It's that time of year again. Time for resolutions and reflections. For the latter, look no further than this here blog post, which encapsulates one of the greatest years of our lives. Without further delay, we present to you, in chronological order...
The Top 10 of 2014:
1. Pregnancy
Seemingly a strange addition to the top ten, it has to be said that I had one of the best pregnancies in womanhood. Aside from frequent bathroom stops and the normal waddling towards the end, I was blessed to be active, agile, and mostly unencumbered. I don't know if any other earthly experience can top the feeling of a baby's kicks and turns in the womb. To top it all off, the labor and delivery both were textbook and within a few (painful) hours our sweet Valencia was in my arms.
Jackson and I were both blessed with wonderful mothers. Both of my moms were more than willing to take a break from their busy lives to spend time helping us as we transitioned to parenthood. My sweet mother came in March with hopes of seeing my pregnant belly and helping us prepare for Vali's arrival. Despite the unseasonably cold rain, we were able to do some major baby prep work and enjoy some down time together.
Mom came again for the arrival of Valencia. Little did she know she'd have to wait 6 extra days for her birth. In the end it was worth it as she literally helped me push Vali into the world. She then tended to us as we recovered and adjusted to life with an infant. Norma came a few weeks later to help out in similar ways. We owe both of these women more than we can say. I'm blessed to have two wonderful mothers who have my back, even from the other side of the country.
3. Wilmington with the Bushes
Gabe and Ellen Bush are two of our closest friends. Each time we get together its like a convergence of peanut butter and jelly, thunder and lightning, or Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert. Some things just fit. We've loved having them as our East Coast neighbors in DC. During Spring Break, we took advantage of the good weather and proximity to North Carolina's beaches for a swinging' good time in Wilmington, one of the most beautiful and historic cities in the South.
4. Teacher of the Year
Celeste is a
gifted teacher with the ability to not only teach content, but touch hearts.
Her gift was made manifest last year when 94% of her students passed the
rigorous end-of-year 5th grade science exam (this compared to the
state average of about 45%). At the staff retreat at the end of the year,
Henderson Collegiate bestowed its highest honor upon Celeste, naming her the
recipient of the Excellence in Education Award. If only all children could have
teachers like Celeste.
5. Summer in Utah
Because of work
schedules and other circumstances, Celeste and I traveled to Utah for the
summer at different times. Celeste made it out in late June in time for two
beautiful baby showers thrown by her Orem and Logan families. As a special treat, her two best friends from Grand Junction - Stephanie and Alicia surprised her and stayed for the festivities. She also got to spend some quality time with her sister Bonnie, who was due just a week after Celeste, but delivered 4 days before her.
Jackson made it out in late July in time for the annual Kidd Family Campout and some fishing on the Green River with his Uncle Terry.
Jackson made it out in late July in time for the annual Kidd Family Campout and some fishing on the Green River with his Uncle Terry.
6. "Babymoon" at the Beach
We were married
for seven years before Valencia came along. In addition to the year we dated,
that’s 8 years of being Jack and Les, a whimsical and hopelessly romantic
couple. “Jaleste” had a lot of fun in its hey-day, and while we were both eager
to have a baby (that’s a mild way to put it), we were also sad to say goodbye
to one of the greatest power couples Western Civilization has ever known.
We therefore endeavored to experience one final fling at the beach. I guess this is what the kids are calling a “Babymoon”. Well whatever you call it, we had a great time forgetting the troubles of the world for a week at the beach. I golfed, Celeste got a massage, and we survived a hurricane in the comfort of our oceanview suite.
We therefore endeavored to experience one final fling at the beach. I guess this is what the kids are calling a “Babymoon”. Well whatever you call it, we had a great time forgetting the troubles of the world for a week at the beach. I golfed, Celeste got a massage, and we survived a hurricane in the comfort of our oceanview suite.
7. Valencia
Really, we could have filled the Top 10 this year with Valencia highlights, but instead we're quartering them all here in one place: preparing her nursery, her arrival into the world on August 15th, the way she sighs, her sneezes and hiccups, her obsession with her hands and fingers, her first laugh, tummy time, story time, her acrobatic tricks, her sweet nature and angelic disposition, the way she clings to mom, her baby blessing, the way she looks in hats, her blue eyes that get bluer each day, her soft skin that smells like baby, her focus and attention when watching football games on TV, her busy limbs that only stop when she's feeding, her contagious giggles, her warm hugs. Just, her.
