Tender Mercy

We had a family Christmas party last night, and we weren’t really sure if we would go.  Since Jared was gone most of the week, he really wanted to stay home and get some things done.  But I was feeling lazy and didn’t want to cook dinner.  He let me make the final decision, so I decided that we’d go.

Because of that, I had to run to Macey’s and grab the items we were supposed to bring.  While there, I ran into a lady from our ward.  During our conversation, she mentioned that she just had to figure out what she was going to do for Primary.  And then it hit me…I was supposed to be teaching the Young Women lesson the next day!

I am so thankful we (I) decided to go to the party.  If we hadn’t gone, I would not have run into this woman, we wouldn’t have had our conversation, and I would have completely forgotten about teaching the lesson!  I can only imagine the horror of showing up and realizing that I had completely dropped the ball.  I am so thankful for this tender mercy, even if all it did was save me from being utterly embarrassed!

Chicago

Jared was in Chicago for some work training last week.  I asked Caleb at least every day (some times several times a day) where Daddy was.  I really got a kick out of how he said Chicago:

Day 1: Shopko!

Other variations: Sha-shago, chick-a-cago, ka-shago

I know there were a few other variations that he threw out – I should have written them down.

By the time Jared got back, though, Caleb was pretty proficient at saying CHICAGO, as long as he slowed down and took his time.

And when he got up this morning and Jared was already gone to meetings, he said, “Is daddy gone to Chicago?”

I was so thankful to say, “Nope - he’s just at church!”

Catching Up

Jared is gone and I’m bored and trying to keep my thoughts from wandering, so I thought I’d do a little catch up here on the ol’ blog.

Emily the birthday girl – 10 years old!

The fall this year made for a rough time with asthma.

Halloween cuties…a witch, a pumpkin, a fairy, and a ninja.

Sailing away in a banana boat…

Thanksgiving at home….yum!

The only problem with having Thanksgiving dinner at your own home is the LEFTOVERS! I can handle them for a day or two, but by Saturday night I was getting pretty sick of them! So we threw the turkey in the blender, along with some celery, green onions, mushrooms and mayo, gave it all a good chop, and used it as a sandwich filling. It was a yummy way to use up the rest of the turkey and the rolls (which were starting to get a little dry). I thought it would have been good with some grapes, and Jared thought it would have been good with some chopped apples. Either way, it was delicious, and even the kids loved it.

Ward Christmas party Nativity, performed by the senior primary. That’s Emily as Mary by the manger. Last year they had a real live baby. I think Emily was a little disappointed that it was only a doll this year.

Look Who’s 10!!

Holy cow – can you believe Emily is 10 years old today?!?  Has it really been 10 years since we became parents and commenced the most unpredictable, busy, and rewarding  journey of our lives?  WOW!

Emily is such a sweet and special girl.  We are so lucky to have her as our oldest kid.  She’s a great helper, and has even been babysitting for us a little bit lately.  She is a great friend to everyone around her, and she almost always has a smile on her face.  She is an awesome musician, especially on the piano, and she’s getting really good on the violin and guitar too.  She is a collector and quite an artist – her creativity seems to know no limits.  She is also a voracious reader.  Her class requirement to read 400 pages each month is a breeze for her!

I could go on and on – she’s just such a great girl!  Take a look at this cutie through the years.

We love you Emily!  You are a wonderful daughter and we are so blessed that you came to our home.  You are a great example to all of us.  We hope you have a great year!

The Adventures of Caleb, part XVIIVXX (or something like that)

Life with Caleb is seriously one adventure after another, full of never-ending questions, physical perils, food  discoveries, and rigid routines. 

Here’s an example of a conversation with Caleb:

C: “Where’s Dad?”

M: “At work.”

C: “Why?”

M: “So he can make money to pay our bills.”

C: “Why?”

M: “So we have a place to live and food to eat.”

C: “Why?”

…you can see where this is going.  And I’m sure most/all of you reading this have been there, done that.  Caleb just takes it all to the extreme.

