May Newsletter

Mom and Dad Say

Hello everyone--When Jayna put the reminder up I got my calendar out to see what has happened. I went up to Belknap Springs with Aunt Sandy and Grandma on May third (Jayna's happy birthday). We spent the night and had a good time. Then the 10th we went to Portland to take grandma to see Daniel O'Donnell, the singer from Ireland. We stayed in the hotel on the river right downtown. I'm so glad we went- first mothers day I had spent with mom in a long time. The rest of the month has been a blur of doctors appointments and tests and medicine adjustments. I think that will be the story for June as well. Dad got a new chair called the Beast because it is so big ! At least he can get out of it. That was his happy birthday and will be fathers day as well. The weather has been cold but my tomatoes are doing very well. Eralee told me to plant in black wastebaskets and place them by the house to hold the heat. I have mostly left them in the storage shed and have discovered it is almost as good as a green house. Haven't seen any bees though. We also got a garage door opener so dad can go out that way. What luxury! Forgot to say that dad and I went to Eugene to a track meet and who should appear but Barack Obama. He played the crowd and then left as he was speaking some place else on campus. I have a book I call my "First Aid Journal" My personal Collection of Uplifting and Healing Quotes. Here is one of them-"A father is neither an anchor to hold us back nor a sail to take us there, but always a guiding light whose love shows us the way." Kay Andrews Know that you are loved. Love mom


Laura and Nathan Say

Our month of May started out with Jump Rope for Heart. Both Sarah and Andrew participated and had a really fun time. They asked both grandparents to pledge them and helped their school reach a total of $14,000 to donate to the American Heart Association. Spencer went with his preschool friends to the Boise Zoo and had a great time!! Benjamin and Mom tagged along with and had fun, too! Nathan had a resident/family BBQ one Sat. at Hillcrest. That was also the same day of Andrew's last soccer game and his teams family BBQ. Andrew had a great season in soccer and wish it had been longer! I had a wonderful Mother's day. I was spoiled with many gifts and didn't have to make a meal all day - yeah!!! Andrew was excited to get his cast off, but needed to wear a brace for a couple more weeks. He is slowly rebuilding his muscles in his arm! He got his cast off the day before the Cup Stacking Tournament. Please read our blog for more news on how well they did!! http://www.fourcutekids.blogspot.com/ Sarah has a piano recital the end of May and did SO well - we were so proud of her. That was also the night I dropped my debit card at a gas station and was called at 12:30 am two nights later from a cop that had pulled someone over who had my debit card. It was a miracle that the lady hadn't used it. May ended with Andrew's graduation from Kindergarten and the last day of school carnival. Both were a great way to end a super year of school!! We were happy to celebrate Jayna's and Dad's birthday even though we could only visit with them on the phone!!!! Happiest of Birthdays!!!!!!!!We love you all and can't wait to see you in less than a month!!!!!!!!
Nathan, Laura & Four Cute Kids


Ryan and Jayna Say

May is my favorite month for obvious reasons.. of course. Happy Birthday to me and Dad too of course! It was ok turning 29 but I am sad to see the 20's at an end...it was a really fun decade.

I will list some of our activities for the month...because I am lazy like that.
-Birthday dinner at Tucanos and food storage from Ryan.
-Kennedy got baptized on my birthday, and I got to speak!

-Visit from Jake and Amy
-Birthday for Grandma Jane...85!
-Memorial Day Weekend
-Mothers Day/New Bike

Biggest event of all! A heart beat!

What a cute Lima Bean. Hopefully next ultrasound it will look more, um well, human. Thanks for all of your love and support, we love you all very much!

Love,

Jayna and Ryan

April Newsletter

Mom and Dad Say...

The month of April kept us busy with doctor appointments for David and dentist appointments for both of us. My dentist's little girl drowned at the family home so my visit to his office was very somber. I just had my teeth cleaned as he has not come back to work. Such a sad time. Ryan gave us all quite a scare with his "spectacular" bike wreck. We are so glad there were angels there to carry him and place him down gently. As gently as possible. Glad you are a quick healer! The weather was cold so I didn't get any or much yard work done. But that should change soon.Have plans to plant a garden--wish Jayna and Ryan were here to advise me since they have already started on theirs.Am looking forward to hearing about everyone.Know that you are loved.

Mom

Angie and Mark Say...

I was the only one that was able to look at the pictures, since I am the most accident prone in my family. Ryan, I have lost my fingernail twice, same nail and it has come back twice just fine. The leg on the other hand will have a lovely scar, just in case you didn’t know. J Last month ……….pretty much just a blur. Freezing cold soccer and went to Belknap Springs to see Grandma Eileen. If anything else comes back to me, I will include in next months, which will be more soccer, only windy now.

Angie


Laura and Nathan Say...


