
Aliya’s Introduction to the World
Aliya Carlson – Number Seven… what an awesome day! Jill and I want to enthusiastically welcome Aliya into our family. Moreover, we wish Aliya the best of health, happiness, and good fortune throughout her life. She is a beautiful baby girl weighing in at 9 pounds 8 ounces and measuring 21 inches in length.
She was born on Tuesday, July 2, 2014, at 8:06 a.m. at Intermountain Health Care Regional Hospital located in Provo, Utah. Aliya is the first daughter and third child of my second son Doug and his wife, Erin, and our seventh grandchild. The baby and mother are doing fine!
Thoughts and Hopes
As I held you in my arms for the first time Aliya, you melted my heart. For some reason, we don’t have very many girls in this family, so you are special! Also, I knew in an instant that you would be a great joy in the lives of your immediate and extended families. I hope one day that you will realize how lucky you are. First, to be born into the family that you were born into. Second, to be born into a family that has strong testimonies of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
The feeling of grandfatherly love is hard to articulate, but I hope one day just as miraculously… just as magically, you will have the opportunity to experience the beauty and blessings of your own grandchildren. I also hope that you’ll see that little person as an extension of God’s work that began in your heart so long ago. When that day comes, as it surely will, then you will know how I felt on the day you were born and I held you in my arms for the first time. Enjoy the pics in the photo gallery below!
Photo Gallery: Aliya Carlson – Number Seven

