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