James wanted to say... 
Happy 26th Birthday, Kristy! 
That is right both of my younger sisters have their birthdays two days apart.
Happy 26th Birthday, Kristy! That is right both of my younger sisters have their birthdays two days apart.Saturday, June 13, 2009
Friday, June 12, 2009
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Happy 28th Birthday, Amy!
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Upcoming Boards
Jon takes "Step 1" on Friday. "Step 1," for those who do not know, is the first part, or step, of the boards. His score on this test will determine if he gets to start his clinical years of med. school (or take it again), where he will go for residency in two years, and what kind of doctor he will be when he is done. Our neighbor, who used to live below us (just moved), told us that this is the hardest and worst part of medical school. We all cannot wait until it is over!
We have been planning some fun while Jon has a small break. We are going to Washington, D.C. Originally we had planned to leave on Saturday, but realized we have Stake Meetings next Thursday, and they are the last meetings before Youth Conference. We should probably be there. We decided to leave for D.C. the day after our meetings, June 19th. We will probably stay a week. Our main purpose in going there is to visit some friends, who live there (a mission buddy/former roommate of Jon's and his family). We are also excited to see the sites.
We have also thought about bringing James to the temple to walk around, so he can see it. We feel it is important for him to get exposure to the temple at all ages. On this trip we would also make a stop at IKEA (pick up a Christmas present for James, long story). We love IKEA!
We also would like to go to a move or two at the theater. Star Trek for sure, and maybe, UP. We will see if that happens. We will go out to dinner Friday night right after the test, too.
Jon has also been trying to see if we could go visit another mission companion during this break before he and his family move to Washington (the state). This has been a last minute thought. We would hope to leave on Saturday and then come back on Monday. Just a quick trip. Jon really wants to leave town right after his test, so he can forget about it and not dwell on it. We will see if this happens.
The Sunday after we get back from D.C. we will be in Ann Arbor for a baby blessing. Good luck in the next few days, Kat! Hope that girl comes when you want her to!
The last week of Jon's break, I will be going to Stake Young Women's Camp. Jon said he would take James the whole week. I am really looking forward to camp, and hope Jon and James can survive without me.
Hopefully there will be pictures and stories to come after all of our travels and adventures.
We have been planning some fun while Jon has a small break. We are going to Washington, D.C. Originally we had planned to leave on Saturday, but realized we have Stake Meetings next Thursday, and they are the last meetings before Youth Conference. We should probably be there. We decided to leave for D.C. the day after our meetings, June 19th. We will probably stay a week. Our main purpose in going there is to visit some friends, who live there (a mission buddy/former roommate of Jon's and his family). We are also excited to see the sites.
We have also thought about bringing James to the temple to walk around, so he can see it. We feel it is important for him to get exposure to the temple at all ages. On this trip we would also make a stop at IKEA (pick up a Christmas present for James, long story). We love IKEA!
We also would like to go to a move or two at the theater. Star Trek for sure, and maybe, UP. We will see if that happens. We will go out to dinner Friday night right after the test, too.
Jon has also been trying to see if we could go visit another mission companion during this break before he and his family move to Washington (the state). This has been a last minute thought. We would hope to leave on Saturday and then come back on Monday. Just a quick trip. Jon really wants to leave town right after his test, so he can forget about it and not dwell on it. We will see if this happens.
The Sunday after we get back from D.C. we will be in Ann Arbor for a baby blessing. Good luck in the next few days, Kat! Hope that girl comes when you want her to!
The last week of Jon's break, I will be going to Stake Young Women's Camp. Jon said he would take James the whole week. I am really looking forward to camp, and hope Jon and James can survive without me.
Hopefully there will be pictures and stories to come after all of our travels and adventures.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Good Morning!
A few mornings ago, I went in to check on James. He was awake and as usual was sideways, laying on his side with his hand clasped, intently looking at them and one leg in the air. This is how I find him most mornings before his makes any sound. I thought I would try to get a picture. This is what I got. 
Also, just so you know, James is very jump at times. It just so happens that taking this picture scared him, big time. Poor boy. What a shock to get your picture taken when you think you are all alone.
