Val Dowland

Hey girlies! Well, January is now over and I can't believe it! We've just barely written down our family goals for the year so I could put them in our family scrapbook. A little late, but at least we got it in. As for new news, not a whole lot has changed, but I'll recap generally.

Emmie has taken her first 3-4 steps between Mommy and Daddy. She's definately not walking yet, but she is getting a lot more stable on her feet. Jared and Emmie are a little more comfortable with each other since Jared's schedule has allowed him the opportunity of spending more time with her. She now prefers Daddy to Mommy every once in a while and loves to cuddle and "chill" with Dad watching football. Actually, Jared is convinced that Emmie's favorite thing is to be an avid football fan like Daddy. :) I keep my opinions to myself on the matter. Emmie is also pointing to things and saying, "wuzat" (what's that?) She also points to her nose, eyes, mouth and ears when you ask her what they are. She is at such a fun stage and we love every minute with her!

Jared's schedule has slowed down a bit this week due to the construction slow down during the winter. This has enabled him to take the classes and tests necessary to get his loan officer license. He passed the test the first time taking it - - which we were grateful for. We're looking forward to him working with my Dad and getting into something a little less feast/famine than tile. He still does tile on the side, but not much. He's coaching lacrosse again, and we're looking forward to going on trips and games with them this spring. Jared also got a calling as primary teacher for the 9 and 10 year olds in our ward. He loves it. :)

As for me . . . life is great! I love my calling! It has been a lot of fun working with the young women and leaders in our stake. Jared and I are both in charge for the special needs camp this summer, and we are pretty stoked about that. I get to go and work with Jared every once in a while when he has a side job . . . I run the tile saw and everything. Other than that, I have been looking at houses and getting very house hungry. But, we'll wait until lacrosse season and school are over before we start looking seriously. Hopefully the market will continue to go down!

We love you all and we love the times when we're able to get together. We hope to see all of you at craft night (February 16 at 3:00).

Love,
The Dowlands!