"Conference Report" 2007

Sammy-Samantha is now six and has just started first grade. She is still the spoiled “baby” of the family. It makes me laugh when I think about what I expected of Hailey at her age…and a little sad. Is it just part of parenthood that we ruin our first and lastborn? Sammy is a beautiful little girl with long sandy blonde hair and the prettiest little face. She is learning to read and is coming along slowly but surely. She is in a Brownie Troop with lots of really nice girls from our neighborhood. The move from Kindergarten to 1st Grade has been a fun adjustment for Sammy. The first few weeks she would come home very tired, but she seems to be doing great now. Sammy makes us laugh on a daily basis and we couldn’t imagine our home without her. Jacob-Jake is getting so big. He’s almost nine and it shows! He’s still my little lover though. I gets lots of hugs and a kiss on the cheek before school. Jake is very social and has a lot of friends. He seems to get along well with lots of personalities (must be a middle child thing!) Jake has an extensive collection of stuffed teddy bears-all of which have names and personalities. I can’t believe he is in 3rd grade already. Jake also has a very sensitive side and always wants to be doing the right thing. He has a horrible habit lately of losing EVERYTHING, and gets really upset when he can’t find it. Just like when he was a baby, Jake loves his routine and to just be a part of our family. Spencer-Wow. Spencer has changed so much in this past year. I was so worried about him starting middle school, but its been a wonderful experience for him so far. He has a fun group of friends he hangs out with and he even went to his first school dance a few weeks ago. He now mows the lawn for us every weekend and babysits for us too. He loves to draw floor plans and elevations for his dream houses. They are amazing. He wants to be an architect when he grows up. Spencer is doing so well in school, we just got a progress report and he got a 3.8! Good job Spenc. We love that cute smile and his excitement for life. Hailey- Hailey will be a teenager in a couple of weeks and it shows!!! She is so fun to be with and loves to hang out with her friends. She is also very emotional and sometimes hates her parents for all the rules we have in our family. So I guess she’s a teenager already. She is developing a strong testimony and we are so grateful for the church and all her wonderful leaders who teach and guide her. She is a serious soccer star and is so fun to watch on the field. Yesterday at her game, I turned to Matt and said, “can you believe that’s our baby girl?” She is so tall and beautiful. What an amazing experience to watch your children discover who they are. Allison-Besides doing the “mom” thing…which I love, this past year has seen a lot of changes for me and a lot of adjustments. I work for LifeStyle 20 hours a week and I’m still adjusting to having kids in school and a “real job” for the first time in my life. I love working though and being able to help support my family. My other “job”, is serving in the Temple once a month. I cherish this time to spend a morning serving and reflecting on things I don’t have the opportunity to on in daily life. I am also getting close to accomplishing my goal of reading the entire Standard Works and the Book of Mormon twice this year. It hasn’t been easy, but I’ve seen a real change in my life and my daily focus. I’ve also given up Diet Coke! That REALLY wasn’t easy! Matt-Matt just got a certificate in the mail for working five years at his present job. We both couldn’t believe it had been five years already. Time flies. He still travels a lot and gets to eat out way too much. We miss him whenever he’s gone. Matt is also doing a “chubby buddy” challenge with some guys in our ward. They are competing for a new set of golf clubs or something. So far he has lost 17 pounds and he looks fabulous! Matt is such a great husband and father and we are so lucky to have him. He takes care of our family and our home so well. He takes such pride in his yard and is always working on a new project. Our family has been continuously blessed this year and we are grateful for all our experiences and our trials. Most of all, we are grateful for each other and the love we have in our home.