Glasses It Is!

Daniel saw the ophthalmologist in March, who told us that Daniel is very farsighted, but we will wait for glasses until next year.  Honestly, I was relieved we didn’t have to fight that battle yet.  (Selfish?  Yeah, I know.)  But the more I thought about it, the more it ate at me.  If the kid can’t see, why wait?!?  So after talking with the doc., we decided to go with glasses now.

Daniel’s nearly non-existent nose bridge made it hard to find a pair that fit him right.  So we decided to go with MiraFlex.  They’re made completely of plastic that is bendable.  There is a strap on the back the keeps them in place, so they actually stay where they’re supposed to.  And there are about 20 different color choices (yeah, not good for me).

I didn’t think Daniel could get any cuter.  Boy, was I wrong!

 

 

And so far, so good (mostly).  As long as he is busy and engaged, the glasses stay put.  I can tell a difference in what he’s doing, too.  He seems more balanced, he’s more accurate and, oddly enough, I swear he’s making more noise.  I’m so glad we didn’t wait a year and take the easy road!

21 Tidbits About Daniel

1. He is 18 months old.

2. His favorite food is anything that anyone else is eating, especially treats.

3. His most-used word is MORE.

4. His favorite activities are reading books, getting into drawers and boxes, and putting things in his mouth.

5. His favorite toy is his FisherPrice music-maker thingy that has a mirror.

6. He hates water on his head, face and near his ears.

7. He loves Nutella.

8. He is a champion sleeper.

9. He loves music.

10. His newest (spoken) word is TOUCH.

11. He cries every time I walk out of his sight.

12. He smacks his lips and tongue when he eats.

13. His newest sign is CRACKER.

14. He has reflux, and his medicine is working wonderfully (well, it was until today).

15. He is super flirty.

16. He always pulls off his right shoe when he is wearing his black dress shoes.

17. He likes to tease.

18. He has a fake laugh that makes everyone else break into hysterics.

19. He crawls about as fast as a spider, and cruises around furniture almost as fast.

20. He weighs 21 pounds, 10 ounces.

21. He has us all wrapped around his pinky finger – in a major way!

Peek-a-Boo

Daniel’s version of peek-a-boo: covering his ears with his hands.

And peeking over the arm of the couch.

Can you see the giant smile on his face?

10,000 Hits

I can’t believe it!  Our little ol’ blog has surpassed 10,000 hits!

Here is the most popular post (and one of my all-time favorites): One Year Later

I’m pretty sure you’re not here for my writing.  And I’m betting you’re not here because the story of our lives is so completely fascinating.  Though, I think some of our days could be the basis for a reality show!

I’m guessing most of you are here because of him:

Which is fine by me!  These {almost} 18 months with Daniel have been the most amazing and enjoyable of my life.  He has brought something new to my heart.  More peace, more love, more joy.  His presence in our family has brought a sense of calm.  He has helped us to slow down, live in the moment and celebrate the little things in life.  He is a ray of sunshine in my soul!

I hope our little blog has been an inspiration to someone out there.  That maybe one person has come away with a greater appreciation for people with Down syndrome, or any disability.

Thanks for coming along on this journey with us!

Walk Star

After a couple of months of absolute hatred, the little mister in our house decided that this walker thing is OK.  He’s been cruising the lengths of the living room every chance he gets.  Every time he does it he gets a little more steady and a little more controlled.

Add this to his love of the stairs and I’d say we’re in trouble.  But don’t think for one second that I’m not smiling about it!

Daniel at 14 Months

This little video pretty much sums up Daniel’s personality right now.  Aside from being extremely social, he is a mover and shaker who spends his days exploring the contents of various drawers, pulling himself up to whatever he can reach, climbing onto everything his size, and eating everything he can get to (which includes shoes, paper scraps, wood chips, and plant parts).

Happy Birthday Caleb!!

Happy 2nd birthday to our baby boy! Can you believe it has already been two years?!?! I keep saying this, but it's more and more evident every day that time is just getting away from me! It really does seem like just yesterday that we were holding this sweet, dark-haired little boy and feeling just slightly overwhelmed at the prospects of having two kids so close! I can honestly say that, thus far, it (usually) hasn't been as hard as I expected it to be!

How could it be difficult with such a cute little guy to love?!?!

Here are some things about Caleb:

• He is a busy, busy boy! He moves from one moment of curiosity to the next moment of mischief with the speed of a cheetah! Trying to keep up with this boy is next to impossible!
• He has been affectionately nick-named Caleb the Tornado. Grandma L. gave him this name after staying with him for a few days last year.
• He loves to be outside. He would live out there if I would let him
• He loves to eat pretzels, raisins, yogurt (which he calls low-gurt), popcorn, jellybeans, bananas, granola bars (knowns as ah-la bars)...ok, so he likes to eat - period!
• He likes to chew on the corners of one certain blanket, which has almost completely destroyed it!
• He is very particular about his bed-time routine. He will not settle down without his 3 favorite blankets, his giraffe, and his bear. And he always tries to get extra stuff - like toys, his sippy cup, books, etc.
• He is quite the chatter box and is very loud - especially when he's crying!
• He can already identify Maceys and Wal-Mart before we even get there!
• He is quite the charmer - he really knows how to use his big eyes to his advantage!

I could go on and on about this boy! He is truly a unique, enjoyable, lovable kid! We love you very much little Caleb! We are so glad you're a part of our family. Life just wouldn't be the same without you!

Spring/Winter, Easter, and Other Stuff

We had the worst April Fool's joke ever this year! Mother Nature sure was cruel sending all this snow!

Our cute kids all decked out in their Easter clothes. I decided to forgo the Sunday clothes this year since we had General Conference on Easter. Don't they look cute in their lime green?!? I can't believe how hard it is getting to get a good picture with them all at least looking in the direction of the camera!

We had a great Easter weekend and really enjoyed having General Conference as part of our Easter festivities. All of the conference talks were so good, and it was fun to eat our Easter candy while we watched and listened! We had a good time finding eggs and visiting with the Ripplinger side of the family during the evening.

There were some crazy wind storms in April too. In the worst one, our next door neighbor's willow tree snapped off about halfway up. Thankfully it fell into her driveway and not on our house!

The kids decided to try flying a kite from the swingset one day. It didn't work very well, but they had fun doing it!

Emily had to complete a science project as an assignment for school. So she and I spent the week of spring break working on it. We smashed up lots of potato chips onto graph paper to see how much grease each kind of chips had. She did a great job working on it and then presenting it.

And last, but not least, Stacie and Phil got married in May! It was a fun day, and the kids really enjoyed running around at the reception. It was a little chilly, but the weather cooperated well. Rachel and Caleb have really taken a liking to Phil - we're glad to have him join the family!

Happy Birthday Rachel!

I can't believe it has already been THREE years since our sweet little Rachel rushed into the world! Time really does pass more quickly each year! And my how things change! Here's a little walk down memory lane, starring Rachel.

A few days old

One year old (and loving brand-new Caleb)

Two years old

The Birthday Girl!

Here are a few tidbits about Rachel:

• She loves to sing, especially I am a Child of God and I Love to See the Temple. She hums and sings all the time!
• She loves candy (not much of a surprise), fruit, granola bars and pepper jack cheese.
• She is full of personality and spit fire. Don't mess with her because she knows how to defend herself!
• She still has red, naturally curly hair, though not as curly as when it was short. It is amazing how long her hair really is (and she's never had a haircut)!
• She knows lots of letters and loves to let us know when she sees any that she knows.
• She loves everybody (and she tells me all the time that she does)!
• She loves to be a helper.
• She is a really good sleeper.
• She loves to go on walks and bike rides and play at the park.

Rachel is such a special girl. We love her to pieces and are so thankful to have her in our family. There is something about her that is different - hard to explain - but I think she has a very strong spirit and will do amazing things in life.

We love you Rachel! You add such an amazing amount of warmth and love and energy to our lives.

