Ingleside

Playing catch-up

2012-02-17T20:10:00.001-05:00

This is very old news, but the kids celebrated Chinese New Year in January. For those of you who don’t know, Colin and Gabe both attend Waddell Language Academy as a part of the Chinese immersion program. In the past, they have always had a huge program for Chinese New Year, with all the Chinese classes performing and parties in each class, but this year they decided to scale back. Each class had a performance and party in their class for their parents. It also happened to be Chad’s birthday, and since they ask that no siblings attend, he got to spend his day off with Carina and Ollie while I went to four hours worth of stuff at the school.

Colin was the narrator for his class performance. As soon as I got there, I could tell he was super nervous. He was white and not smiling – looked sick to his stomach. He did a great job. He told me afterwards that he was so glad it was over. He had been absent for the two days before it, and in that time they had learned all of their movements for the songs they sang. Not knowing everything really shook him up – which I can fully appreciate because of all the nightmares I have had about being onstage at a dance recital and not knowing the dance. After the performance, we had some great food.

Next, Colin and I got to go to Gabe’s class. His teacher had them sing some songs for us, and then all the kids learned how to make dumplings. It was my first time in Gabe’s class since he started kindergarten, and I was amazed at how much Chinese the kids already understand. The teacher gave all her instructions in Chinese – it is still surreal to see your child understanding a language that doesn’t register in your brain at all. With the all worrying I did about Gabe starting (just because he has always been my homebody), I loved seeing him exceling and happy in his learning home. We got to eat some more good food and the kids took a little rest, “waiting” for their red envelopes.

That night we went to Mac’s to celebrate Chaddy’s birthday. We had a great time, but I don’t think it really did his birthday justice. He is such a wonderful father and husband and we are so blessed to have him in our life.

We did go on a date the next day, but we ended up just going furniture shopping. We sold our other couch on craigslists(the one I was never quite sure about) and had an empty living room. Kinda a duddy date, but furniture shopping without kids is much better than furniture shopping with kids and we found something we are happy with so it was a good day.

Post Nap

2012-01-27T14:00:00.000-05:00

28 lbs

2012-01-26T21:10:00.001-05:00

This morning, Oliver ate:

Spaghetti

Tuna with crackers

An orange

Pretzels

Craisins

and

A peanut butter and jelly sandwich

All before 10 am.

At 10, he asked me to make him a grilled cheese sandwich and tomato soup.

I did, he ate it all, and then said he was still hungry....

At which point I knew that what he really needed was not food, but this:

Now here I am, 9 pm, and I just ate a bag full of cashews, Craisins, almonds, and chocolate chips,

But who is here to make me go to bed?

Keepin' It Real Wednesday

2012-01-25T21:57:00.000-05:00

It's a dirty job, but someone has to do it - the disposing of dirty diapers.

While performing this unpleasant task one time, Chad chuckled and told me that sometimes he thought about how awful/hilarious it would be to take the disgusting diapers, box them up, and then mail them to someone. They would be so excited to get a surprise package in the mail, and then....WHAM, the smell would hit them.

Awwwwwww.

I love my husband for many many reasons, but the fact that he came up with this sinister idea makes me fall in love with him over and over again...

every single time I see a bag of smelly diapers.

Staying at home

2012-01-19T22:38:00.000-05:00

I had the boys stay home from school today. They were both well and running around, but I figured they could use another day to stop being contagious, and these were the first absences for either of them, so I figured it would be okay. That brought about the challenge of having all four kids home with nowhere to go - kids who have all been cooped up a little too long already. I decided by 8:30 in the morning that I needed a plan or I was going to end up hiding in my bathroom with Carina, listening to the boys duke it out in the playroom.

I wrote down a schedule for the boys – chores, piano practice, PE (Just Dance 3), schoolwork, lunchtime, quiet time….with a point system leading to the promise of candy. I have found with both Colin and Gabe, that once they start school they love schedules and routines and rewards. Last summer we kept a tight schedule and it saved us. Today reminded me of the summer, only now Carina isn’t a little infant who will fall asleep anywhere - she is a little girl who loves to be entertained and doesn’t love to take naps when her biggest brothers are home. Today she took two 10 minute nursing naps – the lovely kind where the baby finally drops their head back and you let out a sigh of relief as you try to slink off, only to have the baby open their eyes and smile, acting like they had a good night’s sleep. Hey, Good Morning Mom, long time no see. I don’t know if you know this or not, but 9 month old babies definitely need more than 20 minutes worth of naps during the day. So, yeah…

It was a good day though, considering. The boys fought, especially Gabe and Oliver – Gabe is Mr. Jokester-play-on-words right now, and Oliver and Mr. Literal- and Colin got restless and hyper, but we survived Ingalls-style. We worked and played and cleaned together. I liked it because my focus was right where it needed to be. I had no choice but to give motherhood my full attention and effort.

I was reminded once again that it is so much easier and rewarding to treat my stay-at-home-status like the profession it really is – my “career” and “passion” – what I believe in spending my time on. It is NOT a distraction from facebook, pinterest, a perfectly clean house, a perfectly toned boy….all those things are wonderful and awesome in their place, but sometimes I feel like my kids are constantly dragging my thoughts back to them with their demands, and today I was reminded how much more fulfilling it all is when my thoughts are just there……right there on them already.

Keepin’ It Real Wednesday

2012-01-18T19:53:00.001-05:00

What a difference 24 hours can make.

Last night at this time, Chad and I were strategically gluing the weights on Colin’s first “real” Pinewood Derby car, making plans about what we all needed to do finish it in the next 24 hrs, in order to be ready for the race tonight.

(I know Colin is not included in that sentence, and it is his car, so he really should be….. but this is Keepin’ It Real Wednesday).

Not long after, Gabe threw up in the bowl he had recently requested. How sad – he won’t be ale to go to Colin’s race Wednesday night.

A couple of hours later, Colin joined him. How very very sad. No race for anyone.

A couple of hours later, I awoke to the sound of Carina throwing up next to me. Poor poor baby, but I need sleep forcryingoutloud.

And who knows when…Oliver stumbled into our bedroom, eyes barely open, covered in vomit. I think Chad is handling that, right? Zzzzzzzz

It was a loooooong day, followed by a long day of Smurfs, Mr. Popper’s Penquins, Saltines and Moneyball for Chad and I. The “good news” was that Chad had already requested the day off to go the Dr. for what he thought was strep throat, so he was home and washed loads and loads of laundry and Lysoled everything.

So here we are, 24 hours later, and while all the other Cub Scouts are racing their cars, Colin is sleeping with a bowl next to him.

Here’s to hoping to health by Friday…..

which is the big Chinese’s New Year celebration…..

and…

Chad’s birthday. Gulp.

Please don’t let him be sick on his birthday….

or me, because that is almost as awful for him.

Did I ever tell you about New Year’s Eve?

2012-01-10T21:19:00.001-05:00

I was one of the most fun times I have ever had with my family. We threw caution to the wind and let our kids stay up ‘til (gulp) midnight. Well, Carina only lasted until 10:30 – not even fussing or crying, just happy to be hanging out with so many admirers. We had brother Levi and sister-in-law Audra there with their seven kids, and my sister Christie and brother-in-law James with their three kids, so 14 kids in all. Callie, age 4, was the only other one who didn’t make it.

The cousins had such a fun time – I think the only fight of the night broke out around 11:00 and it was between two of mine (shocker). Everyone got along amazingly well and kept busy with Just Dance 3 on the Kinect downstairs, Harry Potter on the Wii upstairs, a fire outside, and………

Uncle James’ spritz gun. He helped the kids made, like, a million of these spritz cookies. He had some very captivated helpers and all the patience in the world.

Christie made a bingo game with all the cousins’ faces on it, and we broke that out not long before midnight. We an impromptu prize of McDonald’s coupons, the kids had a really good time. It was really cute to watch them looking for their cousins faces.

The game ended just in time to countdown to the New Year.

What a wonderful way to ring in the new year, surrounded by people I love.

This last picture was shortly after the clock struck twelve, with Ollie starting to fall apart and Chad telling everyone to wrap it up.

No-Brother-Left-Behind

2012-01-09T20:27:00.000-05:00

One of the gifts that Oliver got from my in-laws for Christmas is a book of preschool worksheets. While trying to get dinner on the other day, I pulled it out to distract him. His little toddler hands were quickly at work, tracing and coloring. I was impressed with him – I didn’t even know he could grasp the concept of tracing yet – and so was Gabe, who remarked, “Ollie is actually pretty good at tracing.” This is high praise from Gabe, who tells Oliver on a regular basis that his coloring isn’t good enough because he leaves “too many white spots”. Gabe got a Sharpie out and set to work grading Oliver’s work. Oliver enjoyed the attention and praise, as he always does when it eeks out of his older brothers.

As Gabe taught Oliver a few pointers, Colin came in. Assessing the learning situation at hand, he grabbed a blank piece of paper and created a pop quiz for Gabe. Without questioning Colin’s authority, Gabe earnestly set to work and was rewarded with his own Sharpie-d grade.

Straight-A students, even when graded by the 8 and under crowd. Aren’t you impressed?

My doll

2012-01-02T20:22:00.000-05:00

Before this little girl was born, I had enough dresses to last her 'til she is around 18 months...most of them given as gifts by people who were excited to clothe our little princess. What is more fun to buy as a baby gift than a little dress? I have loved pulling those dresses every week to see what fits her now and every time I do, I think of the person who gave it to her. Here, Miss is saying, "Thanks Aunt Cathy! I got lots of compliments today!"

She has started doing this cheese for the camera smile where she scrunches up the bridge of her nose and really hams it up. It makes us laugh every time. She has also started doing it every time she can catch someones eye, so trips to the grocery store and church are one big, "The whole world is here to see me" fest.

I know, two days in a row of iPhone pictures, but it is better than pulling out my red camera at church, right? My phone holds my scriptures too, so it I happen to have it with me....and I happen to see something I want to snap a picture of, before church or between classes.....I'm not too obsessed with taking pictures, right? ;o)

A Sun....BEAM!

2012-01-01T21:22:00.001-05:00

The new year means that all of the kids move up a class in church, which means Oliver moved from the "nursery" where he had toys, snack, and his granny, to the Sunbeams, where they have metal chairs, and a lot more sitting. He is lucky to have some wonderful teachers, but was quite shy about starting something so new. They start out by meeting with the other young classes for "sharing time" and he would only go in there if he was allowed to sit by his older brother Gabe instead of with his class. Gabe was quite the big brother about it, and from report I received later, Oliver sat next to him the whole time - almost an hour of singing and talking - and behaved well. He was sad to then go with his class to their classroom, but he did it anyway. He told me later about how upset his cousin Liam was about the whole change and said, with a very long face, "Mom, I didn't want to go to class. I just wanted to go home."

I remembered Gabe's starting-Sunbeams- picture and made sure I got some of Oliver with his brothers to commemorate the event. Could they be any more adorable?

Can you believe that I announced I was pregnant with this little guy on this blog, and now I am putting Sunbeam pictures up of him?!

Christmas Day

2011-12-29T20:29:00.001-05:00

A couple of evenings before Christmas, as I was putting the boys to sleep, I went over Christmas Morning Protocol. No getting up before six, you come into Mom and Dad’s room and wake us up before you go downstairs, etc.

The next morning, the 24th, Oliver came into our room at around 7 and said in his sweetest, most polite little 3 year old voice, “Mommy, I’m ready.” He was somewhat devastated to hear that he had one more day to wait.

On the real Christmas morning, Colin and Gabe were awake at the earliest acceptable time. They roused Oliver from his sleep, and then we had to wake the sleeping baby. As you can see by the picture below, she handled it pretty well. As we were taking this picture, the boys could see a few of the presents downstairs, so that fact that they looked at the camera and smiled shows how excited they were to get it done with and on with the show.

They were all pretty excited about their presents, though Oliver had decided two days before Christmas that what he really and truly wanted was not Lightening McQueen (which was what he was getting) but a remote control helicopter (which, coincidentally, was what Colin was getting, times two). I think he was picturing himself flying it around like his hero Max. (He gets a lot of his life lessons and ideas from Max and Ruby, I have to say). Anyway, we did get over his disappointment and we had a fun Christmas morning.

Just as the morning festivities died down, it was time for church. The kids were all adorable, with the boys in matchy sweaters and Miss in her Christmas dress, and I really wanted a family Christmas picture – I did my hair and makeup and everything (!) – but of course we were right on time and I knew a few self-timer pictures would put us right into the late zone. So, no pictures until later that night, after naps for almost everyone.

We had dinner at my parents house. My dad slaved in the kitchen while most of us were napping to provide a bounteous and delicious Christmas dinner, provided by my Nana as a gift. After we ate and sat around (and picked some more, because we are Jeppsons), we did the nativity, which you saw. Then Sabina handed her ukulele to Audra (our very own Mim of Mim’s Ukes) – Sabina had brought it so Audra could get the family going with some Christmas songs.

Let me tell you, that was fun. I loved seeing all the kids get into it, dancing and singing, and watching and listening.

It was a great evening, rounded out with revealing who the candy count winners were! Thanks Mom and Dad!

Nativity Slideshow

2011-12-27T22:08:00.001-05:00

For my niece, Elizabeth

Christmas Eve 2011

2011-12-25T23:07:00.002-05:00

This was our evening:

Pizza for dinner.

Made cookies for Santa.

