Lesley and Joe Visit! :)

Be warned, this post has a ton of pictures! :)
My younger sister, Lesley, is one of my best friends. Although she's six years younger than me, we are incredibly close. We shared a room for YEARS and even when I moved off to college we still had a blast when I came home for Christmas. She married an amazing guy named Joe last summer and it has been so fun seeing her so completely twitterpated!
So you can imagine my delight when they told me they were coming to visit us for 11 days! WHOO HOO!!! We had so much fun! :) I had planned to take them to all the sights in Milwaukee, but once they got here I just wanted to talk and hang out together. We did make to see a few places, though. I should mention here that Lesley and Joe were here for the week before and the week of test week for Mike. So he was unfortunately gone for much of the festivites. However, he did manage to steal away a few afternoons. :)
We initiated Joe into the family by having him help care for Esther. By the time he went home he was practically a pro at changing diapers, feeding Esther, getting her dressed, and he even babysat for us a few times. This is a picture of Joe after he had successfully fed, changed, and got Esther dressed. :)
This is me and Lesley. We always do "silly" pictures and no one ever knows what we're going to end up with. I think I look rather freaky (I didn't know my face could do that) but hey, it's funny. :)

Here's a better picture of us. :)
Here's a picture of Lesley, Joe, and my cutie Esther. :)
Lesley made this cute little hat and some cute booties for Esther (which I somehow managed to cut off while taking the picture, sorry!).
The Saturday after they got here we went down to Chicago. Mike and I hadn't been to the temple since December, so we've been wanting to go. So Lesley and Joe were kind enough to watch Esther while Mike and I did a session. Thanks again you two!
Cute little family picture. :)
Esther's face in this picture is just too cute! :)
Here's proof that Joe helped with Esther. :) He was a huge help!

After the temple we went to Millennium park and walked around for a bit. Of course we saw the famous bean...
and had too much fun taking pictures of it... I actually got really whoozy looking at it from underneath....
Our reflection on the underside...
And all of us in reflection. :) After the park we managed to get lost. It seems if I go to Chicago for any other reason other than the temple I manage to get lost. This time it stemmed from a miscommunication between Mike and I. I thought he had gotten directions and he thought I had. Oh well. Lesley and Joe were patient with us and we got a nice long walk in too. :)
Here's a cute picture of Esther. She was concentrating so hard on her bottle that she went cross-eyed. :) he he he
We took Lesley and Joe to the Milwaukee Art Museum. On the way there we stopped at Discovery World. They have these cool benches that are like xylophones. Really fun!
With this contraption you put pebbles in through the holes and there's little pegs inside so it makes a kind of rainstick noise.
Here's Lesley, Esther and I inside the museum. Mike liked this sculpture. He said it looked like you could just take a bite out of it.

This is a Lievens painting of Queen Esther exposing Haman's plot and her innocence to King Xerxes. Apparently we weren't supposed to take pictures in this part of the museum... oops. But we thought it was cool to take a picture of Esther with her namesake. :)
Here's Lesley and Joe in the hallway of the museum. This museum has the coolest architechure. Seriously.

This is a picture of the outside of the museum. It's right by lake Michigan. The wing-like structures actually open and retract depending on the wind. Kinda cool. :)This next picture is for you Adam. My brother Adam is an amazing artist and several of his pieces have included suites of armor. Pretty cool. :)
After sacrament meeting on Sunday the guy sitting next to Joe leaned over and started talking to him. Part of their conversation went like this:
Guy talking to Joe: Is your mom's name Trudy?
Joe: yes...
Guy: Is your brother's name Benny?
Joe: yes...
Guy: I'm Micah Nielsen. We're cousins.

Small world, huh?! So the Nielsen's had us all over for lunch one afternoon. It was so good! And of course we had to get pictures. :)
Another cute picture of Esther. She's beginning to figure out how to use her hands a little more. This was the first time she held onto the bottle. :) It was so cute! :)
We also took Lesley and Joe to a place called pizza shuttle. Mike's been there several times and he loves it. They had one of those picture booths and I convinced everyone to do it with me. He he he... It was so funny! There was only one little stool and five of us! HA!




