Elsie Turned 6!

My little girl turned 6 last week.  I just noticed this week how big she is getting and how much more independent she is.  She is a driven little girl, and it's fun to watch.  It's fun to teach her things and then watch and listen to her process it.  I taught her the spanish alphabet, and for a month everywhere she went she skipped and sang the alphabet.  She practices counting to 100 in the car, and stays up late reading books.  Yet, if anything gets too structured, when it's not her doing the scheduling, she is sooo not interested.  She loves painting and all things arts and crafts at home, but getting her to her art club every week is such a hassle!  Elsie definitely has her own mind.  Her school lessons are often self directed and lead.  This girl knows what she wants, which is why planning a birthday party with her was so fun!  She had some great ideas and was all about helping implement those plans into action. To begin, she wanted a Jungle/Safari birthday where everyone could come dressed up as an animal if they so desired.  It was inspired by her favorite stuffed animal, "Tigey".  Hence, she dressed up as a tiger.  She wanted to bust open some pinatas, so we spent one day with balloons and paper-mache, and another decorating them into animal pinatas.  Elsie knew exactly how she wanted to decorate them, but put up with some suggestions from Mom (phew!).  Here they are:

 Elsie also wanted a game of tag and pin the tail on the tiger.  With a couple extra games I turned it into a hunt where the "animal" children had to escape from the zoo and find their way back to the jungle.  I think I had just as much fun pretending as the kids! 

 This was the first time I had a birthday table with everything set-up together beforehand.  It helping in organization and made for a pretty picture.

 Here is Elsie, our little tiger birthday girl!

 Mike was amazing and found a cotton candy machine at a second-hand store for a few dollars.  It really loaded the kids with sugar and added to the excitement!  He was good to make some for each of the kids.

 Here goes all our hard work with the pinatas!  It was fun, all around!

At the end of the day I told her I was glad she had such a great birthday.  She said, "It was more than great!  It was more than awesome!  It was the best birthday ever!"  I was happy to hear it. 

First Pinewood Derby!

These next 2 posts are a week old.  One of the children stole our card reader and I felt these posts were useless without some great pictures.  But, it turned up, so now I'm posting.

This Wednesday, and actually the couple days leading up to it, were really exciting at my house as Peter got to race his own homemade car in his Cub Scout Troop's Pinewood Derby.  He was soooo excited.  He thought of his design, sanded about 10 seconds (Mike couldn't take it, so he did a bit more to finish it well), painted, and weighed, and reweighed, and reweighed until.... Ta Da!  The car was done.  It was off to the races.  His car didn't do great.  The car came in first on the first race, but ran into some axle problems and somewhat hung on for the rest of the races thereafter.  The success of the car didn't deter Peter from running around with a big grin on his face.  He was very happy to be involved and share in the excitement.  He worked hard, and so did his dad.  It was a lot of fun.  Peter came home ready to practice the whole year round to make the perfect car for next year.  What fun.

New Year Resolutions

Last week I somewhat nailed down my New Year Resolutions.  They always somewhat morph as the year goes by as I get a little more realistic or my interests turn, but I'm going to try to set them in my heart firmly this year.  Mike shared a scripture that has really inspired me.  It's in the Pearl of Great Price in Abraham 3:17, and it says, "...and there is nothing that the Lord thy God shall take in his heart to do but what he will do it."  So now I'm determined.  Of course, I'm not going to post my resolutions because they are personal, but I thought I would share one with you.  Its full of irony - to set weekly and monthly goals.  I am usually really good at this.  I love setting goals and having something to work towards, but this past year I have just been... surviving!  Now I am determined to take a fresh breath of air every Sunday and write out a plan for the week and month.  I feel so much better when I am in this mode, and I think I will feel more in control of my life.  Perhaps through the year I may share a weekly goal from time to time with the 3 people that follow this blog.  Anyhow, those have been my thoughts as of late - to be more firm in my heart.   Good luck New Year Resolutioning.  It can be a doosy!

Happy 2014!

