2014 Christmas Card

We spent the year of 2014 rediscovering ourselves, Utah and neighboring areas. We camped down in Moab and fell back in love with red rock. We spent a week up on bear lake and remembered our love for boating, water skiing and tubing. We visited Zions and the Grand Canyon. While peering down into the canyon depths, we marveled anew at the beauty of God's creations. Most importantly, we rediscovered each other's abilities and love for one another as we all developed and grew through out the year.

Joslyn - This year has been a struggle to hold on to my sanity. Being a captain of our 3 very young, very curious, and very energetic girls has at times left me feeling very old, very boring, and very, very exhausted. Sister Reeves gave a talk in April General Conference that I held onto like a lifeline this year. She said, "The only things that really need to be accomplished in the home are daily scripture study and prayer and weekly family home evening." This year I let go of things that weren't necessary like the power struggle over wearing socks with shoes, lowering my standard of cleanliness and just picking areas in the house that I need clean, and allowing Cambry and Vienna to pick out their own outfits as long as its modest and weather appropriate to name just a few. Knowing that we were doing the things that really matter, gave me greater perspective and peace when I'm sure from the outside we look like a completely out of control circus. I picked back up one of my favorite sanity saving tools and that is running. I ran a couple of half marathons and a marathon, but mostly I enjoyed my insignificant morning runs where God helped me remember what matters most and gave me both mental and physical stamina that was greater than my own.

Devin - This year, I rediscovered repeatedly the strength and clarity that my family gives me. It was easy, at times this year, to perceive myself as more important than I really am. I received a lot of recognition for my work, as I traveled to Atlanta, Chicago, Cincinnati and exotic Idaho Falls to share my work and learn from others. It was exciting to share my ideas and see the ideas of others working in my field. On these trips, it was really easy for me to lose sight of what's most important, get caught up in my work and buy into the hype and praise. I missed the daily reminder of seeing my family which would bring me back to my senses and give me the perspective that I need. When I am with my family, I see more clearly my role in God's plan and they give me the strength to fulfill that role. My work as a father far exceeds any accomplishment that I could achieve in my research.  I am grateful for a patient Heavenly Father who constantly refocuses my perspective, then helps me prioritize and attend to the things that matter most. On top of all that, he even makes the effort to guide and inspire me in my research as well. He truly cares about each one of us!

Cambry - 4 years old. She rediscovered the power of mistakes. She has learned to be courageous and try things that are new or difficult. In her pre-school, she has learned to try to answer questions when she is unsure, even if it means answering it incorrectly. She has been brave as she has come up with different ways to learn to roller skate. In her most successful and latest attempts, she has used her doll's stroller, like a walker, to give her balance. She faced fears at the pool and jumped off the wall into the pool. She has even started talking to adults! On top of all this, we continually rediscover her ability to care and help. She loves to pull up a chair and help mom make dinner or bake bread. She looks after her little sisters. Frequently when she is given an opportunity or treat without her sisters she asks if Vienna will get to enjoy it too.

Favorite Cambry Quotes from 2014:

"I'm mad. I'm a big girl so I'm mad!"

Joslyn: "When Jesus came to the Nephites, he let all the boys and girls come to him... and gave them blessings"
Cambry: "Yep. Just like I get blessings and haircuts."

Looking out the window after a snowstorm:
"Hey! We are living inside of Santa's beard!"

Playing  princesses and giant:
Vienna: "Giant, you mad."
J: "I'm mad! Someone came and picked all the apples off of my apple tree."
C: "It's OK giant. We have 4 more apple trees you can eat off of."
V: "Giant, you mad."
J: "I'm mad. This cougar just came and bit my leg."
C: "It's OK giant. We have another leg, that is real and you can have that. See? All better."

"Mom, can you plug this fan in? It's too creepy."

Pretending to be a butterfly fairy:
"[I'm here to] sprinkle some happiness onto your shoulders and toes"

J: "I just bought some new dresses and skirts [for the girls]"
C: "Oh my goodness, I bet they're so modest!"

"Hey look at those ducks all in a line like a marching band. That's a tricky parade."

J: "Why do you think some things float and some things sink?"
C: [Without missing a beat] "because octopuses need to get clean too mom."

Singing "I love to see the temple":
"I'll prepare myself while i am young. This is my sleeping beauty"

C: [Walks into kitchen] *big heavy sigh* "I have so much to do today... now I need to mop the floor. Everyone needs to get out of here." [Proceeds to mop floor]

"Do boogers have skeletons?"

Talking about chore charts to earn Christmas presents to give:
Devin: "Once you fill up your Christmas charts with stickers, you can go to the store with Daddy to buy presents for each other."
J: "Or Mommy!"
C: "Whoever isn't too tired?"
Ha! Says a lot about the sorry state of her parents.