Hello Family!!April was full of many adventures! We started off the month with a visit to the dentist. Spencer was the only one with a cavity. After having it filled, he is quick to brush his teeth! Andrew started soccer and has LOVED every minute of it!! His coach is a mom of the only girl on his team. He's had practice every Wed. evening and a game every Sat. I'm going to brag a little about him, because he really is a good soccer player. He made 10 goals his first game and has made many goals every game since. He has had a fun season and this Sat. will be his last game with a BBQ afterwards to celebrate.One Sat., a new planned community was having their grand opening. It is close to us so we got up early and drove out to look at the new homes. We were thrilled to be 3rd in line for free hot air balloon rides. It scared Spencer a little as the fire is quite noisy. Benjamin was sad as he was too little to go and he really wanted to. We only stayed for awhile as Andrew had a game that day. Sarah and Andrew started cup stacking at school. They do it on Fridays after school for an hour. They have loved learning the new sport and are getting good. They were asked to do a demonstration at Barnes & Noble one Sat. They will have their tournament next week with awards and a pizza party. If you don't know what cup stacking is, do a google search and you can see what fun they are having.A friend gave us a pair of roller skates. It has been hilarious to see all of them take turns trying to learn how to skate. We have asked that they do practice on the carpet as it is softer than the cement outside. The BIG news of the month at our house was Andrew jumping off his bed onto the love sac and missing it. I heard the crack, but hoped it really wasn't broken. We wrapped it in an ace bandage that night in hopes that it would be just fine in the morning. I sent him off to school with the bandage and he seemed fine. He did say it hurt, but he can be dramatic so I really wondered if it was broken. It didn't have any bruising or swelling. That evening I took off the bandage and he cried and whined until I told him I'd take him to the doctor the next day. I began my calling early in the morning to find out the best route with insurance. It seemed that I would have to find a doctor that was on our insurance, get an appointment with him and he would have to write us a prescription to get an x-ray. Our insurance has NO urgent care centers in Boise on their plan. We were lucky to find a doctor that was taking new patients and could see us at 11am. He was very nice and after examining Andrew thought it was probably broken. He wrote us a prescription and away we went to get an x-ray. Andrew got to keep his own copy of his x-ray and has loved showing everyone his brake. Then we had to go home and wait for the doctor to call us and let us know that it was broken and then we would have to find an orthopedic doctor to put the cast on. I also had to make sure that the ortho doctor was on our insurance. We finally got Andrew's cast on Wed. afternoon (he broke it Sun. night). He got to pick the color and was disappointed that he couldn't have both blue and orange so he just chose blue. He thought it was REALLY cool to have a cast up until bedtime when he was trying to get to sleep. He let us know that it's very hard to fall asleep when you have a cast on. At first, it was a big adjustment as he broke his right arm and he is still expected to write at school. His doctor told him he could continue to play soccer and he has figured out that he can still ride his scooter and bike. He will get his cast off the day before his cup stacking tournament - YEAH!!!! We are glad that Ryan is feeling better - he was all the talk at our house. After Andrew broke his arm he asked if his pictures would be on the computer and if he would also have a big gash??? Any time we had a doctor appointment, Andrew would ask me if I had the camera. He wanted every moment recorded, just like Uncle Ryan. We can't wait to see everyone this summer!! We love you all!!

Nathan, Laura & 4 cute kids




Jon and Heidi Say...

We were outside in the front yard till almost nine tonight. The boys were selling crafts for Mothers Day. Palmer had the idea to sell picture frames made from tongue depressors and pipe cleaners and foam stickers. The one in the picture is not quite finished but you get the idea. People got to pick their own stickers and pipe cleaner colors. He made signs that they waved around and they had their table out there like a lemonade stand. The were waving at people and yelling "Come make a mother's day present!" "Only one quarter!" Caleb was the most vocal of course! They got a few customers and I called up a couple of friends who ended up stopping by. Almost everyone gave the boys more than a quarter. They made eight bucks between them and split it evenly. The pinewood derby cars were fun and a bit of trouble as well. Palmer got into trouble more than once because he kept working on Calebs car without permission and ruined 2 or 3 shirts with paint when he wasn't supposed to be using it. He is a strong willed do-it-yourself kid and conflicts arise. Last night he wanted to make some Ramen noodles in the microwave. We told him to get a bigger bowl so he could have room for the noodles and the water without it overflowing. Somehow he didn't hear the part about water and he stuck it in there dry. We're lucky it didn't burn up the microwave. Our house still stinks of smoke! There weren't any flames, but it was smoking and smoldering inside. I got a hot pad and put the bowl outside. It continued to smoke and I finally poured some water on it and I could hear the embers sizzle. Needless to say I wouldn't recommend it as an experiment to try at your own home. This weekend coming is a Father-Son outing that I'm going to take the boys to. Should be fun. Heidi and I have just about got our HoneyBee game to where we want it and we'll have to play it when we get together this summer.
I will take some pictures of Palmer and his missing teeth soon.