The First day of The New Year, and I am already posting!  Maybe I'll be more diligent this year in writing.  I'd sure enjoy that.  We celebrated the new year beginning by sleeping until 8:00, ALL OF US.  This was a first, but it was also the first time all my children have stayed up until 12:00.  I've said it before, and I'll say it again, I think the American New Year traditions are silly, but I continue to comply.
This morning we celebrated by having a family marbles tournament.  It was my first time playing, and I must say it was a fun experience.  We got a few tips on how to "shoot" from Uncle Glenn yesterday, and they were helpful!  In the afternoon Dad took Peter and Elsie to a park, which has been iced over for a great place to ice-skate.  It was Elsie's first time, and everyone came back thoroughly happy and excited.  I was so glad, and also happy I could stay at home and read while I nursed my hip which has been bothering me as of late.  Then we all went to a neighbor's house for a New Years get together.  It was fun and sociable.  I finished the day off by finishing the book I was reading, Daddy-Long-Legs.  I thought I wouldn't cry, it being the second time I've read it, but to no avail.  It is the sweetest book and very inspiring to read before I settle in on my resolutions for the year.  I must recommend it as a between Christmas and New Years book.  I have a cousin who reads it every December.  Hmmmm, not a bad idea.
Here are some pictures of the ice skating trip.  Elsie loves to be in front of a camera, and Peter dodges it as if it were the plague.  

Farewell 2013

Well, since I've hardly blogged this year, I know anything I write about this year at least most likely won't be redundant.  So, it may not be recent news, but it may be new news.  There were some hard things that came along this year.  Probably some of the most difficult I have had to face, but with that came many blessings, along with good times as well. 
Some highlights of the year for my kids were as follows:
Anna started walking, and not a moment too soon, as she was 15 months when she finally took off.  She is still not talking much, but she does say Mom, Dad, Yea, Hi, and Eyes (as of yesterday).  Anna knows the true power of a pointed finger: that it generally gets her what she wants and takes her where she wants to go.  She loves being held, she dances, sings, and makes music on our piano, and can throw some great tantrums when she doesn't get a piece of desired candy or a spoonful of Nutella.
Kimball is the best of times and the worst of times at our house.  He loves to give kisses and hugs and loves siblings to play with him.  He's full of energy and full of laughter and good times.  However, he can throw a mean punch or kick, and he's not afraid to throw things at his siblings when they aren't playing just the right way.  Just yesterday he decided he was done playing a game of tag with Dad, so he came around a corner swinging a 4' long 2"x2" at his dad's head.  Whew.  That boy is intense.  He is finally poddy-trained though, and that is a relief, and he is starting to get interested in learning his letters.
 Elsie is loving life this year!  There are so many games to pretend, so many stories to imagine, and so many adventures to take.  She is tenacious and sweet and learning lots.  I have a hard time getting her away from her imagination, but when I can, she loves to cuddle with me and practice her reading and write stories.  She puts up with a little math, but doesn't enjoy that as much.  She is still enjoying her ballet, as long as the classes have more of a free-lance structure to it.
Peter turned 8 and was baptized this year.  He is making lots of good choices, and when he doesn't, Elsie reminds him of his new responsibility.  Peter is a good older brother and Mike and I have enjoyed watching him develop good character attributes of honesty and kindness.  He likes playing the piano and doesn't mind school too much.  He loves his Science class, and enjoys playing with the classmates from there. 
Mike and I just try to keep up, get some things done, and have a little fun in the process.  This year we took a trip to Goblin Valley and LOVED it.  We all had a great time exploring through the valley and hiking through a slot canyon.  Mike and I also went on a youth trek with our ward this summer, and that was a memorable experience.  This year, Mike's sister was diagnosed with cancer, and although it is a hard road, she is expected to make a full recovery.  To support her, Mike and his 6 brothers all shaved their heads.  The kids were a little uneasy about their dad for a while, it was pretty funny.  As I have mentioned before, my sister was also diagnosed with cancer, and although her recovery is uncertain, she is doing well and finds joy in little things.  She is a great example to me, as well as the rest of my family as I have seen so much faith and selflessness from everyone these past six months.  I love them so much.  We are grateful to be together and look forward to a new year.  I thought I would include some pictures so you can walk down memory lane with me.

Mike went on a helicopter ride with the 16-year-old boys in our ward

We celebrated Mike's Dad's 80th birthday this year!  They all loaded up in the ancient family blue dart.