Colin is not big on pictures these days, so I was happy to get this cute one.

Stopped by some friends house for a Christmas Eve party, where I ate some of the most delicious desserts I have ever had in my life.

Home to unwrap pajamas. Remember the fabric the boys chose over the summer?

If I am ever having a bad day, I think I will pull these pictures up. They make me remember everything I love about my scrumptious children.

Then we video-chatted with Grandma and Grandpa Coleman and the kids opened their gift from them - an Xbox and Kinect. Dance Central 2, here I come! The kids were pretty darn excited.

We didn't get the kids to sleep until almost 9, and then it was a pretty late night for Chad and me. Chad is asleep on the couch as I write this. We also had a great Christmas - I will post about it tomorrow. Hope you all had a Merry Christmas. Thanks for reading :o)

Phone dump

2011-12-23T22:18:00.001-05:00

Some pictures from the last few months.

Riverbanks Zoo during Labor Day weekend.

Columbia temple that same weekend.

I took this picture to capture Miss Carina's thigh dimple.

Remember Ollie's eye (shudder).

Ollie during storytime at the library. He is too stinkin' cute when he dances along.

This statue is in a business park near our house. It is kinda cool.

Hiking near our pond.

Haircut back in October

Not quite worthy of cake wrecks, but close.

Beautiful fall colors outside the boys' window.

Donuts with Chad after Colin's parent teacher conference.

Ollie's Halloween preschool party.

If you build castles with Ollie he loves you forever.

She looks way too old in this picture!

We went to a Japanese hibachi restaurant a couple of weeks ago and Gabe said the soup was the best thing he has ever eaten.

When I saw this picture I couldn't figure out who it was....

Until I saw this picture and remembered that I let my nephew Liam play Angry Birds on my iPhone during Pack Meeting a couple of weeks ago.

This girl loves her Daddy, and he is gaga over her.

Putting the tree up

2011-12-13T12:44:00.001-05:00

The first Sunday of the month of December, per tradition. I am a little behind.

No hands

2011-12-12T12:57:00.001-05:00

This munchkin is:

Standing by herself for a few seconds at a time.

Learning to climb the stairs

Grabbing ornaments from the tree

Learning to tease us by doing "naughty things" like messing up my laundry piles

A delight to us all. We really can't get enough of her.

Dear Santa,

2011-12-07T21:40:00.001-05:00

This is what I want for my family this year:

More of the sweet laughter that comes when we are all gathered together and undistracted.

Eyes wide with the wonder of twinkling Christmas lights.

Thoughtful gift-giving and grateful gift receiving.

Christmas hymns that fill our hearts with awe over the wonderful life of our Savior.

Jingle bells and candles.

Magical belief and tingling excitement.

Faith, hope, and love.

Sincerely,

Katie Lynn

Sewing

2011-12-01T12:43:00.001-05:00

I went over to my parent's house today. My mom helped my sew while Ollie and Carina played with Grandpa and Cici. As always, Carina got fussy before we were finished with my project so my mom quickly finished it for me. She is so incredibly patient with me when we sew together. I messed up the threading on her serger three times and broke a needle on her sewing machine and she just cheerfully cleaned up my mess. I love to watch her sew. We barely spoke the whole time, but she easily showed me how to alter a pattern to make it easier and helped me figure out each and every step.

Towards the end, Oliver came in and stared long and hard at the cool machine Granny was using. He got a stool and pulled it as closely as possible to the machine, giving Granny a winning look with his huge brown eyes. I reminded him not to touch the machine and he calmly placed his hands flat on the table and said, "I will just put them right here." He kept his word and just watched in awe as Granny did her thing. I am so glad and lucky that Oliver gets to know his grandparents like his does.

This picture……

2011-11-29T23:00:00.001-05:00

Reminds me of this quilt.

We sure do love our chubby ballerina.

Happy Thanksgiving

2011-11-24T07:00:00.000-05:00

For the beauty of the earth

For the beauty of the skies

For the love,

which from our birth

Over and around us lies

Lord of all, to thee we raise

This, our hymn of grateful praise.

Keepin’ It Real Wednesday

2011-11-16T19:48:00.001-05:00

Four to five o’clock on any weekday evening is bad enough. I have addressed that before. Today, that hour was a real doozy.

It began with a baby who has turned very mobile in the last week. Like, crawling, sitting, pulling-herself-up, into everything mobile. I don’t mind that, but it has been accompanied by a sudden realization that she is a separate being from me….a realization that if she isn’t in my arms she doesn’t know where her next warm and milky meal is going to come from. She alternates between blissfully roaming the floor, sweeping every piece of dirt with her pant legs and stuffing every loose piece of trash in the house in her mouth, to crawling frantically to my feet and whining like a drooling little puppy dog. I haven’t quite realized yet right at four o’clock, the whimpering little sleepy puppy dog comes out in full force, making it nearly impossible to make dinner (remember tomorrow Katie – make dinner earlier!)

So, right as we came home, I was dealing with that, along with an I-was-good-at-school-all-day-so-I-am-ball-of-emotions fit from Gabe. I sent Gabe to his room and Colin and Ollie outside to play. I was feeding Carina while looking up a recipe when Ollie came inside and informed me that he pooped. In his underwear. I feel like I talk about kid poop way too much on here, so I will spare you the details. Let’s just say the underwear went in the trash and the kid went in the shower.

No sooner than I got Oliver out of the shower, Colin came in and exclaimed, “Mom, there is green paint all over the garage!” I ran in there to find that a can of paint had somehow been knocked off the shelf and spilled, rolled under my van, and then pooled in a big mess under there. I grabbed two old towels and cleaned it up the best I could while Carina fussed in the house.

Washing my hands off, I swooped up Carina and headed to the kitchen to see how far I could get in the dinner preparation with a baby in one arm. Carina reached her chubby little arm out just enough to swipe at a glass sitting on the counter, and CRASH…one more mess to clean up.

Now, at this point I probably would have just ordered pizza, but I had just ordered pizza (and lots of it) the day before when I was grumpy, in a bite-me-bad-day sort of rebellion, and I had been eating the leftovers all day long.

So pumpkin soup it was, made mostly by Chad when he came home.

Let me tell you something….pumpkin soup is not pizza.

Jailbait

2011-11-15T21:41:00.001-05:00

I recorded "The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lava-girl" the other day. My boys loved it.

And this,ladies, is why you won't see me drooling over "Jacob."

Made in 2005 when I was expecting my second child...

And Taylor Lautner was playing a 10 year old.

Gross.

Keepin’ It Real Wednesday

2011-11-09T19:43:00.000-05:00

What you didn’t see from yesterday’s pictures:

I had been waiting to take Carina’s pictures until she was strong enough to sit on her behind all by herself. It wasn’t quite happening and I was afraid that the flowers were going to die soon, so we just went for it one evening. I sat her down, set up the shot, and……..

…down she went .

Which is why all the rest of the shots are of her laying on her belly.

Also not shown:

The freeway exit that was right next to the field of flowers.

Three anxious boys who were ready to go buy pumpkins.

A grumpy mom, insisting that they just zip it while she gets her pictures, gosh darnit.

Man, that picture makes me laugh every time I look at it.

My eldest

2011-11-08T21:00:00.001-05:00

Eight year old boys can be a little aggravating, let’s just get that out of the way. I am going to use a lot of sweeping declarations here, but if you meet an eight year old boy who doesn’t fit this description, you go ahead and tell me:

They will do just about anything for a laugh.
They are impulsive. They make you shake your head and say, “What were you thinking?”
They can be very moody.
They don’t know when to stop. They will beat a joke to death and their hyperness can leave your heart pounding in your eyes.

I have an eight year old. He fits the description above to a T. Chad and I find ourselves constantly reminding him of one things or another. It feels awful to do that to your child and I know that there needs to be a better balance somewhere. It is hard to know when to just seal our mouths shut and let some things sliiiiiiiide.

Which brings me to the next part of the Colin story.

We went to parent teacher conference a couple of weeks ago for Colin. Colin’s teacher stumbles a lot when she is speaking English. She had a huge smile on her face, but had kind of a hard time getting started. Then she suddenly blurted out, “Oh, Colin, he is my favorite student.” The rest of the conference followed that tone. Colin is so so so so smart. He has so much potential. He is so excellent in math that she gave him a different book than the rest of the class, because she wanted to challenge him. He is such a deep thinker. He never forgets a Chinese word and he is always the first one done with his work.

I am very proud of Colin’s intelligence, but I know that it is something he was just born with. We do try to foster his mind, but I know that a lot of his ease in learning has nothing to do with his efforts or our efforts. I try to count it as a blessing rather than an accomplishment.

However, so many of his teachers praises were about things that he has strived for. He finishes his math quickly and then helps his classmates with theirs –sometimes translating what she says in Chinese into English. He is always very kind to everyone in his class. He always wants to learn more more more. He likes to be challenged. He is a hard worker.

I left the conference bursting with motherly pride and so happy to that he has a teacher that sees all the good in him that I do (and so thankful to be reminded of that good). Yes, he is impulsive and eight, but he also:

Finishes his homework every day without a word from us about it.
Loves his little sister and always says in an sing-song voice to her, “You are SUCH a cutie-pie. Yes, you are!”
Often makes sacrifices for his little brothers to make them happy.
Can clean a bathroom, top to bottom, all by himself.
Accepts constructive criticism from his soccer coach without dramatics or hurt feelings.
Loves everyone around him. I honestly don’t think I have ever heard him say a negative thing about a classmate.
Cares more about being a goalie and stopping goals than playing offense and scoring goals.
Can be counted on to help me out when stress is high.

I’m one lucky mom-of-an-eight-year-old.

My little girl and a field of flowers

2011-11-08T14:11:00.001-05:00

Well, I can cross that off my “bucket list.” I got to take pictures of my own little girl in a field of flowers.

I think this is going to have to be a yearly tradition. Next year she will actually be able to walk in the field without Daddy’s help.

Halloween wrap-up!

2011-11-06T19:45:00.001-05:00

I have been putting this post off a little because I knew it was going to be huge! We had very fun and busy Halloween. It started out with Ollie puking on Saturday, and thus being unable to attend our ward “Fall Festival” (trunk or treat). Chad stayed home with him and I took the other kids.

It is fun every year, and this year was no exception. For the third year in a row, my mom won the pumpkin carving contest. This was her winning creation:

She also wore this great old lady costume and stayed in character the whole time. It was pretty cool. See the little monkey? That is my niece Mayan – my sister Lindsey’s second daughter. She and her husband Seth were visiting with their three adorable girls.

(Not pictured: Colin puking onto the floor of my van on the way home, two blocks from our house)

The next day we went to my parent’s house for dinner. Chad got to stay home again, with Colin this time. After dinner my mom set up a bunch of Halloween games for the kids. They had a great time. I have a lot of pictures from this evening of all the kids – I will try and get around to posting them on facebook.

This picture cracks me up – Ollie and Liam really aren’t trying to squirt each other – they just thought it was a good idea to play the squirt-the-eyeball game across from each other.

This is my brother-in-law Seth, with their adorable baby Leslie. I know Lindsey doesn’t totally approve, but I think Seth pulls a beard off rather nicely.

My Dad got to spend a lot of time with girls. I don’t think he minded.

I wanted to share with you a picture of Audra’s awesome new hair……

and apparently she wanted to share with you a whole ‘nother picture, because I found this on my camera later. Love you Audra!

On Halloween all the cousins on this side of Charlotte got together for trick or treating. It was a lot of fun. Oliver finally got to debut his costume. His nickname is Ollie-burger and we call him that so often that he often itroduces himself that way, so when I saw this costume I knew it was perfect. And Carina’s? For a long time I have looked at dog costumes and that they would be perfect for babies, and this year I got to try it out with her (doggie) banana split costume. It was great because I could just strap it to her front and she was super comfortable just chewing on it. Babies and puppies really have a lot in common, people, we all know it.

The kids had a great time getting candy. Oliver was running from house to house, keeping up with the big kids. After an hour or so he suddenly said, “I’m done getting candy” and sat down in the stroller for the first time. He was indeed done. I took him and Carina (who had been a trouper the whole time) home and Chad took the other kids out for awhile longer. After letting them eat candy for awhile, I found Oliver laying like this on the kitchen floor.

Definitely evidence of a good Halloween!

Mommy's helper

2011-10-27T23:33:00.002-04:00

Ollie "folded" all this laundry for me today. He loves to be my helper, and I need to remember to let him! It might be easier to let him watch as much "Max and Ruby" as his heart desires while I get things done, but well, what is that teaching him? (besides how to all get the last word with your bossy older sibling? :). Whenever he helps me with a task he gets an extra little hop of confidence in his step.

That kid is so precious to me.

Keepin’ It Real Wednesday

2011-10-26T12:46:00.001-04:00

With all the lovely pictures I have been seeing of kids frolicking among the orange-hued fields of pumpkins and meandering through corn mazes, I thought I would share our family’s trip to the local “pumpkin patch” …….

…..Sprawl-mart.

(complete with a trip down the ice cream aisle, to make the trip a little more worth it for Mom and Dad)

Instagrams from this week

2011-10-21T13:53:00.000-04:00

Indoor soccer league

Trying to show you her first teeth - came through on Monday!

Carina waiting for Chad to join us to go to Gabe's parent-teacher conference. She got to hear lots of good things about her Gabe.

Dogpile.

I don't care about clothes for myself that much anymore - I just want stuff like this for Carina!