JHPC





Jayna and Ryan Say...

April was a crazy but good month. As you all know we feel super lucky and blessed that Ryan's accident was not worse than it was. We appreciate all of your support, sympathy and prayers. We are happy to report that he is feeling better and better. He still hobbles and his back and leg are sore but he should be good as new in no time. Ryan got several phone calls and well wishes from everyone, thank you for that. A special thank you goes out to Spencer who called at least 5 times to see how Uncle Ryan was doing, he was so thoughtful and concerned for Ryan it was sweet. Ryan was surprised by all of his attention!

The other big news this month is

We are excited and of course nervous, but mostly excited. The due date for this baby is January 2nd, it is liable to change but I thought it would be fun for cousins to share a birthday! We will just have to see wether it is Alexa or Andew....I hope I don't have to wait until Sophie or Calebs birthdays! Ugh.

So that is what we have been up to...our semester ended with a bang, but we both did well in classes all A's so far. Ryan still has 2 finals to complete, he is worried because it will be in math and chemistry. He feels like he has forgotten a lot already, but I know he will do great. He always does.

We are excited to see everyone in July and love and think of you all!

Love, Jayna and Ryan

p.s. If you click on the picture slide show you can view the pictures in a larger slide show to see more details

March Newsletter

Mom and Dad Say:

Well, March was a blurr as I look back. With dad having doctors appointments, a biopsy and starting his new medication--having a luncheon for Lois and having her stay with us for two days before they took off for Texas---having the dishwasher repaired---Laura and the kids here for the week of spring break---helping with enrichment--The month went fast. Noted the one year anniversary for grandpa George and grandpa Bud. Guess it is time to get busy and get their temple work done. Thank you Jayna for sharing your miracle with us. Helps us realize He knows who we are and He knows what we need and He hears our prayers. Wish we all could be reminded in such a direct way. We are finally having sunny weather, had snow flurries every day Laura was here. A flicker tried to make the hole in my birdhouse large enough for him to get in--he wouldn't fit in the house if he did get in! I took it back to the bird store and they put a metal guard on the front--foiled again! Thanks Ryan for helping me with the computer. Having that let me see the fun Happy Easter greeting from the JHPC household. Thanks for the greeting. I am going to try to learn how to add pictures. That would surprise all of you wouldn't it! All for now. Know that you are loved.
Mom and Dad




Angie and Mark Say:

Hi!
March for the Jackson's
Finished basketball, made certificates with nicknames for the players: Sophie "Shot Blockin" Jackson and Alexa "Dr. J" Jackson, a lot of the kids didn't get it, but we parents enjoyed it.
The kids are doing well with their new piano teacher.
The kids started spring soccer, went to goodwill to get thermal underwear, as it is still freezing weather.
SPRING BREAK AND COUSINS!!! We had so much fun with Laura and her four cute kids. Did lots of fun activities, had fun playing and spending time together.
I had a busy month in Primary. My 1st counselor went to Ireland for 3 weeks, and my 2nd counselor travelled for 2 weeks, and my secretary had a death in the family, so I had two weeks with my secretary and Easter Sunday by myself. I REALLY appreciate my counselors and secretary, we are a good team and have fun serving the primary children.
Mark celebrated his 38th birthday on the 31st.

So in August, when we are there, let's try to get together and go to Lagoon - Laura, Jon and Jayna, talk you three with spouses and see what day will work for all of us to get together, I have nothing on my calendar yet during those first two weeks, except for the first weekend on the 2nd, we have the family reunion and memorial for Grandpa Jackson. So let me know what will work out. Excited about it!
Love to all of you



Laura and Nathan Say:

Hello to all our family! March came in like a lamb and out like a lion for us! We had such nice weather at the beginning of the month and spent many days playing outside - we even ate outside one night. Then at the end of March while we were in Bend we had many days of snow. Speaking of Bend, we had a SUPER fun week at Nonnie and Grandpa's. I was still recovering from a sinus infection and broncitios so I didn't have much energy, but Angie made up for it. She and mom made sure that every day our kids were doing something fun! They all went to Bouncing off the Wall twice (it has a lot of inflatables), High Desert Museum, Shari's for kids eat free night, to the park, to Walmart to buy things to share, a movie with grandpa and Uncle Mark so the moms could go shopping and so many more things I just can't remember them all now! It is always nice of mom and dad to put up with us for so long. We really appreciate their kindness and hospitality! We also appreciate our cousins playing with us until we are all exhausted! The day before we went to Bend was our day full of Easter. The Easter bunny came to our house Saturday morning and then we hurried to get dressed and ready to go to Nathan's work for yet another hunt. There were about 10 kids (counting ours) at Nathan's and they were expecting many more so we came home with so many eggs it wasn't even funny. Then we had lunch at Hillcrest before heading home for yet another hunt in our neighborhood. We provide the eggs and we are asked to bring 12, so after the hunt at Hillcrest where they got over 100 eggs, our kids were so confused why they could only pick up 12. Then to finish our day, we went to the Ball's for their annual Easter Egg Hunt and Dinner. It was a VERY fun and sugar filled day!!! Despite all the eggs and candy we were able to talk and think about the true meaning of Easter and we are all so grateful for the life, sacrifice and resurrection of our Savior. We can't wait to hear how everyone else is doing! We love you all and hope you are all doing well!!
Nathan, Laura & 4 cute kids





