Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Jared's Handiwork

If Jared ever loses his job as a CPA, he could go into business as a craftsman! Here are some pictures of the nightstand he made for Emily (and he didn't start this until Friday afternoon, had it finished by Monday night - so basically 2 full days of work). I am so impressed - it is perfect!!


Oh, and the scalloped part on the bottom he cut by hand with a coping saw (not sure what that is)!


Who Ordered Snow????

We woke up to a skiff of snow yesterday - the very first snow of the season. We thought it would be melted by lunch-time. WRONG!! It just kept coming down - it felt like December or January!

Here is what it looked like last night,


And this morning!

It looks like about 3 inches! I guess next time it snows, I shouldn't tell the kids that I'm sure it will melt quickly, because I sure didn't hear the end of it yesterday!
I let them take their snow boots to school today (in the hopes of making up for it)!

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Happy Birthday Emily!!

Today is Emily's 9th birthday!! I can't believe how much she is growing up! Even just since last year, she looks (and acts) so much older!

Here are 9 things about Emily:
1. She LOVES to read - sometimes she sneaks extra reading when she's supposed to be sleeping! :)
2. She loves animals, especially our cats. She wants to take horseback riding lessons from our neighbor.
3. She has lost 12 teeth - 4 of which were pulled all at the same time! And she has never had a cavity! Her smile is beautiful!
4. She is a very good helper to her mom. It is so fun to see her play with her younger siblings.
5. She is a very good musician, and can sight-read songs from the Primary book on the piano. She is also learning to play the violin, and she loves to sing.
6. She is a great friend to everyone, and she goes out of her way to be nice.
7. She is full of energy and imagination and can have fun doing just about anything!
8. She is very persistent and doesn't give up - whether it's school, learning a new song on the piano, or even trying to get out of punishment!
9. She is full of creativity and blesses us almost daily with cards, pictures, and great ideas!

Here are 9 fun pictures of Emily, starting with the day she was born!









We love you so much Emily!! You are such a wonderful and important part of our family! We are thankful for who you are and your love for life! May all your wishes come true this year!

Love, Mom, Dad, Josh, Rachel and Caleb

Thursday, October 22, 2009

Celebrate!!

This is the 100th post for our blog!! Yea!! It's only taken me 3+ years to make it!

I wanted to do something special for this post. Something to knock your socks off and make you want to actually keep reading this blog (all 4 or 5 of you).

But I can't seem to come up with anything. NOTHING!! My creative juices have all dried up!

So I'll just give you a cliffs-notes version of life around here lately. I have not taken a single picture, as every time I go to use the camera, the battery is dead!

Rachel has almost completely given up naps (well, she's about 50/50). Caleb is trying to give them up too. He has napped less than Rachel this week! Add it up - you get two cranky kids and one very insane and cranky momma! But they're too cute to be mad at!

Rachel says some of the funniest things. And sometimes, it's just the way she says things that makes me laugh. Like, "This is my favorite book!" with as much excitement and energy as you could expect from a 2-year-old. The book was some Christmas craft book that has been sitting around. Definitely not an exciting book! She also came running in with a doll and said, "I found my Rachel!!" How can you not love that??!?

Caleb is getting a few words too, like kitty cat, what's that, and num-num (with a hand motion, which means he wants more). He only has 5 more Sundays until he can legally go to nursery!!

Emily is counting down the days until her birthday. For any of you who don't know, it's 5 days away. She wants everything, and I mean everything! So, if you were wanting to get her a present, rest assured that you can't go wrong! (But please don't run out to buy one for her - PLEASE!!!) Oh, and she's starting to wonder about how babies get in their mommy's tummies (I have dreaded this for the past 9 years!!). She informed us that there is a lock on the mom's tummy that you unlock, which obviously lets them in! Chuckle, snicker, giggle!!

Joshua is trying to lose a tooth. By trying I mean he wiggled it to the point that his mouth was sore enough that he had to call me to come get him from school! (OK - I'm not that easy! I gave him some ibuprofen, fed him lunch, and took him back to school.) I think he's got another pesky root that doesn't want to give in. Which means we're probably going to have to make yet another trip to the dentist!

I got a new calling as the primary chorister. Hmm...never done that one. I pity those poor kids who have to listen to me "sing" the songs. I think the singing genes skipped me!

Jared, after working 2 late nights at work last week because of the 6-month extension deadline for income taxes, is now trying as hard as he can to find work to do. ??? ??? Why can't the government have taxes due all year long, according to social security numbers or something like that?? Wouldn't it make more sense to spread it out a little?!?! I think I might just email them my plan!

The garden is dead!! I've never been so happy to see a plant die in all my life. Next year, we will not be planting more than 6 tomato plants!

I hope you have enjoyed this installment of "As the World Turns in the Ripplinger Home." Stay tuned for scenes from our next episode!