Dear Friends and Family,
It has been
an eventful year for the Swensens! When we started 2013 Kelsi was already four
months pregnant and Stephen was just trying to get through his last semester of
Undergrad. All that hard work paid off though, and he graduated in April with
his Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. He has since taken the LSAT and
applied to several Law Schools. He has already had an acceptance from Michigan
State with some scholarship money and is waiting to hear from the rest before
we decide were we will end up for law school.
We were blessed with a great opportunity
this year; A couple in the ward Stephen grew up in has left on a two year
mission as the medical supervisors in Europe and asked if we would house-sit
for them. We have been here about six weeks and are loving being able to live
in and take care of such a nice, big house!
We handled
the pregnancy very impatiently (distracting ourselves with a trip to
Disneyland) but were very excited when Baby Belle Valory Swensen finally
arrived nine days late on May 27th. She is beautiful and perfect and
we are learning a lot from having her around! When Belle was eight weeks old
she underwent a surgery for Craniosynostosis, a condition Stephen also had as a
baby, where a suture in her skull fused prematurely and had to be cut out. She
recovered incredibly and very quickly and now wears an infant helmet to help
shape her skull so it will grow right as she ages. We have had the helmet for
almost five months now and only have one more to go! We have felt incredible
blessed as she has grown since the surgery and everything has gone perfectly
according to all of her doctors.
After 12
weeks of maternity leave Kelsi went back to work but found it pretty difficult
to be away from Belle, even in the very early hours of the morning. Luckily
Stephen got a job at DMBA, the health and financial benefits company for the
Church and its affiliates, and Kelsi was able to quit and become a full time
mommy!
Stephen is enjoying his work and is treated
very well by his employers. He was hired as a compliance analyst dealing with
the retirement financial plans. He has learned a lot about 401(k) plans and the
governmental regulations associated with them. He enjoys the “Sherlock Holmes”
work—as he calls it—of finding and solving problems associated with the
financial benefits of a these employees. Stephen will return to school Fall
2014 for three years of law school where he will receive his Juris Doctorate
degree and being working as an attorney.
Kelsi
is loving being a stay at home mommy—and couldn’t be happier. She enjoys
spending her days taking care of Belle, and seeing her learn and grow on a
daily bases. She also decided to dabble in running her own small business on Etsy,
and online marketplace, where she sells T-shirts, aprons, and canvas handbags.
She has found a lot of success and enjoys letting her creative side out and
seeing others enjoy her designs. She has been busy with the new home and is
busy being a new mommy and housewife.
At
this time of year it is important for us to remember what it is really all
about. He know that two thousand years ago the Savior of the world was born,
even Jesus Christ. We add our testimonies, along with others, that he lives and
is our redeemer. Let us all take time this Christmas Season to reflect upon
the true meaning of Christmas. Merry Christmas!
With
Love,
The
Swensen Family