Ryan and Jayna Say:

March was a super fun month! Every weekend was busy but fun, we had our primary activity on the 15th. We did Book of Mormon Olympics, our station was to have the kids bury the weapons of war in sand like the Anti-Nephi-Lehi's, sound familiar Laura? We are totally loving primary, one sad thing is two of our cute girls moved away, sad, but 6 four year olds is easier than 8! That same day we had a birthday celebration for Kay. Katie, Marc, Ryan and I created a picture wall for her in the dinning room with all the pictures of her kids and grandkids! I think it turned out well and she loves it!

On the 22nd Jon, Heidi and the boys came down to Orem to do inventory and spend the day together. It was tons of fun! The adults counted all morning while the boys played at our condo with a babysitter. All the adults got $50 for just 4 hours of work and then we got some lunch and went to a fun park by our house. It was a nice day, we played frisbee and hacky sac for hours. Ryan and I even got a little sunburned on our faces! The boys enjoyed exporing around the pond and playing. It was a really fun time, thanks for suggesting it Jon!

**no pics...what were we thinking?

***We did do some amazing moves like this though.

Ryan and I also celebrated our 2 year anniversary this month! It went really fast! We went out for a nice dinner and went to a movie. We saw Vantage Point and we both really liked it! I am grateful for Ryan and am so blessed to have him for a husband!



Some of you have heard about our miracle at the Hare Krishna Temple...instead of re-writing it all I will just link you to our blog posting about it. willnmarly.blogspot.com

It was a powerful experience for us both, I feel grateful for the immediate answer to prayer and our testimonies have been strengthened. We felt VERY blessed and watched over.

We are feeling excited about this semester wrapping up, and for the warmer weather to come. We look forward to seeing all of you soon, July will be here before we know it! We love you all and hope you know you are in our thoughts and prayers always!

Love
Jayna and Ryan

p.s. happy belated birthday to Mark, we hope you had a fun B-Day!

February Newsletter

Mom and Dad Say;

Phooey! My plan was to get a letter off to you before you had a chance to remind me! The month of February... I was able to go to the valley and get grandma's taxes done and go to the cemetery and see the nice job Jeff did setting grandpa's headstone and go to Salem and see Auntie Nina. Dad got our taxes done and has been waiting for the mail man to bring him $. The last few years he has done the taxes and then received a letter asking for more information or corrections. Better luck this year. Dad finally went to the doctor to find out about his muscle loss. After seeing the orthopedic doc and the neurologist they have scheduled an MRI and a muscle biopsy. Don't know how long after the tests we will get results. It is so nice to see the sunshine and the warmer weather. I am ready to see the birds, butterflies and work in the yard. Did you ever think you would hear me say that! My crocus are in bloom and some other bulbs Sandy planted for me before she moved to San Deigo. I am including a quote from my collection--"Be kinder than is necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle."
Know that you are Loved
Mom and Dad

My spl chk iznt wrkig ene mor! Gota gt hlp!


Angie and Mark Say;

February went by fast and furious, thank goodness. My least favorite month, with winter, work, and no more holidays for awhile. The girls continued to play basketball, improving and playing well in their games.

They also started with a new piano teacher this month. Their prior piano teacher increased lesson fees in November and then two months later increased her fee another $10 and then the next month another $10 per lesson. Kitsi Scott and I were talking at Bunco in January and wondered what we were going to do, when Gina Smith spoke up and said that she taught piano, and did not charge a large fee as she plays other instruments, but never took formal piano lessons. The girls really like Miss Gina, and she is challenging them in super fun ways and they are showing improvement.

We are looking forward to spring, family coming for spring break, and trips over the mountain to visit Grandma Eileen.

Hope all are well, I have talked to most of you in the last few weeks, it has been great to hear your voice and learn what is going on in your life. Take care!
Much love,
Angie, Mark, Alexa and Sophie


Laura and Nathan Say;

February = Fun!!

