2016 Year in Review

Merry Christmas everyone! It's that magical time of year again when we put other's needs before our own and reflect on the most important event in history, the birth of our Savior. It really is a wondrous thing that Jesus Christ was born as a tiny innocent baby who would grow up to be the Savior of Mankind. Thinking about His life and ministry during this holiday season I'm reminded of the events of this past year and the blessings we have received in our lives. We have been richly blessed this year as I hope all of you have too. Here are the top five events for our family this year.

1. The birth of our daughter. 

No big surprise here, but our number one highlight of 2016 was welcoming Mackenzie Noemi Jackson into our family in June. We were so excited to meet her and every day since has lived up to the hype of being a parent. She is such a happy baby who smiles at everyone and lights up our life. We have honestly loved (almost) every minute and can't wait to see the person she will become, but right now are enjoying every moment with her as a cute baby.

One week old. So tiny!

5 months old. Still tiny!

2. We're moving. 

Yup. Scott got a new job working for the State Department and as part of that we're happy to announce that next summer this Jackson family is moving to Paraguay! This is going to be the biggest move (so far) of our marriage but probably the most exciting. It's still a little overwhelming to think this is going to happen for us but it is. It really is. We've always talked fondly of growing up outside of the United States and wanting to raise our children the same way. Neither of us speak (much) Spanish you say? No worries! We are excited to learn and especially for Mackenzie to learn at such an early age. This move will be for at least two years so those who want to visit can start making their travel plans now!

That orange one right there. That's Paraguay.

3. Kiersten says no to grad school (for now). 

Remember how Kiersten spent the last two years going to a community college taking science classes, studying for the GRE, completing 100 hours of shadowing PTs, applying to schools and interviewing? Well all that hard work paid off because she was accepted into the school of her choice! And then since she was pregnant decided a month before the baby was born that she wanted to stay at home and be a full-time mom. It was a tough decision but 6 months later she knows it was the right one for her. She still isn't sure why she went through all those classes and was accepted to PT school, but trusts that the Lord has a plan for her and there was a reason for all of it.

4. We traveled. 

In years past we have left the USA to go abroad to places like Portugal, Hungary and Ireland to name a few. This year we stayed closer to home and explored the beauties of our country. In February we went to Vermont with some close friends for a winter ski adventure. Kiersten, being pregnant, learned what it meant to be a ski lodge mom and didn't freeze her tush on the slopes. 

Snowshoeing in Vermont

In May, Scott and Kiersten had a small Baby Moon in North Carolina where they visited the three major college campuses of Raleigh: UNC Chapel Hill, Duke and NC State. 

Baby takes a picture on NC State campus.

After Mackenzie was born we didn't let having a baby stop our travels! In August we went with Scott's family to Pennsylvania for a summer getaway and were able to tour the Philadelphia Temple Open House. It was very special to be there with our new baby in the House of the Lord.

Scott and Mackenzie outside the Philadelphia Temple.

Finally in September and October we visited Utah. The first trip was just the girls then we all went back in October for BYU Homecoming. Scott was also in Utah in April for his younger sister's college graduation.

These girls are ready to jet set!

Mackenzie did great on all her first flights.

Drove the Alpine Loop.

Cougar 5K. First race for Kiersten since the baby.

5. New purchases for home and family. 

We made the most significant purchase of our marriage to date, a new couch, in October. It might not seem like much to you but in five years of marriage we'd never owned a couch and the one we had been using was an aging, plaid, hand-me-down love seat from Scott's parents. However, that purchase will soon be overshadowed by our plans to buy a new car this month to replace Scott's 15 year-old Accord that has over 200,000 miles on it. We haven't quite decided what kind of car we'll buy but we are in the midst of research and visiting dealerships.

First driving lesson! Mackenzie liked this car.

There have been plenty of other happenings this year but these are the big ones we remember best. We have definitely seen the Lord's hand in our lives this year and continue to count our blessings daily. We wish you all a Merry Christmas season full of family, love and joy. We hope your New Year brings you continued happiness and success in all your endeavors. 

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year
Love,
Scott, Kiersten & Mackenzie

Jackson Summer 2016 Update

Once again it has been some time since I updated our blog. In our defense, we have been busy in a whole new way this summer. Since our last post, I was pregnant and we were preparing to welcome our little girl into our family. Let me start from that point.