Also, just so you know, James is very jump at times. It just so happens that taking this picture scared him, big time. Poor boy. What a shock to get your picture taken when you think you are all alone.
Monday, June 8, 2009
Yum!
James had his first graham cracker. 
He loved feeding himself, until it turned to goo in his hand from all the drool. Even then, it was fun to wipe it all over the place. He was really good at using those two little teeth to bite off small pieces. 
It also made me laugh that his hair is sticking up in the back in these pictures. Jon had tried to spike his hair, but this is all that stayed spiked.
He loved feeding himself, until it turned to goo in his hand from all the drool. Even then, it was fun to wipe it all over the place. He was really good at using those two little teeth to bite off small pieces. It also made me laugh that his hair is sticking up in the back in these pictures. Jon had tried to spike his hair, but this is all that stayed spiked.
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Teeth Again
Here are some better pictures of James's teeth. 
Yes, he does bite Jon and I with his teeth, and they are sharp.
Yes, he does bite Jon and I with his teeth, and they are sharp.Saturday, June 6, 2009
Tummy
James does not mind being on his tummy now, at least for a little while. He rolls a little. He can spin in a circle. He also inches forward sometimes.
Friday, June 5, 2009
Noises
James was making this noise for about an hour the other night.
Here is his laugh (kind of).
Celebrating Eighty Years of Young Women Camp
Erin Jones - LDS Living
This summer marks the 80th anniversary of the opening of the first Young Women Camp, commonly known as Girl’s Camp.
On June 9, 1929, at a conference of the Young Women’s Mutual Improvement Association, church leaders announced the creation of an official summer camp for girls. This camp was Brighton LDS Girls Camp, a campsite in the Wasatch Mountains of the Salt Lake Valley. Campers hiked, rode horses, and cooked in the outdoors.
Although feeling the Spirit and experiencing the outdoors are still a big part of Young Women Camp, the purposes of camp have expanded over the years. Today, camp is focused on raising young women to be leaders and to follow the Lord.
According to the Young Women Camp Manual, young women “can find joy in an outdoor setting that will strengthen their love for each other and the gospel and their commitment to stand together.” The goals of Young Women camp include drawing closer to God, feeling reverence for nature, becoming more self-reliant, respecting the environment, serving others, building friendships, and developing leadership skills.
Lynda Connell, a former director of the Young Women Camp in Renton, Washington, ran a camp that was so successful that neighboring stakes frequently seek her help in planning. She believes that camp is a week-long opportunity to influence the future leaders of the Church. “Young Women Camp is like a year of Young Women [meetings] in a week. . . . Camp is 100 hours in a week of opportunity to influence and train and grow,” Connell said.
Connell finds that aligning camp with the Young Women Values and the suggestions in the Camp Manual helps to accomplish the purposes of camp. “I think while [the girls] were having fun . . . they were learning skills that they could apply to any calling we have in the church,” she said.
Focusing on Young Women Values brings the Spirit into the camp. Some ideas to keep the Spirit in camp include opening and closing camp with prayers for gratitude and protection, giving the young women solitary time to pray and read scriptures, and holding fireside testimony meetings. It is also important to follow the camp rules.
Connell recalls a time when leaders wanted to break camp rules and light fires during a burn ban. “I don’t think people realize how many things take the Spirit out,” said Connell. “If you want the Spirit, you have to make the environment for the Spirit to come.”
As camp director, Connell also wanted her young women to develop sisterhood and learn to love each other despite their differences. “The most important thing is that we have one purpose together. . . . We can be different as night and day and still serve together,” she said.
Today there are hundreds of Young Women camps around the world, and each camp is different and unique. The Camp Manual states that “young women and their local leaders select and plan activities to fit their local circumstances and needs.”
When making these plans, Connell believes that camp leaders should consult their Heavenly Father and their priesthood leaders to determine a camp’s specific needs. “Any righteous woman who hits her knees can get direction for and then lead camp,” she said.
As leaders and campers plan together, they should always plan camp with “the end in mind,” as Connell said, and one of the best “ends” a camp can have is to create Christ-like leaders. “That was probably my biggest desire approaching camp,” said Connell, “that the girls would leave feeling like leaders; that they could do whatever the Lord asked them to do, because they’d been taught the principles of leadership.” Connell had the adult leaders live among the girls so the girls could see examples of good leadership.