Dinnerplate Dahlias are in full bloom again. They are such shameless show-offs but I forgive them because they take no effort on my part.

Chad thinks teasing Carina is great fun.

Zumbathon with Sabina!

2011-10-18T22:18:00.001-04:00

Some of you may know that my sister-in-law Sabina is now a Zumba instructor. I am very lucky to be able to attend her classes on occasion, and I wish I could every day. Her classes are so much fun that you don’t realize you are working out until you wake up sore the next day! I can’t think of a way I would rather work out.

This weekend I will attending a Zumbathon that she is team teaching at Club Fitness. I am so excited! I would really love to get a big group of Sabina supporters together. You don’t need to be a Club Fitness member and all donations benefit the Susan G. Komen Foundation. Here is the information:

Gabe’s Harry Potter party

2011-10-16T21:00:00.001-04:00

I love Harry Potter. I always liked the books, but after reading them with my boys at night (we have read as far as Prisoner of Azkaban), I now love love love them. I wanted to throw Colin a Harry Potter party for his 8th birthday, but as you may well remember, I was due with Carina on his birthday and I had a feeling that I really shouldn’t plan something big – a feeling that was validated when I had an eight day old baby to take care of on his birthday.

So here it is, Gabe’s birthday, and I got to use my creative side, which is normally pretty untapped. I had such a good time getting ready for it. My top secret project, which was accomplished over several nights the week before the party?

I made a wand for every kid – our own little Ollivander’s. This may sound like bragging, and maybe it is, but this picture doesn’t even come close to capturing how cool these wands were. I really wish I had taken the time to make sure I got a better picture because I was so tickled with how well they turned out. I used this tutorial, and while I wouldn’t say it was super easy, it was super do-able. I am definitely not an artist, and it was not hard for me to make each one look pretty cool. All you have to use is paper, Elmer’s glue, a hot glue gun (a project for you Roy!) and paint. I added a wooden dowel inside each one to make them a little sturdier but it isn’t necessary. I would definitely make these again if the occasion arose. They were well worth the effort. Gabe didn’t see them until the party, and since he has been wanting a wand for a really long time, he was a happy guy. Anyway, here are tons of pictures, because I love these things.

I know that is not the most flattering picture of Mr. Ollivander, but I had to show you platform 9 3/4 right behind him….the kids walked through there to get inside Hogwarts.

Now for the second big surprise of the evening, brought to the kids by my wonderfully creative mom. I gave her a plain witch’s hat a couple of weeks ago and asked her if she could turn it into a sorting hat. I told her it just needed to look old and beat up, but I should have known she would go way beyond that. Here is what she came up with!

This was her real gift to Gabe! A labor of love. Isn’t it awesome?

Each kid got to take turns being “sorted.” The plan was to tape my phone inside and have my brother Bobby call it and talk into the ear of each student. At the last minute the tape unstuck and the kids were getting really restless so we threw the phone under the stool. In retrospect, at that point we should have just used a baby monitor because it would have been louder. Ahhh, oh well.

The kids mostly loved it – I had asked the parents if anyone had house preferences beforehand. However, I wrote Nolan’s down wrong (even through I knew long ago that he is a die-hard Hufflepuff and Levi reminded me – and see his scarf?) so he was disappointed when he was sorted into Griffyndor. The hat ended up saying he had made a mistake and switching him. They I noticed that my birthday boy was sobbing because he was the only boy in Slytherin, and his cousin Santi (who I could just hug forever for this) kindly said he would switch from Ravenclaw to be in Slytherin with Gabe, so the hat switched him as well. Whew. It was intense. By the way, Bobby was awesome as the sorting hat – he has all the Harry Potter lingo down and knew what each house is known for.

The rest of the party we just pretty much let them play and eat pizza. I tried to make butterbeer but it wasn’t that great due to not knowing where to shop for cream soda. Three stores didn’t have anything but IBC and I wasn’t about to use that for all 13 kids because it is so expensive, so we used a little cream soda, with butterscotch topping mixed in, with a lot of root beer and then whipped cream mixed with butterscotch on top.

We had a fire outside, the kids had a good time and we sent them with little goodie bags:

Chocolate frogs, licorice wands, and Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans (Jelly Bellies)

It was good, but I think it was a little too much for Gabe. It was one of those “it’s my party and I’ll cry if I want to” type of nights. Hopefully he won’t remember the good of it. I was exhausted by the end. Preparing for the party was fun, but actually executing it made me appreciate the merits of slapping down a bunch of money to let Chuck-E do the work for you.

Just in case you are dying to know, Carina got Griffyndor :o) She was pretty pumped about it.

Gabriel’s birthday

2011-10-14T23:13:00.001-04:00

Today was a perfect fall day – very much like the one six years ago when I gave birth to our Gabe. Ollie, Carina and I brought lunch to Gabe at his school ( and let me mention really quickly that their new school is so gorgeous).

Gabe was happy to have us there, and his little sister got a lot of attention. It was very nice to see Gabe in his school setting and to set how relaxed and comfortable he seemed. We had lunch with Colin too, and his lunch was before Gabe’s (doesn’t make sense, I know), so Ollie was pretty over the whole thing by then.

I picked the boys up from school and we headed over to California Pizza Kitchen. I know, I know…Red Robin is usually the Coleman birthday tradition, but they haven’t been bringing birthday sundaes lately, and we just haven’t been super happy with them, so we decided to try something new. CPK gives a free kid’s meal and sundae for birthdays. They didn’t sing when they brought the sundae, but Gabe was sure okay with that.

Chad met us there straight from work and the boys had a good time “sitting “by the fountain while we waited.

Gabe was really happy with CPK. He rated it above Red Robin and Golden Corral but right below Dragon Buffet (his all-time favorite). We went home and did presents, which he also loved. I could tell he had a really great birthday because he kept spontaneously hugging me, which is Gabe’s way of saying he is just as happy as could be. We sure love this kid.

Tomorrow is his Harry Potter birthday party – stay tuned!

What I am up to today

2011-10-13T14:53:00.001-04:00

Attempting potty training with a cute little three year old.

Making a super secret project for my almost six year old.

Getting my six month old used to sleeping in a crib (yes, a crib!)

Instagram photos from the past month or so

2011-10-11T23:50:00.001-04:00

Bursting

2011-10-06T13:43:00.001-04:00

Our days are full.

Full of school, homework, piano, cleaning, laundry, cooking good food, nursing, soccer, gospel duties, work, and more work of every kind. Full of play and family time.

Our responsibilities have been non-stop lately, and I have been mourning our busyness a little. Then a couple of days ago I realized that I don’t really mind, because I am truly using my time in the ways that I want to. I was reminded of this talk.

So, I could apologize for not blogging a lot lately, but it wouldn’t be sincere. I do think blogging can be a good use of time (I love my blog and I can’t picture ever stopping), and I hope I will be doing more of it in the near future (maybe quick posts now and then rather than worrying about more significant posts). For now, I will tell you that I have decided that October is truly my favorite month in here in Charlotte. I am basking in its loveliness.

Carina is half a year old!

2011-09-27T21:41:00.001-04:00

Length: 26 1/4 inches, 50-75%

Weight: 15 lbs 12 oz, 50%

Head: 44 cms, 75-90%

She is rolling, scooting, rocking on her knees, chewing on everything in sight, and playing with her feet a lot. She is starting to have a little stranger anxiety, but most of the time she passes out the smiles to everyone who looks at her, especially her brothers. She never sits still anymore and is so delighted in exploring the world around her and trying to figure out what is going on. She has become anti-car rides since school started back up and fusses almost every day when we go to pick the boys up, until the moment Colin gets in the car and talks to her. Then she is just fine and happy. She also has a favorite song, Mindy Glendhill’s Anchor, which calms her down almost every time I play it in the car. As soon as it is over she starts to fuss again until I restart it. Luckily it is a favorite of her brothers too, so no one really minds. Sometimes I hear her making happy noises in the car and I ask Colin if she is talking to him, and he says that she is just looking at Gabe in the back and trying to get his attention. At night, she has started to flip towards Chad when she is ready to sleep, so she can get a little daddy time, and if she is awake at all, she will flip over and bat at him to play, and then flip back really quickly and laugh, teasing him. We love our girl and I can’t believe it is has been six months!

(Oh, and her eyes are still blue! Who would have guessed it?!)

I am hoping to make this Carina week – maybe I will finally get around to telling you where she got her name and maybe, just maybe, her birth story (finally).

So You Think You Can Dance Tour 2011

2011-09-23T21:40:00.001-04:00

Audra and I went to the So You Think You Can Dance tour on Wednesday for the fifth year in a row. It was a great show – they greatly improved the flow of it this year, cutting out all the lame jokes and talking, and working the choreography so that each dance flowed from one to the next. Just a gorgeous show. We went to dinner beforehand using a Groupon I had, and it was so bleh that I have been dreaming about Cheesecake Factory ever since. We didn’t stay after to meet all the stars this year. The crowd was getting younger and larger every year and we are getting older and busier. Neither of us could really afford to stay up ‘til 2. It was so much fun though that I really didn’t miss it, and it was nice to be home by ten to find my husband unfrazzled and my baby asleep (she hasn’t been dealing with me being gone very well lately and will have nothing to do with a bottle, so I was worried). Anyway, some of the highlights of the night:

Melanie’s solo. Brought tears to my eyes.
Laughing with Audra

Talking about the dancing with Audra (we are of one mind when it comes to SYTYCD)
Just being out on the town at night!

So many of the dance numbers that I can’t list them all.

I had a great time and went home exhilarated but with a somewhat achy heart. Sometimes I miss dancing and performing so much. I want to be Melanie!

BTW, yesterday I showed said to Chad, “Hey I took a pretty cool picture uptown” and showed him the picture above. And he goes, “Oh, you took a picture of my building?” Yep, I took a picture of the building he works in without even realizing it. They did just move in over the summer, so I guess I’m not a totally idiotic wife.

Oliver starts preschool…and more

2011-09-20T21:43:00.001-04:00

So, let’s see if I can catch you up on what has been going on around here in the month of September. Oliver started preschool last week. Like I did with the other two boys, it is a mom’s group – we all take turns teaching at our house. I taught last week and Oliver was a model student. I never started the other two this young, but Oliver has really wanted to go to school for awhile now, and he loves being around other kids.

He is about the cutest kid in the world, isn’t he? I took this picture on Monday.

On Tuesday evening after dinner, I heard some horrible screams coming from outside, where the kids were playing. You know those screams where you can immediately tell one of your kids is hurt, and hurt badly? Colin came running inside with Oliver, and as soon as I saw Ollie, my stomach dopped.

I don’t think this picture comes close to capturing how swollen up he was. Colin was in the backyard throwing a ball up into the air and swinging at it (with one of Chad’s bats) and didn’t hear Oliver walk up behind him. Ouch. I felt so bad for the tiny little guy. He was perfectly coherent and with it, and didn’t even cry after the first half hour or so, but he wouldn’t let us put ice on it or anything. We let him stay up a few hours so we could be sure he was okay, but he hasn’t even complained about it since then. I was pretty ticked off at Colin. He a typical, implusive eight year old boy and sometimes….I get very frustrated - especially since he actually gave one of his friends a black eye with a bat a couple of years ago. All serious bats have been put away again. I think I have been mad at him mostly because I feel like a really bad mom every time I look at my little boy.

Here he is on Thursday, and on Friday. It really had a lot of color to it – it just started fading a lot today.

The winner of the birthday giveaway is……..

2011-09-16T13:00:00.001-04:00

My brother-in-law James, who actually teased my sister Ashley about stacking the deck yesterday. I am happy you won, James, for many reasons….but mostly because it meant I got to put a tiara on your head. I hope this means your luck this week is improving!

As a side note, Ashley had more than 20 entrances in the drawing. Can I tell you how much I love my sister for always reaching out by commenting? I don’t blog to get comments, but it is always nice to know that someone out there is reading.

Each of your comments from yesterday’s giveaway was put on a heart and left on my mom’s lawn in the dead of night last night for one of her classic “heart attacks.” Thank you to Sabina for cutting all the hearts out.

Thank you so much to everyone who has commented and contributed to this celebration of my mom. Every word written will be cherished!

Today is the day – Let’s celebrate with a giveaway!

2011-09-15T03:00:00.000-04:00

My Mom Is……

An Ice-Cream Lover.

Any time she came to visit us and wanted to treat us to some junk food, she would stock our freezer full of ice cream. Yum. So today, on her birthday, I am giving away a $20 gift card to…..

How can you win this delicious prize? Just join us in a party here on my blog by leaving a comment for my mom with your birthday wishes.You will be entered in the drawing once. I will draw one name as the winner. Here are a few rules.

1. Each person who wrote a post for the “Who My Mom Is” series will be automatically entered once.

2. Each person who made a comment on one of the “Who My Mom Is” posts before this post was published will be entered once for each comment. Yes folks, rewards for past comments. You liking that? I sure am.

3. Anyone who leaves a comment on this post, before 10 pm MY TIME TODAY (that is 7 pm for you west coasters) will be entered once. Please leave your name and if we don’t know you that well, tell us where you are from.

4. The first 20 people to comment on this post will be entered TWICE for that comment.

5. Since I want the kids to be involved in celebrating my mom, kids may dictate birthday wishes to their parents, who can then enter on their behalf. And don’t feel like this is cheating. I really really want their wishes. There are some advantages to having lots of kids, right?