May: After our babymoon in North Carolina, we celebrated our fifth year anniversary. Five years! My how time flies. We celebrated by attending a National's baseball game (in the rain) then dinner at Uncle Julios in Reston and finally a last minute decision to watch Captain America Civil War. It was a very fun day.

The rest of May was spent cleaning, organizing, packing and preparing for Baby Girl Jackson to arrive.

June: The month we had been waiting for since we learned I was pregnant. I ramped up my walking and activity this month to encourage Baby Girl to come meet us. My due date was June 8 but we all wanted her born on June 6 because that is my Grandfather's birthday. Well I walked 5 miles that day and nothing. I had a doctor's appointment the next day and they said I was 1.5 cm dilated. Great. On my due date (June 8), I walked and then went swimming at the pool. Still nothing.

40 weeks. My due date.

June 9. I went for a walk again and then that evening after Scott was home and we ate dinner, my water broke. I was so giddy that we were finally going to be meeting her I couldn't stop laughing! We got to the hospital around 8:30pm and checked in and we were there for the rest of the night.

Here are the highlights of my labor and delivery:
- Even though my water broke I wasn't having active contractions. They gave me Cervidil which is a drug that helps to thin out the cervix and doesn't necessarily cause contractions but it can... and did for me.
- By 9:30 (or so) I started to have contractions about one every four minutes for about 60 seconds. That very quickly escalated to having four minute long contractions every minute! It was rough. No time to recover. I was about 4 cm dilated and I decided enough was enough. EPIDURAL!
- Epidural at 11:30 and it fully kicked in at midnight. My parents had arrived before the drugs and they stayed around to chat for a little bit. I was hooked up to monitors and a Petocin drip and they said to try to sleep. That didn't really happen but I tried.
- 6am. I gave up on sleeping and turned on the TV. Scott slept a little but it wasn't restful. Doctor checks me and I'm 8 cm! Yes!
- 9am. Still 8cm and, oh guess what? Baby is face up. Not how she should be. They try to manually flip her but she won't turn (and it HURT) so I gingerly get on hands and knees to cat-cow her around. For 45 minutes and still nothing.
- 10:30am. My doctor said the next option might have to be a C-section since she won't turn and I won't dilate past 8 cm. This is a very scary thought since I didn't at all prepare for this option. Scott and I think it over, pray about it and decide, I'm done. 17 hours of labor and I want to meet this little girl!
- 12:30pm. I'm getting prepped for surgery and Scott takes our stuff into a OR recovery room and I am wheeled to an OR.
- 1pm. I'm in the OR and getting numbed and getting more nervous and scared. I watched way too much Grey's Anatomy while pregnant! Scott finally comes in and I have discovered that singing hymns and Primary songs help to calm me down.

On the operating table...

- 1:20pm. The procedure begins. I'm really scared. Scott holds my hand and distracts me. Lots of pressure on my chest.
- 1:24pm. There is a baby in the room! And she is beautiful. And I cry.
- 1:30pm. She is wrapped up and taken away with Scott to the OR recovery room and I stay to get stitched up.
- 2pm. I'm finally wheeled into the OR recovery room and I get to see and hold my baby up close. I'm still totally numb and so, so tired. Once I can feel my arms I ask to hold her and I feed her for the first time and it is one of the most precious experiences of my life.

So in love with his little girl.

- 3:30pm. I can feel my toes again which is the sign that we can move to our actual recovery room. Up we go and there we stay until Monday morning.

Both our parents and siblings who live here visited us and met the baby. We decided on her name the evening she was born. Mackenzie Noemi Jackson. Noemi is pronounced like no-Amy. It's the Hungarian version of Naomi and its probably my favorite female Hungarian name. It is perfect for our little girl.

Three generations of Hammond ladies. Proud Grandma and Momma!

So on June 10 we finally met our baby! She was born 7 pounds 2 ounces and 21 1/4 inches long. She is so cute and such a good baby. We love love love her!

Our first family photo.

The rest of June we spent at home learning how to be parents, taking care of her, watching her and loving all that it entails. We also watched a lot of soccer. (UEFA Euro Cup 2016. It was awesome!)