Mike went with his brothers to the Wind Rivers.  They even had a bear encounter there!

We thought Anna would love the butterflies, we were wrong.

Goblin Valley=perfect lizard hunting grounds!

Elsie's showing off her mud after a good slip.

 Last, but not least, this is Elsie's small performance of the Nutcracker.  She takes lessons in a neighbor's basement, so it's way low key, but lots of fun.

 

Christmas Thoughts and Events

Christmas season can seem so overwhelming.....most of the time.  All the shopping, decorating, cooking, party going, children's concerts, getting letters out, finding quality family time, and serving are all fun, but added together, even scheduling a night by the Christmas Tree with the kids can seem exhausting.  Anyways, that's how I was feeling this Christmas.  I'd remind myself to search deeper for the Christmas Spirit, and then I honestly started wondering, what exactly is the Christmas spirit and is it possible to attain amongst all this hustle and bustle?  Where was my example?  Was it the mother who adds yet another thing and sews her daughters beautiful Christmas dresses?  Was it found in the poor family whose mother stays up all night boiling the last squash to extract some sugar to make cookies?  Was I supposed to simplify, and if so, what in tarnation was I supposed to cut out?
I was in the shower one morning when the answer came to me...duh.  I started thinking about Mary, Christ's mother.  How overburdened she must have felt as she traveled 80 miles on a donkey, expecting a baby any day.  When she and Joseph finally arrived in Bethlehem, I'm sure every innkeeper's first look at the soon-to-be mother was part of the reason why they found themselves destitute without a place to stay.  A filthy stable was where Mary had her precious baby, followed by stranger shepherds coming to visit soon after.  I'm sure, for Mary, through the months of carrying the Christ child and leading up to the blessed Christmas night, there were heavy sighs, tearful nights, and heavy shoulders.  However, Mary continued to stay close to her God and find joy in her blessed burden.  Amongst it all, she found peace, love, patients, and happiness.  Yes, to me Mary embodies the Christmas spirit, and once I understood this, the spirit of Christmas rested a bit on my heart.  Christmas is supposed to be a time of hard work and sacrifice, but hopefully, through it all, we can find what Mary found and come that much closer to God and hear a little clearer the heavens rejoicing, for Christ truly was born and came to save us from our sins.  What a wonderful story, and what a wonderful truth.
That said, I've posted some pictures from our Christmas Traditions.
We always love when Santa comes to our little town and calls our children by name.  Kimball has yet to sit on his lap though, and apparently this was the first year Peter decided he was too old for Santa's lap.  Sigh.  I guess kids grow up.  Elsie, however, was prepared with her list, and cozied on up.  She is so fun.

 We have a neighbor from Scotland who introduced us to Christmas crackers.  You pull on them, and out pops (literally) a little surprise, a paper crown, and a sometimes funny joke.  It's a great tradition that I think we'll adopt.  It was a perfect addition to our candlelit Christmas Eve dinner. 

 Christmas morning started at 6:30 in the Jeppson household.  Baby Jesus was found in his manger, and after a quick but heartfelt prayer, it was time to open presents!

 Stockings are always so fun, and perhaps everyone's favorites.  Santa fills our stockings with oranges (and this year a pomegranate), a little candy, and fun little toys.  Everything (almost) is wrapped, and it's always fun for the kids to see if the little package they're about to open is a fun toy, or tic-tacs.

 Anna loved the chocolates in her stocking!  She carted them all around, opened each one, took a bite, and left the rest on the floor for someone else to find later.  The kids had to hide their candy 'cause she took liberties of her own with theirs as well.

 This was one of Kimball's favorite gifts.  The gun lights up and makes really loud noises.  I think Santa was trying to help Mom out by finding a gun that didn't leave little nerf bullets or discs lying around the house everywhere.  It helped her back, but not her hearing!

 An excited Elsie.  She loves little things, so the legos and polly pockets she got for Christmas were perfect!

 Peter was really excited about all his presents, especially this one.  The Tron movie and a toy to go along.  Thanks Grammy!