Today, the Church recommends letting the older girls function as Youth Camp Leaders, or YCLs, where they can be involved in planning camp, teaching the younger girls, and serving in leadership roles. Connell said she had some opposition when she first started using YCLs, but that the program has been an enormous success. When the YCLs caught the camp vision, they wanted their camp to be successful.
Connell recalls a time when an adult leader was struggling to hold supplies. Immediately, several YCLs jumped up to help her. It was then that she knew these girls had learned the true principles of Christ-like leadership.
“That is probably my biggest testimony about camp, that it can happen anywhere, but it really is about learning to lead the Savior’s way, and using the Young Women Values and all the purposes of camp to become a better leader,” said Connell.
So from its humble beginnings as a place for girls to experience the outdoors, Young Women Camp has become an opportunity for the young women of the church to learn skills of leadership and service. Camp is a unique experience for young women to leave the world behind and come closer to the Lord.
“Camp is so much more than sleeping outside,” said Connell. “That’s not the purpose, that’s just the vehicle.”
This summer marks the 80th anniversary of the opening of the first Young Women Camp, commonly known as Girl’s Camp.
On June 9, 1929, at a conference of the Young Women’s Mutual Improvement Association, church leaders announced the creation of an official summer camp for girls. This camp was Brighton LDS Girls Camp, a campsite in the Wasatch Mountains of the Salt Lake Valley. Campers hiked, rode horses, and cooked in the outdoors.
Although feeling the Spirit and experiencing the outdoors are still a big part of Young Women Camp, the purposes of camp have expanded over the years. Today, camp is focused on raising young women to be leaders and to follow the Lord.
According to the Young Women Camp Manual, young women “can find joy in an outdoor setting that will strengthen their love for each other and the gospel and their commitment to stand together.” The goals of Young Women camp include drawing closer to God, feeling reverence for nature, becoming more self-reliant, respecting the environment, serving others, building friendships, and developing leadership skills.
Lynda Connell, a former director of the Young Women Camp in Renton, Washington, ran a camp that was so successful that neighboring stakes frequently seek her help in planning. She believes that camp is a week-long opportunity to influence the future leaders of the Church. “Young Women Camp is like a year of Young Women [meetings] in a week. . . . Camp is 100 hours in a week of opportunity to influence and train and grow,” Connell said.
Connell finds that aligning camp with the Young Women Values and the suggestions in the Camp Manual helps to accomplish the purposes of camp. “I think while [the girls] were having fun . . . they were learning skills that they could apply to any calling we have in the church,” she said.
Focusing on Young Women Values brings the Spirit into the camp. Some ideas to keep the Spirit in camp include opening and closing camp with prayers for gratitude and protection, giving the young women solitary time to pray and read scriptures, and holding fireside testimony meetings. It is also important to follow the camp rules.
Connell recalls a time when leaders wanted to break camp rules and light fires during a burn ban. “I don’t think people realize how many things take the Spirit out,” said Connell. “If you want the Spirit, you have to make the environment for the Spirit to come.”
As camp director, Connell also wanted her young women to develop sisterhood and learn to love each other despite their differences. “The most important thing is that we have one purpose together. . . . We can be different as night and day and still serve together,” she said.
Today there are hundreds of Young Women camps around the world, and each camp is different and unique. The Camp Manual states that “young women and their local leaders select and plan activities to fit their local circumstances and needs.”
When making these plans, Connell believes that camp leaders should consult their Heavenly Father and their priesthood leaders to determine a camp’s specific needs. “Any righteous woman who hits her knees can get direction for and then lead camp,” she said.
As leaders and campers plan together, they should always plan camp with “the end in mind,” as Connell said, and one of the best “ends” a camp can have is to create Christ-like leaders. “That was probably my biggest desire approaching camp,” said Connell, “that the girls would leave feeling like leaders; that they could do whatever the Lord asked them to do, because they’d been taught the principles of leadership.” Connell had the adult leaders live among the girls so the girls could see examples of good leadership.