We had such a fun February! We had a really fun afternoon sledding in our neighborhood. It was the last of the good snow and everyone loved it. It surprised me that Spencer would go down with Sarah and that Benjamin couldn't get enough of it. The only small fall was when I tried to help Nathan up the hill with Benjamin and as I went to help - I slipped right on my rear! (Photo included)

Valentine's day was fun as well. For the beginning of the month of February we did the 14 days of Service. Every morning we looked at our chart to see who we would serve that day. My favorites were serving the Bishop - we took him cookies and the kids sang to him and his family, serving mom - they weren't to whine and they were to be kind to each other, and making Valentine's for each other for their love boxes. They all had Valentine's parties at school and then we went to Flat Bread Community Oven for dinner so the kids could make their own pizza and then to end the evening we went to Powell's Sweet Shop. Powell's is SUPER fun (and yummy) and we promise to take everyone there this summer when you come for Sarah's baptism.

Also, we had SO much fun when Jayna and Ryan were here. We went to the YMCA and went swimming. Spencer is still talking about how when he went down the big slide with Auntie Jayna and that she put him under the water and so he won't go with her again. Sarah was very proud of herself as she passed a swimming test and was able to go down the slide by herself. Everyone else took turns going down with a grown-up. Even Benjamin loved the slide and I'm fearing the summer in the pool with him as he has no fears. We went to the Ball's to watch Snowbuddies in their theater, played Wii, made picture frames, went to church and Powell's sweet shop. It made us all wish that they lived closer! Thank you Auntie Jayna and Uncle Ryan for coming to see us!!!!!

Spring had tricked us a few times and we have loved the couple of sunny days that have let us play outside and at parks. We are ready for more!

We hope that everyone else is doing well! We send our love to you all!

Nathan, Laura, Sarah, Andrew, Spencer & Benjamin

Funny sayings of the month:

I was helping Spencer get dressed and said, Come here and take your "yamas" off. He replied, not "yamas" , "yamas"!! "yamas" is how he says pajamas. Hope you can hear the exasperation in his voice.

Everyone was tired and cranky in the car and I asked how fast they thought I could go to get us home. Andrew said, "Mom, don't go over the legal minute."


Jon and Heidi Say;

Hello to the Sears, Jacksons, Smiths, and Steeds. Oh, and anyone else who might stumble upon this page.

Let's see, February...

(Not necessarily in this order)

Basketball Games

Spiderwick Chronicles Movie

Blue and Gold

Home Teaching

Ryan Munk's B-Day

Doctor Appointments

Palmer's Art Classes

Valentine's Day

Caleb's Air Force Museum Field Trip

New Episodes of "Lost"

Primary Music

Work

Christian Munk's B-Day

Spiderwick Chronicles Toys from McDonalds

Cub Scout Training All Day Saturday

Heidi's Jewelry Making

New Celebrities Announced for Dancing With The Stars

Working Out (Heidi, not Jon)

Palmer's Special Friends Program at School

Board Game Designers Guild

Utah Jazz Vs. Detroit Pistons (JAZZ WIN!)

Jayna and Ryan Stop for a Visit and Some Pizza

Den Meetings

Losing Weight (Heidi AND Jon)
Primary Lessons

School

Any Questions or Clarifications, please call 1-800-JHPCSEARSFAMILYROCKS

Love JHPC Sears

Jayna and Ryan Say;

We had a good month over all, we kept busy with work and school we are over half way done with our semester and both of us are happy about that. We had a really fun trip to Boise, we swam, ate good food and had lots of fun playing with everyone! On the way home we got to stop by Jon and Heidi's and have dinner with them. Heidi had worked on our couch cushions all day and they turned out beautifully. She did an amazing job on recovering our couches. We are still thinking of a way to thank her for that! Ryan's web site made the most sales it has ever made...we had 7 sales in February, that was very exciting. If Ryan doesn't recognize an incoming # on his cell phone then he answers "Prescription Shades, this is Ryan" I hope I don't embarrass him too much when I tell you he has made a few sales in his underwear!

I really appreciate all of the love and support everyone has given me lately, and Ryan too. I am feeling better about lots of things, and just want you all to know I have really appreciate all of your love and support since the miscarriage.

We love you all and are looking forward to better weather and a chance to get to visit soon!

Love Jayna and Ryan

January Newletter

Mom and Dad say:

Hello again, I have spent the last few days getting my christmas letters out. Since I didn't get any sent in December I thought If I wanted to hear from anyone this next christmas I'd better do something! Included one of the family photos taken at our beach party. January saw the start of basketball for Sophie and Alexa. Their games are fun to watch for me but not for dad. Its fun to watch the learning process. Dad had three falls so is going to see the doctor and see if there is anything he can do. He was lucky that nothing was broken. We have been shoveling snow this last month! Just find the driveway and it gets covered up again. I'm starting to see flowers in the stores but I know they are just baiting us-especially after the groundhog seeing his shadow! Was glad we could watch President Hinckley's service from home. He was such a wonderful man. I look forward to the direction of the new presidency. Alexa and Sophie and I went to the Hannah Montana movie concert last week- screams and dancing and cell phone lights waving in the air lets me know I don't think a live concert is in my future. Happy birthday to all the January birthday's. Know that you are loved!
Love mom and dad



