If we could pick one phrase to sum up 2009, we think ‘beautiful challenge’ would be a pretty close fit. This year has been incredibly exciting for us as we welcomed Joseph Kainoa into the family on April 8th. Raising Kai has been a challenge, but it has made us stronger and happier in ways we could have never predicted. Kai is now 9 months old and is highly mobile, agile and (occasionally) hostile as he continually challenges our attempts to “Kai-proof” the house. The arrival of Kai has had the immediate (and possibly long-term) effect of making Jack nearly irrelevant, as Daniela and the baby are the targets for all incoming packages, phone calls and emails. Prior to the birth, we re-located to an idyllic valley setting in Honolulu, where despite being only 5 minutes from downtown we have feral chickens and pigs invading the yard to eat fallen mangos. Our border collie Ozzie and cat Lele have a lot of fun playing in the jungle behind our house. Daniela graduated with her Masters in Public Health from the University of Hawaii in May of this year and now works as a project director for teenage substance abuse programs in the City and County of Honolulu. Jack is in his fourth year in his program, working on his dissertation on the historical ecology of Hawaiian coral reefs. He has set his graduation date for completion of his PhD in the Spring 2010 and is applying for positions far and wide. We’ve had the great fortune this year of enjoying multiple visits from friends and family and we’re spending the holiday with the entire Spoto clan in Hawaii. We wish you all the best for the upcoming year and will keep updating our family blog (www.jkittinger.blogspot.com).
Happy Holidays, The Kittingers
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| From Danielacks |
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