Summer '08 Top Ten

We are all amazed how quickly the summer went! As much as we love some down time, it's SOOOO good to be back to a routine. Here is a recap of our summer, listed as they happened.

1: Caleb Edward Ripplinger joined our family on Friday, June 6. If you missed his birth announcement, you can find it here:
http://www.scrapblog.com/viewer/viewer.aspx?sbid=278748&invitationToken=FTzBlEqN
Caleb is our most different baby - dark hair and skinny!

2: Jared was put in as the 1st counselor in our ward's new bishopric on July 13. Needless to say, Sundays are never dull for us!

3: Rachel learned to walk! Always a huge milestone. She definitely took her time (she was about 14 months old) but no one (especially mom) seemed to mind. She is one cutie-patootie!

4: Emily and Josh completed their 3rd and 4th sessions of swimming lessons. They have become quite the fish! We're so proud of how quickly they've grown their gills!

5: Josh turned 6 years old - WOW!! Isn't it amazing how quickly the months and years pass??!! It seems like just yesterday that we were watching him learn to smile, crawl, and walk. Now he goes to 1st grade and rides a bike and can do so many other fun things!

6: We took a trip to the Hogle Zoo. Despite being drenched by the rain for the first hour we were there (of all the days to rain!) we had a great time. Emily and Josh loved all the animals, Caleb slept the whole time, and Rachel...well, let's just say she was a little overwhelmed by all the fun. Maybe next year she'll enjoy it more!

7: Emily, Josh, Mom and Dad took a trip to Lagoon! Amazingly enough, the kids were tall enough to go on all but 3 rides. They even went on Colossus - 2 times!!! However, they passed on the chance to ride Wicked - can't say as I blame them! Maybe next time we go. The favorite ride seemed to be the bumper cars. Once we finished our turn, we got right back in line for another go at it. We probably had close to 10 rounds!! So much fun!

8: We took a trip to Bear Lake with Jared's family. The best thing about Bear Lake is how shallow the water is. We didn't feel like we had to be right there the whole time the kids were swimming. Even Rachel had a great time splashing in the water. It must have been a little cold though - Josh couldn't get rid of his blue lips! It will be hard to forget about getting our van stuck in the sand! Thank goodness Grandpa Ripplinger has 4-wheel-drive and was able to pull us out. Mental note: stay away from the sand in a van!

9: Emily donated 11 inches of hair to Locks of Love. She went a full year without getting a hair cut, and her hair was still as beautiful and perfect as ever! Check out the before and after shots in the slideshow. Way to go Emily - we're so proud of you for being so thoughtful! Isn't she just the cutest thing??!!

10: We made it through summer and got back to school! I am definitely the luckiest mom on the planet, because I have the best kids in the world. I would not have made it through this summer without the help of my two best helpers, Emily and Josh. Thanks for all your hard work this year - I love you and am so thankful for you! Josh is in first grade, Emily is in third grade and will be baptized in just a couple of months.