Christmas Letter 2018

Hello family and friends,

Merry Christmas from the Haists in St. Louis! ‘Tis the season for Christmas cards, life updates, and fun pictures, so we thought we’d fill you in on some of what’s happening in our neck of the woods.

Eden's first ballet recital - Nov. 2018

Eden Grace is 3.5 years old. This year, she started preschool at South City Community School (the school I teach at)! She has a very lively class of 9 three-year-olds and a very saintly teacher named Mrs. Smart. It’s been a hard adjustment for her, but she’s settling in, and we’re so proud of how she’s grown this year. She loves “wiggle time” (because she gets to dance), but, so far, her favorite part of the school year has been reading the story of Peter and The Wolf and listening to the composition by Sergei Prokofiev. We’ve spent many (many!) hours dancing and reenacting our favorite scenes at home! Eden also enjoys French and learning poems at school. One big accomplishment: she can write her name! She’s still taking a ballet class, and had her very first recital last month. We are so proud of her kind heart, her willingness to try hard things, and the incredibly patient big sister she is to Chloe.

Chloe 1.5yrs old

Chloe is almost 2 years old (February 7th), and her language is bursting! She’s talking up a storm and gets pretty frustrated when we can’t figure out what she’s saying. Lately, her favorite phrase is “Me! Eat! Now!” (which makes a lot of sense based on who her parents are). She keeps us laughing every day, and sanctifies us in ways we didn’t know we needed sanctifying. Chloe has a great sense of humor, and loves her baby dolls, ducks, owls, cats, and monkeys. She’s a bookworm like her sister (which makes this teacher mom so proud!), usually prefers cheese to dessert, and the girl can eat hummus like she’s chugging water. She HATES the car, but  loves playing outside. Oh, and she has an epic/amazing head of hair. Big accomplishment for Chloe: at 19 months old, SHE STARTED SLEEPING THROUGH THE NIGHT!!!!! Praise Jesus! Chloe goes to childcare at school and ADORES her teacher Ms. Elisabeth.

Ethel learns her lesson the hard way. 

Ethel continues to be the most patient dog on the planet. One of her most recent adventures involved staying in Eden’s room during “quiet play time,” which somehow resulted in Ethel wearing a dress. Honestly though, she didn’t seem to mind. Ethel doesn’t get nearly enough fanfare these days, but really: we’re thankful for her presence, and the girls constantly remind her how much they love her (which might be a little too much).

Sam and I will celebrate 9 years of marriage in July and 13 years together. Marriage isn’t always easy (especially in this season of teaching, ministry, and crazy young kiddos), but we’re still pretty smitten, and the Lord has been kind to give daily grace and energy to love each other well :)

I’m in my 8th year teaching first grade at South City Community School. I have the sweetest class, and for that I am thankful. Last school year was a real challenge in lots of ways, but now that I’m sleeping and found an amazing therapist, I feel like a new person! Sam continues to serve faithfully at South City Church, and even got a new title in June when the congregation voted to change his call from “Assistant” to “Associate” Pastor. His actual job didn’t change much, but that’s Presbyterian lingo for “more complicated to fire” ;) Ministry can easily become all-consuming, but we’ve been figuring out the balance of church and home life, and learning to set aside sweet time for our family. Every Tuesday, Sam and the girls have “daddy daughter day” on his day off, which has been a real treat. So far, adventures include: the zoo, the science center, the arch, and pretty much every playground in the city.

Our new home! 

Big news from the Haist family includes buying our first home at the end of May! We’re still pretty blown away that this was able to happen, and we are very, very thankful for the Lord’s unexpected provision. The townhouse is in a neighborhood called Benton Park West, which is about a mile from church, two miles from my school, with a number of friends within walking distance! We’ve already made connections with a number of neighbors on our block, and we absolutely love living so close to Benton Park and Cherokee Street (home of the best Mexican food in the city).

15 weeks with baby #3! 

Perhaps the biggest news is finding out WE’RE HAVING ANOTHER BABY!!! Baby #3 will make his or her debut sometime on or around June 10, and if you happen to know any wealthy benefactors who might want to gift us a minivan, we wouldn’t say no :) The story Jesus seems to be writing for our family is so much better than our own. In our years of infertility, we didn’t think we’d ever say “surprise baby,” but here we are! We’re absolutely thrilled, and can’t wait to meet this little one. Right now, Chloe just wants to kiss my belly and sing “jingle bells” to baby, which is either really cute or highly inappropriate depending on where we are.

This might surprise you, but I’ve been weepy mess this season (already an emotional person -- add pregnancy… just, wow). Our hearts grieve with dear friends who weep this season. For the sadness and pain that sin brings into our lives. For the burdens we carry with friends, family, brothers, and sisters. Yet, God is kind. Advent and Christmas bring a “thrill of hope,” as we take this time to remember the promises of Jesus. Our weary world rejoices at the dawn of God’s new day. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and from his fullness, we have received grace upon grace. Jesus loves you, and so do we.

Merry Christmas,

Katelyn, Sam, Eden, and Chloe