I thought I would share a few funny things the kids have said lately.
*"When I grow up I think I will be a store man and I'll have a sign that says, 'Caleb's Store'." (hands flourishing imaginatively in the air above his head with as much excitement as if he were announcing the greatest marqee event) --Caleb
*"When I grow up I'm going to be an outer-spacer!" --Natalie
*"I'm so hot I could eat a horse." (pause to think) "A cold horse." (another pause) "Thats been in the freezer for 2 days... that I cut up so I could eat it." --Caleb
*"I'm so hot I can smell the breeze off of hot chocolate." --Caleb
*"I don't like spiders... I just like Daddy Long Legs."--Caleb
"I like Mommy Long Legs."--Natalie
*We are very thirsty... thirsty as a "daisy," thirsty as a "chicken," thirsty as a "camel"
Monday, June 30, 2008
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Our vacation... Sorry this is a long post.
Hi. So I know its been a while, but things have been crazy around here. So heres an update of whats been going on. The weekend of the 6th we went camping with some of the Young Women in our ward. I'm the 1st counselor in the presidency, and we are trying to do some pre-certification. We were supposed to leave Friday afternoon, and it was raining. I tried to convince the 2nd counselor that we really didn't want to go, since between the members of the presidency we would have 6 kids with us (our husbands were coming as priesthood chaperones) and she is pregnant. But we went anyway. It continued to rain lightly until about 2 hours after we got there. Then the sun came out. It was pretty cold the whole time we were there, but we had fun for the most part. Thank goodness we had lots of blankets and layers. But Claire decided that would be the day to cut her first tooth, and she was pretty grumpy and wanted to be held the whole time. I was very grateful I had my trusty new sling (Thanks Kimber!! I love it and so does she!!) to carry her around in. So we survived camping experience #1 for the summer.
We made it home safely--although with VERY dirty vehicles--on Saturday afternoon. We unloaded our stuff into the basement, but didn't put the gear away because the next Thursday afternoon we re-loaded everything and headed west. Our first stop was Lake Walcott in Rupert, Idaho for the Phippen Family Reunion. We camped right near the lake for 2 nights. It was so fun to just sit and relax and visit and let the kids play. My sister Cindy wrote a really fun song about what a cool family we are. We had some yummy food!! It was great. Camping trip #2 survived.
Saturday afternoon we went visit the Albion Normal School, a teachers school were my grandma (mom's mom) got her education. The school closed down during WWII, but one of the buildings is now a museum. We found my grandma's picture in the yearbook and her name in the commencement program. That was really neat. Caleb really enjoyed walking thru and reading signs and things at the museum. He reads really well and will read anything you put in front of him. I think he would have enjoyed staying there for a little longer, but we needed to move on.
Next we went to the "Mormon Cemetary" there in Albion and visited the graves of my great-grandfather (dad's grandpa) and some of the Phippen family graves. I was surprised that Caleb was reading the names and things on the headstones. And my dad was astounded.
We left the cemetary and headed to my parents' in Pocatello, where we stayed until Thursday morning. It was really great to visit them. We played Mexican Train (thats a dominoes game, for those who don't know), as we usually do when we visit them. I totally trashed everyone.... we played about 10 rounds, and I think I won 7 of them. Chad just got tired of playing because I was winning by so much. I just couldn't lose. What can I say....
While we were there we bought a new vehicle. We've been looking around for a Suburban for a decent price, and my brother-in-law's dad had one that he was looking to sell. So we traded him our while Dodge mini-van and now own a 2001 Suburban. You may be wondering why we would want to get a gas guzzler when gas is so expensive right now (yesterday it went up 14cents.... ouch). But our van, while it was running fine, just wasn't spacious enough for us. So we took the giant leap. But I love my new vehicle!
Thursday morning we went up to Karianne's. We went to a little zoo in Idaho Falls, which was fun for the kids. My favorite animal was a cotton top tamarin... its this little tiny black monkey with a white puff on its head. It was so cute. Caleb liked the penguins, and Natalie liked the birds and the monkeys. Claire was impartial. We stayed the night at Karianne's and Friday morning we drove up to Billings, Montana. Chad's sister Yana went thru the temple on Friday night and got married on Saturday morning. Chad was able to be there Friday night, which was neat for him. Then we both went to the sealing on Saturday a.m. I really wanted to go Friday night, too, but Claire won't take a bottle, so I can't leave her for more than 2 1/2 hours. The stinker. But its always neat to be in the temple with family. After that we got back in the car and went straight to the church for the reception. Also a fun time. Yana made a beautiful bride, and she and her new husband Damon are happy.
Finally at 9:00 on Saturday night we got home. And its so good to be home. We had a really great time seeing everyone and visiting. We wish we weren't so far away and could visit more often. So there you have a very long summary of our trip. I may post some pictures later.
We made it home safely--although with VERY dirty vehicles--on Saturday afternoon. We unloaded our stuff into the basement, but didn't put the gear away because the next Thursday afternoon we re-loaded everything and headed west. Our first stop was Lake Walcott in Rupert, Idaho for the Phippen Family Reunion. We camped right near the lake for 2 nights. It was so fun to just sit and relax and visit and let the kids play. My sister Cindy wrote a really fun song about what a cool family we are. We had some yummy food!! It was great. Camping trip #2 survived.
Saturday afternoon we went visit the Albion Normal School, a teachers school were my grandma (mom's mom) got her education. The school closed down during WWII, but one of the buildings is now a museum. We found my grandma's picture in the yearbook and her name in the commencement program. That was really neat. Caleb really enjoyed walking thru and reading signs and things at the museum. He reads really well and will read anything you put in front of him. I think he would have enjoyed staying there for a little longer, but we needed to move on.
Next we went to the "Mormon Cemetary" there in Albion and visited the graves of my great-grandfather (dad's grandpa) and some of the Phippen family graves. I was surprised that Caleb was reading the names and things on the headstones. And my dad was astounded.
We left the cemetary and headed to my parents' in Pocatello, where we stayed until Thursday morning. It was really great to visit them. We played Mexican Train (thats a dominoes game, for those who don't know), as we usually do when we visit them. I totally trashed everyone.... we played about 10 rounds, and I think I won 7 of them. Chad just got tired of playing because I was winning by so much. I just couldn't lose. What can I say....
While we were there we bought a new vehicle. We've been looking around for a Suburban for a decent price, and my brother-in-law's dad had one that he was looking to sell. So we traded him our while Dodge mini-van and now own a 2001 Suburban. You may be wondering why we would want to get a gas guzzler when gas is so expensive right now (yesterday it went up 14cents.... ouch). But our van, while it was running fine, just wasn't spacious enough for us. So we took the giant leap. But I love my new vehicle!
Thursday morning we went up to Karianne's. We went to a little zoo in Idaho Falls, which was fun for the kids. My favorite animal was a cotton top tamarin... its this little tiny black monkey with a white puff on its head. It was so cute. Caleb liked the penguins, and Natalie liked the birds and the monkeys. Claire was impartial. We stayed the night at Karianne's and Friday morning we drove up to Billings, Montana. Chad's sister Yana went thru the temple on Friday night and got married on Saturday morning. Chad was able to be there Friday night, which was neat for him. Then we both went to the sealing on Saturday a.m. I really wanted to go Friday night, too, but Claire won't take a bottle, so I can't leave her for more than 2 1/2 hours. The stinker. But its always neat to be in the temple with family. After that we got back in the car and went straight to the church for the reception. Also a fun time. Yana made a beautiful bride, and she and her new husband Damon are happy.
Finally at 9:00 on Saturday night we got home. And its so good to be home. We had a really great time seeing everyone and visiting. We wish we weren't so far away and could visit more often. So there you have a very long summary of our trip. I may post some pictures later.