We had SOOOOOOOOO much fun having Lesley and Joe here and were so sad to see them leave. Thanks so much for a fabulous visit you guys!

Totally Awesome!

I have a brother who is a math genius. His name is Donald and he amazes me. Seriously. As a freshman he took first place in a math competition that included students in college. I wonder how that felt for the college kids to be beat by a 14 year old.
When he took the ACT, he scored perfect in the math section. He took it again to improve his English score and scored perfect in math again.
When you ask Donald about what job he'd like to have, he'll tell you that NASA is his backup plan. And he's serious. Genius I tell ya. But he'd never admit that to anyone. He's so incredibly humble. So, since he won't brag about some cool things he's done recently, I thought as his sister, I'd do it for him. :) Donald was recently interviewed by BYU TV. Follow this link http://www.byub.org/byuweekly/ and click on Donald Sampson's name on the right side of the screen to watch his interview. I was impressed. :)
He was also in BYU's newspaper. I've highlighted the fun parts for you. :) Donald is in the green shirt in the center in these pictures. :)
Love ya Donald! :)

Top recruit powers Cougar ‘mathletes’ to top-25 finish

2009 team highlights include big win over rivals to the north

Paced by a strong performance by true freshman Sam Dittmer – a national math champ back in high school – the BYU math squad finished the season ranked in the top 25.

The highly touted recruit proved worthy of seeing action in his first year and now leaves some big shoes to fill as he sets his sights on a Church mission to Albania.

Dittmer and teammates Donald Sampson and Michael Griffin placed 23rd out of 405 college teams during the six-hour-long William Lowell Putnam Mathematical Competition.

While nearly half of the competitors walked away without a single point, Dittmer contributed 66 toward the Cougars’ score of 109 – good enough to earn individual honorable mention honors.

“That’s amazing for Sam to step in and perform that well as a freshman,” said BYU math department chair Tyler Jarvis.

The notoriously difficult Putnam exam proved no less daunting this year. Try this problem on for size:

Demonstrate the largest possible radius of a circle contained in a four-dimensional hypercube of side length 1.

Confused? You’ve got company. Only 19 of the nation’s top 189 students nailed that one.

Surprisingly, contestants agree that the mechanics involved come easy, usually requiring basic calculus or trigonometry. The hard part is the extreme problem-solving nature of the exam.

“Typically it’s like, ‘Here’s a problem. Evaluate the problem, organize its implications, and rigorously prove something useful – or not useful as the case may be – about the problem,’” said BYU junior Donald Sampson, whose 30 points put him above the 90th percentile nationally.

To prepare his team, BYU coach Tiancheng Ouyang invited world-class problem solver Gengzhe Chang to campus for specialized training sessions. A former coach of a Chinese math olympiad team, Chang covered techniques for quickly solving functional equations, among other things. Jarvis says such intense, hands-on training is part of the reason BYU’s math majors graduate to a wide variety of professional fields.

The mathletes’ season also saw a head-to-head win against in-state rival University of Utah in March. In that match-up, BYU’s top three undergrads posted 165 points against 50 from the Utes’ top three.

Looking ahead to next season, the BYU coaches say they want to build on this year’s performance – but they’re going to have to do it with a different lineup.

Both Sampson and Griffin return and have high expectations for next season. Sampson will be a senior looking for that signature performance to impress grad school scouts. Griffin will use the off-season to shake any remaining mission rust. Before his two mathless years of service in Bangalore, India, Griffin scored 37 points as a freshman on the 2005 Putnam exam. On this year’s test, Griffin managed 13 points – the drop-off clearly a function of time away from school.

“Mission service is definitely a factor,” Griffin said. “You fall out of condition. When you come back you have to relearn stuff. It was really interesting taking class last semester to prepare for it. I had no idea how much I’d forgotten.”

