Sammy Gets Glasses

Monday

Jana prepared a family home evening about Easter tonight. She gave each of the kids an easter egg filled with an item that represented some part of the week leading up to the resurrection. The last egg was empty, representing the empty tomb and the resurrected Savior. Sam was given the empty egg and didn't understand it was part of the lesson. He was pretty disappointed and said that he didn't like this game. Poor kid!

Wednesday

I woke up with Nathan at about 5:00 but put him back to bed. I'd been up a few times last night and instead of staying up to work as usual, I put in my ear plugs and went back to sleep. I woke up at 7:00 and Jana had already showered and was getting Sammy ready to go to his eye doctor's appointment. We found out that Sammy needs glasses. He has pretty severe astigmatism. His eyes were at 20/40 and 20/50 making him far sighted. He has his mother's eyes and is super excited to get his new glasses

Friday

Jana told Dallin he could walk home from school on his own. He did a great job. He hustled home without stopping to play and he walked from his teacher to the crossing guard on the school grounds to Jan, the crossing guard at the end of our street, to our house. He was very proud of himself and we were proud of him too. He is really becoming very responsible and is being very cheerful when we ask for his help. He is a great kid and it is a blessing to have him in our family. Jana and I are glad that he is the oldest because he is a bit more serious that his younger siblings and he is a good example.

Saturday

We stopped by Payless Shoes to get tennis shoes for the boys. Sam started liking some Airwalk skater shoes and when Jana told him they were "skater" shoes, he told Dallin and they both got really excited. Dallin ran over to his size and found a pair of identical shoes, then he asked "What are skater shoes?" Jana found a different pair that she liked and asked Sam to try them on. Sam again asked what kind of shoes they were, and Jana, the brilliant mother that she is, told him they were fast running shoes. Sam cried, "I want fast running shoes!" and once Sammy had a pair, Dallin wouldn't have anything else.

When we got home, we had a quick dinner and then we painted easter eggs. It is amazing to see how quickly the eggs get color these days. I have memories of waiting forever to get eggs colored when I was little, and now it seems to happen so quickly. Dallin wanted to paint his eggs with a paintbrush and after one false start, he did some interesting designs. Kaylie also decided to paint two of her eggs along with several of my fingers while I was holding them.

Kaylie's Birthday and Spring Break

Monday

Kaylie's 3rd birthday today! We had waffles for breakfast and then Kaylie opened her presents before I went to work. It was also the first day of spring break. From Dallin, she got a couple of dimes, some rocks from his rock collection, and a little airplane made from popsicle sticks. And from Sam she got a little foam fish.

Tonight, after a dinner of tacos that Kaylie chose, we had a Diego, Animal Rescuer cake that Jana made. I video recorded Kaylie blowing out the candles only to find that after all the cuteness, I had forgot to press the record button. We did it a second time, and she was still really cute.

Tuesday

The kids went to a friends for lunch and to play while Jana took Kayie to the doctor's. Kaylie got two shots and was in some pain this evening when I got home. Tonight, as I was getting her ready for bed, she was very sensitive about her shot. She didn't want me to even see the band-aid that was on it. She kept it covered with her hand while I changed her diaper and put on her jammies.

Thursday

Today, I took the day off from work and we went to the Denver Zoo as a family, since we couldn't go on Kaylie's birthday. It was a great day for the zoo. We had bad weather the day before and it was a little chilly, but it was warm in the sun and there were no crowds. We saw a little giraffe that had been born last Friday after the snow storm and was named blizzard. We saw a bunch of animals that Kaylie sees in her Diego, Animal Rescuer shows and she was in heaven. We had the double stroller, but even with that Jana or I was carrying one of the kids most of the time. Dallin did great and walked the whole way himself today.

We had ice cream at the zoo for a treat, and then we stopped at Del Taco on the way home. It was a long, tiring, and fun day for the family.

The "Lizzard" of 2009

Tuesday

Tonight it was a little chilly when I got home from work. Dallin did not want to got to practice. We got him bundled up and he finally made it OK. It was more fun to help out this time. I'm starting to feel like I'm actually doing something. Dallin is doing well, though he isn't nearly as aggressive as some of the other kids. I see a lot of myself in Dallin.