Angie and Mark say:

Hello Family! January was a very fun month. Alexa turned 11, Aunt Angie turned 40 and Sophie turned 9. Alexa had one friend over for her birthday - played and did a homemade facial. Sophie had her birthday party on Friday after school. They played wii, one of the friends brought over guitar hero and they all played air band. One of the boys wanted to play the drums, so he improvised and found colored markers from Sophie's gift, the velvet poster, he was drumming so hard that the red marker exploded on the carpet and the wall. (Still trying to get the pink out of the carpet) The centrifugal (spelling correct) force of the drumming action and holding the marker ink side down was not a good combination. Be warned when forming air bands, that you do not use markers as instruments!

We got lots of snow in January. When the plow came down the street, Nonnie and I hailed the driver and asked him to pile the snow in our yard. We were able to get a pretty good hill and Mark formed a berm to curve in front of the house so that the kids would not sled through the front door. So from the corner of the driveway, into the yard and onto the berm to go parallel along the door and living room window worked out very well. The kids had two great weeks of sledding in our front yard.

We also started organized chaos this month, the girls call it basketball. We teach them the fundamentals during the week, then we loose our voices during the games yelling at the kids as to where they need to be, find the person you are guarding, and move to get open so that you can get the ball. Defense is coming along a bit better than offense. Alexa did very well in her last game, posting up and using her height to her advantage. Sophie does well with ball handling, shooting and rebounding. Sophie's games are early in the morning and Alexa's games are the end of the day. It makes Saturdays tricky, but we have managed to get it all done.

Alexa has found a mom that has three young children, and they set up a trade. Alexa will help with babysitting and get practice with that and then the mom will spend time with Alexa teaching her how to stamp, make cards and scrapbook. The mom Lora, (secretary in Primary with me) is excited and so is Alexa. We are all hoping this works out, that Alexa gets the practice for babysitting, although she is still nervous about staying home by herself for short periods of time, perhaps by 12 she will be more comfortable with that, maybe not.

Hope you are doing well, it is fun to hear how things are going.
Take care, Love, the Jackson's




Laura and Nathan say:

Okay, so here is my news from January.....

We had a good January!! Our biggest news in January is our new car. We absolutely love it and can't wait until we can take it on a road trip. With the money mom and dad sent, we were able to get new carseats for Spencer and Benjamin and so we feel pretty "styl'in" in our new car!!! I've washed it and vacuumed it out more in the past month than I did our last car in almost a year. I over heard Sarah tell her friend when she was showing her our new car, "Yeah, my mom is super picky about our new car. She won't let us eat in it and we always have to clean it out." I hope to let them think that as long as possible!!!!!

Much like most of you all, we had so much snow that we began to feel like all the animals that hibernate in the winter. We prayed many times and did silly "snow dances" to increase our chances of having a snow day, but only ended up having two. On those two snow days, we did many crafts and baking yummy things!

Nathan has often wanted to "get into" Longaberger baskets, so with some of the money mom and dad sent, he signed up. He fell in love with the baskets when we were living with the Balls as MaryAnn has then all over the house. He loves the look and especially the fact that they are all hand made in Ohio. You can see his website at www.longaberger.com/nathansmith and of course, if anyone is interested in ordering anything - just remember you'll get his discount. :) He has also decided to do classes in our neighborhood that include a basket and some type of flowers or food. His mind hasn't stopped with all the possibilities, but don't worry, I haven't let him quit any job yet.

We hope everyone else is doing well and know that we love you all!!!!

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO,

Nathan, Laura, Sarah, Andrew, Spencer & Benjamin






Jon and Heidi say:

Why be difficult when with a bit of effort you can be impossible?

What can we say that is new and fun? Caleb had a wonderful birthday party on the 2nd of February with lots of friends and Dr. Seuss galore! He also got to go with Palmer and Heidi to the nickel arcade on his actual birthday. The boys love their Webkins and go online all the time. Caleb used some birthday money and bought another Webkins for his birthday. He got a pig and named him Chef Gazpacho. Now Palmer is trying to find ways to earn or finagle money to buy a new one. He even yanked out his loose tooth Saturday night so the tooth fairy would come. His other two front teeth are wiggly and will come out soon. We'll be sure and get pictures of his toothless grin.

I intend to live forever. So far, so good

We love to play board games as a family and lately Heidi and I have even designed and created a few different ideas. They are all in different stages of creation and someday we'll hopefully market one, or many, and sell hundreds of thousands of copies. Heidi has been making some jewelry lately (mostly necklaces) and placing them for sale at her local boutiques. I think she'll have success with them as with most of her artistic endeavors.

