Family Reunion

Last weekend (June 13-14) my family got together at Lake Walcott state park, near Rupert, for a family reunion. It was so fun. I took my girls and went a day earlier than Ryan because Teri was here from Wyoming and we just don't get to spend enough time together. Everyone in the family was there except for JD, who is off being the voice of the Army these days. We camped and ate and fished and played games and had water fights. It's great to have a family where everyone really makes an effort to be together. We love spending time with each other. Sure we have differences of opinion, and we all have our idiosyncracies that drive everyone else crazy, but generally we love each other and get along pretty well. Some of visited Albion, which is a little town not far from the Utah border where the Phippens lived for quite some time--my dad's father, grandparents and great-grandparents. It was neat to see the valley where they lived and farmed and died. Also in Albion is the Teacher's college that my mom's mom attended. I love experiencing places that we read and hear about because it all of a sudden becomes real. It's a pretty little valley. Over the last 6 months I have been more involved in family history research and I really enjoy that. I love understanding their lives and learning from the faith and courage of our ancestors. My girls also enjoy hearing the family stories. A couple days after we got home, we were driving around in the car and Anya said to me, "Tell me a story about your grandpa that died." It's a great legacy to pass on. I'll post a slide show when I get to Ryan's computer where all the pictures are downloaded.

Joseph Smith The Prophet

Christa and Ryan and my sister Cindy had the opportunity to participate in a cantata that the Boise Institute put on this past weekend in honor of Joseph Smith, our first latter-day prophet. Christa and Ryan played in the orchestra (Christa on the violin, the youngest member of the orchestra, Ryan on trumpet and guitar, and one of the older members of the orchestra), which was open to all ages, and Cindy sang in the choir, which was just college age kids. They performed in the Morrison Center at BSU, which is a great performance hall, and it turned out really well. The composer, Rob Gardner, came up from Phoenix and conducted the performance, which added to the energy of the whole performance. He composed the piece when he was just 23. Pretty amazing. Basically it tells the story of Joseph's life, of the First vision, and the early history of the church, including the persecutions in Kirtland and Missouri, and the martyrdom. There were some gorgeous solos and a good deal of narration, and the music reflects the mood of the story beautifully. It was all very powerful. If you have access to BYU-TV, a performance of the work with a group from Salt Lake will be aired this Friday, June 27, in commemoration of the prophet's martyrdom. Check out the webiste at www.josephsmiththeprophet.com. Good stuff. For me, things like this allow me to feel the spirit which reconfirms the truth of what I already know.

Paisley

Paisley is our newest addition to the sorority. She was born February 2, 2008 and weighed in at 8 lbs 5 oz, an was 21 inches long. At her 4 month visit last week she was up to 13 lbs (33 %ile) and 26 inches (86 %ile). She cut her first bottom tooth about 10 days ago, and its' neighbor poked through just today. I hardly even knew they were coming--she wasn't even fussy about it. She has been chewing on everything she can get her little hands on, however. She has been a great sleeper from early on and generally sleeps 8-10 hours a night, from at least 10 pm to 6 am, then she usually goes right back to sleep for a couple more hours. She smiles and laughs and can roll over both ways. She has discovered her voice and is prone to squealing when she wants some attention. She likes to be carried around on my front in the Baby Bjorn pack. She doesn't really love being in her carseat, which, unfortunately for her, she is quite a bit while we run the other girls to their various activities. She is a sweet baby and we're glad to have her in our family. Love to Paisley.

Anya

Anya is our little princess. Her favorite color is pink and she really likes to look "stylish." She loves accessorizing--headbands, jewelry, nailpolish, a purse, cute shoes . . . She is a girl all the way. She is 3 1/2 and loved preschool and her dance class this past year. She is always asking "What are we doing tomorrow?" and wants to make sure appropriate play dates are planned. She is very dramatic in her expressions and she keeps all of us laughing. She just started violin lessons, with Christa as her at-home teacher. She will talk to herself making up all kinds of stories and often says "Listen to me tell about my dream" whenever she has a story or memory to share. We love our Anya!

