A Recap of the Year 2011

2011 has been a great year for us, full of ups and downs. We have learned a lot this past year, and have risen above and conquered.  Here are some high lights of our year.

Mike and I headed to Vegas in February with our friends, the Walkers. We had a great time being on a mini vacation, and the weather was so wonderful!

March brought living with Megan's parents for 1 year! Aren't they so lucky!!!

 April brought us a new niece! Clare Sophia Stockhoff!!

June brought sadness when we lost Grandpa Jorgensen, Mike was pretty broken up about his loss.

July brought Megan's 23rd birthday, celebrated with Coco Bean Red Velvet cup cakes and a good family BBQ filled with all her favorite foods!

It was a big month in July because we also welcomed home Megan's little brother, Jordan, home from his mission to Chile. As well as the arrival of Brynnlee Nicole Walker, Megan's best friend Amy and her hubby Mitch welcomed Brynnlee into their family!

in August Mike and I celebrated Carter's 1st birthday, as well as his one year Angel day! We celebrated with sending balloons off into the heavens! It was a great day, and then a hard day to follow a couple days later. 

 In September, Mike Celebrated 24 years of life! His birthday was filled with golfing, and a family BBQ to end the night!

 

We also received big news on Mikes birthday, the news that we were expecting! We were going to try at this family thing again, We would be due in May!!!

 December brought the news that we were expecting a boy, it also brought holiday work parties, family parties, friends parties. It brought Christmas and our 3 year anniversary!!!! 

We have been truly blessed in 2011, and are so thrilled to look forward to new adventures in 2012!

There are so many new and exciting things planned for 2012 and we can't wait to get started!

Happy New Years!!!!

Elder Jex Returns Home

Elder Jex returned home from his honorable full time LDS mission on Tuesday July 19, 2011.

He flew into the Idaho Falls airport, and was greeted with a warm welcome home!

Following the airport our family made our way over to President Fullers(the stake president) office where Elder Jex became Jordan Jex again. We then headed to Jordan's pick for lunch...Red Robin. His request was a good old fashion hamburger, and it was delivered. It's been fun having Jordan back home with the rest of our family, it's been an adjustment for not only him but for the rest of us. But we love it!

Here is an over load of pictures from his first day at home.





 









some of the gifts brought home for us to enjoy.



The friends that came to welcome him home.



group photo.



The two other Elders who returned from the same mission on the same day.

It's been fun listening to him speak, it's English with a Spanish accent. It's also been great to hear his stories and listen to the things he did daily. He is still a little weird, but not to bad, but he is a little lost on not having a set schedule daily. He speaks in church tomorrow for his homecoming.

From Elder Jex

In Elder Jex's e-mail this week he stated a quote made by another elder in his mission and I love it,

so I thought I would share.

"Wisdom is being able to apply knowledge".

Jordan goes on to say, "Its a very simple phrase but I really enjoyed that! I think its so true. Most of the problems that we have in our lives as members of the church are that we go to church on Sundays, listen to the well prepared talks and classes, and then go home and forget about them. The wisdom we have to have comes from applying what we have learned. And that means being a little self-critical every once in awhile about what we can get better at! It involves setting ourselves goals and making plans to become more and more like Jesus Christ every day. The commandment that will be most asked when we arrive to the final judgement, will be what we did to try and become more like the Savior in our lives. The Lord doesn't care if we were Stake Presidents, Bishops, Elders Quorum presidents, Relief society presidents... What he wants to know is what we have done to fulfill our callings and to be more Christlike. Its easier to be saved for a person with the calling of passing out hymn books at sacrament meeting that completes his calling, than for a Bishop that gives half his heart in his calling. That's something I have reflected on and its true. Its something we have to remember throughout our whole lives!"

deep right? I thought so. It's not really something I think about often so I though it was great to have him talk to us about it and his thoughts. It's true though....we don't get very far only giving half the effort!

Mothers Day

The Mothers Day sign I made.On Mothers day we got to Skype with Elder Jex. It was so much fun and we all had a good time.Mike was a super great hubby on Mothers day, he surprised me with a sewing machine...a NICE sewing machine at that!!! My parents and his also went in on the gift. I love it and can't wait to start cranking out the projects with it!!! later that night Mikes family came over and Mike made dutch oven orange chicken! YUM!

It was so good and we all had a great time!

I hope everyone else had just as great of day as I did!

Elder Jex

Here is Elder Jex with a family of converts they found and baptized.

Jordan is loving the people he is serving and teaching. He loves Chile and the culture.

He will be home in July and we all can not wait!!! We love you Elder Jex!!!