Today, the Church recommends letting the older girls function as Youth Camp Leaders, or YCLs, where they can be involved in planning camp, teaching the younger girls, and serving in leadership roles. Connell said she had some opposition when she first started using YCLs, but that the program has been an enormous success. When the YCLs caught the camp vision, they wanted their camp to be successful.
Connell recalls a time when an adult leader was struggling to hold supplies. Immediately, several YCLs jumped up to help her. It was then that she knew these girls had learned the true principles of Christ-like leadership.
“That is probably my biggest testimony about camp, that it can happen anywhere, but it really is about learning to lead the Savior’s way, and using the Young Women Values and all the purposes of camp to become a better leader,” said Connell.
So from its humble beginnings as a place for girls to experience the outdoors, Young Women Camp has become an opportunity for the young women of the church to learn skills of leadership and service. Camp is a unique experience for young women to leave the world behind and come closer to the Lord.
“Camp is so much more than sleeping outside,” said Connell. “That’s not the purpose, that’s just the vehicle.”
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Babies in the Ward
On Sunday, we got as many of the babies from the ward together as we could. These are the babies that have been born since September. There were a few out of town, and there are more due in the near future. There will probably be more pictures like this. Enjoy! Can you find James? 
Nauvoo University to Open This Fall
Rosemary Palmer - LDS Living
Many young members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints do not have the opportunity to attend LDS-owned colleges. Nauvoo University, opening for its inaugural semester in fall 2009, will provide another academic setting for these students.
Though Nauvoo University will be opening its doors for the first time, the idea of a university in Nauvoo is not new. The University of the City of Nauvoo was founded in 1840, but became dormant by 1846.
But the mission lives on. The same mission that Joseph Smith gave the university in 1841 will be Nauvoo University’s mission: to "enable us to teach our children wisdom—to instruct them in all knowledge, and learning, in the Arts, Sciences and Learned Professions. We hope to make this institution one of the great lights of the world, and by and through it, to diffuse that kind of knowledge which will be of practical utility, and for the public good, and also for private and individual happiness.”
Prospective students have already voiced a desire to honor Nauvoo pioneers and “be part of starting something big.”
One student said, “A good, clean, safe environment for learning and living is very important to me. I believe that Nauvoo University is headed for great things and will accomplish much good, and I look forward to being a part of it all.”
“Nauvoo is filled with such religious history that I know I will not only come out of there with a greater knowledge, but with a stronger testimony of my faith,” said another. “I want so much to be able to . . . experience the lives of those saints who first came to Nauvoo.”
The university is being organized as an independent coeducational institution that adheres to Latter-day Saint standards but is not owned, operated, funded, or supported by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It will offer a strong academic program of basic classes coupled with spiritual development, which may make it attractive to students who attend one or two semesters before an LDS mission, who want a year or two closer to home before attending a Church school or other college, or who would like to complete a two-year associate degree. Although it is called Nauvoo University, it will not begin as a four-year institution.
As a result of a recent agreement, students in Nauvoo will also be able to register as students at Carl Sandburg College (CSC), accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools and located in Galesburg, Illinois. This will allow students to transfer credits and apply for scholarships through CSC. Associate degrees will be completed through CSC.
Admission is open to LDS students and students of diverse faiths who meet these standards: morality and honesty, abstinence from alcohol and tobacco, clean and modest dress, and ecclesiastical endorsement. Nauvoo University hopes to have a freshman class of 50 students during the 2009-2010 year, with student enrollment increasing as the school expands.
Nauvoo University is looking for faculty and students with a pioneering spirit who want to leave an imprint on this new institution with its long-term goal to become a fully accredited four-year university. Many instructors will be retired LDS professors volunteering their time.
Initially, Nauvoo University will use existing facilities to house the students and staff, but will start a building program as soon as possible.
Nauvoo University’s Board of Trustees has started a campaign to raise funds for and solicit support of the University. Donations of real estate, funds for buildings, endowments for scholarships, and assistance in the organization and establishment of the university are needed.
Evan L. Ivie, former director of the BYU Semester-at-Nauvoo program, is spearheading the endeavor to begin Nauvoo University. Ivie noted that when the church discontinued the BYU semester-at-Nauvoo program in 2006, numerous individuals expressed interest in a college in Nauvoo based upon its key role in church history and the reconstructed Nauvoo Temple.