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

Where Were You...?

Where were you on this day in 1999 when this happened?

I was on my honeymoon!! More precisely, I was running to get into the Jeep that Jared had pulled up to the front door of Olive Garden (where we had lunch) and trying not to die by hail pelting! In the process, I stepped on, and crushed, the container that had our wedding cake in it!! Good thing my parents took some home to freeze!

I am soooo thankful we didn't decide to have Aug. 11 as our wedding day!

Happy Anniversary!

Today is our 10th anniversary!! And it's a magical one too, because it's also the 10th of the month!! I had planned to put some pictures of our wedding day in this post, but for some reason, our older pictures aren't showing up on the computer! So instead, here is some fun trivia about the past 10 years...

• Location of our wedding: Salt Lake Temple
• Places we've lived: 6 (4 different cities)
• Most we've paid for rent (not a mortgage): $1700 a month
• Least we've paid for rent: $440 (our first apartment, 2 bedrooms, no A/C, but a great little apartment)
• Number of jobs (Jared+Heather): 9 (I think)
• Number of degrees received (just since we've been married): 3
• Number of perfect children: 4!!!
• Number of vehicles: we're currently on #5 and #6
• Tax seasons we've made it through: 8!!
• Number of gardens we've planted: 5

And now, 10 things I love about Jared (in no particular order):

• He's handsome
• He's strong
• He's a hard-worker, willing to provide for our family
• He loves music
• He is thoughtful
• He loves to play games
• He is smart, and also wise
• He is trustworthy
• He has a rock-solid testimony
• He loves me, even when I'm my absolute worst!

I love you Jared! You are the best thing that has ever happened to me! Thank you for being my husband and wanting me for your wife! I look forward to the rest of eternity with you!

Happy Birthday Josh!!

Joshua is 7 years old today!! Can't believe it's already been 7 years since we brought our little boy home!

We've had a great day today. Josh chose crepes for breakfast, and we put cherry pie filling in them - yum!! Jared was home for the morning (because we were getting some gravel and a shed), so Josh was able to open presents this morning. That turned out to be a great thing, because he got to spend the day playing with all his new stuff. Surprisingly, I think his favorite gift was his Webkinz snake, which he named Stripers. We got to go out for lunch (Sonic), and we had his favorite food for dinner - SHRIMP!! Can you believe a kid his age loves shrimp??

Josh is such a great kid. He is a hard worker, a deep thinker, and very energetic. He has a great memory, and he loves to ask lots of questions. He can always make us laugh, and he is very helpful too.

Here's a look at then and now...

We love you Josh!! You are "totally wicked" and we're glad you're part of our family!

Just a Typical Day

Here are a few shots of a typical day around our house...

If Emily is not off reading, she is playing the piano! I don't have to beg and plead to get her to practice, I have to beg and plead to get her to stop!! She's great at multi-tasking too...see the cracker in her mouth?!!

Caleb's new favorite activity - climbing to the highest surface he can! Yes, he's standing on the cedar chest which is up against the railing, which is the only thing keeping him from taking a flying leap down the stairs! In a 5-mintue span, he has managed to climb onto the kitchen table, be removed, climb onto the cedar chest, be removed, climb onto the end table, only to be removed yet again! I hope I can survive this kid! In fact, I hope he survives himself! But how could that face not instantly melt you?!?

Rachel is synonymous (spelling??) with sweetness. She just bounces around with her ringlets bouncing right alongside! She has discovered how to be a little impish, though! You can see it in her eyes! She is usually the one showing Caleb just how fun it is to climb onto things, or she's right behind him encouraging him to go farther!

And Josh...well...just look at the picture! Would that drive you nuts?? He prefers to wear socks, and this is how he wears them 99% of the time!

Walk a Mile in His Shoes

Caleb is finally taking some steps!!! Can it really be??? This boy, who we thought would walk so early (he started pulling up to furniture at 7 mos, and cruising a couple weeks later), has turned out to be very reluctant to let go and take the plunge.

But he's finally doing it!! And here is some proof, albeit blurry!

Way to go Caleb!!

Happy Birthday Caleb!!

Caleb is one year old today!! How can it be that a whole year has already passed?!?!?

We are so blessed to have Caleb in our family. He is a smiley, bright-eyed, curious, and loveable little boy. He watches everything and everyone like a hawk, picking up on everything that is going on. He is one of the fastest babies we have ever seen. I like to call him Spider Man because he gets to a new destination in the blink of an eye. He has been cruising around the furniture

since he was about 8 months old, so we thought he was going to walk way too early. But he is very comfortable with his mode of transportation, so he hasn't braved the new skill of walking - YET! He has a very unique way of greeting people too. He gets close, then bangs his head, as softly as he can, into the head of the other person!

Here is a look back at an amazing year!

We love you Caleb!! And we're so glad you're part of our family! We hope you have a wonderful year, and we look forward to all the new things you'll be doing in the coming year!

Love,

Mom, Dad, Emily, Josh, and Rachel

Potty Training

I swore to myself that I wouldn't even try potty training Rachel until she was a little older. I started too early with Emily, and it was NOT a pleasant experience. We waited a while with Josh and it was pretty much a piece of cake.

Well, I went back on my promise and started potty training Rachel. She has shown quite a bit of interest, and we've been having some "defective" diapers that somehow have ended up around her knee on several occasions! We started just "trying it out" last week, and she did OK - but we weren't real serious about it since we had so many places we needed to be. So this week we hit it hard core. And she is doing really well!! The best was yesterday, though - we had a successful #2 in the potty, completely initiated by her!! It only took one accident for that one to stick!

To spare her the embarassment of a potty picture that could haunt her as a teenager, here is a picture of one of the sweetest girls I know! (She's trying to sit on one of Caleb's toys)

Tax Day

Today is one of my 3 favorite days of the year.

Yes, it really is right up there with Thanksgiving and Christmas!

Today is the day that tax season comes screeching - literally - to a halt.

Makes me feel like singing...

It's the most wonderful time of the year,

When the taxes are done,

And the long weeks are gone,

And our daddy is here!!!

It's the most wonderful time of the year!!

Another Tooth, and a Funky Hair Do

Caleb cut tooth #2 yesterday, again on the top. He is so cute, I just had to get a picture. He is so wiggly and active that it's hard to get him to be still long enough. And as soon as I pull the camera out he gets right up in my lap to play with the fun new toy. You can see the first one quite well on the left (his right), and the second one popped through right next to it, but is hard to see.

Now for something compeletly different...

I tried a new hair do for Emily on Saturday night when she had wet hair. I twisted sections up tight and wound them around themselves, like little buns (I've heard them called "Shrek Ears"). I saw somewhere that when they dry and you take them out, you get nice, soft ringlet-type curls. Here she is on Saturday night...

We had fun laughing about how silly she looked. She said it was kind of uncomfortable to sleep on, but was excited to get it all taken out on Sunday morning. Let's just say we were shocked at how it turned out...

Can you say tight and frizzy??!?!? Not what we were expecting. Emily was a good sport and we had a good laugh about it, then put it up into a ponytail. Even that was almost impossible because her hair was about 3-4 times its normal thickness! Lesson learned indeed!

First Tooth!

Caleb is 8 months old today and has reached yet another milestone. Yesterday he cut his first tooth!! Yea Caleb!! Hopefully he'll get back to sleeping like he used to!

I have mentioned on more than one occasion that Caleb is our most different baby. He is so skinny compared to what our other kids were. He has a darker shade of hair. He thinks he needs to be held constantly still!!

Even with teeth his differences show. This first tooth that popped in came on TOP, not the bottom. I've never had a baby do that! I didn't know any baby did that! So here's to being different!

I'll spare you all a picture of the lovely new tooth, since all you'd see is slobbery gums anyway, and since he won't let me get anywhere near his mouth. Here's a picture of a deliciously cute boy who absolutely loves his feet!