Happy Holidays 2009

Merry Christmas

Season's greetings to you all from Washington. It's hard to believe next year we won't be "from Washington". Nearly five years have come and gone and in a few short months it will be time for our family to say good-bye to the Pacific Northwest. We have grown to love Washington and all the beauty our family has enjoyed here, but we are anxious and very excited to go explore new places and gain new experiences.

Come June, Joe will finish his residency in Head and Neck surgery and we will be on to the next stage of life: payback, After years of enjoying Army perks and benefits for the past nine years, it's time we pay back our debt by working for the military for four more years. Where will we be working our debt off exactly? That seems to be the million dollar question. In true military fashion, we have yet to be told where we will be moving. Some of us pray for it to be a place with a good practice {Joe}, some pray for it to be a place with lots of new friends and a pink house with stairs {the girls}, and some simply pray for it not to be a place {or ghetto} in the deep south {me}. Wherever it may be though, we are grateful for the bountiful blessings we have received so far and are proud to be a part of the military.

This past year we were also blessed with the birth of our son Henry James in March. What a joy it has been to have such an angel among our midst. He is the perfect addition to our family and we all couldn't possibly be more smitten. He already knows he's the king of the house during the day and loves all the attention the girls and I give him. He flatters the girls by crawling into their doll cradles, sitting patiently in their doll strollers to be pushed around the house, and allowing the girls to try and swaddle him. We love his bright blue eyes and infectious smile. Like we've said in the past, we're definitely keeping him.

Our baby girl Gwen is now three and is officially a "big girl" who can do everything by herself. She's our one that keeps us laughing with the things she says and does. We often find her being a "mean " kitty or "swimming" {army crawling} around the house as a mermaid. She loves chocolate milk and helping her daddy in the kitchen on Saturday mornings for traditional crepes or malted waffles. She's passionate {stubborn}, spirited {feisty} and could use to be a bit more honest {she's a liar}. We could not imagine Gwen any different and love her exactly the way she is. She's eager to learn and always asks when she gets to go to school and be a sunbeam. Watch out for this one, she's going places! You'll see.

And how can it be? Gabriella, our little girl, is now five. She has embraced big-sisterdom and manages it like a champ. She loves anything Henry. Feeding Henry, holding Henry, tickling Henry, hugging Henry, kissing Henry, locking Henry in rooms so he'll stop messing with her toys, etc... She's going to be a great mother one day. She truly loves Gwen and Henry more than anything. She started preschool three days a week and has excelled. Her teachers tell me she "always makes good choices." She loves being helpful and making other laugh. Still as girly as ever and is obsessed with wearing a dress everyday, getting her finger nails painted, wearing sparkly lip gloss and having to have the pink cup, bowl, fork, plate, or spoon...heaven forbid Gwen gets to the table first and she sits by the pink dishes. Gabs is simply a delight...except in regards to the whole sharing of pink thing. Otherwise, she is a total joy!

As for Joe and me, we think often of our family and friends far away and are grateful for the love and support we feel. We are blessed with a happy and healthy family and are continually aware of the ultimate blessing of our Savior Jesus Christ and His atoning sacrifice for each of us. We hope your family is happy and healthy as well.

Love,

The Chiara Family

Joseph. Jamie. Gabriella. Gwyneth. Henry