8. New jobs at HC
This was a big year for Jack and I. I was promoted to be an instructional coach (educator-lingo for someone who teaches teachers on best practices) and the Science Department Chair. Jackson, after a really rough year at the local high school, was hired at Henderson Collegiate to start their high school. It opens in August of 2015, so I'm sure you'll be seeing that big piece of news on an upcoming Top 10 list. But the fact that he got hired means that we've been able to see a lot more of each other. We both are working at the middle school while Jackson splits his time with his high school planning efforts.
9. Thanksgiving in CT
It’s a rare
occasion for us to spend Thanksgiving with family anymore, but thanks to the
recent moves of my sisters Holly and Josie to Connecticut, we were able to make
it happen while simultaneously embarking on our first ever road trip with both
a dog and baby. Yipee!
Added bonuses this
year included my cousin Daniel who joined us from New York City, and my sister
Mandy and her two adorable children, who descended on Connecticut from Ireland,
where she and her husband live for 6 months out of the year. We also got to
spend time with Celeste’s Uncle Dan and Aunt Jeanne in New York with all the
Cooper cousins.
10. Christmas in Utah
When you have a
child as beautiful and as popular as Baby V, you can’t hide that light under a
bushel. Youv’e got to share the goodness, which is exactly what we did when we
came home for Christmas this year. Its was Vali’s chance to meet her Papa Britt
(pronounced pu-PAH) and all her lovely aunts and uncles on the Britt side of
the family. Meanwhile, mom and dad enjoyed flow-ride surfing and colds.
In Logan, Vali
met her Grandpa Mack and lots more aunts, uncles, and cousins. She also became
acquainted with the birthplace of her nickname, Cache Valley (valley=Vali). We were also hit with some arctic weather and were reminded about how miserably cold Utah can be, and how soft we've grown when it comes to cold weather. However, in our defense, I'm pretty sure even stalwart Utahns will agree that 3 below zero is unacceptable.
Honorable Mention
Honda Fit 2.0 – Remember when we got into that terrible accident that totaled our Honda Fit and the other driver’s van? Well, from that pile of broken glass and crushed metal came a new car, another Honda Fit. It’s a small car for a family like ours, but is deceptively spacious, as was proved during our extended road trip over Thanksgiving.
Merlin turns 2 – We love our clingy, loyal mutt, Merlin Jay Olsen. When he turned two, we celebrated by giving him his all-time favorite gift: cuddle time with mom and dad.
Merlin turns 2 – We love our clingy, loyal mutt, Merlin Jay Olsen. When he turned two, we celebrated by giving him his all-time favorite gift: cuddle time with mom and dad.
Memorial Day with the Smiths – Our Memorial Day tradition of hanging
out with my sister and her family is one that we look forward to all year. It
only got put on the “Honorable Mention” list because it was pushed out by our
even better weekend with them for Thanksgiving. This Memorial Day weekend was
spent in beautiful Henderson, North Carolina, where we ate pizza, played in
bumper boats, went to the batting cages, played miniature golf, went roller
skating, and swam at the neighborhood pool.
Surprise Visit from Uncle Dave and Grandpa Britt – These two guys were in DC for a WWII Veterans event, but we met them for dinner in Richmond, and it was quite a treat. Sidenote: Uncle Dave, the consummate theme park enthusiast, stopped at King’s Dominion on his way to dinner while Grandpa Britt waited in the car for an hour and a half.
Surprise Visit from Uncle Dave and Grandpa Britt – These two guys were in DC for a WWII Veterans event, but we met them for dinner in Richmond, and it was quite a treat. Sidenote: Uncle Dave, the consummate theme park enthusiast, stopped at King’s Dominion on his way to dinner while Grandpa Britt waited in the car for an hour and a half.
The Doctorate Continues – A year and a half down, lots more to go.
Jackson loses 15 pounds – I credit this to my Jawbone UP bracelet and drinking nothing but water in 2014.
Jackson loses 15 pounds – I credit this to my Jawbone UP bracelet and drinking nothing but water in 2014.
New Babies in the Family – Ours wasn’t the only family that grew
in 2014. In February, we welcomed our nephew Crew to the world, the third child
of Celeste’s sister Sarah. Then in August, just four days before Vali was born,
Celeste’s sister Bonnie gave birth to her second daughter, Dixie. Then, not to
be left out of the 2014 baby cycle, little Estee Bright Smith was born just two
days ago to my sister Holly and her husband Adam.
USU Football Team Wins 3rd Straight Bowl Game – Word.