The third and final roster spot won’t be decided until next fall, coaches say. Don’t be surprised if BYU lands another talented high school recruit ready to contribute immediately.

Despite his Ph.D. in mathematics from Princeton, Jarvis recently sought tutoring from the athletics department on how to find recruits.

“One of the things those teams have, that we don’t have yet, is a network of former athletes always scouting for them, always on the lookout for LDS kids and others who have talent and would fit in at BYU, and they refer them back and make that connection,” Jarvis said. “That’s something that would help us.”

And on that note, Jarvis welcomes tips from BYU fans around the country about their local high school math whiz. Send details and game film to Jarvis@math.byu.edu.

Precious Parts

When Esther was about a month old, she had a photo shoot with the fabulous Marissa. Here are some of the results. Esther is made up of such precious little parts!

tiny ears...

cute little feet...

ticklish toes...

strong little hands...

dainty long fingers...the cutest little nose...

such sweet cheeks...
captivating eyes...our precious little Esther.

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter Everyone! :)




Thanks for the bunny Grandma Smith!

The Elephant Child

So at the beginning of the semester I posted a story that I told for my storytelling class. Well here's a link to a video of the story I told for my final story. I remember hearing this story as a kid and loving it because my grandma was born and raised in South Africa and Botswana. Anyway, I hope you enjoy!
Elephant Child

I did it!

I'm in a biology class right now because none of my science credits transferred from BYU-I to Utah State. So I am taking this class and it has been driving me crazy. My brain just does not grasp science (or math for that matter). Give me history, English or the study of people and I'll blow your socks off. But science, not so much. Well today I took my 3rd exam for this biology class and I got a perfect score! I am absolutely amazed and darn-right proud of myself. Take that science!

Newest Nephew!

Christopher Douglas Sampson was born on April 6th, 2009 at 5:43 pm. He's 6 lbs 9.5 oz and 19.5 inches long. Joyelle and Chris are thrilled that he's finally here and everyone is doing well. We're so excited for them! Pictures will be forthcoming as we receive them. :)

Loving It!

I absolutely love being a mom! It is one of the best things I have ever done in my life. I wish there were words to explain how wonderful motherhood is. There is an incredible bond between me and Esther. It amazes me everyday just how much I care for her and want the best for her.
It's funny because when you think about being a new mom, most people think about the midnight feedings or the stinky diapers, but that's not what I think about anymore. I think about this amazing little person who has a powerful and strong spirit. I already know that she is going to be a role model for so many people, including myself. There are so many times when I am reminded that she just came from heaven. When I think about Elder Hollands talk about Angels Among Us, I definitely think about Esther. We are so blessed to have her in our little family. :)
And I really do enjoy taking care of her. She really is an easy baby. She's not really fussy, and she doesn't have any health problems to make things difficult. I'll admit, sometimes I complain, but I really am so blessed. I'm not going through anything incredibly rough, just what every other mother has gone through.
So the rest of this post is just random pictures. :) Mike found this baby bjorn at a secondhand baby store. I still mostly use the sling we have, but Mike feels more manly using the bjorn rather than the floral sling. :) "Look ma, no hands!"
Esther loves to look at her picture books! She also loves tummy time. She is getting so good at holding her head up.
Mike is always coming up with the most random, and funny, activities with Esther. Here the are drumming together. Esther seemed to enjoy it. :)
I love my Sunday naps. They bring so much joy into my little heart. On Sunday Mike cleaned up the dinner dishes while Esther and I napped together. Here's how he found us. :) I hope she grows up to love Sunday naps too. :)

Sunny days, chasing the clouds away...

Last week we were blessed with a day of sunshine. Mike and I decided to take advantage of it and we had a "picnic" at the playground across the street from our house. We started the evening out by eating cereal out of cups. Yummy!

Next, we played on the playground equipment. I have the feeling that in the years to come, we will be playing here often. :)

Of course we had to go down the slide!

Unfortunately I'm not as thin as I used to be and I got stuck halfway down...

Esther seemed to have fun on her first slide ride. :)