One week old

July: Scott goes back to work and I stay home with Mackenzie. After a few days we get into a routine. Since I had a C-section the first two weeks were tough for me. I wasn't allowed to drive (because of the pain meds I was on which I only took for 5 days because I didn't need them. I tell you, exercise and a healthy life style are the way to go!) and I wasn't allowed to lift anything heavier than the baby and I had to limit stairs. We live on the 2nd floor. So that meant I was confined to our apartment essentially for two weeks. Yuck. But in July I was cleared to do more things and go on walks so I started walking with her in the stroller and driving and it was good. I felt almost like my old self.

Bath Time!

Ready for Church

"I'm a big girl!"

On July 31 we blessed Mackenzie in church. It was a very sweet experience. Both her Grandpas were in the circle along with Uncle Brad and Uncle Darren and our good college friend Mathias Gardner. We also had other friends and family attend Sacrament Meeting with us to join in celebrating her. It was wonderful.

Everyone who was in the circle for Mackenzie's blessing.

Mackenzie's blessing gown with Mommy's wedding dress as a backdrop.

August: More energy and Mackenzie is now 6 weeks old and guess what? She is sleeping through the night! Now I'm still not sure if it is because she is such a good baby or because of this book I read, The Secrets of the Baby Whisperer. The book said that she said could get any 6 week old baby who gets 6-8 good feedings through the day to sleep through the night. Well she does and it worked I guess! It's awesome. People at church keep asking, "How's the sleep deprivation?" And I shrug guiltly and say, "Um, I don't have that. She sleeps all night." I really think we have been spoiled. Our next kid will probably be a terror so I'm going to enjoy our Angel Baby while I can.

Mackenzie is also cooing and smiling more and it is so adorable. I love her little sounds and love watching her explore the world. She is so cute and her smile lights up her whole face. She truly is a joy to us and I can't imagine my life without her.

This month we took our first road trip with her. We went to Pennsylvania with the Jacksons and it was a really fun trip. We went on a coal mine tour (yes even the babies) and played frisbee golf (Grandma watched the babies) and attended the Philadelphia Temple open house which was magnificent. I'd never been to an open house and getting to go inside the temple with Mackenzie was a sweet experience. It is beautiful inside and out. Go to the Temple. It will change your life.

Finally met Uncle Brenton and Aunt Jenna.

Philadelphia Pennsylvania Temple

First train ride! So fun!

Oh yeah! Since Mackenzie turned 2 months old she needed shots. She handled it as well as can be expected. She cried like I thought but calmed down pretty quickly because she was hungry so I nursed her and when we got home she slept for 3 hours. No ill effects after that!

Brave and strong girl after her shots.

September: This month always starts off with a bang since Scott's birthday is September 1. Mackenzie and I spent all day in the kitchen baking his cake (three layer, homemade yellow cake with chocolate butter cream frosting and sprinkles) and making his dinner. She was such a trooper. Sitting in the bouncer and watching my back all day. I felt like a bad mom for not playing with her but I was being a good wife! It was a tough decision to make.

The next day kicked off Labor Day Weekend so we went to Harper's Ferry WV for a family hike. The hike was fun and the view was glorious.

Saturday we got a big present for Scott. It's a family gift really because we finally bought our first couch. It was a big decision and in the end we are both very excited about it. We should get it in 5-6 weeks. Can't wait! Then a Jackson family dinner for Scott's birthday that afternoon.

It has been a wonderful Summer and I can't believe it is over. So much in our life has changed in these short months but I wouldn't change it for the world. I love our happy, independent, bright baby girl. I can't wait to see what other adventures are in store for our new little family of three.

Traditional Gift: Wood

The DC Metro area has been having some uncharacteristically cool and rainy weather for May this year. It has rained for about 15 days in a row and this has caused the thermometer to remain in the low 70s and below. This weekend had a wide range of weird weather patterns and it just so happened to coincide with our Anniversary! Not just any anniversary either. This year we celebrated five happy years.

Saturday, May 14, 2011 was a humid, warm late spring day. We snapped pictures in the slightly overcast air and took in the joys of married life. By the end of the day it was pouring rain. This year, we woke up to a warm, perfectly breezy, 50% humid day and a chance of rain in the afternoon. We drove to DC to watch the Washington Nationals play the Miami Marlins in their first game of a double header game day. The game began at 1pm and we sat in the sun, baking gently while enjoying the frequent breeze.

Scott enjoying our traditional game day pretzel dog alone this year.
I went with a fancy grilled cheese.

The first inning was quite exciting. The Marlins scored one run and the Nats countered with three runs in the bottom of the first. We held the lead for the rest of the game and by 3pm, the predicted rain began to fall. Many fans left their seats but only the most stalwart remained, us included. The game ended in a cold, windy downpour but with a win of 6-4 about an hour and a half later. As we left the stadium, the rain stopped. The irony.

When we got home, we quickly cleaned up, dried off and warmed up then took off for our annual re-live the Mexican Honeymoon trip with Mexican fare. Uncle Julio's this year. Here is our list of Anniversary diners from the previous years:
2011: The Honeymoon to Mexico
2012: On the Border - Reston, VA
2013: Chipotle - Manassas, VA (we moved that day)
2014: El Salvadorian restaurant - Silver Spring, MD
2015: Chuy's - Fairfax, VA
2016: Uncle Julio's - Reston, VA
So far every year has been a different place.

We ate outside, sharing a plate of fajitas and strawberry guava lemonade and got caught in the rain again (close enough for a song reference, no?). This time we were fortunate enough to have cover and didn't get wet. It was a quick passing shower. When dinner was over we discussed what we should do next. It was decided we should go to the movies and see if we could catch the new Captain America movie. We got to the theater just in time for the 8pm showing and had to sit in the very front row on the edge. Not the best seating but the chairs were recliners so that made up for the location.

By the end of the night we were overjoyed and tired from a fun and adventurous fifth year anniversary. The last five years have been some of the best of my life. I couldn't be happier to have found my best friend and perfect companion to travel through life with. Everything will be changing in a few weeks time when we welcome the newest addition to our little family and I couldn't ask for a better partner to help me raise my children. To Marriage!

Babymoon in North Carolina

Ever heard of a Babymoon? I hadn't either until I was pregnant and itching to get away with my darling husband before our baby comes. It's like a Honeymoon but for an expectant couple. It's the last real hurrah before your lives change forever in the best possible way. We'd discussed the possibility of having a Babymoon but weren't sure when or where we could go. Should we do a combined Anniversary/Babymoon trip the second weekend in May? How far away are we willing to go with 4 weeks lefts til D Day? Then an opportunity presented itself.

Scott had the opportunity to travel to Raleigh, NC for a conference related to programs for work from May 1-5. It was a big, geeky (my word, not his) geography and tech conference. He loved it! He flew down Sunday evening and had meetings up through Thursday. This week coincided with my NOVA finals week but I only had two so no big deal really. (Note: These were my last two pre-requisite classes for PT school! Hooray!) I finished my last final at 11:40am on Wednesday, went to work and then came home to pack.

I washed some of her clothes one day Scott was gone.
SO many! This is just Newborn - 9 months!

Thursday, after much delay and a slight change in plans and vehicle arrangement that I won't bore you with the details, I was on my merry way to Raleigh! When people heard I would be driving the 4.5 hours to Raleigh they asked a little alarmed, "By yourself?!" Me: "Umm, yeah, what's the big deal?" I love road trips and have taken a few short trips by myself and they have been thoroughly enjoyable. This one was no different. I passed the time finishing listening to the book "The Astronaut Wives Club" (very good, historical, interesting) and starting the book "The Time Traveler's Wife" (a concept completely different than I've heard of before). I stopped once for a bathroom break right after crossing the VA/NC border and then 2 hours later, arrived in Raleigh. And the adventure began!

That evening, we walked about 3 blocks to a little local restaurant called Beasley's Chicken and Honey. We got the traditional southern food of cheesey grits for an appetizer and chicken and waffles to share as an entre with mac and cheese custard and pickled beets on the side. Never had chicken and waffles before and we both agreed, it is delicious! Not sure I could handle all that for breakfast or by myself. If I weren't pregnant, that whole thing would have been mine! Then we walked around the downtown area to burn off some of the food then back to the hotel. We each had our own bed to spread out in which was awesome (see, very different from a Honeymoon!) and watched Paper Towns on Showtime. An interesting little movie adapted from the John Green novel of the same name. I wouldn't have sought it out to watch of my own volition but since it was on and entertaining, it wasn't bad.

