season - it is filled with love, charity, kindness, and warmth. We hope you find yourselves blessed with joy & love this season and year round.
Merry Christmas & have a blessed New Year.
Aubrey (turning 4 in January) is our strong willed, sassy, spunky, creative, theatrical, vocal, beautiful, dramatic, intelligent, fashionable little caboose. She is always willing to take charge in any situation and has the courage & bravery of a seasoned military veteran. You most definitely want Aubrey fighting in your corner because if you cross her, you're doomed. She enjoys singing, dancing, drawing, cutting paper into tiny snow flakes, lipstick, lipgloss, chapstick, make up, Mom's shoes, Mom's clothes, Mom's purses, any type of jewelry, and cuddling. She will start preschool in the fall of 2020 and cannot wait. Her favorite pastime is "working" at the front desk of the kids' school with Ms Cordero.
Gwenevere (just turned 7) is growing up too fast! She is one of the taller kids in her 1st grade class. She is the perfect student, all of her teachers adore her and the example she sets for her classmates. She loves the routine of school, seeing her friends every day, drawing, braiding anyone's hair who will let her, practicing whistling, losing teeth (three!!), playing the piano, singing, dancing, reading like a pro, helping Mom cook, and learning any new skill she comes across. She is a beautiful, bright, infectious person to be around. She is also very goofy, stubborn, strong willed, gaining bravery & confidence every day. She LOVES soccer and enjoyed her season with her Soccer Shots team at school this winter. She is also obsessed with slime and is heartbroken every time her sister takes it and ruins some new item in the house with it.
Travis (turning 11 in March) took a break from long hair after growing it out for a year. He says he enjoys short hair because it is fuzzy, easy to clean, and doesn't require any styling on Sundays. He is also in 5th grade, digging on learning French, architecture design, math, and the new Minecraft club at school. He loves reading, playing Fornite with friends, building legos, collecting Pokemon cards, hanging out with friends, pestering his little sisters, watching movies, eating avocados, spending time with his big brother, and playing soccer. Travis is our kind, thoughtful kiddo who seeks equality for all when it personally affects him. He hears absolutely everything, even what he's not suppose to, which frustrates his Mom because she knows he's selective with that hearing when it comes to things she's asked him to do. Travis loves to laugh, is handsome, has the sweetest rootbeer colored eyes, and has mad skills at any board game.
Enoch (13 years old) is the best oldest kid any parent could ask for. He is sweet, kind, caring, loving, and gentle. He is also a typical teenager who has angry bursts, patience runs out quickly, sometimes smells like onions, and gets frustrated easily. So yes, he is human. We would have a hard time functioning without him though. He's such an easy kid, sometimes I worry that we're about to turn a corner and head back into the real world. Enoch loves to draw, dj'ing on his board, playing the piano, video games, and he's a fan of white sneakers. His favorite class in the 8th grade is science, he's great at math, and is currently getting 125% in his music class. He has played basketball on his school's team for two years and played flag football for the first time this year. He has loved both and he really enjoys hanging out with everyone on his team. He thinks his coaches are pretty cool too. Enoch is quickly gaining height on his Mom, shaving, and Mom sometimes confuses his voice with his Dad's. Its SO weird you guys!
Natalie (35) has been busy this year busing kids to and from school, serving in her ward's Young Womens, cooking, cleaning, doing laundry, volunteering at the kids' school, running her photography business, starting up this brand new blog (!!!!), attending girls camp, setting boundaries with Aubrey, watching all of her kids simultaneously break her heart & bring her joy as they grow up, attending field trips, taking four kids to wellness checks & dental appointments, keeping the kids clothed & fed, enjoying any free time with Joe she can get, and trying to keep up on daily yoga to keep her back functioning properly. She also enjoys sleeping in whenever she can.
Joe (37) works his tail off to support his family as a Framecad Estimator/Division Manager with Douglass Colony Group. He was just called as Elders Quorum President in our ward. He has recently discovered that he enjoys spray painting our retaining wall in the backyard and he's quite good at this thing called graffiti. He still loves playing the guitar & ukulele, singing (not in front of people), playing video games with his kids & the Davis boys, carrying out improvement projects at home, avoiding cleaning out the garage, and watching movies with his family. He also enjoys quality time with Natalie and would prefer that was his daily job (who wouldn't?). He can also make a killer steak.
