Christmas & New Year Letter 2006/2007

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from the Jessops! Here’s a bit of our family’s news:

Kate just turned 14 and spends her time away from school practicing her upright bass, playing soccer or doing ballet. She and her sister, Elizabeth, traveled to Russia in September with me and Grandpa Butler to perform in a ballet in Moscow. Kate is a fantastic cook and could have a career as a pastry chef! She has several demanding honors classes this year as well as an intense orchestra teacher. She is looking forward to playing in the Jazz band next year. Kate has a wonderful group of friends and it’s fun to see them all growing up together. Our gorgeous Kate has started wearing makeup and it’s taking us a while to get used to our growing-up girl.

Elizabeth is 11 and loves being in her last year of elementary school. This is her sixth year of Spanish Immersion. She’s fluent and sounds like a Spanish native! Lizzy is a math whiz, consistently appears on the honor roll, sings in the school chorus and serves on the student council. She and her sister, Kate, got their own rooms this year and they’re loving the space and privacy. Lizzy also plays soccer as a defender. She reads voraciously and plans to start a band with her cousin, Madeline, who, coincidentally, also got a guitar for Christmas! Lizzy is soooo ready to graduate from primary and move to Young Women’s in June.

Alexander is 6 and in the 1st grade. He adores school and his teachers, especially his music teacher. He absorbs information like a sponge. He remembers everyone’s names and says “hi” to all the kids at school (we’re convinced he’s going to be a politician!) He and his brother, Andrew, play soccer together on a city rec. team coached by their Dad. His hero is his Dad and he tries to do everything just like him. Alexander, Andrew and Kevin spent three weeks in July watching the Tour de France and memorizing names, stats, etc. Alexander has a wonderful violin teacher who motivates him to practice and perform for everyone. He’s taken up jumping rope as a hobby to burn off some of his 6-year-old energy – thank goodness!! Alexander is starting Spanish Immersion this fall.

Andrew is 4 and in preschool this year. He’s a bright little boy and a very good reader. He loves to put together puzzles and fight grand light saber duels with Alexander. Andrew worships the ground Alexander walks on and proudly tells everyone that he’s his best friend. He loves his Sunbeam teacher and storytime at the library. Andrew is a sweet, loving boy who freely gives out kisses and compliments. He regularly volunteers to help his Daddy stir the waffle batter on Saturday mornings. He’s looking forward to Kindergarten this fall, though I’ll miss him.

Kevin has been very busy this year since his calling to a bishopric in a BYU singles ward. Our family loves the time we get to spend with these remarkable students! He loves his job despite his long commute and managed to squeeze in time to coach our boys’ soccer team and watch as many of the girls’ soccer games as possible. Kevin ran a couple of marathons and loves running and road biking with friends from our neighborhood. This year he fit in a few biking trips, including a trip to Moab’s slickrock with our girls. Kevin’s newest toy is a great digital camera and he’s taken hundreds of great pictures this year. And, while his Ipod is jammed with music, he still plays our stereo deafeningly loudly. 

We’ve been immersed in everything that goes along with a busy family. Dinnertime at our house is always entertaining and, one day, we’ll have a table full of polite, well-mannered children who happily eat the nutritious meals that are prepared for them. For now, we’re just working on keeping Alexander from making gagging noises whenever he sees certain veggies and legumes! Last minute requests for soccer laundry, signed practice cards, posterboard for projects, show-and-tell items, and help with Spanish book reports keep Kevin and me hopping!

I recently finished up a two year stint as Spanish Immersion Parent’s Association (SIPA) president for our elementary school and if you want to know anything about early foreign language immersion, I’ve done enough research to last a lifetime! This school year I been spending a few days a month volunteering in my kids’ classrooms. I also advise the SIPA board and have begun writing grants for our outstanding elementary school programs and teachers. I volunteer as a storyteller at the local library and was recently called to be a cub scout leader (I know absolutely nothing about cub scouts!) Lizzy and I have started doing yoga and we found a great yoga studio ten minutes away. We love the “rocket” class and I wish that I were as flexible as Lizzy!

Our family is excited to announce that we are expecting another Jessop baby boy to arrive at the end of April. Alexander and Andrew plan to expose him to the entire Star Wars universe and want to show him how to do the “victory” sign on his bike at the end of a winning Tour de France stage. Kate and Lizzy have already sworn to never change a “boy diaper.” Kevin and Lizzy are going to try speaking 100% Spanish to the baby while the rest of us speak English. . .
and I’m looking for a car big enough to hold everyone and their gear (including an upright bass!) I’m also looking forward to a quiet, uneventful summer while we all adjust to a new member of the family!

We feel very blessed and happy this Christmas season. We’ve gotten to visit with lots of family and friends around the country this year. We’ve attended weddings and had new babies join our extended family. We hope that this letter finds you all well and that you have a wonderful Christmas and New Year!

love,
the Jessops