But he comes up with some really great statements too, such as, “Alright you guys!  What’s going on in there?”, “Turn that TV off right now or you’re grounded!”, and “Go to timeout right now – 1…2…3…”  Where in the world does he come up with these things?!?!

Food is always an adventure.  Caleb continues to wear more of it than what he consumes.  And it’s really a lot of fun to scoop your food into your cup of water to see how it changes!  Oh, and the ever popular, “I HATE (fill in the blank) for dinner!”  I LOVE to hear that one from him!

Have you ever tried new uses for food items (other than just eating them)?  Upon cleaning him up after dinner the other day, I discovered broccoli in his ears.  “Caleb – why is there broccoli in your ears?”  “For earplugs mom!”  Now why didn’t I think of that one?!?!

Caleb is not very friendly with gravity.  It’s always sneaking up on him and grabbing him when he least expects it.  Knocking on wood…I’m amazed he’s missed the corner as many times as he has!

What would life be without routines?  In a word…simple.  No chasing down red blankies, stuffed giraffes, batman car, or whatever the fixation is at the time.  But, he sleeps.  And I’m old, and tired, and to the point of giving him whatever he wants if he’ll just be happy and sleep!!  And he does, and as soon as there’s a hint of sunlight, he’s up and at it all over again.  With those big, bright eyes leading the way!

What would life be like without Caleb?  Incomplete, dull, and definitely less humorous!

Under Construction...and the Primary Program

Please excuse the mess I've got going here. I got bored and decided to change things up a bit. Only problem is that I never have enough time to work on it. So be patient...things will be better soon!

On another note - today was our ward's Primary Program, and my first time participating as a chorister. It was amazing!! I always love the Primary Program - it is so simple, yet so profound. The kids always do so well, and today was no exception. As we were ready to start, the other chorister and I concluded that we were both extremely nervous (and it didn't help that the Stake President was there and sitting right next to me)! For me, though, the nervousness melted away as the kids sang the first song, "I Know that My Savior Loves Me." It always gives me chills to hear them sing that song (good chills). From that point on, I really enjoyed myself. Josh's part was telling about his baptism, and Emily's part was telling about the miracle of feeding the 5,000. They both did awesome, and I was so proud of them. We finished the meeting in perfect time, and the kids did a great job singing "Come Follow Me" for the closing song. When we were done, Pres. Cook turned to me and said, "How in the world do you get them to sing so well? Do you bribe them??" to which I responded, "I don't know. I guess they just like to sing!" In my book, that is SUCCESS!!

Mom says...

I was playing around with Rachel the other day - she was being me, and I was being her. I asked her about some things that Mommy says. Did I really want to hear the answer? Not so sure! But, I got some rather insightful things out of her.

Here are the first few things she said - things that Mom says:
"Be obedient!" (Really, the only thing I want out of my kids)
"Knock it off!" (What else is there to say when they're all fighting?!?!)
"Sweetheart." (I'm glad that was one of them. I love that she knows she's my sweetheart!)
"I love you." (I'm also very glad she hears this one, as I say it plenty of times in a day and wonder if anyone ever hears it!)

Gas Attack!

No – I’m not speaking of the odor that comes from a human body after eating such foods as cabbage, beans, etc!  How embarrassing!!

I’m referring to what happened in our kitchen and living room after Caleb microwaved a hot pepper!  A thick gas enveloped the area, causing anyone who entered the premises to begin coughing and feeling a terrible burning sensation in their throat and lungs!  Seriously, it was bad!  Jared took immediate evasive action – pulling out the fan, turning on the ceiling fan, and turning on the fan above the stove – and we all vacated the premises, finding refuge in the basement.  The fans worked, and after a time, the air cleared out and things returned to normal.

There is one question remaining to be answered: Why, with all the big red tomatoes, bright yellow squash, and green tomatillos on the counter, did he choose the PEPPER???

Josh’s Baptism

Josh was baptized and confirmed a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints by his Dad on Saturday, Sept. 4, 2010.  It was such a special day!   Look at these handsome guys!

Josh said that after he was confirmed, he felt so warm all over.  He also said he is so glad he got baptized and can’t wait to do baptisms for the dead.

