Belated Gillespie Newsletter

Yes, this is late, and a little non-traditional but here is the top news from our year. See older posts for pictures of these events and more news from the year.
10. Jackson turned one January of 2009 and started walking a month later. He will celebrate his second birthday next week! We cannot believe how big he is getting. Jackson is ALL BOY! He loves to climb and RUN everywhere. Currently, he is into cars, trucks, balls, drawing, and singing. His favorite songs are Jesus wants me for a Sunbeam, and I am a child of God.
9. Jess began working part-time January of 2009 at LA Fitness as an instructor teaching kickbox, bootcamp, aqua, and a free weights class. She really enjoys her job. She also watches her friend’s two boys twice a week and adores watching Jackson play with his best friend, Garik.
8. We vacationed in San Antonio March of 2009 and spent time with both of our families at Sea World, the Alamo, and the Riverwalk. What a great time we had!
7. We enjoyed two trips to Utah to visit both sides of our family in the summer of 2009. Both trips were busy, busy, busy but so much fun!
6. Jess’ sister and family came to visit in October and had lots of fun playing around Dallas, especially at the Pumpkin Patch.
5. Jess drove to San Antonio at the beginning of November to help care for Kirk’s sister who had adorable little twin girls! We visited Houston and San Antonio again during Thanksgiving Break and enjoyed another trip to Sea World with Kirk’s family.
4. Kirk is enjoying his job at what is now OneProp and recently received another promotion as a Senior Property Manager. He still hears interesting stories many days, which makes work even more enjoyable. He also got called to teach seminary for the stake and is truly enjoying it, even though it makes him exhausted by the end of the day.
3. We bought a new house and closed on it Dec. 23, 2009. Our new address is
1835 Chamberlain Dr.
Carrollton, TX 75007
Jackson is thrilled about his ability to exercise his legs running around in all the extra space. Kirk and Jess find great joy in simple things like a garage, no shared walls, our own trash receptacles and mail box, a backyard, room for storage, space to entertain, and room for guests just to name a few. We’d love to have you come and visit!!!
2. We are looking forward to a cruise next week…our first trip without Jackson. Kirk is most excited for the food, and Jess is most excited NOT to have to cook it, or clean it up!
1. Baby number two is in the oven, due May 27th, 2010. We are prepared for complications similar to Jackson’s (though we haven’t had any yet) so please keep us in your thoughts and prayers.
If you want to stay abreast of our ever changing and growing family, visit our blog. We feel amazingly blessed, though our lives have not been totally without trial. We are most grateful for our family and friends and the gospel of Jesus Christ. May you have a wonderful Year full of positive things and please stay in touch!
With love,
Kirk, Jess, Jackson, & Baby Olivia