I know, sounds a little complicated, but it comes down to this, please leave a comment here with birthday wishes for my mom before 10 pm tonight, with your name, and one of you will get free ice cream. Even if you have never met her in your life. Even if you have never met me in your life. I am blatantly pandering for comments here folks and I fully encourage you do to the same with your friends and family. Post this on facebook. Email it if you need to. My goal is at least 100 birthday wishes for my mom.

Last but not least, let me mention that you don’t have to have a google account to leave a comment on my blog. Just click the “name” bubble underneath the comment box and write your name in. So no excuses, right?

Winner will be announced tomorrow, Sept. 16. And then I can take a nap. Whew.

Who My Mom Is, Part XXXII

2011-09-14T18:17:00.000-04:00

This post was written by my father, Bob Jeppson.

What can I say?

Linda is my companion and sweetheart.

It was 40 years ago this week that we went on our first date. We will be forever partners. Linda has always been the rock in our family. When it came to gospel standards there were no gray areas. Joshua’s theme was hers, “As for me in my house, we will serve the Lord”. If everyone put in the time and effort into their callings that Linda does, we would truly be a Zion people.

“Blessed are those who do hunger and thirst after righteousness” is another scripture that describes her. Linda’s trips every year to Education Week weren’t just for our teenage kids, she really loved to go to reenergize herself and grow as a person. These trips really strengthened her and our children.

Linda’s companionship is one of support and love without criticism. Linda continues to meet these new challenges with dignity and courage. Her intelligence and creativity are unaffected. She bears her testimony with her love and example.

Who My Mom Is, Part XXXI

2011-09-14T14:00:00.000-04:00

This post was written by my mom’s sister Diana Berry. Let me just mention that the order of these posts has been somewhat random – Di was the first to send one to me (had to give her credit :o). Credit for the picture goes to my Aunt Pat. I love it because it is a nice, recent picture of a few of the people who have written here.

My Mom, Pat, Grandma and Grandpa, Di and Kathy at my cousin Cami’s wedding last October.

Linda Sue is... GOOD!

There is no better word to describe my sister!!! She has always been good. She is kind to everyone she meets. She never talks bad about others. Her family knows she loves them because she is always there for them. She serves others and doesn't need recognition for it. Linda loves the beauty of this earth and enjoys keeping it beautiful. She is kind to animals and they can feel her love. She is the perfect Granny!

Linda has a testimony of her Savior, Jesus Christ and is a good example of Christ-like living. She has been my example and hero for decades! When she meets her maker, He will throw his arms around her and say "Well done, thou good and faithful servant!

I love you sis,

Who My Mom Is, Part XXX

2011-09-14T13:51:00.001-04:00

This post was written by my cousin Danielle, the daughter of my mom’s sister Diana.

I have SO many memories of my Aunt Linda. I remember when we used to go to California and see all or our cousins. ( My Mom's sisters all lived there and we lived in Idaho) I remember going to Linda's house and making pizza with EVERYBODY! I thought it was THE COOLEST thing ever! Linda had a HUGE table and all of her kids and me and my brother were all able to sit around it! The pizza was the best pizza I ever had! I remember that the kitchen would be a HUGE MESS after, but Linda never seemed stressed about it.

I also remember my Aunt Linda always making time to talk with me when I would visit. She would ask me about school, dance or anything else I was doing at the time. I wondered how she could even remember what was going on in my life when she clearly had SO MUCH going on in her life. I remember always leaving Linda's house feeling loved and special.

One thing that will stick with me FOREVER is how GREAT a Mother Linda is. She always made time for each one of her kids. They always felt special. I never understood how Linda could do it with SO MANY KIDS! Now that I have 7 kids myself, I still don't understand how she did it! I often think of Linda and how calm she was whenever I was around her. She didn't let the little things bother her. She was happy to be living her life with her family. Nothing else mattered. I am so grateful for such an amazing example in my life.

A few years ago, Linda stopped in St. George to spend the night during some trip. (I am SURE it was to help one of her children) I remember trying to talk with her. I knew that it was hard for her to communicate with me but I could see in her eyes just how badly she wanted to know what was going on with me. I decided to spill my guts to her that night. I told her EVERYTHING that I was doing and what was going on with my family. Linda listened patiently and smiled all throughout my rambling. :) I decided to quit talking after a while because I knew that she had to be tired and that she needed to wake up early the next day.

Linda~ I love you and I am so lucky to have you in my life. I hope you have the most wonderful Birthday. You deserve every happiness in the world!

Love

Danielle a.k.a Dani

Who My Mom Is, Part XXIX

2011-09-14T11:10:00.000-04:00

This post was written by my Nana (my Dad’s mom) and mailed to me.

Dear Linda,

Happy Birthday – What a great time to let you know how much you mean to me and how much you have added to our family.

Your family is a reflection of the success you are as a mother – your talents and leadership ability show through them.

We don’t know what the Lord has in mind for you, but we know you will and have endured it well. Blessings will come your way – You are loved by many and they are there or you.

Love, Mom Jeppson

Who My Mom Is, Part XXVIII

2011-09-14T07:00:00.000-04:00

This post was written by my sister Christie Blair.

Christie’s own cute kids in Halloween costumes Christie made.

My mom is my example.

If I ever know what to do with my kids, if I ever know how to serve in a calling, if I ever know how to handle a difficult situation, I learned it from my mom.

My mom was only 19 when I was born, so by the time I graduated from college I realized that I could remember my mom at the age that I then was. I know who my mom was at 25, at 30, 35, etc. Going off to college way back in the dark ages (1993) meant only a 30 minute phone call every other week, but lots and lots of letters. Now, more than ever, I am grateful for the boxes full of letters I have from my mom during those pre-internet/cell phone days. Someday I will organize them. And then there were the cell phone years...during a time when I was all alone and had plenty of time to talk and my mom would vent and troubleshoot and work out situations with my teenage siblings, my newly married siblings, her callings, work, etc, etc.

My parents always taught us that they were raising us to be better than they were. If we found their old report cards or heard stories of things they did when they were younger, they would remind us of that fact. As a teenager, I fully trusted that would be the case, that each generation would learn from the mistakes of the past, take only the good, and raise the next generation better. I was certainly going to do a few things better than my parents ;)

Of course now as a mother of 3 young children I just hope and pray I can do half so well as my mother did with her 8. She's always been very open with her children about her weaknesses and shortcomings, but also sharing with us the ways she has overcome them. When I think of my mom as my example it's not just the amazing woman described on Katie's blog this month, but also the young mother with a very messy house who yelled a lot. It's the mom who talked on the phone with her sister for what seemed like hours before I finally got her to pay enough attention to me to realize I was trying to show her I'd come down with chicken pox. It's the mom who try to start a "capping jar" where we would have to pull out a slip of paper with a chore written on it every time we "capped on" someone but stopped because SHE was having to do it, too! It's the mom who didn't always do everything right and didn't always know what to do...and let us see that. I treasure those memories because those are ones that give me hope. It's also the mom who took me to Education Week the week I turned 16 and every year after until my mission, and talked long into the night with me about what she was learning and how she was going to try to apply it to our family. It's the mom who taught seminary during my mission and wrote long letters about how she was learning to love the scriptures (as well as her struggles with some of the same people who have written about her this month!).

The happy picture of 8 temple-worthy children came out of a lot of tears and laughter, mistakes and apologies, and I treasure the front-row seat I have had, giving me years and years of watching the development of a truly great example. I am forever thankful to have known that she wasn't just born the amazing woman she is today. More than the stellar example she now is, I love my mom for the example she has given me of what it is to struggle through growth and change to become tomorrow more than what you are today.

Who My Mom Is, Part XXVII

2011-09-13T21:45:00.001-04:00

This post was written by my Dad’s brother, David Jeppson. Picture courtesy of Meredith.

My dad’s family circa 1977? Back left: Uncle Paul, Uncle Buckley with Aunt Marie , my mom, my Dad, Aunt Sharon, and my Uncle David. Front,: Papa holding my sister Christie, Nana holding my brother Bobby

Linda is my 1^st sister-in-law.

I remember meeting her just before my brother Bob (her husband) went on his mission. She was soooo young and full of energy. She told us about her job being a cartoon character at Knott’s Berry Farm. I thought that was sooo cool and still do! I wanted her autograph! She was perfect for the job as the world is her stage! This is just one of the many talents that Linda possesses.

Who My Mom Is, Part XXVI

2011-09-13T21:10:00.001-04:00

This post was written by Susan Harward, a longtime friend of my mom’s.

Linda is… I’ve been thinking about this for weeks now. Most everything I’ve thought about has been said by others, and said better than I could have. She’s a pretty amazing person.

So, Linda is a good friend. I didn’t like her when I first met her. But how can you not like her once you get to know her? Despite our differences, we became good friends. Distance doesn’t change that. Our friendship has continued as we’ve gone our different geographical ways. But it’s the kind of friendship that just picks up again whenever we talk or get together. I loved seeing her when we both went to Ed Week. We’d get together for breakfast and then attend some classes together. I think the last time I saw her was at Ed Week. Cathy Monnett drove up to join us and we got a motel room and caught up. Part of that catching up was talking about aphasia. Linda bought each of us a little charm, one side a sun, and the other side said “Glory of the Sun”. I still carry it around with me. I treasure our friendship.

I also have to mention that when anyone asks about examples of charity, I always use Linda and Bob.

Happy Birthday Linda! Wish I were there so we could celebrate together. I love you.

Who My Mom Is, Part XXV

2011-09-13T14:47:00.000-04:00

This post was written by my mom’s sister Rhonda.

My Sister Linda is an actress!

Always has been, always will be! Very dramatic, but in a good way! I remember Linda standing out in every roadshow she performed in. I loved to watch her! I can say all 50 states in alphabetical order because of Linda and "Fifty, Nifty, United States!!" I forget the name of her singing group but I would have watched her perform in anything!

She's cute too! She has always been the cute perky one of us Parkins Girls. Who else could crank out 8 kids and have time for anyone who asked? I love her craftiness and artist touch.

Most importantly I love her kind spirit. She and I could not have gone more different directions if we tried but I still love seeing her and listening to her tell stories about each one of her children. She had time, love and attention given to each one of them, and now her grandchildren.

I am proud to call Linda my sister. Her eyes twinkle and her smile brightens a room. I know if you asked her she would say that she is blessed; I say, " I am," for having her in my life. Happy Birthday Sis!

Who My Mom Is, Part XXIV

2011-09-13T08:45:00.000-04:00

This post was written by my brother, Bobby Jeppson.

My mom and Bobby share a laugh this past summer.

My mom is a witch.

Not the evil, wart on the nose, pointy hat kind of witch. Something a little closer to Glenda the Good Witch. Or even better, a combination of Molly Weasley, Minerva McGonagall, and Hermione Granger. She not only has magical qualities, but actual, real-life magical powers! She can transfigure herself, stop time, apparate, read minds, and transform other things. She can exercise power over other people in a way that cannot be explained using scientific reasoning or logical deduction. There’s really no way to explain or understand her abilities without watching her in action.

As I read the posts of the last few days, I came to realized that mom can transfigure herself into anything in the world depending on the needs of others. She is exactly what someone else needs, yet she is always herself. She never pretended to be a second mom to the teenager who needed it, she literally was that second mom. I never knew her as a great scripture scholar, but she was for those seminary classes. At times she has been my nurse, my psychologist, my drill sergeant and my friend. She is a leader when the occasion calls for it, and a follower when Christ requires it.

Mom can read minds. How else would she always know I needed her to call me at college? How else would she write just the letter I needed on my mission? How did she always know I needed to say something but couldn’t find the courage to say it? How would she seem to sense when one of her kids was about to do something stupid and find a way of talking sense into us? And don’t even bother trying to lie to mom. She knew. She always knew.

Mom can apparate. She must also have a time-turner. There is no other way to explain how she can be in so many places at once. I first noticed this power when I was in high school. Somehow she would be making costumes for one of Christie’s plays one moment, and the next moment be cheering from the stands as I sat on the bench during a basketball game. (Which brings to mind the power to embarrass her kids in front of their friends. Yes, Mom, everyone knows I’m your son. You don’t have to yell it so loud every time I get in the game.) Then before you know it she’s back home feeding the little ones and putting them to bed. Having eight kids required the impossible of being everywhere, all the time. Surely she had supernatural powers to pull that off.

I think Mom’s greatest power is the ability to transform things. Mom would take a ~~hideous~~ floral print of fabric and transform it into the raddest pair of Jams in the fourth grade. Who else could take a short, skinny, dweeby little kid, add some homemade shorts, knee high socks, a customized t-shirt, and cleats and turn that combo into the coolest dude on the playground? How do you take a Monday night filled with rowdy, tired kids and turn that into a sermon without even opening the scriptures? Or how do you put 12 teenagers into a van, drive 10 hours, sleep on the floor every night, go to 10 classes a day, and turn that into the most anticipated part of summer vacation? Yet year after year she kept trekking up to Provo for Education Week with a van full of kids, some her own and some belonging to others. And with those trips she made the most impressive of transformations. Somehow she turned lazy, rebellious or indifferent teenagers into engaged students, missionaries, and humble followers of Christ. She takes the gospel of Jesus Christ and transforms it from words on the page into living action. A theoretical concept becomes a concrete example every time she welcomes a new family into the ward over dinner, takes a struggling youth into her home, or fulfills a calling without a hint of reluctance.

Yes, no doubt about it. Mom is a witch! For years and years she has been manipulating everyone around her. She has used her powers to make people do things they never would have otherwise. So many graduations, missions, temple marriages can be blamed on one individual. She is responsible for so much happiness, so much progress, so much joy. It must be magic.

Who My Mom Is, Part XXIII

2011-09-12T21:58:00.001-04:00

It’s sister-in-law day! This post was written by my mom’s sister-in-law Sharon Morgan.

My mom with my Nana (my dad’s mom) and my Aunt Sharon

Linda is a source of joy and strength for all of us.

I have always been amazed at her dedication to her faith and family. There are times now that I wished that I had followed her example. She may not be able to express her feelings and thoughts through her words as well as she used to, but she continues to show them through her acts of love and service. She is still a joy to be with, even if not many words are spoken.

Who My Mom Is, Part XXII

2011-09-12T17:26:00.002-04:00

This post was written by my sister-in-law Jamie Jeppson, Aaron’s wife.

My mother-in-law is talented!

One of my earliest memories of her was when she played in the stake road show. She played a wicked witch and I still remember her coming out onto the stage with her black cape and using her best witch’s laugh. It still brings a smile to my face when I think of that. She always had a talent for performing in front of people. She passed that talent on to her children and helped many of them participate in their High School plays.

As you may have heard from others she is also a great seamstress. I remember her making Halloween costumes for many of her grandchildren. I still remember her telling me with excitement she was making a chef costume for her grandson Colin. She made a gorgeous wedding dress for her daughter Christie. She also hemmed my senior prom dress. She was awesome!

Not long ago, I was talking with my mother about a funny conversation she had with Linda. My mother said that during a ward activity she and Linda starting talking about our upcoming wedding. They started talking about the dresses they had bought to wear. As they both starting explaining what their dresses looked like they both came to realize they had bought the same dress! My mother had offered to take hers back but Linda kept insisting that she keep it and she would wear another dress. She even went ahead and made alterations on the dress that my mom needed done. Not only was she talented but also generous.

Linda is a talented and loving woman. I feel blessed to have her as my mother-in-law.

Happy Birthday Linda! Love you!
Jamie

Who My Mom Is, Part XXI

2011-09-12T11:28:00.000-04:00

This post was written by my sister-in-law Audra Jeppson – Levi’s wife.

My mother-in-law Linda is... awesome!

I was trying to think of the right tag-line for the top of my post! Ideas have been swirling around in my head:
My mother-in-law Linda is... aware of her children's needs!
My mother-in-law Linda is... is thoughtful!
My mother-in-law Linda is... an incredible Granny!
My mother-in-law Linda is... a great example!
My mother-in-law Linda is... really fun!
My mother-in-law Linda is... the not-like-any-of-the-mother-in-law-jokes mother-in-law!

But awesome is word that rolls everything my mother-in-law is into one all-encompassing clump!

My favorite story about Linda has to do with the first I listed, her children's needs. It involves how Levi proposed.
He called me and related a conversation he had with his mother. In the conversation she asked "Are you going to marry Audra?" He said yes but said we could not be married until May when the school year was up so there was no point in proposing now. She asked why so long and he explained since Bobby and Sabina were to be married over Christmas, there was no way another wedding could happen on an opposite coast in that short amount of time. Plus, he did not want to take away from Bobby & Sabina's special time.

But... she had a plan!

Bobby was getting married right before Christmas. We could come to California for that wedding, fly to Virginia, they would follow a few days later, and we could marry right before New Years! Perfect! She had it all planned out!

He related this conversation to me over the phone and followed it up with, "So what do you think?"

Yes... that was my proposal! But I would not change it for the world!

I think she knew Levi's concerns before he even voiced them and she gave him the motherly nudge he needed! She knew his concerns, she knew his intentions, and she had come up with a plan to make it work! She is really good at making things work! And she is very creative. She took time to get to know me and understand how quirky I am and even went so far to come up with the best centerpieces ever for my open house. Bettas in a bowl!!!

She is also the best granny! She gets to know all her grandkids individually and is always very thoughtful in her gifts to them. And I will never forget when she showed up to the hospital when Nolan was born. She could not stop exclaiming with a delighted high-pitched voice, "He is SO DARN CUTE!!!" I can still hear it in my head. The exact pitch, the excitement, the light in her eyes! She was a Granny! It is one of my favorite memories and always makes me smile! She has doted similarly on each and every one of her grandchildren.

My mom with Levi and Audra with their kids Silas, Yonas and Ruby. This was the first day my mom met them.

Levi and Audra’s girls in aprons that Granny made for them.

Thank you Linda for being a great example of a great mom, mother-in-law, friend, member of the church and granny!

Who My Mom Is, Part XX

2011-09-12T08:18:00.000-04:00

This post was written by my mom’s parents.

Linda is... so talented!

Linda, we hope you know how much we love you. We have always been so proud of you and how you enjoyed performing. It was fun to watch you in plays. You are also a good mother and it makes us proud of your beautiful family. You are a good daughter and we enjoy your visits when you can come.

2 pieces,

Mom & Dad

Who My Mom Is, Part XIX

2011-09-11T20:38:00.001-04:00

I got posts from both Adena Hebdon and her mother Terri Ulmer, longtime friends of ours in Blythe, so I decided to post them together.

Linda is a joy to be around.

It's impossible for me to see or even think of Linda without a smile coming to my face. When I was little I visited her home regularly and I remember it being a happy and joyous place. That's not to say we didn't get scolded for staying up waaaay too late, but that was well deserved. She is so quick to smile and to give a reassuring hug. The world needs more people like her.

Linda is a true friend in every way.

I can still remember what she said the first time we met. She said," Hi, I'm Linda Jeppson. We plan on leaving Blythe soon but I'll be your friend ‘til we leave." Instead of leaving she stayed and blessed my life in innumerable ways. She helped me adjust to Blythe, raise my children, and always set the example for me to follow. We laughed and cried together, shared tender moments and leaned on each other when needed. When I needed advice, I knew she would always point me in the right direction. She was my number one source for parenting advice. I could call her in the middle of the night with a sick child and she'd know what to do. We served together in Primary, Scouting and Young Women’s. She taught my children in Seminary and her knowledge of the gospel and her strong testimony is an inspiration to me. And even though she may not be able to speak as well anymore, I know that the fire of her testimony still burns bright. She is compassionate and genuinely loves people unconditionally. She builds people up, never tears them down. When I needed a boost she'd pick me up and help me get back on my feet. Her laugh was contagious and just brightened the room.

Linda, you are such a remarkable, amazing woman. Your influence for good will continue to bless the lives of generations. I love you.

Happy Birthday, Terri

Who My Mom Is, Part XVIII

2011-09-11T07:00:00.000-04:00

This post was written by my sister Lindsey Morris.

My Mother is a Disciple of Christ

While reading each of these posts one particular thing stood out to me. Everything my mother does is because of her faith in our Savior. She is dedicated to her friends, family and community because she follows the example of Christ to love and serve others.

She knows her children well because each and every night of our lives she knelt in prayer to receive guidance in raising us.

She was a great seminary teacher because she truly loved each of her students and worked hard on every lesson she taught. She knew how important it was for them to understand the gospel and gain a testimony if their teenage years.

Even the small things like being frugal come from the fact that she knew she needed to be home for her children instead of working.

She is everything she is because she used the Atonement to better herself.

My mother recently came to help me with the birth of my 3rd child. She inspired me with her patience and dedication to serve, but one thing stood out to me the most. On more than one occasion I found my mother reading her Book of Mormon. I know that reading is hard for her, but she has an eternal perspective and knows the importance of staying faithful in this life.

In my life I know that we will be a family, together for eternity, because of the life of my mother (and father) and their righteousness.

Who My Mom Is, Part XVII

2011-09-10T23:41:00.001-04:00

This post was written by Kenneth Witham. I have known Ken since he was this big:

Linda was my second mom.

It was Linda who finally convinced me, after much trial and tribulation, that I should pee standing up. I am not sure whether my parents or Linda funded the plan, but my learning was done in the Jeppson family home on B Street in Blythe. Cheerios were placed in the bowl and target practice was begun. Truthfully, as I remember it, the target practice was fun, but not fun enough to entice me to make this regular practice. The solution was to use pennies. I would receive a penny each time I used the bathroom correctly. To me, this was sheer genius! I was paid to use the bathroom correctly!! While I am no longer paid for my efforts, I’ve kept up the habits learned in that little house in Blythe, California.

Fast forward a few years to seminary. My parents divorced the month before I started high school. Linda and her husband, Bob, made every effort to include me in their seminary classes. They left early, dragging along at least two teenagers of their own, to my house a few blocks away just to be sure that I had a ride to seminary. As a freshman in high school, my attendance in seminary was abysmal at best. The following year, having moved in with my father instead of my mother, my attendance improved drastically. I can’t say that it was always enjoyable, but it was worth it. I spent my junior year in Sacramento, but I did attend my senior year in Blythe and Linda was my seminary teacher. How anyone can display such exuberance each morning is impossible for me to understand, yet Linda seemed to have an innate ability to be lively and to physically show her love for the scriptures. Whether it was doughnuts on Fridays, Linda acting as “Alexis Trebek,” the female host of Scripture Jeopardy, or any of the other countless ways she had for sharing that love of scripture with us, Linda did her best at all times to ignite our own love for the scriptures and the gospel of Jesus Christ.

I was saddened to hear that Linda was suffering from any illness or disorder. Having had some physical issues myself in my lifetime, I can somewhat sympathize with what she is going through. I’ve understood that this specific malady affecting Linda affects language skills; that would be almost too much for me to deal with. I imagine that Linda is dealing with this as best as anyone could be expected to deal with this illness. When I was sent home from my mission, after about a year of service, to deal with paralysis brought on by Guillan-Barré Syndrome (GBS), Linda made sure that I was included in the various ward activities. She’d invite me over for dinner on Sundays and urged the missionaries to include me in their proselytizing efforts. While I was home for that three or four months, I helped the missionaries baptize four individuals (a divorced man, as well as a single mother family with two boys.) It was a great experience to be included in that missionary effort and I don’t doubt that I was meant to be home to assist those elders with those baptisms (even if they may not be active currently.)

Whenever I would visit Blythe for a weekend, it was usually Linda who would be the first to spot me and offer me a welcoming embrace. I began to suspect she really did have eyes in the back of her head on some of those occasions. It was nice to feel her love for me as a person in such moments. I will forever be linked with Linda and her family and my life is better for each experience I have had with Linda and the family she raised.

Who My Mom Is, Part XVI

2011-09-09T19:13:00.001-04:00

This post was written by my Great-Aunt Carolyn Johnson, my dad’s mom’s sister.

Linda, my niece-in-law, was always such a joy to visit with.

She is always upbeat and happy and I love her sense of humor.

One summer I was Young Women's President again and picking Linda's brain for new ideas. I remember filling a whole sheet on a yellow legal pad with new ideas from brain- storming session with Linda. I always knew she was the most creative person I knew. I think I can thank her and your family for the "heart attack" that Carroll and I loved! I can just picture camping and always holding a cute baby. Happy Birthday Linda!!

Love,
Carolyn

Who My Mom Is, Part XV

2011-09-09T14:48:00.001-04:00

This post was written by my Aunt Kathy Middough, one of my mom’s four sisters.

Growing up with 4 sisters wasn't always fun & games but .….

Linda is a great sister!

She would always take the blame (maybe we forced her to). I remember a time when she hid from all of us and we looked for her for what seemed like hours. She was the jokester and now that I'm an adult, I think I more fully appreciate the joys of having a family of sisters!

Love you Linda. Happy Birthday!

Who My Mom Is, Part XIV

2011-09-09T09:26:00.000-04:00

This post was written by one of my best childhood friends, Karen Monnett Dick (who will always be Kari to me). I happened to have this picture of her with her first son on my computer – I hope she doesn’t mind me using it – I thought it was the perfect picture of Kari.

Linda is the life of the party.

Growing up, the Jeppsons were kind of a sister family to ours. Like us, they were a big, noisy, happy Latter-Day Saint family. I’m not sure if Katie and I were close because our moms were close, or the other way around—but we spent a lot of time at each others’ houses. And that means that I spent almost as much time with Linda as I did Katie.

There was always something going on at the Jeppson house, and Linda was the ringleader. There were art projects ranging from tree ornaments to—when my brother was born—a cute little infant tuxedo sleeper. That one Linda “supervised” me making, which meant she never let on that she had done 99% of the sewing, and passed it off as a gift from me.

As we grew to be teens, Linda opened her home to friends of her kids and not only tolerated our antics, but was usually the ring-leader. She led countless toilet-papering raids (all in good fun, of course) on fellow ward members’ front lawns. She thought up and carried out hilarious practical jokes, whether it was April Fools Day or not.

She was a clever mom: if there wasn’t a way for her to be officially involved in her kids’ activities—as she often was—she would find another way to work herself in. She would drive us hundreds of miles to stake dances, temple trips, and youth conferences. That woman must have chaperoned activities her kids attended every weekend for thirty years straight. When I remember my youth activities I remember her presence just as much as that of any one of my friends. She was always right in the middle of things, her quick sense of humor and ready smile lighting up the room. I wonder what was more annoying to her teens: the fact that she was always there, or the fact that all of their friends so clearly loved having her around?

I can’t remember a single year she didn’t participate in girls’ camp, to my recollection generally providing and packing up her family’s whole arsenal of outdoor equipment for the use of the girls in our ward. Once there, already exhausted from her preparations, she partied with the best of them. She good-naturedly jibed grumpy young women around the morning campfire, pulled pranks when things got dull, and laughed the loudest at whatever joke was told. Her energy and enthusiasm were viral—there was never a dull moment in the Blythe campsite.

Don’t get me wrong—she had her grumpy mornings just as we all do, and when her kids deserved it, she could bring them back in line with a few choice words. But she had a talent for making things fun, and for seeing the humor in everyday life.

It’s hard for me to imagine Linda without a steady stream of words tumbling out of her mouth. She was always busting with great ideas, funny stories, witty comebacks and good news--all delivered with her trademark grin. She told long and involved stories about mundane happenings, somehow making even a trip to the grocery store interesting. I’m sad that the world doesn’t get to hear her voice as often as it used to. But there are many of us lucky enough to know what goes on behind that smile of hers. And if I know her, she’ll never quit finding ways to make the people around her smile.

Happy Birthday, Linda!

Who My Mom Is, Part XIII

2011-09-08T21:09:00.001-04:00

This post was written by Patricia Bolton, one of my mom’s sisters. She also provided the pictures.

Linda is a ROCK.

She is strong, determined and unwavering in her beliefs. Strong was not always the case. As a child, she was a wimp. She cried during every episode of "Lassie". She was an easy target when I wanted to pull a prank. And with 2 older sisters to join me, we were able to manipulate her a little too easily.

But then she grew up. And she grew up strong. Linda, with other family members, took missionary discussions and joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints at the age of 13. Even though the others faltered and went in other directions, Linda stood firm in her beliefs and continued to grow in spirituality (and never gave up hope that others would also join her, she was so annoying at times!) She was determined to have a temple marriage and raise a strong family. And she did just that. She really was Molly Mormon as her family grew. She used every resource available and developed her creativity to help stretch a "one-income, teacher's salary" and make it all work.

Linda and I were especially close during the early years as our kids grew up. We visited them often. I loved to see her in action. With Linda, it was what it was. There wasn't a fine line between right and wrong, it was a strong black marker line. There was no faltering. I learned by her example. I guess that is why our family left the "big city life" and moved to Blythe when the opportunity came.

I enjoyed the time we lived close and were in the same ward. I watched her serve in callings with so much zeal. My two daughters were blessed to live close by Linda during their impressionable years. Thank goodness they were impressed by Linda. She was a tough cookie and she told it like it was.

I cried when she moved to Charlotte and I still miss her like crazy. But I like being in a community where she made an impact. Just recently at a yard sale, I overheard 2 women (who I did not know) who were looking at boxes full of fabric, talking about "you know that Mormon lady who did grad nite when the kids graduated"...I missed part of the conversation "...I know, remember how I tried to get it changed, but she said it wasn't appropriate for the kids... and she was right..." missed more conversation... "how many kids were there? they were so darn smart"...missed... and then " that lady could do anything...costumes...decorating, remember the..."

Yeah, that's my sister.

Thanks Linda for being my example, have a great birthday. Miss you and love you 2 pieces.

My mom and her sisters –Kathy and Pat in the back, Rhonda and Diana in the front

Just a few words about Who My Mom Is

2011-09-08T15:00:00.001-04:00

Thank you all for all the comments – I have loved what has come out of this celebration of my mom. I just wanted to answer a few questions real quick:

If you are wondering what all this is about, click here first, and then read on!

If you are interested in writing something about my mom, there is still time. Even if you didn’t get a personal invitation, if my mom inspired you, I would love to hear about it. You have probably noticed that there bit of a format going on. I have asked anyone contributing to begin with “Linda is_____” and then to give examples or a short story. That way everyone will get to know all the wonderful attributes my mother possesses. I have also asked the writers to keep it relatively short and use simple language. If you are interested in writing something, please send it to rillalev@gmail.com before September 12th. If you have a picture to include, WONDERFUL – if not, let me know if I can steal a picture of you from facebook :o)

The posts will get more and more frequent until the 15th (my mom’s birthday) because I already have enough posts to do more than one a day. That makes me so happy. The more posts I can do, the better. Thank you!

Who My Mom Is, Part XII

2011-09-08T09:16:00.001-04:00

This post was written by my brother Aaron Jeppson, who even provided the picture of himself starting 1st grade.

I can’t find one word to describe my mother. So I will just write.

My mother knows me.

I remember when I was 17. I was getting ready for a date and my mother said, “Do you know who I think would be someone fun to take out some time? Jamie Bowles.” Surprised, I pretended to be upset that she was interfering with my social life.

In reality I didn’t want her to think it was her idea. I was waiting for Jamie to turn 16. But it was nice to know I had my mom’s approval.

So much of who I am comes from my mother. She is outgoing and never afraid of a crowd. She’s creative and can think on the spot. Like Bryce, mom helped me through numerous school projects the night before they were due. That’s how I learned to brainstorm and how to go off-script (or B.S.) when needed.

Mom is frugal. I learned that from her. She made almost all my clothes for school for at least the first 3 years. (I don’t blame her for early 90’s style) I learned how to manage money and separate wants from needs.

My mom is funny . She’s a quick joke, a nose-scrunch, a smile and a chuckle.

Who My Mom Is, Part XI

2011-09-06T21:09:00.001-04:00

Yes, she really did slap him.

My mom is fun.

I can’t tell you how many times we would kneel for family prayer and end up in fit of uncontrollable laughter, started with a giggle from my mom. I can still picture her, tears streaming down her eyes as she tried to calm down.

Whenever we went to Mesa Verde National Park, there was an overlook above one of the ruins. You could see the visitors milling around, and my mom would yell, “Cindy! Cindy!!!! CINDY!” while waving her arms wildly, until someone was kind enough to wave back. Who was Cindy? Who knows?

My mom loves a good practical joke. I can barely believe it now, but we actually invited people over to our house for dinner, and then ambushed them on our front porch with water guns and balloons from every corner….even from our roof. Crazy kids? No, a crazy mom.

My mom’s favorite victims were the missionaries. Every couple of years she would organize the women in the ward to feed the missionaries the same meal for six or seven nights in a row. When I mean same, I mean exactly the same. The same recipe, the same salad dressing, the same flavor of Kool-Aid.

One time when we were getting new Elders, she got into their apartment and left live fish all over – in the bathtub, in the sink, the toilet, and blender. When they told her that they dumped the fish in the canal, she pretended to cry about how they were our pet fish. She had the Elders so convinced, they were ready to take fish food to the canal to try and attract the fish back to the surface to re-catch them.

And once a food fight was started, and continued, at our table while feeding the missionaries. It was so intense that the next time they came over, they wore trash bags over their clothes.

My mom was a hoot at girl’s camp, a wild woman at Education Week, and always the fun chaperone on school trips.

I could go on and on, but believe me when I say my mom is more fun than your mom ;o)

(Feel free to share any stories you have about my crazy mother)

Who My Mom Is, Part X

2011-09-06T18:57:00.001-04:00

This post is by my youngest brother Bryce, who keeps it short and sweet.

My Mom is the best.

She always knew what was best for me and I could always go to her. She helped me complete my projects in High School and made me do my best.

Who My Mom Is, Part IX

2011-09-06T09:34:00.001-04:00

This post has two contributors – Bonnie and Tom Crook (who will always be Bishop Crook to me). They also happen to be the parents of the lovely Missy from last night’s post.

Linda is a friend to everyone.

There are no strangers in Linda's life. Anyone who needs help, an encouraging word, a ride somewhere or a baby tended Linda was always first to volunteer.

We moved to Blythe in 1994 - she was the first to come up and introduce herself, welcome us into the ward and invite us to dinner. Linda's energy and sewing talents always amazed me, she always knew the answers to my sewing questions and is an amazing seamstress!

I miss Linda's spirit here in the ward, but how great to be by most of her children and grandchildren. Have a beautiful birthday!
Love,
Bonnie Crook

Linda is dedicated.

As I think of Linda, I think of all the causes she totally had her heart and soul into.

1. Her family. No matter what they were involved in she was too. She may not have known all there is to know about raising a 4-H pig but she was into it with both feet.

2. Her church callings -the same way. She was my Primary president at one time and to see her love those little kids with her whole heart was Linda.

3. Community events- Totally dedicated to the walk for life -All night- dedication! And I love her smile. It is always the most genuine. We will always love Linda!

Who My Mom Is, Part VIII

2011-09-05T20:36:00.001-04:00

This post was written by Missy (formerly Crook) Kelly. When I was looking for old pictures of Missy, I realized that I had several with her in them at functions that my mom took us to, and I realized my mom really took us all over! Forgive me for the old pics Missy, they are to prove a point :o)

Autumn, Missy and Lynda at a leadership conference my mom chaperoned for.

Autumn, Missy, Me, and Breanna at a Girl’s Camp daytrip that my mom took us to – she may even have been camp leader that year, as she often was.

And a picture just to show how beautiful Missy was, and still is. She is the blonde in black (and I am the albino one with the double chin.)

So, onto the post:

Linda is a ball of energy!

I was 13 when we moved to Blythe, and Linda is one of the first people I remember welcoming our family into Blythe.

I remember her being so excited to haul a bunch of teenagers all the way to BYU for education week just so we could experience how exciting the Gospel can be. I definitely have to mention her zeal for the scriptures and being my seminary teacher.

But what stands out the most to me was the love she has for her family. Every time I'd come back home to visit, if I saw her she'd give me a big hug and bust out all her pictures of all of her beautiful grandbabies. Her eyes just sparkled as she told me all their names and I could see the love she had for them radiating from her. Linda you are an Amazing woman. Have a wonderful birthday.

Who My Mom Is, Part VII

2011-09-05T07:00:00.001-04:00

This post was written by Kevin Ralston, who was a friend of mine through my teens years, and who was lucky enough to be one of my mom’s seminary students. The picture below was taken at a prom dinner that my mom put together for me and some of my friends.

Sister J is bubbly.
You would think that I would have learned my lesson, once referring to her as such from the pulpit when our Senior Seminary class was asked to speak in Sacrament Meeting. It drew laughs from the congregation, and immediately I wished I could take that description back, fearing it may have embarrassed her. Who was I kidding? Sister J didn't embarrass easily.
She was the most down-to-earth teacher/friend/friends' mom you could ask for. One of her more memorable quotes (for me) was "Your body is a temple, not a visitors' center." Risqué? Maybe. Hilarious? Yes. Easy for teenagers to understand? Definitely. Her main concern was to teach us rowdy kids, and to make sure we held to the Iron Rod.

What better testament of her love for youth, than her own kids? I am lucky to have been acquainted with the Jeppson 8. I knew the older 4 the best, and enough can't be said for their friendship, their love of the gospel, and their academic accomplishments.

A little over a year ago, by sheer happenstance, I ran into a very pregnant Lindsey one day at the grocery store in Mesa. She told me that her mom was coming to town soon. My wife and kids and I were lucky enough to get to have dinner with her and Lindsey's family, and my wife finally got to meet the famous Sister Jeppson.
At the end of the dinner, as we were leaving the restaurant, I got to hug her goodbye. I thought my choice of words was kind of random, at the moment.. I told her "I love you." She returned the gesture and told my wife that she really did love me. Looking back, I'm glad that those were the words that came out. I really do love Sister J. She stands out in my mind as a great influence during the formative years of my life, and I will always be grateful for that.

Who My Mom Is, Part VI

2011-09-04T20:46:00.001-04:00

Written by my brother, Levi Jeppson

My Mom, Levi, and Levi’s daughter Jovie, in June 2007, very shortly after my mom was diagnosed with PPA

My mom is devoted.

Her entire life has been centered around her family, her religion, her friends, and her community. Whenever a favor has been asked, a calling has been extended, a need has presented itself, my mom has responded without hesitation. From service projects to volunteering at schools to running Grad Night, she embraced Blythe and did everything she could to improve her community.

She has made countless friends through the years from every walk of life. She has always held her friends close and gone out of her way to make sure they felt special.

In the Church, she has served tirelessly in virtually every calling possible. No matter the calling, big or small, she makes sure it is done well and done RIGHT!

You would think with all of the energy she expelled outside of the home serving others, her family might have taken a backseat at times. But her devotion to her family is her most amazing quality! There has never been a time in my life when my mother hasn’t been by my side, guiding me with love and patience (lots of patience!) She was there every day when we got home from school. There during the late nights finishing science projects or book reports. There at every school or athletic event. There at every church or scout function. There when important life decisions had to be made. Now, with 8 graduations, 5 missions, 7 temple marriages and 24 grandchildren behind her, she is more devoted than ever with frequent travel, an insatiable desire to babysit, thoughtful gifts, and a smile that lights up every room she enters! Thank you Mom!

Who My Mom Is, Part V

2011-09-04T06:00:00.001-04:00

This is Cathy Monnett, who has been one of the best friends in my mom’s life. This is what she has to say about my mom:

Linda is giving.

In the ten years we spent in Blythe, I watched her make so many sacrifices for her children. She would spend all night sewing to make them school clothes, costumes, whatever they needed. She was always there to drive them wherever they needed to go, to attend all their events, and to cheer them on. She focused all her energy on making things nice for them. I remember her buying larger size baggies for their lunches so she could send homemade popcorn as a snack, and we both bought bags of cereal marshmallows to add to the generic cereal we used. (If I were allowed an extra word to describe her, it would be resourceful:)

Linda gave so much of herself to her children that I think it's fair to say that anyone who knows them, knows her.

