And so it begins

Chris finished his first week of law school and is now onto week #2! So far, so good. He likes his professors and his classes. He's been keeping up with all of his reading assignments, getting to work on time, etc. It makes for a very long day, which is why we look forward to the weekend so we can actually see our Daddy! I am so proud of Chris for accomplishing this dream of his, to attend law school. We are far from finished, but it feels great to know it's here.

We blessed our dear baby Cate on Sunday the 29th. We were a little nervous about how she would be during her blessing; before we got to church, she was pretty fussy. But once Chris began the blessing, she was an absolute angel. She even smiled right after the amen! My family was able to come down to the blessing, which was wonderful!
Nice face, Uncle Bill

The women (I had already taken Lizzie to nursery...sorry Miss Liz haha)

The men

Proud grandparents!

No more pictures please, I'm sleeping!


Julia is spending the week with us before school starts in NJ (Sept. 8). She's been a big help these past two days and we're always happy to have her here! We're going to go back-to-school shopping too. I may not be going to school, but I always look forward to the shopping part of it! ;)

Liz:
*is getting two upper molars; she has her cranky moments but for the most part she is still happy Miss Lizzie.
*is sleeping just fine in her toddler bed! She loves it immensely!
*is talking like a champ! Seriously, she repeats everything she hears and is learning a ton of new words all the time. I love hearing her speak; she has such a sweet voice!

Cate:
*is recovering from her first set of vaccines; she's a trooper!
*is laughing, laughing, laughing! The girl loves to smile and to interact with others.
*is still sleeping so well through the night (9:30pm-6:30am). She's terrific.

Some pictures from the week:
Sisterly love

Falling asleep at lunch

Look Mom, we found our hands!

Liz isn't paying attention but I love Cate's little smile here!!

Mommy and Daughter pedicures--Liz loved it!

Tummy time with Catie baby

Cate with Uncle Bill before he left for BYU

Cate loves her (aka once-was-Lizzie's) mobile

So fascinating!

Liz loves watching Mulan

The dream is here

Tuesday August 17th
We are running around the house getting things ready for Bill. The past two nights have been spent in deep cleaning (resulting in runny noses accompanied by sneezing). He is scheduled to arrive in Philly at 8pm. His flight from Bogota to Atlanta was supposed to leave at 9:30am. So around noon, my dad decides to check his flight status to see where he is. And that's when my dad reads:
Flight status: departure from Bogota, 3:30pm

WHAT?!!?

My dad calls Delta to see what the heck is up--why is Bill's flight leaving six hours late?! Around this time, Bill calls the house to update us: since his flight was pushed back, he won't be arriving into Atlanta until around 9:30pm. Delta gave him and his companion (flying back to UT) a free room for the night and seats on the first flight out of ATL to PHI the next morning. Whew. No one told Bill why the flight was delayed, but the delay allowed Bill and his companion to go to the Bogota Colombia temple. Awesome!

Wednesday, Aug. 18
We arrive in Philly with plenty of time to spare and minimal traffic, thank goodness. We find his terminal to discover his plane is arriving fifteen minutes early. Sweet! The suspense is already killing us. We hold up our signs at the ready.

Okay, so in the Philly airport, the doors that open into the terminal are translucent, nearly opaque, which makes it very difficult to see who is coming out of the doors.

Every time the doors opened to admit a person into the terminal, we'd run over to see through the doors--to see if we could see Bill approaching. The doors automatically shut after a minute or two, so we must have looked pretty funny trying to glimpse the people approaching the doors.

But then, the doors opened and we finally saw him:


I can't describe how wonderful it is to have him home, returned with honor!


He speaks English with a Spanish accent. He sometimes has to think about the English verb he wants to use. He reads the family's Spanish scriptures during family scripture study because it's easier to read in Spanish for the time being. He still teases us Jett sisters mercilessly; as I retort, he laughs at me for being so gullible. He plays Guitar Hero like he did during his freshman year. He never lets anything bother him. Nothing has changed but yet everything has.
Having a brother who honorably served the Lord for two years has been a blessing for my family. We have read his emails--we have felt the love he has for the Colombian people and for the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is a true joy to have him home, safe and sound, and it is a true joy to know him and to call him my brother.




Welcome Home, Elder Jett!

"I'm living the dream"--Bill Jett

That is one of Bill's favorite sayings and I love it. Just wanted to share it with you all!

Well, I have no pictures for you today...I took only two pictures this week...both of which are blurry messes. I guess it is true what they say--your second child does not have nearly as many pictures as your first child. You're simply too busy trying to keep track of both kids! Sorry Cate. I still love you :)

Bottom line, Elder Jett comes home in eight days. Unreal. Didn't we just drop him off at the MTC?! I can't believe we'll be SEEING him and TALKING to him face-to-face in just over a week. We are in the midst of planning some fun things for his arrival and for his time at home before he flies back to BYU. Partay time, Jett style!

This week is busy: a doc appt. for me, Wednesday playgroup--which I really want to get to because poor Liz needs some time with her friends, MY BIRTHDAY on THURSDAY, getting up to NJ, etc. This whole month of August is one big adventure, really.

Wish us luck!

When your power goes out, head for New Jersey

Sunday, July 25, 2010
3pm
Peaceful house after two little girls had their naps. Dad is holding baby Cate, Liz is sitting in her chair. Mulan, our current favorite Disney movie, graces the TV screen. Mom is in kitchen, BAKING, of all things. Graham cracker cupcakes with key lime icing--they sound good, don't they? That's why she decided to bake.
A storm is gaining strength outside--wind blowing, trees swaying, sky graying. The lights flicker for a moment, then all of a sudden--darkness.
5pm
Electricity remains off. This means peanut butter and fluff sandwiches for dinner.
7pm
Still no electricity. Go out for a walk because no one wants to be in the house. The rest of the neighborhood liked the idea, too. Someone says he's gotten in touch with the electric company: power to be restored on August 4th. ...they're joking, right?
10pm
Take a drive to Walmart for ice but they are sold out of ice. Lovely.
10:20pm
Put the girls to bed and climb into bed ourselves. Not much one can do in complete darkness! Mom and Dad know it is going to be a long night...

Monday, July 26, 2010
4am
It is so hot and stuffy even though every window in the place is open. Liz wakes up; Dad says to Mom, "Well, how about a trip to NJ?" He has a high adventure trip Wed-Sat, so why the heck not? Car is then packed and they head for the beach!

The girls and I spent the whole week with Pop-pop, Mimi, Aunt Katie, Aunt Julia, and Uncle Joe. We had a blast, as usual :) Chris joined us on Saturday night. (FYI: our power returned late Monday night, thankfully.)

Some pictures from the week in NJ: