Playing Catch Up

This is gonna be a long post – sorry!  I decided to just pay $50 to get a new hard drive for my computer, rather than buy a whole new computer – even though my screen is totally messed up and my battery is useless.  So I’m back in business for blogging!

Someone had a birthday last week.  Not sure who it was, but we had a fun day celebrating!  We spent the morning at the aquatic center.  You’ll thank me for not posting any pictures of that.  We’re all so white it’s scary!  After that we had lunch, and Jared and I did some shopping while Daniel was sleeping.  Then we came home, picked up Daniel and went out to dinner.  The kids love it when we go on dates because they eat cereal for dinner.  After we were done, we grabbed the kids and went for a special treat.  There’s a local food place in town that fills a sink with soft serve ice cream, bananas, toppings, and whipped cream.  They told us it’s around a gallon of ice cream…but they don’t measure, so no one really knows.

We thought that with 7 people we could easily finish it off.  If you do, you get your picture taken and earn a place in the “We Cleaned the Sink” Hall of Shame Fame.

Daniel sure pulled his weight.  He would have eaten (and then spit up) all night long!

 

Unfortunately, Josh has developed an aversion to ice cream since he threw up after eating 24-ounces of ice cream all by himself!  Five bites into the sink and he was complaining that he needed to throw up.  So he spent most of his time in the bathroom (no throwing up) and complaining about watching everyone else eat.

Emily added her personal touch with a little bit of art work on the side of the sink.

Unfortunately, we weren’t able to finish.  That was a lot of ice cream and we were stuffed!!  And, believe it or not, that was waaaay cheaper than taking everyone to Twizzleberry!

On our way out, Caleb saw the rows of newspaper racks (?? – those bin-like-things that you put a quarter in and open the door to retrieve your paper) and exclaimed, “Video games!!!”  A couple walking in chuckled and the guy said, “That’s OK buddy.  They tricked me too!”  Love me some Caleb-isms!!

On Tuesday we had swimming performance day for Josh, Rachel and Caleb.  I brought Emily and Daniel – against my better judgement – so I didn’t get many pictures.  It was unbearably hot and Daniel was miserable.  The kids did a great job.  Josh is becoming quite the swimmer.  I think maybe he should aim for the swim team in high school.

This year he learned the breast stroke, the butterfly, and how to do an underwater summersault off the wall.  During the performance they were supposed to stand where they were and do a summersault.  Josh misunderstood and took off down the the pool as fast as he could and did his summersault off the wall – just like what you see in the Olympics.  I was in awe, and all the other parents were oohing and ahhing as well.  Take a look at this kid!  (Sorry about the crying Daniel in the background!)

Rachel is a natural fish and loves the water.  Look how white she is!!

Caleb is a little more reserved, especially when it comes to getting his face in the water.

They both did great and learned a lot for their first year.

Later in the week, we were at the park during a house showing.  Daniel was sitting right next to me on a bench, and in the 2 seconds that I was focusing on keeping one of the other kids in line, he fell off the bench and smacked his head on the cement.  That is a sound I will not soon forget.

He’s a tough kid though, and after a huge cry, he perked back up and was fine.

And just for fun…this kid thinks he’s a monkey!!

And the best news of the month: I got my birthday wish!  We accepted an offer on our house this week.  The offer was dated on my birthday, so it really was a birthday present!!  We are supposed to close on Sept. 4, so we’re in apartment hunting mode now.

I hope to get a house update up later today or tomorrow.  Please don’t keel over in anticipation!!

How Do I Love Thee...

Valentine's Day started a couple days early for our family this year. The kids get to have Valentine's Tea at school - a time to learn about manners and etiquette - on Friday (the 12th). The boys seat the girls and then bring them a cookie and drink. They dress up in their Sunday best for this, so it's the real deal! I couldn't believe how excited Josh was to dress up! He came up Friday morning in his red dress shirt, black slacks, and a red tie! He was looking so dapper! Here he is after school on Friday. Doesn't he look so grown up?!?! (For the record, I posed him this way - his natural pose is, shall we say, a little too manly!)

Emily took her dress to school to change into/out of so she wouldn't have to worry about what to do at recess in a dress. So, I don't have any pictures of her. But this was a big deal for her too - she asked me to put some curls in her hair!! It's an amazing day when she actually WANTS to get her hair done!

I had a lot of fun putting some things together for Jared. I had the kids take them to him at work throughout the day on Saturday. We did rice krispie treats shaped like Hershey's kisses first,

then they took him some fortune cookies I had made the day before.
They were so yummy, but a TON of work. Probably not something I'll be doing very often!
After that I had them take him a bag of tortilla chips and a jar of his favorite salsa from a restaurant here in town. The kids had so much fun being my messengers, and Jared said he really enjoyed it. On the way to our first drop-off, Josh wondered how Jared would know all these things were from me, because I told them to tell him this was a special delivery from a secret admirer. I just had to laugh at that one! I assured Josh that Jared would surely know they were from me!

Jared brought these beauties home for me on Saturday afternoon - aren't they gorgeous?!?! They smell soooo good too! Just what I needed!
We had a fun time as a family Saturday evening. We had orange chicken and rice, which we ate with our chopsticks, and then I surprised the kids with fortune cookies. They were so excited that they got to have some too. They had wondered earlier in the day why all the good stuff was all for Dad!! They were so excited to read all the fortunes I put in them. Then we sat down and watched part of Disney's "Around the World in 80 Days."

Cupid made a visit to the kids on Valentine's morning. They each got a new shirt, a personalized rice krispie treat (shaped like Hershey's kisses), and a bag of treats.
I would call this Valentine's Day a complete success! It was fun to see the kids going out of their way to be extra nice and to surprise their loved ones with Valentines. I just wish we could keep the lovey-dovey feelings going all year long!

Halloween 2009

We are bad parents - we didn't take the kids trick-or-treating! I know, I'm feeling pretty guilty about it! We had cousins over, and they were all having a great time, and we were having a great time, and they were eating tons of candy, so that makes up for it, right?!!? And Caleb got sick in the evening, so I'm sure that's a perfect excuse! (I'm really trying to make myself feel better, but it's not working!)

We did have a Halloween party earlier in the week with Jared's family, and the kids got to dress up for it. Well, Jared and I could have dressed up too, but that's just no fun! Here are some pictures from that night.

Rachel the Bumblebee and Caleb the Pumpkin - too cute!!

Josh was a Clone Trooper from Star Wars.

Jared took 4 pictures of him, and they all looked exactly like this!

Emily was a Rock Star, complete with colored braids in her hair, a headset, blow-up guitar, shiny skirt and mom's belt!

She kept dancing around saying "I'm a HOT rock star!"

All of us, with Jared behind the camera.

Man I'm scary!!!

The Rock-ettes!

These boys love their Star Wars!

I love the look on Caleb's face in this one!

He'd had more than enough pictures by this time!

All the Ripplinger grandkids - aren't they cute?!?!

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!

And a Child Shall Lead Them...

We partied (haha!) as a family at Apple Days this past Saturday. {haha! because Jared and I had just spent the day canning peaches, so we were pretty dead!} For those of you who don't know what Apple Days is, see this post. We didn't make it to the parade this year, but we did have lots of fun going down the huge inflatable slide, getting treats, and roaming around.

This is Emily and Josh doing the beanbag toss:

{Notice Rachel chilling out here at the bottom!}

Then Rachel took her turn to show them how it's really done.

I can't believe I didn't think of that!!!

Back to Routine

School started one week ago! Emily is in 4th grade (yikes! where did my baby go?), and Josh is in 2nd grade (yikes again!). I can't believe how fast the summer went! And we didn't even do anything terribly exciting as a family this year, other than reunions. But we have enjoyed a lot of time together as a family.

It is good to be back to a routine - sort of! Life seems much more pleasant (for me at least) when there is structure! Everyone knows pretty much what goes on in a day, and there is plenty to keep us all busy. But, it is always nice to not have to be ready so early, to enjoy carefree mornings with the kids, to just BE! I always miss that once school has started!

I was pretty impressed with what the kids accomplished this summer. Emily read all 700+ pages of Harry Potter #4 - and it only took her 6-7 weeks!! Josh read and read and read, too. He started the first Harry Potter book, but we had to return it to the library before he finished it. We'll have to go back and get that one soon because he keeps begging me to take him (always after the library has closed for the day)! Emily finished off one set of piano books and is cruising her way through a second set, and Josh is making good progress on his set. They both got very good at cleaning the bathroom, and more importantly, keeping it clean between cleanings! And Rachel and Caleb have turned into quite the two-some! If he's not bugging her, she's bugging him! But they hardly ever do anything apart!

I have loads of pictures -when I get some time I will do a picture post!

Summer So Far

Here we are - half way through Summer break!! I can't believe we will be half way through July this week!

We've been trying to keep busy...well, maybe busy isn't the right word. With 4 kids, two of them a handful on their own, we don't really have to try to keep busy!! I guess we've been trying to get stuff done and keep entertained!

Emily and Josh just finished up Fun and Fitness camp at the school. Basically, it was supposed to keep them physically active but having fun. Goal accomplished! They both said they wished it lasted all summer long. They got to have two off-site activities - mini golf and swimming at the aquatic center - which they absolutely loved!! Who wouldn't, though??!?

Em and Josh are also finishing up their last session of swimming lessons. I don't know if either of them really LIKE swimming lessons, but they've been good sports to go and get it done. We've told them they have to go, but they don't have to like it! I think knowing how to swim is something they need to do (this from someone who doesn't swim very well)! Here they are on their performance day for the first session. Looks like they're having fun to me!

We have also been trying to keep up with the garden. If you looked from the house, you would wonder if there was anything out there besides weeds!! With all the rain we got throughout June, the weeds pretty much took over. We (mostly I) have been trying to get them back under control. Emily and Josh were loving the $$ they were earning at first, but even that isn't enough to entice them into the heat! I don't blame them though! It looks like we're going to have a bumper crop of tomatillos! Hope Jared can find a really good salsa recipe or we're going to turn into the tomatillo bandits and start leaving them in cars while we're at church!

We've had a few bike rides, but we can't seem to keep tires filled with air. The kids LOVE when we do get to go. We almost always end up at the park for a while too.

Last night we went to Providence Canyon for some dinner and shooting. Yes, you read that right! Jared did some repairs on a gun or two and had to make sure he did everything OK. He told us all we needed to stay in the van while he shot the first rounds, just in case. Um, yeah! That made me feel really good! I was concocting an emergency plan in my head, just in case! Thank goodness he did everything right and didn't have any problems! He even let Emily and Josh shoot his 22. Instant heaven, especially for Josh! Sidenote: I brought the camera to take some pictures, and what do you know - that battery was dead!! Dang thing!!

And, to top it all off, we've had another round of the sickies. I really can't believe it myself! You'd think we'd be safe in summer, but no. Coughs, throw ups, fevers, you name it!!

And all in the name of summer fun!!

Easter 2009

We started the Easter festivities this year by having our Larsen Family Easter Party on Saturday. We were so lucky to get to see all the aunts, uncles (except Greg in Iraq), cousins, Grandma Larsen, and Great-Grandma and Grandpa Farnworth. Whew!! Lots of people!!

We colored eggs,

Ate lots of good food, visited, and had a fun egg hunt.

Rachel found the biggest egg of all!

Josh was so fast that I didn't even have time to get a picture of him!

But here we are all together, minus Jared. Tax season is quite the task master!

And here are all 12 grandkids!

Caleb loving his Grandma time! Don't you love the tongue?!?

Easter morning - everyone's happy...



...except Caleb!! Easter bunny woes!



Cutest kids ever!!
So proud of them for sitting still for pictures right after church!

Easter fun continued Sunday evening at Grandma and Grandpa Ripplinger's house.

Josh is lovin' the toys!

Seriously - this is the sweetest girl EVeR!!
"See, Daddy?!"

Aren't we cute?!?!

Totally good lookin' guys!!

What I Want To Do In The Next 15 Years

• Help my kids learn to love service
• See Rachel and Caleb get baptized
• See Josh and Caleb receive the priesthood
• Get Emily and Josh graduated from High School
• Attend the temple with my kids
• See Josh go on a mission, and Emily too if she'd like
• Learn how to take really good photos
• Find a cure for Crohn's disease (seriously!)
• Be a calm, sane, and understanding mother to teenagers (yikes!)
• Crawl out of my shell a little more
• Overcome my fear of flying
• Make a quilt for the wall above my stairs
• Learn how to relax and have fun
• Help Emily and Josh decide which college to go to, what classes to take, where they'll live...
• Be a better wife
• Be a better friend
• Catch up (and then stay caught up) on scrapbooking

Pesky Leprechauns!!

We invited the Leprechauns to come to our house on St. Patricks Day, and just look what they did! Those crazy little characters left a mess of our house - but everywhere they went, they left some "gold" behind. Maybe that will convince us to have them back again next year...

They pulled our piano bench out, turned it a weird way, and left the lid open!

They put a chair up on the table, and they left us a box of Lucky Charms for breakfast!

They turned our chair backwards and left it in the middle of the room!

They tied the drapes in a knot!

They got in a drawer, scattered lids around, and then just left the drawer open! And just look what they did to our toilet....

EWWWW!!! That's nasty!!(Josh wouldn't go near it - he wouldn't even flush it down!)

I'm not very happy about all this mischief, but the kids have begged me to let them come back next year. Afterall, they did bring us lots of "gold" AND a box of Lucky Charms to make up for all the mischief. Well, I'll just have to think about it!

For our dinner, we had Italian meatball subs, Irish style (we're not real big on the corned beef or pastrami - urp!), with green jello, celery, and carrots (gotta have some variation in color!). I couldn't resist the green hoagie buns at the store! (They're dyed green!! It wasn't a sneaky sale by the store to get rid of some moldy-oldies!)

And for dessert, we had Lucky Lime Pie, a very tasty, but very rich treat. (Unfortunately, I don't have a picture for it. But if you click here you can see the picture AND get the recipe.)