Friday we toured the local college campuses. For those who don't know, Scott and I love to visit college towns and tour the campus. These are usually the prettiest spots in towns and always have a fun atmosphere. I'm not sure if it's because we met in college and loved it so much that this tradition began but it is always a highlight of any trip we go on. The first college to visit was the University of North Carolina or UNC in Chapel Hill, NC. Holy cow was it beautiful! The buildings are old and historic as are the trees and grounds that surround the campus. UNC was gearing up for graduation that weekend so banners and graduates were around every corner. We saw the Old Well which is a real functioning water fountain, the main quad, the bell tower, the football stadium, botanical gardens and the bookstore along with many other buildings. I purchased my quintessential university shirt (my university shirt collection is now up to 8 I think, not counting BYU shirts of which I have a plethora) and was half tempted to get the UNC Women's Soccer athletic t-shirt. Mia Hamm, one of the most famous female soccer players of the last 2 decades, played for the Tar Heels back in the early '90s. Ultimately I just got one UNC long sleeve shirt, something different than my usual Ts.

Next was lunch. After talking to some locals, we went 10 minutes away from campus to eat some classic Carolina BBQ at Allen and Sons BBQ. Pretty good eats. After lunch, we drove the 15 minutes to Duke's campus. It was amazing to us how close these two rival schools are from each other. Duke graduates this coming weekend (May 14-15) so the campus was a little quieter but still gorgeous. The buildings there were very prestigious, Ivy-league looking. The most breath-taking building we saw was the Cathedral. It was closed due to finishing renovations but the exterior was incredible. It was Gothic style and reminded me of pictures of churches from England and Europe. Sadly, we didn't spend nearly enough time here because my sad, tired, pregnant body wouldn't allow us to keep walking anymore. After 2 straight hours walking around UNC, I'd used almost all my energy and enthusiasm for touring. We were able to visit Duke's gardens and library before calling it quits. No shirt for me here. For some reason, I felt getting one shirt in the Raleigh area was enough. And if I change my mind, there is always internet shopping.

Friday evening we ate dinner at a local burger place called b.good. All ingredients were fresh and local and yummy. We spent the night lounging in our hotel room watching more HBO and Showtime.

Saturday we staying in Raleigh. For breakfast we drove about 15 minutes away from the main downtown to eat at Angie's Restaurant and local haunt for delicious breakfast and man was it popular! We waited to be seated and it was packed but so tasty. And since Mother's Day was this weekend, they gave all the women long-stemmed carnations. They handed me mine and said, "Happy Mother's Day-to-be!" It was really sweet.

After breakfast we went to the campus of NC State which is located right there in Raleigh. We didn't do as much walking after my hard learned lesson the day before but still saw pretty much all of the North Campus. NC State's campus is very vast and spread out so we were only able to see a small portion of it. We saw the bell tower and older, original buildings of campus. NC State was also graduating this weekend so there were many graduates in red robes taking pictures all over the place. We were lucky and hit the student union building right before a major college's graduation ceremony got out and we ate delicious, on-campus-made, ice cream during the jubilation.

Baby is taking a picture on NC State campus

After our campus tour, we went to the Raleigh Flea Market just to have a look see. Lots of people out and about. It was a beautiful day. When we'd finished at the flea market, we went to the Raleigh Museum of Art, not for the art but for the walking trail. Again, sadly, my energy and enthusiasm for the day had hit a wall and I was not up for any more walking. We traversed a small portion of the trail and then came back to the car.

Dinner was next on the agenda and I wanted Italian food. After looking at the map and identifying a few Italian restaurants, I decided on Caffe Luna. I ate their fettuccini alfredo with mushrooms and Italian sausage while Scott got the most delicious pasta I've ever tasted in my life. Fiocchi. It was a fresh pasta stuffed with four Italian cheeses and sauted pear in a cream sauce. Sounded a little strange to me and I'm not a huge pear fan so Scott got it and I'm so glad he did. It was just the right amount of sweetness with the savory. Wow! So amazing! After dinner, we did a little bit of walking to help us digest and then got some more ice cream at treat. Yup. The name of the shop was treat. Very good ice cream! We wandered the streets towards the Capitol Building and then back down to our hotel. The night was spent as the previous ones had, relaxing at watching movies on TV.

Sunday was our final day in Raleigh. We checked out of the hotel, packed the car and ate a late and large breakfast at IHOP. It was Mother's Day and it was my choice and I really wanted IHOP. We then drove the 2 or so hours to Richmond, VA to see some Roadside America treasures. If you've ever been on a boring road trip then you need to visit Roadside America's website! There are literally thousands of little places to visit in America that you'd never have known about. These little gems range from abandoned concrete dinosaurs (seen on a roadtrip from Utah to VA) to giant lurking Indians which we saw this trip. We saw the lurking Indian, Mr. Smedly and a 90 foot Confederate pyramid all in Richmond. Pretty amazing stuff. The next 2 hours in the car were full of battling traffic, fatigue and hunger but long story short, we made it home! Just in time to unpack and go to bed to get back to real life on Monday.