Wednesday

Today Jana went down to Costco after dropping Dallin off for school. She was running a little because she had to wait for some pictures to be developed. Sam complained of an upset stomach, but Jana didn't think much about it. She raced back to school to drop Sam off but when she got him in to his classroom, they had already left to get class pictures taken. Jana ran back to the car (which was in sight) to get the Nathan and Kaylie out so they could find his class. When they arrived they had already taken the pictures. Jana felt terrible that they had missed the class photo. The teachers checked and the photographers agreed to take the class picture again. Jana went home feeling slightly better.

Right as she walked in the door, the phone was ringing. The school called and Sam was sick. They had set the class up for the picture and right before they took it, he threw up on himself. Jana got the kids back in the car and picked up Sam. He threw up once more on the way home in an improvised bucket the nurse had made, and then he felt better.

Dallin had his music program tonight. I stayed home with Sam and the other kids while Jana went to the concert. Dallin has been singing Sound of Music songs the last few weeks and even went as far as to say "Mom, I want a Sound of Music birthday party next year."

Thursday

It snowed all day. I came home from work early so I wouldn't get stuck. Kaylie came down after her nap and said to me, "Mommy said there's a lizzard outside." Then she looked and said, "I don't see a lizzard!"

Saturday

I took the kids sledding for a couple of hours on the hill behind Altona Middle School. The hill was really muddy in spots, but we found a pretty good few runs and spent our time there when one other family. I didn't have to carry Sam bit and was proud of him. I had to carry Kaylie around the whole day and it was nice not to have to carry them both.

Shots and Potty Traning

Tuesday

Sam had an appointment today and had four shots in his thighs. He did not like his shots which made it worse of course.

Wednesday

Sam's leg was very swollen and warm today. He even had a fever and needed some medicine. He wanted to go to practice badly so Jana let him. The rest of his team has been playing together a lot, but Sam seemed to fit in well. He sat down a lot, either from tiredness or his leg hurting or being bored, we're not sure.

Saturday

This morning, I helped some friends move. When I got home I learned that potty training hadn't gone well at all. Kaylie started getting hysterical and Jana wasn't able to calm her down while taking care of Nathan. She seems afraid of the toilet. She did really well teaching her dolly how to use the toilet, but then she would hide and wet her pants. We'll have to try again when I can take the other kids away.

After lunch, Jana, Nathan, and Kaylie napped while I took the boys out to play soccer. Dallin is getting a little better and was starting to understand not to just kick it really hard but to try and work his way past me to score. Afterward we explored the culvert a little bit. We grabbed a bunch of cattails and pulled the fluff off of them. We also captured a little grasshopper and the boys touched him before we let him go.

Sam's Birthday

Sunday

I wrote in the journal and Jana and I planned out the month and the coming week. At about 9:00, Kaylie woke up and had thrown up in her bed. It was all over her sheets and blankets and the wall and clumped into her hair. We got her cleaned up and settled down in our room. We got the laundry going and wiped down the bathroom and her mattress with disinfectant. We just sat down again and she started throwing up again. This time, it was less stuff, but she needed new bedding and new jammies.

Monday

Rough night last night. Every sound Kaylie made made me think that she was sick. Dallin also started feeling bad during the night and Jana gave him a bowl. In the morning, the kids were feeling better, but we wanted to take things carefully with breakfast.

Jana told Dallin that he could stay home if he was feeling bad, but he wanted to go to school. As soon as Jana had returned home from taking him, and had put Nathan to bed, the nurse called and Dallin needed to be picked up. Not long after he got home from school, he started feeling better, but Jana wouldn't let him play. She made him rest on the couch the rest of the day.

Friday

After work, we took the kids to the dentist's office to help him with his picture for his ad in the Yellow Pages. Then we went home and while Jana decorated for Sam's party, I cleaned up and the kids watched a movie. After the kids went to bed, Jana wrapped presents for Sam. I'm not sure if you're catching a trend here, but as far as the birthday's go, Jana is the Commander-in-Chief.

Saturday

Sam's fifth birthday! When Sammy came down and saw all of the decorations, he said "Mommy! My birthday looks great!" Jana has been working hard on his party. Yesterday she made a Superman cake and decorated the house. Sam's friends started arriving at about 10:00. There were 10 kids counting Sam, Dallin, and Kaylie. While they waited for all of the kids to arrive, they colored pictures of Superman. Then they played pin the S on Superman. Afterward they went downstairs to run an obstacle course that Dallin and I put together. Once they made it all the way through, they got their very own cape that Jana's sister Christy made while she was visiting last weekend. Then they got a superman tatoo and while we got the cake ready, they played Superman-Says (like Simon Says). They had cake and ice cream and didn't get any frosting or ice cream on the carpet! And they ended opening presents. After the presents they went back downstairs to run the training course again.