Linda is a beautiful person (I know, another adjective) and I'm privileged to know her. Love you! Happy Birthday.

Who My Mom Is, Part IV

2011-09-03T06:15:00.003-04:00

This post was written by my Aunt Meredith (my dad’s brother’s wife). You can read more from her at her blog The world according to Merf. Even though I don’t think I have ever called her Merf in person, I always think of her as that in my head now.

Picture provided by Meredith. My parents with Levi, Bobby, and Christie. Based on Levi’s size, I am thinking it was right around Christmas 1978.

Linda was my competition---oh yes you were!

I came in as the 3rd daughter-in-law----you and Marie were already well settled into the family. I married the baby. How could I compete with you!?! Christie was 5 and quoting poetry! Christie and Bobby were sweet and cute and well-behaved---and you kept having MORE sweet and cute babies.

And then you moved to Idaho and had goats----so I could compete with that. And then you moved BACK TO CALIFORNIA! aaaaaargh!

You taught seminary, gospel doctrine, you directed the road shows, you sew, you shopped at Sam's----and worst of all---you were nice. You were nice to me. HOW CAN THAT BE? You are everything i want to be----AND NICE....well....except the goats---never wanted goats.

The sweetest moment----in Cedar City at that farm museum type thing with the 10ft tall sunflowers---we talked about the PPA. We had gone to the Monticello temple together a few years before and that began your fight. As we walked, we cried together, we laughed together----you felt like a sister----you are my sister.

Who My Mom Is, Part III

2011-09-02T16:10:00.004-04:00

This is Christine Defreese, a friend of my mo, and this is what she knows about her:
.
Linda is genuine.

She is real, what you see is what you get. She is kind and loving and a great example. She was such an example to me as a young mother. I watched her with her children and it helped me. It was a joy to be one of her counselors in Relief Society. I learned so much about serving in the church from her.

Happy Birthday Linda, I love you. And thanks for being YOU.

Who My Mom Is, Part II

2011-09-02T11:25:00.002-04:00

This post was written by my brother-in-law James Blair. I really liked hearing his perspective.
My mother-in-law is love in action.

She accepted me pretty quick. She did not have much time, but she didn’t need it.
See this dress?

It did not come from a store. It was a custom order. She made it with love for a special daughter who finally found the man who matched the dress.

She also made something special for me. It was a surprise. It was a good surprise. The groom’s cake tradition was new to her, but she took it and had fun.
Speaking of having fun, she has never missed a chance to have fun with her grandkids. This was right after Jeb was born. How many Grannys would do this for their grandkids?

http://blairbears.blogspot.com/2009/09/granny-dancin-in-rain.html (click for a video)

Love in action sometimes means dancing in the rain with 2 and 3 year old granddaughters.

Who My Mom Is, Part I

2011-09-01T14:49:00.002-04:00

This first post is written by my sister Ashley Wright.

My mom is incredibly thoughtful.
She is always aware of what people are most in need of. The times I have most noticed this is when she comes to help me with a new baby. It always seems like she is one step ahead of me and I never even have to ask her to do something. Whether it is taking the baby so I can rest, cleaning my kitchen, making a meal or playing with the other kids - she's right there doing it before I even realize it needs done.

If I step back and look at my childhood I can see examples there as well. She would take me for special birthday trips out of town, help with a chore when she could see that we were just too overwhelmed and she was always helping those around us. And one of my favorite current examples is how well she knows her grandkids and finds way to make each of them feel special. She knows what activities they like to do, types of treats they like and she always comes up with perfect gifts for birthdays and Christmas.

She doesn't just serve others - she takes the time and effort to think of their individual needs and doesn't just do what is convenient for her. She is an incredible example to me and I love her for all that she does for our family.

September – A Celebration of My Mom

2011-09-01T07:00:00.001-04:00

You have all seen pictures of my mom, Linda, on here. She is beautiful and beaming in every one of them. She is just as lovely in real life, I can promise you.

You can’t tell from the pictures, but my mom struggles every day of her life.

Almost five years ago, my mom was diagnosed with Primary Progressive Aphasia, or PPA. It is a disease that robs it's victims of their use of speech. For my mom it started off with a difficulty in remembering words. She would be talking and midsentence couldn’t remember what word to use. She would know exactly what she meant and what she wanted to say, but just couldn’t recall the word for it. It progressed (as it does). She soon couldn’t speak in public (something she was brilliant at before) and couldn’t read aloud. At this point, speech is very difficult for my mom, and comprehending speech is exhausting and very frustrating. She has a very hard time filtering out the noises around her to understand what is being said, so even gatherings with all the grandkids, while joyous for her, are also very hard.

When you first hear about PPA, you cannot fully imagine the heartache that it brings -the dreams that die with the diagnosis, the days of depression that it inevitably brings on the sufferer, who is fully aware of what is being taken from them day by day. Maybe someday I will write more about that, but let me write briefly about one of the tragedies of PPA.

My parents moved here two years ago to be close to family – three of their kids, and 13 of their grandkids (now 14). They left the small town that they had been home for almost 30 years. They left all of their church friends, one of my mom’s sisters, her parents, all of the church members who knew her as a stalwart member of the ward, and a town full of people that knew her from one way or another.

Moving somewhere new – leaving all of that behind – is hard enough. I can’t imagine doing it with PPA. My mom is a brave woman though. She still seeks people out. She still keeps her eyes open for ways of serving. She still smiles.
Sometimes when I am at church with her, or a baby shower, I see that smile on her face, and I hear her offer as many words as she possibly can to let people know that she cares and notices them. I love her for it, and it makes me happy, but I can’t help but think, “None of these people really know my mom. They have no idea how intelligent she is – how much humor she always brought to everyone around. They have no idea how much strength and wisdom lies under that smile.”

My mom has not just lost her speech, she has lost a great deal of her identity. This is a tragedy – that the world can’t fully know my mother.

Don’t we all want to feel understood? Don’t we all want to feel that the people around us know who we are?

So for my mom’s birthday, which on the 15th, I want her to have that. Some of the people who know her best will be sharing with the world who my mother is. It might be difficult for her to comprehend everything that will be written here, but I will be praying daily that she will feel the messages we have for her even when she can’t completely understand them.

Mom,

For your birthday

I wanted you to know

That you have touched so many people.

We think that the whole world needs to know you.

Even if it is hard for you to talk now,

We will talk for you.

We will be your voice.

Every day, until your birthday

We will tell everyone who you are.

We love you.

Fourth Annual Back-to-School Dinner

2011-08-30T20:55:00.000-04:00

We held our annual Back-to-School dinner last Wednesday night, complete with kid-made decorations.

This year’s family motto:

Kindness Begins With Me

The menu:

Couscous Grande with Oregano

Grilled Shrimp

Strawberry Poppyseed Salad

Turtle Pie (store-bought) for dessert. Yum.

Just a little side note – we moved Carina and her Bumbo to the floor after pictures….just in case you were worried :o)

Previous Back-to-School Dinners: 2008, 2009, 2010

Ollie’s birthday

2011-08-30T13:25:00.001-04:00

Ollie’s birthday last week started out fantastic. His brothers had the great idea of getting his a fish from them. He was thrilled. He named the fish “Monkey Wrench.” The fish was dead before nightfall :o( Ollie cried. We have now promised to get him beta.

Chad really made the day great for Ollie with a little scavenger hunt. He left Ollie’s favorite candy all over the house and left clues to find them. Oliver thought it was the coolest thing ever. So did his brothers – who have now requested that Chad do the same thing for their birthdays.

Oliver wanted Chick-fil-A for dinner and we gladly complied. After that he got to open a couple of presents, one of which was some K’NEX from his Grandpa and Grandpa Coleman. He LOVED them. All the boys did – they have been played with every day since then. Thanks Judy and Bill!

Saturday was the main event – a pool/pizza party with all of his cousins. He loves his cousins so much. He is still like a little mascot to them - they all love to make laugh and treat him like a little pal.

He got the cupcakes with cherries on top that he requested. Then all the cousins played in the warm, dirty puddle caused by an overflow in the splash area. Whenever this happens, the kids all flock to it – I couldn’t really blame them during the party – the pool water was a pretty chilly! I think a certain father (who shall not be named) didn’t even get in!

Ollie had a fantastic couple of days and I think his birthday lived up to all the hype that had been building for months and months. We love this little three year old!

2011-08-29T09:50:00.001-04:00

Dear Gabriel,

I just dropped you off for your first day of kindergarten. You walked in smiling and confident. Inside the classroom, it was chaotic, and you didn't know what you were supposed to do and where you were supposed to go. Your sister was crying and your little brother was starting a fit about wanting to go to his own class. It was not the goodbye I wanted for you. I could see your eyes get a little misty as you asked me if I could stay with you for a little while. My Gabe, I wanted to stay forever (or to just take you home with me).

Then the teacher was able to talk to you, and the mist went away quickly, and you got to work. We tried to exit as quickly as possible.

Gabe, I knew that the same twisty feeling I was having in my stomach was going on in yours. I knew that your head was full of questions and possibilities of what could go wrong (just like mine). I have always been there to answer your questions and soothe all the anxiety out of you, and there is a big part of me that wants to do that for you every day of your life.

Then there is that other part of me that knows this separation - the one that had me crying the whole way home - is what is best. I have watched you, my love, as you have learned so many new things these last couple of years - speech, reading, piano, soccer. You started out protesting, dragging your feet, slowly loosening up and letting yourself be taught. With each of these new ventures, the more you have learned, the more confident you have become. Now you are a totally different boy than you were as a toddler. You are no longer the little brother who can wants to retain his role and expects help with everything. You are the strong and independent boy who knows he is really good at learning things.

It is that boy I left at the school today. I had an assurance in my heart that although you will have your moments of missing home, moments of wondering if you are doing things right, and moments of feeling that you aren't, you will grow because of it. You will gain more confidence in this struggling and conquering than you would gain from years of me soothing and assuring your fears away.

I will miss you at home. I will miss your constant chatting when you are feeling social, and your quiet playing when you are caught up in your imagination. Your sister and I will miss your crinkly-eyed smiles and your spontaneous hugs when something has made you really happy. Ollie will miss the brother who builds tracks and castles for him.

I love you Gabe. Keep up the good work, and you will be just fine. Better than just fine.

Love Always,
Mom

Just some last pictures from Myrtle Beach

2011-08-24T18:45:00.000-04:00

Illegal dumping?

2011-08-23T22:31:00.001-04:00

Huntington Beach State Park

2011-08-21T21:36:00.001-04:00

While we were in Myrtle Beach, we decided to take a little day trip to Huntington Beach State Park. We always go to Myrtle Beach because it is the cheapest beach city around, but we do not love the crowds and commercialization that jumps out at you everywhere you turn. We wanted to get away from all of that, and Huntington Beach was perfect. Just perfect. I didn’t take any pictures at the beach, because we had a lot to carry anyway (including a baby) and I am paranoid about my nice camera getting sand in it, but I wish I could have made the effort. It was so smooth and white, and natural looking. Just gorgeous. It wasn’t crowded and Gabe and I found our best seashells of our trip there.

Before we hit the beach, we toured, Atalaya, which was winter home of the Huntingtons, and sits inside the state park. The walls are pretty much all that is left, but it was interesting to see Moorish-inspired architecture on the coast of South Carolina.

There was also an educational center where the kids got to touch a stingray.

All of it was great, but we almost wished that we just went straight to the beautiful beach. It was our best beach day and it got cut short when some storms rolled in.

This a view of the marshland on the way out of the park.

Ripley’s Aquarium

2011-08-19T22:37:00.003-04:00

Just a few pictures from Ripley’s Aquarium last week. It was super crowded, but there were definitely some beautiful sea-life to be seen. The boys liked most of it, especially Ollie. We went on this moving sidewalk through a tunnel that had sharks, and Gabe did not like that too much. He would crouch down and duck his head when the sharks came too close.
They had a huge shark exhibit with a line long enough to persuade us not to go. However, we did catch a sneak peak of a mermaid from their (weird) mermaid show.

So, what did I think of Ripley’s Aquarium? Glad we got the tickets for free or it definitely would have felt like a waste of money (it’s expensive for what it is).

A “walk” on the beach last Thursday

2011-08-18T10:18:00.001-04:00

“Let’s talk a walk on the beach this evening, boys.”

“But we aren’t going to wear swimsuits, so no getting in the water.”

Ha. Ha. Ha.

Medieval Times – courtesy of Sheraton Vacation Ownership

2011-08-15T22:48:00.001-04:00

So, we did it again. We went to a timeshare presentation. We hadn’t really planned to do one this trip, but about an hour away from Myrtle Beach, Carina started fussing, and we decided to pull into one of the many “visitor information centers” along the way to feed the boys free popcorn and soda while I nursed her. I sat in the car and Chad moseyed in with the boys just to see what they would offer us. He came back out and said they would give the whole family tickets to Medieval Times and Ripley’s Aquarium. We knew the kids would love both of those things, so we signed up.

Let me just say real quick, well…maybe not real quick because I am still seething a little….this was the worst timeshare experience I have had, and they have all been a bit miserable so that is really saying something. Colin and Gabe went into their daycare center, so we just had Ollie and Carina with us. Oliver was happy, though a little hyper, and Carina was happy for the first 2 hrs of our salesperson’s inane small talk mixed with incredibly condescending/combative questioning.