Monday, June 2, 2008
Remember the Alamo
Chad had to go to San Antonio, Texas for a conference last week. He was gone for 8 days. I survived. So did the kids. I was kind of dreading the single-parent thing, but it wasn't as bad as I expected. About day 5 I was ready for a break, but my fabulous friend Beth took Caleb and Natalie for an afternoon while I ran some errands and went to a YW Pres. Mtg. Part of what got me thru the week was my mom. My dad was pilot in the Air Force when I was young, and he went on trips ALL the time. There was one year when he was gone on TDY more than he was home. So the whole time he was gone my mom was home with her 3 or 4 or 5 or 6 or 7 or 8 or 9 kids, sometimes for weeks at a time. So I kept telling myself if mom could do this all the time I can do it for a week once or twice a year. And I made it thru. I got 6 of the 8 things on my to-do list done, read a couple books, and watched some movies.
Chad had a pretty good time. He learned a lot, and missed us TONS. He got to visit the Alamo, which was pretty cool. I never quite understood the whole history behind it, but its really interesting. He brought Caleb home a coon-skin cap and a rubberband gun, both of which he loves, and a book about Davey Crockett. He brought Natalie a horsey costume (a headband with ears and a mane, and a tail that pins to her pants) and this cool LED light wand thing, which has been the source of several arguments. He brought me back some fun things too. We missed him lots and are glad he got home safely.
Friday, May 23, 2008
Our graduate
I know I'm a huge slacker. But I haven't had anything really remarkable or profound to say, so I just haven't said anything. But today I want to take a few minutes to talk about Caleb. He is 5 years old, and Monday night was his preschool graduation. Caleb is really smart--he reads as well as a first-grader... I don't know where he learned, because I haven't done anything besides read to him and encourage him to read. In school they have done some reading, but not everyone in the class reads as well as he does, so I don't know. I have a friend who is a school teacher, and she told me that 1/3 of kids will learn to read regardless of what you teach; you could teach them wrong and they would still get it right. Interesting statistic. Anyway, back to Caleb.
Caleb is nearly always happy, and very optimistic. A few weeks ago he went to a birthday party. He'd gotten the birthday boy a small present. Some of the other kids got him these big expensive things, but he didn't care--he said, "But he sure liked my present the best!" It was really great. At school he got an award for his JOY because he's always so happy.
Our buddy loves doing extra projects to earn money for a book he wants to buy. This sometimes creates extra work for me, but sometimes it saves me time (like when he folds towels). He loves spending time with Dad, and is looking forward to going fishing. When Caleb grows up he wants to be a "hospital man." We aren't sure exactly what that is, because its not a doctor. It might be a combination doctor, EMT, life-flight pilot, hospital administrator (because he always talks about going to meetings).
Caleb also loves Primary and Family Home Evening. He is so excited to get baptized when he is 8; his self-portrait at the end of the school year was of him getting baptized. We are very proud of him and love having him in our family.
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Changing Weather
While I was working on the post earlier, Claire rolled from her back to her stomach. She's done this a couple times before but this time she got her arm out from under her body. But she hates being on her tummy, so I rolled her back over. She went right back to her tummy. So fun.
Between The time I dropped Caleb off at his preschool and the time I picked him up the weather changed from bright and sunny with very few clouds in the sky to dark and dreary, with very dark clouds and rain. There was a severe thunderstorm warning; a tornado warning had been issued for just east of here. It was raining so hard Natalie rode home from Caleb's school with her ears plugged. Caleb said, "Its sounds like a gun shooting!" Weird weather. So for those of you who want to know what its like to live in WY, there you have it. And I was so enjoying the Spring weather.
Between The time I dropped Caleb off at his preschool and the time I picked him up the weather changed from bright and sunny with very few clouds in the sky to dark and dreary, with very dark clouds and rain. There was a severe thunderstorm warning; a tornado warning had been issued for just east of here. It was raining so hard Natalie rode home from Caleb's school with her ears plugged. Caleb said, "Its sounds like a gun shooting!" Weird weather. So for those of you who want to know what its like to live in WY, there you have it. And I was so enjoying the Spring weather.