This is Josh with our current bishopric.  He knows them all very well!  And I wouldn’t be surprised to see him as one of the bishopric members in 25 years or so!

Proud parents.  We are so happy that Josh has made the decision to follow the Savior.  Being a member of His church is such a blessing!  I have seen Josh really trying hard to do what is right, and he’s getting better at thinking things through before he acts.

The whole gang (minus Stacie, who is taking the picture)!!  We are so blessed to have such supportive family.  We love you all and are thankful you were willing to come support Josh on his special day!

As a sidenote: We missed Grandma and Grandpa Ripp so much!  It was so different to not have them there.  But we know their thoughts were with us, and we are so thankful for the example they are setting for all of us!  We love you!

Back to School

The day has finally come.  We’ve dreaded and anticipated this day all summer long (though a few of us would NEVER admit to anticipating this day)!  I can’t believe how quickly the summer flew, but I guess we did keep pretty busy.

These kids are growing up so quickly!  I cannot believe I have a 5th grader (yikes!!),

and a 3rd grader!!

Emily’s teacher is Mrs. Parent, and Josh’s is Mrs. Orme (who happens to live in our Stake).  After back to school night last night, Emily was stoked about her teacher’s requirement to read 400 pages a month, and Josh can not wait to start learning cursive and times tables!  I hope they’ll carry their excitement all year long!

As for the rest of us – well, we had a quiet day, feeling a little lost without two very special people around.  And I managed to contain my emotions…for today at least!  It hit me last night – out of the blue – so I got it all out of me.

I am so blessed to have these kids in my life!  I love them to pieces!

Family Reunion

It’s 10 p.m., and for some reason, Caleb is putting up the biggest stink about going to sleep.  So, time for some blogging!

We had our Ripplinger Reunion last weekend.  We camped up Logan Canyon, and then went to Bear Lake.  We enjoyed eating, playing games, seeing the many talents of our family members, watching an amazing meteor shower, geocaching (that looks weird, is it spelled right?), swimming, relaxing, and more eating!  Phew!  That’s a lot of stuff!

Here are some fun pictures.

Marshmallows and a bit of dirt make a great 5 0’clock shadow!

Do the Jellyfish!!

Emily took this one of the moon just before night-fall.

Brady’s backpack carrier is magical – it puts him to sleep!  I think he had probably just woken up in this picture.

Josh is “whittling” with the pocketknife he got for his birthday…and Jonathon looks like he wants to run away!  I can’t blame him, though – Josh had most of us worried about his knife handling skills!  I hope he doesn’t end up learning the hard way!

He’s much less dangerous with a guitar!

Chillaxin’!!

The Games Committee

Caleb relaxing in Rachel’s sandals.

Bear Lake wouldn’t be any fun without getting buried…

…and being a little too cold (or too hot, depending on the year)!

Thanks to Jake and Darcy for putting together an enjoyable and memorable reunion!  We had lots of fun!

Joseph Smith

Joseph Smith must be living in our ward.

It's true. Rachel saw him today.

"Mom, look - I see Joseph Smith!!"

{I'm still trying to figure out who she was talking about!}

Miracles

The Sharing Time lesson in Primary today was all about miracles. We watched a short movie about some of the miracles the Savior performed, and it got me all goose-bumpy thinking about some of the miracles we've seen in our family.

There's the time we found my wedding ring at the beach in California.

There was the time that Emily suddenly started getting better during her bout with pneumonia a few years ago. Consequently, the doctor still talks about that event.

The hours and days surrounding Rachel's birth definitely come to mind. With doctors and nurses not knowing what to do, especially when she wasn't responding to typical treatment. And me feeling like I had been thrown to the very edge of a cliff. Oh, and the pediatrician still talks about this one too!

Sometimes miracles are easy to pinpoint. And sometimes they're small and they may be difficult to recognize. But they're all around us. Waiting to be recognized and appreciated.

I am also thankful for one more small, but very much appreciated miracle today. Caleb - after getting off to a rough start - gave in and slept through most of Sacrament Meeting. He needed that, I needed that...heck, the whole congregation needed that!

