Dear Family and Friends,
Our working deal being that Lisa updates the family blog and I write the Christmas letter/e-mail, it has come time once again for me to think back on all the things that have gone on with our family throughout the past year. It’s hard for me to believe how quickly this year has passed and all the things that have happened during it. Two semesters of school, an internship in Iowa, and the birth of a new baby have made it a wonderful and exciting year and we’ve been truly blessed throughout it!
Savanna
By far the biggest thing that happened this year for our family was the birth of our second child, Savanna Michelle Jones, on April 20th. She was born the day after I finished my final exams for that school semester—I was very grateful to Lisa for holding off on going into labor until I could wrap up school! (Actually, it meant I was feverishly trying to work on final projects and exams as fast as I could before my wife went into labor!) Savanna surprised us by being born with as much blond hair as it had taken Alex 1 ½ years of living to grow. She’s been a very fun little girl to have around, but definitely keeps us hopping. These days she’s almost 8 months old, is army-crawling all over (despite Lisa’s attempts to convince her that it works much better when you use your knees—Savanna just won’t listen to reason), pulling up on things, babbling up a storm (she says “Dada”! Ha!), and has been experimenting with new facial expressions (she has expressive eyebrows)! Besides her normal winsome smile, she has a separate cheesy grin that she’s started using every so often.
Alex
Alex has grown immensely during the last year! He’s two-and-a-half, basically potty-trained (basically . . . it’s a long story), his imagination is expanding every day, and he loves reading with Mommy and Daddy, helping Mommy cook, opening presents (even if they are his own toys that we’ve just barely wrapped for the sole purpose of him opening them) and running around at parks! It took Alex a bit to adjust to the arrival of a new baby, but he definitely loves his little sister and enjoys playing with her, even if he refuses to share his little blue chair with her (he doesn’t like her to even go near it. It’s pretty wild—I’m not sure if he thinks she’s going to steal it away [unlikely, given that it’s at least double her size] or he just really doesn’t want her to drool on it, but he does not approve of her going near it). He’s continued to add words to his vocabulary and will often talk in partially-strung-together sentences (imperfect ones, but still!). He’s also perfected an amazing scowl that he’ll use on us when we’ve displeased him or when just about anyone besides Lisa or I try to talk to him at all. It’s kind of cute. But he gives me hugs and quotes Little Einsteins, and it all makes me happy!
Lisa
I’m really grateful for the woman that I married. Lisa continues to be a fantastic mom and a great support to me during the busy years of getting an education. It still amazes me to think that, three weeks after giving birth to Savanna she was driving along with me and our two kids to the middle of Iowa (well, eastern middle) where we didn’t know anyone or anything and where we lived for the next 12 weeks. And she did not call me “crazy” even once! Since we returned to Provo, she’s kept busy with the BYU MBA Spouse’s Association running the organization’s “Gifts of the Heart” Exchange. In her role over the Exchange, she basically coordinates the event twice a semester where clothes and toys that have been donated to the program by a local thrift store called “Kid-to-Kid” and by other students are gathered together and offered for free to student families. It’s been really neat to see all the work that goes into the events and how grateful the recipients are.
In terms of Church callings, Lisa is still a Young Women’s advisor (specifically the 14-to-15-year-old girls) in our ward—a calling which she’s had since Alex was born. That might not sound like so long to those of you out in established wards where you’ve had the same calling for eight to ten years, but we’ve thought it through very carefully and we’re pretty sure that there are only four or five other people in our ward who have spent more time in their current callings. It just seems ironic to us, because you wouldn’t usually think of a Young Women’s advisor being one of the longest-tenured callings in the ward. She’s still enjoying it, though, and is even taking the opportunity to pass on skills like cake decorating to the girls she works with.
Keith
Ah, me. It’s been a wild and exciting little year for me! I’ve finished my second and third semesters of the MBA program at BYU—semesters that, as alluded to previously, were separated by a summer internship in Iowa. I had the opportunity to work for General Mills as an HR Intern at their Cedar Rapids plant, which was a fantastic experience in part because that particular plant made cereals like Honey Nut Cheerios, products like Fruit Roll-Ups, Gushers, and Fruit-by-the-Foot, and Betty Crocker frosting (the smells were AMAZING!!). It was a great chance to get a feel for what a manufacturing plant HR position looks like and we were very happy to come away from the summer with an offer from General Mills to come back to work for the company full-time once I graduate next April! We happily accepted the offer, so I’ll start working for General Mills next spring at their Hannibal, Missouri plant.
Beyond that, this last semester has ended up way busier than it was supposed to be, but since when has my schedule ever listened to me regarding how it’s supposed to behave? I’ve had a lot of fun experiences all the same: I got to be one of the Teacher’s Assistants for the core HR class that the 1st-year MBA students all take, and I was part of a team selected as one of eleven in the nation to participate in the MBA Human Capital Case Competition held at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. It was a great learning experience (even though I got the least sleep I’ve gotten in years during the trip, thanks to our feverish preparation for the competition) and it was definitely fun to see Nashville. In church, they’ve called me to be one of the teachers for the 11-12 year old Primary class, which has been a culture shock experience of sorts, since I’m used to only ever teaching groups of people who are at least college-age. Still, I’m enjoying working with the kids and getting to know them and their personalities—it will be sad to see the current group move up and out of my class at the end of the year.
So it’s been a very busy year for us! We’re excited for what 2012 holds in terms of new cities and new jobs (and we’re comforted by the fact that, if the world does end in December 2012 [mark your Mayan calendars!], at least we won’t have to pay back my student loans!). It’s hard to believe we’re already halfway through the last year of the MBA program! It’s been an exciting ride, and we’re very grateful for the blessings that the Lord continues to give us. We’re grateful for all of you and the parts you play in our lives, and we wish you all the best during this wonderful holiday season! May God bless you all and may you have peace and happiness in your lives!
Love,
Keith, Lisa, Alex, and Savanna Jones
Loved the update. :) Thanks!
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