Did you ever stop to think, and forget to start again?
-Winnie the Pooh

We look forward to going to a Jazz game in a couple of weeks. Palmer got two tickets when he signed up for basketball. There was a mother there who said she wouldn't be able to use them so she gave them to us so we all could go! I hope it's not too loud and crazy for Caleb.



Well, besides the fifteen feet of snow we've gotten, that's about everything in our neck of the woods. Hope all are well and safe!



Love,

JHPC Sears

A couple of quotes for Mom

2 Sew or Not 2 Sew?

Is it even a Question?

She who dies with the most fabric wins!

Jayna and Ryan say:


Trying to think back on the month and all I can remember was snow, snow and more snow. I am sure that is what all of you experiences as well. I for one am ready for spring and am looking forward to warmer weather! Ryan and I have been busy with school and work. We are getting into the swing of things with our primary calling and really love our kids, all 8 of our 4 year olds! We get to do sharing time next month, we will let you know how it goes.
One interesting thing this last month was seeing all of the news coverage of Presidents Hinkley passing. He was on the nightly news for about 2 weeks. It was really interesting and we really enjoyed watching his funeral service and seeing the state really celebrate his life.

It is sad to say but that is all that we can really report for this last month. We have been pretty low key but I suppose I would rather have that than have something crazy happen. We hope all the birthday folks last month had great days! We love you all and hope you are doing well!

Love
Ryan and Jayna

December Newsletter

Mom and Dad Say:

Hello everyone-- We had a very quiet holiday at our house. We had a fun day with Angie's family christmas morning with the fun surprise of a WII for their family. Mark was surprised! Angie was glad because he is seldom surprised. Sandy came the 25th and stayed until Jan 3. She was able to sleep until 1:00 if she wanted to and got to see some other friends.

We were saddened by the loss of our baby-to-be--hope Jayna and Ryan could feel love and support from everyone. Look forward to getting to know this little mystery personality someday. Want to congratulate Jon and Heidi on their success with weight watchers!! Congratulations to Jayna and Ryan---A,A,A,A,A!! When the weather warms up, the Smith family will be looking for a road trip to try out their new car. Maybe we will get to see a picture on an e-mail. I am grateful to each of you for what you add to my life--Know that you are loved. Love Mom and Dad

Just for a laugh:

Adam looking at Eve in the garden " Eve, you put my favorite pants in the salad!"

Angie and Mark,

December at the Jackson home. Dec. 1st was our ward Christmas party, with the primary singing Christmas Carols. Mark's office party was the next weekend. Then the craziness began . . . Come Unto Christmas was very enjoyable. We invited non-member friends, the Nelson's, Sophie's best friend Kaylie, and the Anderson's, Alexa and Sophie's friends, Hannah and Quinten. It was fun that their entire families came to look at the Nativities and listen to the choirs.

Alexa had a choir concert two Mondays that month. I went up with Alexa's choir on Tuesday to Mt. Bachelor to sing at MB employee Christmas party. I saw Ernie Poole and Denise.

Mark and I had a coaches meeting for basketball. I am coaching Sophie's team and Mark is coaching Alexa's team starting in January.

Thursday we went Caroling as a family with the other families in the primary presidency and went to children's home. We all sang the beginning of Dashing Through the Snow and then 3 year old Henry sang a solo of Jingle Bells, it was darn cute.

Friday was my office party which we go to as a family. The kids go downstairs and play and have pizza, while the adults stay upstairs and enjoy a yummy catered meal.

Christmas week was very enjoyable in that Mark and I did not work and we did not have an adgenda. I was able to keep a secret and surprise the girls AND Mark with a wii. We opened all of the gifts, had breakfast and then opened our last gift (the wii). Mark said the girls screamed so loud that his eyeballs rattled in his head. We then proceeded to set up the wii and played that the rest of the day. It was nice to stay home, we played wii and board games, we went to National Treasure, and spent time with Nonnie, Grandpa and Sandy.

We are so grateful to be a part of this family, we love you all so very much. Take care, Mark, Angie, Alexa and Sophie








Laura and Nathan Say:

Hello everyone,

We had a jam-packed, but very fun month!!! I will only share the highlights!!
Sarah was presented with the Principal's Award for the Month of December. The Principal wrote a very kind letter to her and read it in front of all the school and parents. I will only share a part of it. "Every time Mr. Conant's class passes by I know that I can count on you to be smiling and on your best behavior. I want you to know that your teacher and I are both very proud of you. We are very excited about your academic potential. More than that, we are proud of the respectful and sincerely pleasant person you are each and every day." We were very proud of her! She also happened to wake our entire house up at 1am on Christmas morning. We will never forget this Christmas.

Andrew had a very fun 6th Birthday. He wanted just a few to come to our house and we had a Webkinz party. We played Webkinz Walk and they each "won" a webkinz that was wrapped in a paper bag so they wouldn't know which one they were getting. The rest of the party was playing games with their new webkinz on an obstacle course and webkinz bingo. Thank you to everyone for remembering Andrew on his birthday! He felt very celebrated!!!