I'm so glad we were able to have a little time away just the two of us. We both can't wait to meet Baby Girl but we hope we can prepare a little more before she does. 36 weeks and counting!

Nikki's Amazing Mug Brownie

This post is in honor of my friend, Nikki Harker, who gave me this recipe. Nikki has, if possible, a bigger sweet tooth than myself. Until I met her, I'd never heard of the glory that is a personal mug brownie. She has gone through many drafts and versions of mug brownies until she has perfected this one and now I want to keep it in a safe place to look back on often. (Just to be clear, Nikki is still alive and well! Pregnant in fact with her first child which is super exciting. This isn't a memorial post. Gosh if it was I'm pretty sure I could immortalize her with something better than a mug brownie recipe!)

It was your typical Thursday. You know the drill, class, lunch with your pregnant bestie, routine doctor's appointment, find out you're actually 31 weeks pregnant not 30, work and then prenatal yoga class. Since I was so busy all day I really wasn't hungry until I got home from Yoga and the one thing I wanted was, you guessed it, a brownie.

A personal mug brownie in my personal 'K' mug

Thanks to Nikki constantly talking up this recipe, I finally snagged it from her after a Young Women's activity (she is the Beehive Adviser in our Ward) and set to work. I quickly gathered the ingredients, combined them in a mug and turned on the microwave. Truly that simple! In about 2 minutes I had a steaming mug of brownie just for me. I topped it off with a generous scoop of vanilla bean ice cream and went to enjoy this creation. Before I got to work, I realized my pregnant belly is now the perfect size and shape to hold my bowl, or in this case mug, of food without assistance from my hands. It was glorious. You know the scene in the TV show Friends when Pheobe is pregnant with the triplets and she has a bowl of cereal on her belly? I've been watching every episode since the beginning of my pregnancy and have been waiting for this stage. It has finally arrived! What fun.

The joys of being pregnant... I might miss this when it's over

And now, without further adieu, here is the recipe for the best mug brownie you've ever had! (Ok so it was my first ever and I might be bias but honestly why would I go looking for a better recipe when this one is clearly amazing?)

Personal Mug Brownie

1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup sugar + extra (she was insistent that I add extra because it's never sweet enough)
2 TBSP cocoa powder
1 pinch salt
1 pinch cinnamon
1 drop vanilla
2 TBSP canola/vegetable oil
1/4 cup water

1. Mix all the ingredients in a mug.
2. Microwave for 1 minute plus until the edges come off "cleanly" from the mug and is no longer gooey. (I did it for 1 min 45 sec and I thought it was slightly over done but pretty close to perfect.)
3. Let it cool for a few minutes before eating. Top with ice cream, fudge, caramel, marshmallows, cherry, fruit or nothing and just eat it plain. Savor every delicious personalized bite!

So worth the wait

April Showers bring... another random update on the Jacksons!

Since our last post a few things have happened in the exciting lives of Scott and Kiersten. The main thing is Kiersten's belly continues to grow daily. She is getting better at detecting the baby's movements which are both fun and at certain times annoying, specifically when it's time to go to sleep and the baby insists its time for a rave inside mommy's womb. Calm down kid! But the miracle of life is truly amazing.

26 weeks

28 weeks

30 weeks

Ready for a quick update run down? Here goes!

January: The Blizzard of 2016 hit us hard. The snow fell for a glorious 2 1/2 days and we ended up with about 2 feet in our area. Scott's parent's were in the eye of the storm and got 3 feet. We both love snow and enjoyed every minute of it. The federal government closed on Monday and Tuesday and Kiersten's classes were cancelled the entire week. An impromptu Winter Break. This was just about the only snow we got all winter but it sure was a lot! The last of the snow finally melted in our parking lot by the end of March.

