Family Updates - August 2013

Jaycie turned one on July 23. It was a bittersweet day because 11 months ago I sat holding her, thinking to myself that there was no way I was going to last a year nursing every two hours, and there I was at a year wishing she would stop growing. She took her first official steps but still hasn't started walking everywhere. She loves to talk and is constantly babbling to everyone. She's an affectionate baby and loves to give kisses to everyone. At her 1 year checkup she was 29" tall and 18 lbs. It made the doctor concerned because she hasn't gained any weight in the last three months. I am needing to find a way to make her gain weight without increasing her fat intake. (Super easy....NOT). So we've been feeding her more protein and trying to stuff her full of anything she'll eat. It's a battle and I just pray that maybe that scale was having an off day when I take her to be weighed again at the end of this month.

Katie is such a princess... still. She has been wearing my shoes all over the house while decked out in her princess best. She has wanted to do nothing but play on her swingset this month or go to Grandma Karen's house. We've been trying to get her hyped up for preschool and Dance. She's so excited to go with her friend Maisie to Dance - it's all she talks about now. We've been doing little workbooks to help her recognize matching and numbers; get her into the learning groove; but she's not really interested in spending much time on it. She will do it she just doesn't last long. Kate has been really struggling in Primary lately. She's fine to go to the singing time part but once she knows it's about time for class she starts crying and throwing a fit. Her teacher insists she doesn't know why she's been acting like that lately but Josh and I are frustrated with it. Josh is planning to take her to his class so she can see how much more fun Primary is and maybe that will help. Here's hoping!

Maddie is a sweet thing. She's been into the Movie Toy Story lately (#3 to be exact) and it's what she picks to watch all the time. She's loving doing her Workbook pages and is great to sit and learn. She has a little harder time remembering her numbers and say's "I don't know" a lot even though I know she does. Maddie has been emotional lately and everything makes her cry. She still likes her friends but she's just as happy to play by herself as with anyone else. She suffers from "Selective Hearing" and as a result get's in trouble for ignoring adults when they talk to her. Maddie is really loving primary even though she's not one to volunteer to participate unless they have a match game. She is great as recognizing colors and some letters but struggles a little with numbers. I hope that preschool will help with that. We went to Seven Peaks water park this month and Maddie is fearless when it comes to waterslides. She was game for everything and was upset when they wouldn't let her go on some of the bigger slides.

Josh is still working in Holladay. He applied for Kearns but hasn't heard much besides the manager out there wants him but his manager doesn't want to let him go. He's made such an improvement in his current office that they want him to stay. It's great that they love him but at the same time it's hard because he wants an office closer to home. He's going to start working a bunch on his sisters house so hopefully that will give us some money to pay off some debt and maybe we can go on a vacation. Josh has been enjoying summer because he likes to BBQ. He's been working on building his Brazillian BBQ Pit but hasn't quite finished it yet. Scouts is still Josh's calling and although he loves the young men and they relate well to him, He's starting to wonder if he will ever be called to do anything other than Deacons. We've been married ten years this year and he's been in the Deacon's Quorum in some form since we got married. I get the impression he's ready for a change, maybe get some less roudy boys or something. I don't know.

I, Amber, am still working just not as much because I'm faster at what I do now. The Mary Kay thing is working out well and I picked up another director who I love. She's super cute and so fun. I make enough that my girls can be in Dance and go to Preschool so it's worth it. I've also now go technically three callings in this ward. I'm still teaching primary (4 year olds, love them) but I'm also helping my friend Michelle with the 8 year old Scouts and filling in for my friend Kristi as Cub Scout Master while she's on hiatus in Washington DC. I've been finding a lot more time for reading and exercising. Although I'm not seeing huge results yet it's nice to have some time for me.