My Baby in the Springtime

Regional Conference

I LOVE the LDS church's conferences!  I look forward to the church's semi-annual General Conferences and semi-annual Stake Conferences.  I feel so uplifted and inspired to be a better person after each conference - even more than I do on a weekly basis at church.  It seems the speakers always know just what we all need to hear (almost like they're inspired!).

Today was Regional Conference for Davis and Morgan counties.  It was wonderful!  The speakers were Elder Ronald A. Rasband, Sister Julie B. Beck, Elder Robert D. Hales and President Henry B. Eyering - talk about a great lineup!  Sister Beck and President Eyering are two of my very favorites to listen to and the others were amazing as well.  I hope I can find this broadcast online because I really want to listen to them again.  I gain so much strength from listening to the authorities of our church.  I feel the Spirit testify to me of the truthfulness of the principles they teach and I feel true joy being surrounded by people who are also trying to become better each day.  I feel inspired to improve myself and to teach my family. 

I am sometimes tempted to skip a meeting now and then, but I have learned that the meetings that are the hardest to get to are always the ones I most need to hear.  So, when I am especially tempted to stay home I remind myself that Satan is probably working especially hard to keep me from going because it is going to be a really great meeting.  And so I try even harder to get there - it's always worth it!

P.S.  These meetings are open to anyone that wants to come. 

Spring = Sports

April and May are kind of crazy months for us because we have swimming, soccer and baseball.  Although I haven't yet posted pictures of Olivia playing soccer, she has been playing and I will post pictures of her soon.

Ashlie has been on the South Davis Aquatic Team's Tsunami swim team since September.  She has a swim meet almost once a month which we all enjoy attending.  Here she is, swimming the 100-meter 'freestyle'. 

While waiting for her next race, she hangs out with her teammates on the side of the pool.  Ashlie is the second to the left in this photo.

This year Ashlie has made tremendous progress on her dive into the pool. 

This meet was so hot and humid that we took Avery's shirt off so he would be a bit cooler.  You can see how pink his cheeks were from the heat.  Grandma and Grandpa Jackson rarely miss one of the kids' sporting events.  They are dedicated fans!

Alex began baseball again this month.  This is his third year playing baseball, but his first year in "machine pitch".  He did a great job in his first game and hit the second ball that came at him.  He's fun to watch because he really does know what he's doing. 

Here are Rob's parents, Joanne and Harv, with Olivia at Alex's first game:

Avery sat on Rob's lap through the entire first game.  Very uncharacteristic behavior for a 19-month old!

More Miscellaneous Pictures

The girls on the Jackson side of the family went to lunch at the Lion House.  We snapped a picture at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building.  We had a great time and ate super good food!  Left to right: Joanne (my mother-in-law), Olivia, Ashlie, me, Megan (my niece) and Christine (my sister-in-law).

My favorite thing to find my kids doing (except for cleaning their rooms!).  

Olivia is pictured above and Alex, below.

Children and their electronics!  My brother, Jon, on his lap top, Alex with his DS and Olivia with her Gameboy.  I guess every now and then they should have some time to zone out!

My dad took Ashlie, Olivia and Alex on a walk to Arctic Circle during spring break.  They had a great time and stopped at the elementary school, where he taught them to 'spiral' the football.  They all bonded and I enjoyed having a break from spring break.

Avery, enjoying the original Little People.  They're so much cooler than the new ones!

Olivia enjoyed her hair after she took out the "Princess Leah" buns atop her head.  This girl loves to be silly and having crazy hair helped unleash the silliness in her!

A Day at the Park

A Good Reminder...

“No pain that we suffer,

no trial that we experience is wasted.

It ministers to the development of such qualities as patience, faith, fortitude and humility.

All that we suffer and all that we endure,

especially when we endure it patiently,

builds up our characters,

purifies our hearts,

expands our souls,

and makes us more tender and charitable,

more worthy to be called the children of God…

and it is through sorrow and suffering,

toil and tribulation,

that we gain the education that we came here to acquire and which will make us more like our Father and Mother in heaven.” 

- Orson Whitney

A MUST Read

 I recently finished reading Reviving Ophelia: Saving the Selves of Adolescent Girls, by Mary Pipher, Ph.D.  It is a must-read for anyone with daughters.  I truly believe it should be passed out when they're born so you can read it 15 or so times before they become teenagers.  I STRONGLY encourage anyone in contact with girls - and more particularly my daughters - to read this book!  I wish all my girls' school teachers, Primary and Young Women leaders, aunts and uncles, grandparents and their friends' parents would read this book! 

I bought 2 extra copies so I could loan a couple out.  I could put you on my waiting list or you can find it at the library or on Amazon for about $4.00. 

A Bunch of Random Pictures

Avery mimics his siblings' behavior: here he is on the Wii Fit board, doing what he sees his brother and sister do.

Ashlie helps take care of Baby Max (my sister Aubrey's baby).  She is a natural with babies!

Olivia wanted to make lunch for everyone, Subway-style.  She called it "Subway-ish".

Alex lost his first two teeth in March.  Here he is after his first tooth came out.  His two new teeth were already poking through behind the two that came out!

Ashlie invented this Trashboard for her Invent America school project.  It is a piece of flexible plastic that attatches to one corner of the trash can.  The Trashboard the acts like a backboard and helps trash to make it into the wastebasket rather than fall onto the floor.  She did an amazing job and refused any offers for help with her display board.  I'm still using the prototype that she made for me to try out because it works so well.

My mom is always willing to cut hair when asked.  She is self-taught and does a great job.  This time Alex refused to get his hair cut unless Grandma Miller did it.

Avery just being cute!

People keep telling me that Avery is looking more and more like Alex.  What do you think?  This is Avery's first experience in a shopping cart car.  Now he points at them at the store and grunts, making it known that it's his preference.  Thanks, Jenn, for introducing him to those awful carts! 

I wait for Alex and Olivia to come out of school on the days I don't drive Ashlie's carpool.  Here Alex is, walking to the car after school one day.  The grumpy look on his face is there because he saw me pointing the camera at him.  He doesn't like to have his picture taken without prior permission being granted.

Ashlie's 5th grade class did a program called 'Across America'.  There was a wonderful sampling of songs and it was very well choreographed.  The performers did a wonderful job; it was one of the very best school programs I've seen.  Ashlie is pictured in the picture below, second to the right on the front row.

MORE Strep

The strep is spreading throughout the family, but all too slowly.  I wish we could just get it over with already.  Olivia's strep spread to Avery.  Then I contracted it, and now I'm certain Ashlie has it.  I hope Alex, Rob and my dad are able to avoid it, but if they're going to get it I wish they'd all get it at once and be done with it! 

I am so grateful for antibiotics, as I've seen the dramatic and quick turn-around in our health this week once antibiotics were taken.  Unfortunately, they've been hard to get.  I've always heard that once one person in a household got strep, the others should be able to get antibiotics without having to be seen by a doctor.  In addition to several doctor visit copays and prescription costs, Avery and I both had to be seen at InstaCare, so health costs will hit our pocketbook hard this month. 

On a positive note: There's nothing like being sick to make one grateful for one's health!

Added April 22: Rob did end up getting strep, in fact he also got a mild case of tonselitis!  He was in bed for several days, which is really unusual for him!