 

I just have to note what Mike got me for Christmas.  He is so sweet.  I have these children's book I love called the ValueTales that are out of print.  I look for them whenever I'm in a used book or second-hand store.  Well, he hunted really hard and surprised us with eight new ValueTales!  I don't know how he did it, but I think he's pretty amazing.  To top it off, he even got me a blend-tec.  I really feel spoiled and loved.  He's so great.

And now it's all over.  Ahhh.  Christmas is fun.  Happy and excited kids are great.  These past couple days we've really enjoyed playing with new toys and bored games together.  Hope everyone had a great Christmas!

Fiddle-de-dee

"Fiddle-de-dee!"  That's what I thought about Gone With the Wind by page 926.  I mentally checked out from the saga very quickly, and prematurely.  From page 926, it's all predictable and miserable, and I decided not to indulge myself in the misery any more.  The only thing I couldn't figure out was what could happen to Bonnie.  After a quick google search, I thought the author took the cheap way out by killing Bonnie off.  Come on.  Margaret must have been bound and determined to see Scarlett miserable at the end of her story.  Ugh!  My opinion about the whole book in general....Amazing writing, a wonderful historical setting, moving and even edifying, fantastic character development, but very poor character selection.  Come on Margaret Mitchell, how many antagonists can one book contain?   
After thinking a lot about this book, loosing sleep over this book, and even seething over my husband at times (forgetting I was really Rachel and not Ms. Scarlett), I found myself grasping for what truth I knew that could sustain me and give me answers to my questions as to how people can become so selfish and stupid.  How grateful I was when my personal cannon, the scriptures, came to my mind as I thought of the scripture from James 1:22, which state, "But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves."  To me, this was the overarching theme of the book, and it applies to all the main characters.    
Scarlett was slick with numbers and self-gratification, but when it came to understanding people and society in general, she was repulsive.  Scarlett did not enjoy reading or learning, and was never exposed to greatness other than her own mother.  Scarlett knew her mother stood for many great and admirable things and wanted so badly to be so much like her.  Scarlett's hang up was that she never really listened to her - she mostly cared to touch her and smell her.  One credit I must give Scarlett was that she was a doer, but the only thing she ever let herself hear was the vanity of the world, and so her actions became very worldly.  Poor Scarlett, who never slowed down enough to let herself think, especially to think about her mother.  To me, that was her greatest downfall.  She became a great hypocrite, deceiving everyone, including herself.
Ashley gives me fits, because he was very well educated, he read lots and loved the art of thinking.  I'm sure he was very knowledgeable of many stories of heroes and heroines, the great leaders of all ages, the deepest and greatest thinkers of history, and the Shakespeare tragedies that lead to utter despair.  Yet despite all this, he fails to let his knowledge inspire him!  Yes, he fought bravely in the war, but he sells himself short despite all he has been given and taught.  I wanted to holler, "Carry your banner!"  "Rally for your strength!" "Hold your virtue!", but he fails and brings misery to himself and his family.  What a tragedy.  He was solely a hearer of the word, and failed to do anything.
Then there's Rhett....he was a hearer and a doer of the words he chose to hear.  He was very well educated and chose to follow the path of the antagonists - the life of a land-locked pirate.  It isn't until the 11th hours that he hearkens to the call of virtue and quickly tries to change courses.  This walking in between two worlds eventually weakens his character and he sells his readers short at the end of the book, when he leaves Scarlett.  I was forever frustrated at his lack of communication with Scarlett, his non-thinking wife.  She was too silly to communicate well, but he was always thorough with the art of communicating when he wanted to be.  Why he didn't follow through with this characteristic is beyond me.   
Then there's Melanie, along with Careen, Ellen, and even Will Benteen, who are steadfast because they were hearers and doers of the word.  Melanie especially, truly hears people and listens to the teachings from good books.  She lets them settle in her heart, and she becomes loyal to those people and teachings and does not falter in nourishing them.  Ahh, to be like Melanie, so naive and happy.
I've come away from this book wondering how my "education" is treating me.  Am I an active participant in the hearing and the doing as well?  From this book, I have heard my heart tell me certain things...to be loyal, loving, and trustworthy; to be forgiving; and to focus on the future and not indulge in what could have been.  I hope I will forever be engaged in the doing of these things.