That's Scott on Saturday morning after it had been snowing about 15 hours

February: For President's Day and Valentine's Day weekend we drove up to Vermont for our second annual trip to Stratton Ski Resort. This time we did an airbnb in upstate NY right along the NY/VT border with some BYU alum friends, Mathias and Amber Gardner. Since Kiersten was unable to participate in the joys of skiing and snowboarding, she took part in some more pregnancy friendly activities such as pedicure and prenatal massage at the spa and swimming at the fitness center. Scott, Mathias and Amber FROZE on Saturday when the high for that day was 0 degrees. It was the coldest weekend Vermont had had that whole winter and we happened to be there to enjoy it with them. That night we witnessed the fireworks display in subzero temps. It was about -30. Not an exaggeration!

Snowshoeing with Amber and Mathias.
Another pregnancy approved activity!

March: Kiersten has been working more and more steadily this year and this month she worked A TON! Trying to add some income to the family finances before Baby Jackson arrives. In pregnancy news for March, Kiersten had a glucose test scare when she went in for her routine glucose screening to test for gestational diabetes. She failed the one hour test. Aghast she had to return the next week for a tortuous three hour test where they drew her blood FOUR times! Her reward was a Wendy's chicken sandwich and junior chocolate frosty. Then it was Easter weekend so she gorged on candy and delicious food with family for one last hurrah before getting the test results on Monday. She passed! No diabetes for Kiersten! Bring on the ice cream!

April: And now here we are at the start of April. Kiersten is now 30 weeks and trying her best to prepare for June. Only 2 more months! It's amazing how fast this pregnancy really has gone. Scott has been amazing through it all too. So helpful and loving.

Last weekend we had the immense joy of listening to the prophet and the Lord's chosen apostles in the most recent General Conference. I loved all the talks during the sessions but most especially Elder Christofferson's talk about Fathers. It was so timely for us as we prepare to be new parents and in today's world when Fathers don't get the credit they deserve in helping to raise and rear their children. I love my father and the other men in my life who are fathers (my brothers, I'm looking at you) and can't wait to see my adorable husband be a father to our daughter in the coming months and years. I love that we can still hear a prophet's voice today and receive counsel and guidance from our loving Heavenly Father through his mouth piece on the earth who is President Thomas S. Monson.

And now that's us all caught up. Again, can't promise that posts with be forthcoming from here on out but we shall see. School ends for Kiersten in another month and who knows what she'll do with all that extra time waiting for baby to pop.

Thanks for reading!

2016 already??

Happy New Year Readers! We know we didn't do the best job posting in 2015 and like always, we can't guarantee we'll be better this year. How about a quick wrap up of 2015?

August
Kiersten officially quit her full time job at the House Staff Fitness Center in Washington DC so she could focus more on school in order to pursue her dream of becoming a physical therapist. Scott and Kiersten also enjoyed a lovely trip out of the country to Ireland with his parents and sister. The Emerald Isle is called that for a reason, folks. So green!

September
Scott had a birthday the day we returned from Ireland. What better birthday present can you ask for than a trip to Europe? Kiersten started her second to last semester taking prerequisite courses at the local Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA). Physics and Chemistry 101. Yuck. There is a reason she didn't take these at BYU...

October
RAGNAR! Our first time. It was really fun despite the cold, rainy weather from Hurricane Joaquin. We also welcomed our newest niece into the family, Grace Elizabeth Jackson. She was born in New York City while we were running the midnight legs of Ragnar to the proud parents Darren and Carey Jackson (Scott's older brother). She is a cutie!

November
Kiersten's birthday, Thanksgiving and an interview for Shenandoah University's Doctorate of Physical Therapy program starting in August 2016. Just waiting now.

Oh yeah, Scott ran another Half Marathon. The 2nd Annual Battlefield Half

December
Kiersten hears back from Shenandoah and she's been wait listed. So she's not in but she's not out. We literally get to wait. Scott's little brother returned home from his 2 year church mission from Boston and we celebrated Christmas with the Jacksons. A week later we flew out to Utah to celebrate New Year with Kiersten's family and grandparents. Much fun was had by all.

Us at Temple Square

January
Happy New Year! Kiersten started her last semester at NOVA and is looking forward to the end (in May). But the best news of all! We learned on January 14th that we will be welcoming a baby girl into our family in June! As of right now Kiersten is 20 weeks and feeling great, almost back to her old self which is wonderful.

Baby Girl's first picture!

Those are the main highlights from the rest of 2015. Thanks as always for following our sporadic blog. This year might be increasingly difficult to update since we will be having a little one but we'll do our best!