“With the blessings of God, Nauvoo University will grow into the kind of institution that Joseph Smith envisioned it to be,” said Evan Ivie.
To learn more about Nauvoo University, or to apply online as a student, go to nauvoouniversity.com.
Many young members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints do not have the opportunity to attend LDS-owned colleges. Nauvoo University, opening for its inaugural semester in fall 2009, will provide another academic setting for these students.
Though Nauvoo University will be opening its doors for the first time, the idea of a university in Nauvoo is not new. The University of the City of Nauvoo was founded in 1840, but became dormant by 1846.
But the mission lives on. The same mission that Joseph Smith gave the university in 1841 will be Nauvoo University’s mission: to "enable us to teach our children wisdom—to instruct them in all knowledge, and learning, in the Arts, Sciences and Learned Professions. We hope to make this institution one of the great lights of the world, and by and through it, to diffuse that kind of knowledge which will be of practical utility, and for the public good, and also for private and individual happiness.”
Prospective students have already voiced a desire to honor Nauvoo pioneers and “be part of starting something big.”
One student said, “A good, clean, safe environment for learning and living is very important to me. I believe that Nauvoo University is headed for great things and will accomplish much good, and I look forward to being a part of it all.”
“Nauvoo is filled with such religious history that I know I will not only come out of there with a greater knowledge, but with a stronger testimony of my faith,” said another. “I want so much to be able to . . . experience the lives of those saints who first came to Nauvoo.”
The university is being organized as an independent coeducational institution that adheres to Latter-day Saint standards but is not owned, operated, funded, or supported by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It will offer a strong academic program of basic classes coupled with spiritual development, which may make it attractive to students who attend one or two semesters before an LDS mission, who want a year or two closer to home before attending a Church school or other college, or who would like to complete a two-year associate degree. Although it is called Nauvoo University, it will not begin as a four-year institution.
As a result of a recent agreement, students in Nauvoo will also be able to register as students at Carl Sandburg College (CSC), accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools and located in Galesburg, Illinois. This will allow students to transfer credits and apply for scholarships through CSC. Associate degrees will be completed through CSC.
Admission is open to LDS students and students of diverse faiths who meet these standards: morality and honesty, abstinence from alcohol and tobacco, clean and modest dress, and ecclesiastical endorsement. Nauvoo University hopes to have a freshman class of 50 students during the 2009-2010 year, with student enrollment increasing as the school expands.
Nauvoo University is looking for faculty and students with a pioneering spirit who want to leave an imprint on this new institution with its long-term goal to become a fully accredited four-year university. Many instructors will be retired LDS professors volunteering their time.
Initially, Nauvoo University will use existing facilities to house the students and staff, but will start a building program as soon as possible.
Nauvoo University’s Board of Trustees has started a campaign to raise funds for and solicit support of the University. Donations of real estate, funds for buildings, endowments for scholarships, and assistance in the organization and establishment of the university are needed.
Evan L. Ivie, former director of the BYU Semester-at-Nauvoo program, is spearheading the endeavor to begin Nauvoo University. Ivie noted that when the church discontinued the BYU semester-at-Nauvoo program in 2006, numerous individuals expressed interest in a college in Nauvoo based upon its key role in church history and the reconstructed Nauvoo Temple.
“With the blessings of God, Nauvoo University will grow into the kind of institution that Joseph Smith envisioned it to be,” said Evan Ivie.
To learn more about Nauvoo University, or to apply online as a student, go to nauvoouniversity.com.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Feet
James loves to grab his feet now. 
I will find him holding his feet when I go to get him out of his crib. 
Every time I change his diaper, he grabs his feet. 
It is so fun!
I will find him holding his feet when I go to get him out of his crib. Every time I change his diaper, he grabs his feet. It is so fun!NCAA 2009 Women's World Series
I have enjoyed watching a lot of College Softball the last few weeks. I watched the Regionals, then the Super Regionals, and finally the World Series. I am very happy that the University of Washington won the National Championship last night. 
They have an amazing team. Jon and I were cheering for them through the whole thing. Jon's ties to UW run deep, and it was great to see they have a really good softball team. Go HUSKIES!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)