America has voted, and the results are in. The WINNERS of the Leininger Family Awards for 2011 are as follows…
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The award for DEDICATION goes to…JON!
This year Jon has shown immense dedication as he woke up in the 5 o’clock hour nearly every day to work on his masters degree in Systems Engineering, then head to his full-time job at Lockheed Martin, sometimes commuting to DC, returned home to have dinner, play with his girls, help put them to bed, and then continued to study, often late into the night. His dedication paid off, and in November, he completed his degree from Johns Hopkins University! He continues to show his dedication to God, his family, and his job, as he serves with the young men at church, makes time to help around the house and hold regular dance parties with the girls, and work hard at his job every day.
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The award for BRAVERY goes to…SARAH!
Sarah has been brave in 2011, doing many scary things like grocery shopping with two small children, potty training Olivia, sleep training Anna, tackling New York City with both girls by herself, and flying across the country with both girls, also by herself! She also showed bravery by entering the frightening world of counting calories, giving up sugar for two months, and running regularly with the girls and family’s newest addition, BOB (our super-fab double jogging stroller). It paid off, as she shed all the baby weight and then some!
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The award for INDEPENDENCE goes to…OLIVIA!
Olivia (2.5 years) has declared herself independent this year as she has learned to use the potty, dress herself, and even mastered getting into and zipping up footy pajamas without help! She is so independent, that if someone helps even a tiny bit with a task she is trying to complete, she will start over. From the very beginning. She can feed herself, set the table, call people on the phone, and talk in sentences. She also loves to open Anna’s bedroom door when she wakes up, to greet her with an enthusiastic “Hiiiiiiii, Anna Boo!” In addition to her fierce demonstration of independence this year, Olivia loves to collect rocks, wear “pretty skirts”, dance and sing, play with “choo-choo trains”, and be with friends. She enjoys her nursery class at church, but desperately wants to join the bigger kids in Primary.
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The award for GROWTH goes to…ANNA!
Anna (one year on 12/28) has shown tremendous growth this year! Besides more than tripling in body weight, she has gone from a milk-only diet to eating table foods, is sleeping through the night (mostly), loves babbling and making talking sounds, and has gone from completely helpless, floppy baby to rolling, sitting, crawling, and most recently, walking! She has grown a head of hair, her eyes finally decided on hazel, and she has three little teeth with plenty more on the way. She wants to be big like her sister, and loves to play with baby dolls, put on necklaces, and sit on the potty seat. She has changed more this year than anyone else in the family, and will probably never change this much again in a 12 month period.
Congratulations to the winners, and thanks for tuning in to the Leininger Family Awards, 2011! We would like to remind you that the Leiningers hope you and yours are enjoying this sacred celebration of Christ’s birth, and send their love.
Merry Christmas!