Spencer got Little Pet Shops for Christmas and has turned our whole family into a LPS family. We all love them and play with him and the LPS often. He had several fun questions for us about Santa around the holidays and had a hard time imagining Santa coming down our chimney so we bought a Santa key that would allow Santa to come in our front door - just in case he couldn't fit. He also wondered why Santa always says "Ho Ho Ho" and always SO loud. It was a magical Christmas for us all this year! He continues to love Preschool and has had many playdates lately.

Benjamin is at such a fun stage - learning things all the time. He absolutely LOVES the Wii that we got for Christmas. He plays with the controllers any chance he can. When the Wii is on - he makes really loud noises because he is SO excited. He loves for me to hold him and play. He loves to stand in front of the TV with a controller acting like he is playing while actually someone else (mostly Andrew) is playing. He also loves any phone. The other night Nathan had a whole armful of toys he was bringing in from the car and bent down to see which one Benj wanted to play with. He looked at all of them and then grabbed Nathan's cell phone and walked away very content. We also have found him to LOVE anything that has to do with cleaning. He loves the vacuum, all the cleaning supplies under the sink, the broom, the mop and the duster. Let's hope this interest continues throughout his life!!

Nathan took several days off around the holidays and this was fun for all of us. We went sledding at the Balls and had lots of fun in the snow. Sarah and I were able to go to see Enchanted and we both LOVED it. Our whole family knows the song "That's how you know".

Nathan did some shopping after Christmas and got all of Christmas down before Andrew's birthday.

We love you so much and hope you are all doing well! We found out today that Sarah will be getting baptized on July 5. If you can come, we would love to have you!!

Jon and Heidi Say:

Wow the New Year is here! 2007 was a blur! Christmas was wonderful even though we didn't end up getting to go to Boise. Poor Heidi and Caleb were sick and the roads were terrible as well. We did get a chance to see Heidi's brother Ryan for a few brief minutes when he had a layover at the Salt Lake airport. We met his girlfriend Shilo and she seemed really nice. It's hard to get to know anyone in less than an hour. Hopefully we'll have a chance to see them again.

We went sledding on New Years Day and it was a blast. Palmer was raring to go, but it took Caleb a little while to warm up to it. By the end of the day, he was going solo down the biggest hill and having a great time. Another great benefit was that Heidi and I got some great exercise trekking up the hill. Afterwards we defeated the the purpose of the whole thing by going to Chuck-a-Rama and stuffing our faces. Heidi and I stuffed ourselves with mostly salads, fruits and veggies. We both lost a little weight over the holidays which was an amazing feat. I love our friends, but they are too generous with all the treats! We gave throw blankets to our friends cause they're low in calories. The blankets, not our friends

We were glad that Jayna and Ryan came up for a Super Saturday and Heidi tackled (and conquered) a slip cover for their chair. Heidi is SOOOO Mega Talented!

Palmer started basketball. He met his coach Thursday, will have one practice Wednesday, and his first game is Saturday morning. I guess the best thing is to just throw them out there and let them have fun right? Palmer has also been reading like crazy. He loves the Magic Treehouse series and has read 15-20 of them.

Caleb is ready for his birthday to be yesterday. He is going to have a Cat in the Hat B-day. The kid is crazy for Dr. Seuss . . . and The Wiggles . . . and Barney . . . and The Polar Express . . . and Bob the Builder . . . and Willy Wonka (New and Old) . . . and just about every other character he sees on the boobtube.

I could probably go on and on but I won't.

HAPPY NEW YEAR

JHPC SEARS

A parting thought:

"Some people are like Slinkys.

They aren't really good for anything,

but they bring a smile to your face

when they're pushed down the stairs."

Jayna and Ryan Say:


December was an interesting month for us. It was full of good things and not so good things. We appreciate your support and kind words as we went through a rough time with Jayna's miscarriage. It was a sad time but we are doing well and looking forward to new opportunities. We both received a conformation that we really want to start our family and are hopeful that things will go well for us. Jayna has been very strong and has handled the whole situation very well being active and outgoing even though she may have been sad inside. Jayna says that I have been supportive and very loving. (Sometimes a little pushy too.)

We had a fun Christmas with Ryan's family. Everyone was there except for Jason, who stayed up in Alaska. We played holiday bingo on Christmas Eve and we slept out in a tent in the back yard. We got to see a deer run by when we were setting up the tent that night. We think it was one of Santa's reindeer scoping things out. It snowed quite a bit that night but it was fun. (even though I forced Jayna to do it).

We both finally finished school (at least one more semester) and we both got A's in our classes. Ryan was very relieved to be done with Anatomy and Physiology and is still recovering.

We hope everyone is recovering from the holiday season and look forward to hearing what's been going on with everyone.

Love Jayna and Ryan