Flying Into Year 7 Be Like.....

Flying into Year 7 like....

Wow!  Graeme's 6th year was a busy one!  A little less travel, a few more milestones and boom!  Here we are at his 7th Birthday!

Flying only 30,000 miles this year, Graeme managed to visit 5 Countries while adding 2 new ones to his list: Taiwan and Maledives.  This brings his total up to 18 countries visited in his 6 short years.  That just blows our minds.

Lots of Change for Graeme this year....starting off with welcoming his baby brother, Seth, into the family!  Hanging around home during the Tet Holiday waiting for his arrival and getting to spend time with Nan and Poppy who came for the birth.  It is obvious Graeme loves his little brother but he does give him a run for his money...oh just wait Graeme, paybacks are coming once he grows a bit ;)

Entering 1st Grade this year was exciting!  Having an awesome teacher, Mr. Lee, Graeme is working hard on reading, writing, and math.  His favorite is Math and he works really hard on his reading, reaching Level I so far - where you need to be for 2nd Grade.  

So far they have had Super Units involving Target Practice and Fun in the Sun - where they got to go rock climbing and invent tools to help the people who work outside at the school.

A bonus is having his good buddy, Minh, in his class with him this year!

Along the way this year, Graeme managed to lose 5 teeth!  Adding the one from last year that hasn't grown back in yet makes it 6!  We are not sure how he does it, but he has not slowed down his eating habits at all because of this....

We did manage to sneak a few trips in to the beach here in Vietnam this year....once with Aunt Donna as she visitied to help with the baby and also to celebrate a birthday weekend with friends.  Always great when you can get out of the city for some beach and pool time!

Our trips this year themed around getting outdoors.  City life in Ho Chi Minh has gotten a bit smoggy lately so we have been trying to take advantage of getting outside when we can.  Traveling to Taiwan we visited Taroko Gorge which was stunningly beautiful and full of hikes and clean air.  Then visiting Huraa Island in the Maldives was a trip of a lifetime.  So much sea life and island fun to be had! (Full write ups in the next blog).  Here Graeme took to the ocean conquering open ocean snorkeling and checking out reef sharks, sea turtles and sting rays!

This summer saw Graeme also getting into the outdoors more often....playing on the hill behind Mimi and Pops house, catching his first fish in Erskine Lake (off same dock his cousin Noah caught his first fish) or getting on the river with Nan and Poppy in Jenner.....

A jam packed year for sure!  So what is in store for this 7 year old?  I would guess more lost teeth, more growth at school (and in height!) as well, staring in August Graeme will be living on his 3rd different continent.  That's right, we are moving to Budapest, Hungary in August.  I will get into more details later, but Erin took a job at the American International School of Budapest, so starting in August we will be living in Europe!  Graeme was integral in the process and decision making for this move.  He has been requesting to see what all 4 seasons are like and to get outside more often.  Well, there are 4 seasons there as well the school is set in a forest about 1/2 hour outside the city, allowing for lots of outdoor time (and snow!).

So let's all congratulate this global warrior on his 7th Birthday and look forward to what he brings to us in the year to come!

Happy Birthday Graeme Robert Hawken!  (and Poppy!)

Hoa Binh,
The Hawken's in HCMC
#thetaoofgraeme