Sierra

Sierra is energy-plus. Everything she does, she does with gusto. She also loves school, many thanks to teachers who have been so good for her. She is the family hug-bug and loves to give and receive lots of hugs and squeezes from family and friends, and anyone who will stand still long enough for her to squeeze. Sierra has always been a night-owl, from the time she was tiny. Getting her to unwind and go to sleep takes awhile, then trying to get her awake in the morning is also a challenge. Sierra loves to play board games and card games and her Webkinz. She also likes sports and playing outside and will take on anyone in a round of Chinese Jumprope. Her constant energy makes her a bit more accident prone and she usually is sporting a Band-Aid or two. She inherited her mom's astigmatism in addition to a bit of a lazy eye and has been wearing glasses for a couple of years now. She is the family zoo-keeper--the bunnies (Flopsy and Mopsy) and the toads (Bumpy and Jumpy) are her personal pets and she loves playing with the kittens (Whiskers and Dusty) and Jack (our yellow lab.) We love our Sierr-Bear.

Emma

As you can see from the photo, Emma is our miss photogenic. Her pictures are always beautiful. Emma had a great 3rd grade year this year with a teacher who was perfect for her more sensitive nature. Emma has always been very aware of sensory input in any variety. She notices when her socks don't fit just right, or the tags on her shirts or pants. She is the first to get overwhelmed by the noisy chaos so often present and needs her 10 hours of sleep to cope best. She does well in school and has many friends, both boys and girls. She is taking piano lessons right now with the hopes of starting to play the Harp in a couple more years. She is the first to remind us to say family prayer and read scriptures, and is very sensitive spiritually. She loves to sing and The Sound of Music is a favorite. Her nickname is "Meg" (short for megaphone, when she gets a bit loud). We love our Emma.

Alexis

Lexi has always been a pretty easy going kid. She is a great helper and does what she is asked without complaining or talking back. She is great with Paisley and very patient to hold her when I'm trying to get something done. She loves music and will often walk by the piano and play a little bit of some piece and taught herself several songs before she was even taking piano lessons. She switched to the cello after taking violin for about 5 years, and has really picked it up quickly. We really love to hear that cello. She recently was accepted into the Treasure Valley Math and Science Center and is excited to begin her school work there next year. She was a bit bored this past year in school, so it should be a good challenge. She enjoys all kids of sports and has a goal to run a 1/2 marathon someday when she is just a bit older. This summer one of our projects is to walk and jog together. We haven't really started yet because she has been having early swim lessons, but this week we hope to get running a few days a week. It's a good motivation for me. Lexi also loves to do crafts and has even had her own crafting business. Lexi is a great example to all of her sisters and we love her lots.

What I Did Today

Accomplishments for Monday: Played War with Sierra and CandyLand with Anya. Walked to the library and got the summer reading program papers, and a few books and movies for the girls. Swim lessons. Cleaned all the junk out of my car and Ryan's car. Made appointment for Paisley's 4 month check-up. Changed family reunion reservations. Had dinner out with Ryan and girls and in-laws. Read family scriptures. Bed before midnight. Yeah.

Christa

Christa turned 13 a month ago and boy do we know it. She spends much more time with friends and wants to stay up late every night. She is so very conscientious and self-motivated. It makes it very easy to parent in so many ways I feel spoiled that she is such a great kid. She is extremely bright and talented and is interested in everything and wants to be involved in everything. She plays piano and violin and sings. She loves making songs on Garage Band and emailing her friends. She's in the Treasure Valley Math and Science Center program and has been at the top of her class for 2 years in a row there. She reads her scriptures and writes in her journal and works on her Personal Progress faithfully, without being reminded. She is helpful with her sisters, especially Anya and Paisley. She is a voracious reader and she has perfect pitch. That's just a bit about Christa. We love her.

Welcome to my Blog

So, I have decided to join the 21st century and start my own blog.  I don't know what random thoughts I'll end up actually posting here, and hopefully it won't take over my life.  But welcome to my world, our own little sorority.