After 2 hrs, Carina started to fuss and I was not about to take a break to feed her because I know they pause everything if one spouse leaves the room. I tried to let our saleslady know we needed to wrap it up (for all timeshares you agree to a 90 minute presentation, so she was already well over), but by this point we had told her, point-blank, that there was nothing they could offer us to get us to buy a timeshare, so she was unhappy with us and getting snarky. She was stubbornly going through all their offers, with Carina crying full force. I stood up next to the table, as she went through each and every line, to try and bounce Carina, and she even had the gall to tell me I needed to be sitting down. I sat down, and Carina got hysterical. I couldn’t even hear what the saleslady was saying, and Carina started doing the whole gulping-for-air hiccup-sob. My mama bear side come out. I blurted out “I’m done.I am just done. I CANNOT let her cry like this.” The saleslady started to say something about needing to go through everything and then someone else would come over to talk to us, and I said, “NO. I am done. We are finished.” I swear to you, I was as polite as I could possibly be (I know she is trying to make a living and they have certain tactics they are supposed to use), and as she left us with someone else I told her very sincerely that I hoped she would have a better day. But by that point we were at 2 1/2 hrs and my baby needed someone to stand up for her.

I also got the most ridiculous comment from an salesman who was walking by (they all talk to you to let you know how friendly their company is). He said, “Oh, you have four boys, huh?” And we said, “Nope, three boys…the baby is a girl.” And he said, “Well, you dress her like a boy!” What was she wearing, you ask? A white onesie with pink roses on it, a white skirt, and she had white and pink blanket with her. ??????

(Let me just say I know that some people might think it is weird to go to timeshare presentations when we have NO intention to buy, just to get the gifts, but trust me, they know what we are doing. They make it very clear that our only obligation to is listen to what they have to say. And the fact that they are willing to give so many people just like us as much as they do shows you how much money they are making off of those few who do end up buying)

Okay, so enough ranting. We went to Medieval Times on Thursday. Colin and Gabe had a great time. Their favorite parts were the food (and eating it with their hands), especially the huge piece of chicken, and the fighting at the end. They both really paid attention the whole time and Gabe loved booing the bad knight. Oliver? He hates loud noise, and covered his ears for all but about five minutes of the whole thing. We humored him and hand fed him his food and provided a straw for him to sip his soup. As long as he was willing to stay in the room and be calm, it was a small price to pay. Carina slept, nursed, and tried to get a carnation from the red and yell0w knight. How could he turn her down?

It was a fun night and the boys are already talking about “the next time that we go to Medieval Times.” Yeah, we will have to see about that.

Before I move on….

2011-08-14T20:31:00.001-04:00

Some pictures from my sister Ashley’s visit a couple of weeks ago

Rae’s birthday party

Saying goodbye

I think I might have the most gorgeous nieces and nephews on the planet.

Like a school girl

2011-08-09T22:00:00.000-04:00

I always had a thing for athletes. Not sports (no sirree), but athletes, yes. All my crushes were on boys who played one sport or another well. I even have a journal entry written in elementary school about playing soccer against one of those crushes and “accidently” running into him.

I had sworn off crushes by my freshman year in high school, but when Chad arrived on the scene, playing baseball, soccer and football, my heart did a little thump. After we started dating, I would sit in the stands and hear comments all around me about what a great player he was, and my face would burn a little, and my heart would do a double thump.

14 years later, and he is playing in a soccer league again. The kids and I went to watch him last Thursday. Holding our little doll in my arms, the boys running around behind me, I heard one of the other players say, “Chad is playing well today.”

Blush. Thump thump. 16 all over again.

School Shopping

2011-08-08T00:27:00.001-04:00

I still remember my mom taking me on a special shopping trip for clothes before I started kindergarten. I took Colin on a similar trip when he started (man, that boy was so little and cute in that post!), and last Friday was Gabe’s turn. I took all the kids, but Gabe got to decide where we would eat breakfast to gear up. This was definitely the highlight of the trip – not the shopping. He immediately chose IHOP. We have never been there, but I think he has seen commercials for their funnel cakes. He was so excited to get them.

Do you see all of Gabe’s food?! Don’t worry, he was splitting it with me and we didn’t even finish it. And yes, Oliver chose mac’ and cheese for breakfast. That is SO Ollie. When his Grandpa Coleman was visiting, he thought it was hilarious that Ollie often requested a “meat sandwich” for breakfast, and just this morning Ollie requested leftover spaghetti for breakfast.

Colin got the “Breakfast Special” and bet me that he could eat it all. About a quarter of the way through the pancakes he started moaning that he was getting soooo full. Amid many a joke about “Man Vs Food” my very-sensible boys gave up and we took a lot of leftovers home.

The shopping started out fun. Gabe chose a very sensible black backpack and a black lunch bag “to go with it.” Oliver strutted around with a backpack on, telling people he was going to school. Colin kept track of everything we needed. But school shopping for two kids at Walmart on the first day of tax free weekend? It got old pretty quickly. We stuck with it,and I think I found everything on their list expect white erasers. We will go shoe shopping sometime soon and I will make sure I have gotten enough for their uniforms, but I think we are pretty set.

While we were shopping, it started thundering and then pouring outside. We were hoping it would clear up before we made our exit, but it was still going strong after we bought everything. I considered leaving Colin with the kids right inside the door while I ran for the car, but wasn’t comfortable with that…and then I realized…wait, it is still pretty warm, none of us are going to get cold or anything, our school supplies are all in bags, and HELLO, these are boys. We made a run for it, laughing the whole time (Carina was covered in her carseat).

Oliver doesn’t like thunder. Can you tell?

Here is a little sampling from the school supply list. The teachers will also send out another list when we get their class assignment. I have all of this stuff sitting in my computer room.

Kindergarten

2 – plastic pocket folders with 3 prongs (labeled with name)

4 – 125 count boxes of tissues (plain tissues – no antiviral or lotion added!)
6– 80 count baby wipes boxes

20 - Small Elmer's glue sticks (this brand only)

1 – Kinder mat (for resting)

1 – Modeling Clay

3-500 sheet pkg. of copier paper

1-pack of white erasers / Hi-Polymer Pentel (this brand only)

2– pack of construction paper (not bounded) colors sorted

1- pack of yellow 2HB pencils (12)

1-Kindergarten Appropriate Size backpack - no wheels!

3rd Grade

6 -- marble composition books

1 -- 150 sheets filler paper (wide rule)

1 – pencil pouch (please not pencil boxes)

2 – set of colored pencils (for English and for classroom)

1 – 5” pointed Fiskar scissors 3 -- glue sticks

3 -- bags of #2 pencils 2 -- erasers

1 -- pencil sharpener with container

2 -- box of tissues 1 – 80 ct. baby wipes

1 -- plastic pocket folder (any color for English)

1 -- dry erase board (small enough to fit in desk)

2 -- dry erase board markers

1 – rag/towel/old sock for cleaning dry erase board

3 – 500 sheets copier paper

1 – ruler with both cm and inches

1 – backpack (please do not send rolling book bags)

1 – refillable, reusable, plastic water bottle with a sport cap

1 –box of Ziploc bags (Quart size only for last names A-L)

1 –box of Ziploc bags (Gallon size only for last names M-Z)

German, Japanese, and Chinese students only:

3 -- plastic pocket folders (green, red, blue)

How about all of you? Anyone have to do school supply shopping? Do your kids have pretty similar lists?

Gabe’s first loose teeth

2011-08-04T05:01:00.000-04:00

Last Friday night we were getting ready for bed, and the boys were, once again, best friends. When it is time for sleep, all the day’s conflicts are forgotten as they unite against Mom and Dad in a hyper, last-ditch battle to stay awake. Colin was on the top bunk, Gabe was on the bottom bunk, and was apparently trying to pull Colin’s blanket down with his teeth, when he let out a cry of pain. I went over to investigate, and found that not only were his two bottom teeth loose, the adult ones were already cutting through behind them. Tears were immediately replaced by giddy Gabe grins.

Gabe has been so excited to lose his first teeth, an excitement that had only been building since his cousin Elizabeth, who is four months younger, beat him out a couple of weeks ago.

He had plenty of time the next day to show off his lose teeth at Rae’s birthday party, and the next evening, the first one came out while we were having dinner at my parent’s. Exciting times! The second one then came out yesterday.

Two teeth gone and kindergarten later this month. (sigh)

In other Gabe news, he is selling homemade balls (made of masking tape). Any takers?

Keepin’ It Real Wednesday

2011-08-03T16:25:00.001-04:00

Yesterday we stopped by my parent’s house to say goodbye to my sister Ashley, who had been visiting with her family from Missouri. I brought my camera to snap some pictures of Carina with her cousin Claire, who is one month younger than her. We said our goodbyes and went home, where we had a fairly uneventful afternoon – rest time and a trip to the pool. As I was getting out of the pool, I realized my arms felt very weak holding Carina. Then my whole body started to ache. Within a couple of hours I was laying in bed, aching all over with the chills and some other “womanly” pains. Mastitis. Oy.

I went to bed early only to be woken by a very fussy baby. Her nose was so stuffed up that she couldn’t catch her breath lying down. We shuffled around the darkhouse, looking for the bulb syringe, and she screamed as I cleared it out. It wasn’t enough though, and I ended on the recliner downstairs so that she could sleep upright. Me with my achy body, her with her stuffy nose, waking up sweaty every couple of hours to nurse and reposition ourselves. After one such session, I lay awake, listening to her wet breathing, and these pictures kept skating across my mind.

I had laughed as I lay Claire on top of Carina and snapped away, but in my sleeplessness last night, all I could picture were the germs oozing off of Carina to Claire.

Sorry Ashley! Here’s to hoping Claire is immune to the results of her Aunt’s foolish photography whims and fancies.

4 Months Old

2011-07-26T22:04:00.001-04:00

Length: 25 inches, 75 %

Weight: 13 lbs. 5.8 ozs 50%

Head: 42 cms 75%

This first photo was actually taken by Ollie. It really cracks me up!

I think she looks so much like me in this picture.

Martha Rivers Park and Mary Jo’s

2011-07-18T22:06:00.001-04:00

I wanted to do something with my mom and the kids, so I decided we would try out a park that I saw on my friend Shyann’s blog. Martha Rivers Park is a bit of a drive from our house, but the kids sure did love it.

I had to steal a picture from the city website because I forgot to put my memory card back in my camera before I loaded it up. It was a little warm this morning, but the kids stayed happy, running around all the staircases and discovering all the fun different details in the castle. My mom, Carina, and I got to sit in the shade while they played in the sand. Carina was passing out her best, wide-mouthed, drooling baby smiles for my mom and me. Again, no pictures:o(

After the park, we hit up Mary Jo’s, which is an incredible fabric store not far from the park. The first time I went there last summer, I was completely overwhelmed. You walk in to rows and rows of just about every time of fabric your heart could desire. I don’t actually sew much at all, but I want to when I go there. A hundred possible projects spring up in my head and I slowly meander through. (sigh). Anyway, can you believe I took three boys and a baby girl there?!! They were pretty stinkin’ good in the beginning, because I let them each choose some fabric for pajama pants. They were completely fascinated by the idea of this fabric being eventually made into a piece of clothing. Gabe had question after question….”Oh, so is fabric like cloth?” “How do you get the holes in?” (meaning arm holes and leg holes) “Why isn’t the fabric shaped like pants?” After the chose their fabric they got restless and tried running up and down the isles and I had to pull myself away a lot more quickly that I normally would have.

So, here is the fabric they each chose. Can you guess which fabric belongs to which boy?

To the brothers, who sometimes forget

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My dear boys, here it is. The proof of your love for each other. Last week, Oliver was sick. With him in bed, you realized you actually missed that mischievous grin. During one of Oliver’s little naps, we decided it was craft time, and surrounded by paper scraps, Gabe had the idea of a get-well card for Oliver. The idea was seized and a gigantic six page card was created, beautiful and thoughtful enough to have your mom grinning all afternoon.

Deciding that he needed further cheering up, you put together a little puppet show that was silly enough to have the sick little guy grinning all afternoon. Gabe and Colin, the happier you made him, the happier you also became, and it was a boyish little love fest.

And me? I took pictures. For proof, of course

(and yes, Ollie is wearing pink pajama pants. all three boys have worn them, I will have you know )

Sunday Afternoon – through Ollie’s lens

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Sunday Afternoon- through my lens

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Keepin’ it Real Wednesday

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This pretty much sums up the day we are having over here.

More 4th

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We had a very relaxing 4th of July. Trip to the gym in the morning, naps for the youngest two, and then Cars 2 with my mom. It started to get cloudy and windy as we were walking out of the theater which was just lovely because we had chicken marinating to serve to my parents. By the time Chad got out to the grill, he had to do so with an umbrella. We all got a good laugh out of it.

We lit some sparklers after dinner but decided to forego any big fireworks. The kids had been up late on Saturday for the stake celebration and were still recovering for that. Chad and I did get a free show from our neighbors after the kids were fast asleep.

Chad says I am a dork for taking pictures of fireworks, but I think it is fun to figure out how to, plus when he teases me about stuff like that I take it as flirting, so…….

Happy Fourth of July

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Pictures from our Stake 4th of July Celebration