A lot of randomness
Sorry I haven't posted anything new for a couple of weeks. I haven't been able to think of anything that great to write. Not that this promises to be exciting, but here are some random thoughts I've been thinking.
I finally read the book, "To Kill a Mockingbird," and I really enjoyed it. I wouldn't put it on my "Top 10 Favorite books I've ever read" list, but it was really good and really thought-provoking. One thing that really stood out to me was how Atticus was such a great parent. His children always felt loved and safe. They could trust him. He was the same person, regardless of who he was with. Those are really important qualities to possess as a parent.
In October I was put in my ward Young Womens Presidency as the first couselor. I work mostly with the Mia Maids. I have a really great group of girls. We have really good youth in our ward. I was recently thinking back to what I was like when I was 14 and 15.... I think that as I look back to my teenage years these were two of the best. I had lots of friends, both guys and girls. I was on the Drill Team in 9th grade, and I really liked that. Once I got a little older I was a little TOO boy-crazy and flighty, but those two years were the ones that I look back on with a lot of great memories.
In completely unrelated news, Claire had her 4-month checkup last week. She's the biggest of the 3 kids.... she 13 1/2 lbs and 25 inches, which puts her on the 75th%ile for height. Caleb was never past the 10th, and Natalie didn't get past the 25th. So Claire is growing well. She sleeps all night and half the day, and eats great. I've started feeding solids.... She hated plain rice cereal but when I mixed it with bananas she really liked it. We've also tried pears and carrots. Yummy.
The weather has been beautiful, and I am SO SO SO SO SO glad.... Caleb and Natalie have really enjoyed being outside. But they think that in order to have fun outside they have to turn on the hose. But I guess thats why I have a mud room in my house.
I love American Idol. I was sad to see Brooke go--she was Caleb's favorite because he thinks she is pretty--but I knew she wouldn't win. So who do I think is going to win? I hope its David Cook because he rocks, but David Archuleta has a really good chance too, although I kinda hope he doesn't because it'll mess up his life for what he really needs to do. Jason Castro really needs to go home.
So those are my thoughts for the day. Enjoy.
I finally read the book, "To Kill a Mockingbird," and I really enjoyed it. I wouldn't put it on my "Top 10 Favorite books I've ever read" list, but it was really good and really thought-provoking. One thing that really stood out to me was how Atticus was such a great parent. His children always felt loved and safe. They could trust him. He was the same person, regardless of who he was with. Those are really important qualities to possess as a parent.
In October I was put in my ward Young Womens Presidency as the first couselor. I work mostly with the Mia Maids. I have a really great group of girls. We have really good youth in our ward. I was recently thinking back to what I was like when I was 14 and 15.... I think that as I look back to my teenage years these were two of the best. I had lots of friends, both guys and girls. I was on the Drill Team in 9th grade, and I really liked that. Once I got a little older I was a little TOO boy-crazy and flighty, but those two years were the ones that I look back on with a lot of great memories.
In completely unrelated news, Claire had her 4-month checkup last week. She's the biggest of the 3 kids.... she 13 1/2 lbs and 25 inches, which puts her on the 75th%ile for height. Caleb was never past the 10th, and Natalie didn't get past the 25th. So Claire is growing well. She sleeps all night and half the day, and eats great. I've started feeding solids.... She hated plain rice cereal but when I mixed it with bananas she really liked it. We've also tried pears and carrots. Yummy.
The weather has been beautiful, and I am SO SO SO SO SO glad.... Caleb and Natalie have really enjoyed being outside. But they think that in order to have fun outside they have to turn on the hose. But I guess thats why I have a mud room in my house.
I love American Idol. I was sad to see Brooke go--she was Caleb's favorite because he thinks she is pretty--but I knew she wouldn't win. So who do I think is going to win? I hope its David Cook because he rocks, but David Archuleta has a really good chance too, although I kinda hope he doesn't because it'll mess up his life for what he really needs to do. Jason Castro really needs to go home.
So those are my thoughts for the day. Enjoy.
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