Kaylie is funny right now. She stands behind the armchair when she goes potty. She tells us she is going, but doesn't like anyone to look at her. She is definitely ready for potty training.

Looking for Snakes

Monday

I didn't have work today. It was Presidents Day. This morning, I washed the car, inside and out. It was filthy and it feels great to have it clean again. The boys stayed outside with me for a little while and Dallin even washed his bike, but eventually they got bored and went inside to play. Kaylie stayed outside the whole morning. She played in the car and sprayed the wheels while I wasn't using the hose.

When I was done with the car, Jana took Dallin on a little date to run errands and get lunch at McDonalds. She stopped at the party store to get Superman decorations for Sam's birthday party. Sam wants a new blue Bionicle so badly. He gets so worried that they will run out of them at the store. He wants his birthday to be tomorrow.

Tonight, in an effort to apply the family home evening message from last night about personal prayer, I knelt down with Sam to help him say his prayers. He didn't know what to say, so I helped him with the words. When he was done, he looked up and said, "Where's the light? Where are the angels?" He was expecting a visitation like Joseph Smith.

Saturday

The boys and I went on a bike ride and explore. We rode to the creek behind the school and looked for snakes. We didn't find any, but we sure found a lot of prairie dogs and rabbits. We rode our bike down the dirt path past Sliver Creek High School and on to Altona. Sammy started having pretty bad stomach aches. He was getting tired and stopped every 20 feet to take a rest. Our ride took about an hour an a half. About 45 minutes longer than I was planning.

Merry Christmas 2008

Merry Christmas! We know we are late, but in the spirit of better-late-than-never we wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

2008 was a very significant year for us… (drumroll please…)

Welcome Nathan Robert Jackson! Nathan was born on October 11th (the day after Dallin’s birthday). He weighed 6lbs 4oz and measured 20in long. He has a lot of blond hair and still has his blue eyes, which Mommy is hoping he keeps forever.

Dallin (age 7) lost his first two teeth and started First Grade. A new elementary school opened half a block from our house and he has had to change schools. He is a little inventor and armed with his electricity and chemistry sets he spends afternoons creating things (like bad-guy traps). He wants to be a rock star astronaut so he started piano lessons this year. He’s an excellent biggest brother and plays with and looks out for the other three kids.

Sam (age 4) began preschool this fall and loves playing with his new friends. He is progressing well during his reading time with Mommy. He loves coloring, riding his new bike, and dressing up as Superman. He got his first LEGOs this year and loves building with them or just studying the instruction manuals. He adores his big brother Dallin and never wants to see him upset. He’s a great big brother to Nathan and has the easiest time getting him to smile.

Kaylie (age 2) is our ninja princess. She can hold her own surrounded by boys but in the same minute, can be perfectly angelic. She loves taking care of her dollies and her stuffed animals. She likes playdoh, puzzles, and coloring. She has moved into a big-girl (twin-sized) bed and has given up her pacifier. If you ask her what her name is, she says, “Big Sister.” Kaylie is a very sweet girl and all the boys in the family adore her.

Nathan (age 4 mo.) is eating and growing and giving out thousands of smiles. He is a really happy baby, and since he started getting up just once a night, he has made Mommy really happy too. He rolls over and grips things to put them in his mouth. He is very ticklish and laughs when we change his clothes. He is such a precious baby and we are so happy to have him in our family.

Preston is enjoying his job at Google. They released a new version of the product he works on (SketchUp LayOut) this year. In the summer he gave the boys swimming lessons and took a class in firearm safety. He took care of the housework in order to avoid another 10-weeks of bed rest for Jana (she only had 2 weeks this pregnancy), but still managed to get out fishing with the boys. He still enjoys reading War and Peace, but vows to finish it by the next Christmas Letter.

Jana is super busy with her four little ones, but wouldn’t trade it for anything. She wouldn’t mind a little more sleep, but she hears that won’t happen for eighteen more years or so. She enjoys a monthly book club with friends and being able to go outside so much, even in the winter, especially taking Dallin and Sam ice skating.

We were grateful to receive letters from you and to hear how you are doing. We hope you have a great 2009!

With love,

Preston, Jana, Dallin, Samuel, Kaylie, and Nathan Jackson