Happy 8th Birthday Joshua

Happy happy birthday to a fun-loving, silly boy!

Josh, you’ve come a long way!

Some things about Josh:

• He is learning to play the ukulele and is catching on rather quickly
• He is also learning the piano, and doing very well at it
• He has a real love for music and can tell us exactly what we’re listening to on the radio much of the time
• He is a very good cleaner and organizer, and only grumbles a little bit when it’s time to clean
• He is a very smart, deep-thinking kid, and always full of questions.  In the words of Jared, “his mind is like a steel trap.”  If you know Josh at all, you’ll know this for sure!
• He is a good friend to everyone
• He got to go to Cub Scouts for the very first time yesterday (and he LOVED it!)

We love you very much Josh!  We are so happy to have you in our family, and we look forward to your baptism next month!  We are very happy you have made the decision to be baptized, and we hope you’ll continue to make good choices all your life!  You are such a blessing to us and we’re thankful for YOU!

Jared’s Shiner

Jared loves to play basketball.

Really.

A lot.

Did I mention he loves it?

I always worry that he’s going to come home broken and battered.  Guys seem to do that to each other.

And he usually does come home with a minor injury or two.  You know, jammed fingers, scratches, banged up knees…minor stuff.

I knew it wasn’t good when the phone rang at 10:30 p.m. 

“Hi, I just wanted to let you know that I split my head open and need stitches, so a couple of the guys are going to take me to InstaCare to get it taken care of.”

A couple of hours later, this is what I saw – a cut about an inch and a half long right under the left eyebrow(no stitches, just several layers of glue).

And a couple of hours later, this…

And a couple of hours after that…

And 18 hours later…

And it got even worse, but we stopped documenting.  It was getting a little gruesome.

And oh, the comments!  The comments!  If you can imagine it, he’s probably heard it!

Jared still loves basketball.  A lot.  Enough to get up before 7 a.m. this morning and go play – 10 days after all this!

Paul McCartney

Jared and I went to see Paul McCartney perform at Rio Tinto Stadium in Salt Lake on July 13.  It was the most fun I’ve had in years!  It was worth every penny – not just to see Paul – but to see Jared as excited as a kid on Christmas morning!

The concert was amazing – just under 3 hours long with 2 encores!  And some fireworks thrown in to add a little spice.  Despite being nearly 70 years old, Paul McCartney was incredible!  He was like a teenager on stage, totally in his element.  To say it was entertaining would be a huge understatement!

Unfortunately, we didn’t bring our camera.  But thanks to a few sites on the web, we’ve got a few memories.  Here is some of what we saw…

I am sure if he ever comes back to Utah, we will be enjoying ourselves again.  But I’m thankful for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that I got to spend with my love!

Our FHE Adventure

We decided to have FHE in Providence Canyon a couple of weeks ago.  I cooked some boyscout dinners and we all loaded into the van for a fun adventure.

We ate our yummy dinner amidst the cow pies.  Thankfully they were dry.  But much to our dismay, we could not keep Caleb and Rachel from playing with them.  EWWWW!!

Then we pulled out Jared’s .22 and shot water balloons that we had filled up with air.  Emily and Josh LOVED that part!  Oh, and Jared loved it too.  OK, I’ll admit it – I had fun too!  It’s a great way to let off a little steam!

Rachel and Caleb had fun playing around and picking up the little plastic BBs that were all over the ground.  Jared was lucky enough to snap these picture of Rachel being not so happy.  First comes the lip…

And then the floodgates open, letting out quite the outburst…

That’s some quality blackmail material for down the road!! 

And based on this picture, I think Caleb will get the hang of using a gun with no problems at all!!

As we headed back down the canyon, we were keeping our eyes on the road, looking for a snake that we thought Jared may have run over on our way up.  Sure enough, we spotted a snake lying in the middle of the road, so we stopped to take a look.  And this is what we saw…

A nice sized rattle snake with a squished head!  YIKES!!  Jared has some serious driving skills!  I’m just glad we were in the van and not sitting in the grass having our dinner!