Last, but not least, a poem that Cambry made up about Myla:
Grabby hands
By Cambry Rappleye

"Grabby hands grabs your ears
She grabs toys that you need
She grabs toys that you don't need.
She grabs your shirt when you're wearing it.
Her hands are so grabby. They just keep grabbing everything."

 Vienna - 3years old
At the beginning of the year, Vienna spoke very broken English. She continues to try out new words and improve her sentence structure and speaks clearly in full sentences. She has a few speech impediments that are so endearing to us such as: she doesn't say "S's" at the beginning of words: "poon" (spoon), "kirt" (skirt). She also says doy (door), foy (four), and makes the "Qu" sound instead of "Th" sound: Quee (three).
 She is a little chatter box and has the sweetest little voice (most of the time). She loves singing, and has spent much of the year singing (loudly) the alphabet song, I am a Child of God, I love to see the Temple, a counting song from her online preschool, and now Angels we have Heard on High.
Vienna is discovering again and again how cleaning up allows her greater privileges, and neglecting her little responsibilities limits her freedom. She wants to play from sun up to sun down, and is slowly learning balance.

Favorite Vienna Quotes from 2014:

Early in the year, Vienna was obsessed with death and would play dead frequently. One time, Devin asked:
"How do you come back alive?"
V: [Whispers] "Jesus"

We visited a replica of Michelangelo's Pieta where Mary is holding the slain Christ. The following few weeks Vienna would somberly say, "Jesus. Died. Sad." followed by fake crying. 

Whenever Vienna wants something she can't have, she takes on the word "favorite" as if it is self explanatory for why she should get it. For example:
J: "We're not eating candy right now."
V: "Jelly Beans! Favorite!"

J: "Get in the car guys."
V: [Sitting behind the car with a stick in a puddle] "Going fishing. Too busy. You run me over mom?"

While crafting:
"Ahhhhh! Sewious! Why id dis taking so long?"

V: "I me hungry"
J: "Guess what? We're going to go eat more breakfast with grandma Rappleye and Derek soon."
V: "Do those guys have crumbs? I me love crumbs."
She eats mini-wheat crumbs for breakfast everyday. Yes we crunch them up for her...

V: "Here." [Hands Joslyn some garbage] "You be like Jesus and throw this away for me."

 "I am busy, and mad, and special."

Drops Ice cream cone in grass and picks it up:
"Sometimes I just eat 'gwass' with my ice cream cone." [Licks ice cream cone]

After playing mermaids in the bath:
D: "Did you turn back into a human?"
V: "I'm not a human. I'm a kid."

Myla - 1 year old
She was a very calm, docile, content baby until her 9 month checkup and we discovered her iron level was very low, and we started giving her iron supplement. 2 days later she awoke from her lethargy and was crawling, into everything and extremely adventurous. She began walking just after she turned one in September, and started running shortly after. She runs without looking back not caring if anyone follows her. She is the energizer bunny and doesn't stop until she is placed in her crib. She hiked right along with her sisters in Zions and Grand Canyon, sometimes with greater stamina. She loves books especially ones with animal pictures, and loves to "read" books to herself. She isn't speaking much yet, but she loves interacting with her sisters and parents. She frequently drapes blankets over her head and runs full speed around the house giggling. Her eyes light up when she is outside and can freely explore. She seems to know that the world is hers to experience.

*   *   *

This Christmas season, may we all rediscover Christ's gift to us. As we do so, we will all rediscover our courage to change, to share and to reach out to others

#sharethegift

Christmas is Coming!

At the beginning of December we got half an inch of snow, so naturally, we ate a quick breakfast and all headed out to play. We found this old puffy snow suit for Myla that made her look so wide, we couldn't stop laughing. Poor girl couldn't stay on her feet or sit. She was content to lie in a sled as she was puled around the backyard. 

Pure childhood joy.

I was laughing so hard at this suit, I couldn't even take a decent picture!

Oh what fun it is to ride in a sled with all your sisters! 

C so happy to eat snow, M the loaf, and V loving the "snuggle"

"This is a super good way to make the Christmas tree all beautiful" while kicking the branches.

We put our Christmas tree in the toy room this year. Cambers was so excited to decorate, she took over decorating our entire house.

I love how happy Veena becomes over the small things. 

This winter has been so warm! I can't believe we were outside enjoying ourselves with no coats! I love this moment captured. Cambry has such a pure soul and happily sits out while giving her sisters a turn on the trampoline. 

After baths, Myla needed a little time playing her piano before bed.

Our family went with the Rappleyes down town to see the lights at Temple Square. My phone and my subjects did not cooperate and we didn't get any great pictures. 

I found Vienna carefully aligning handfuls of little people in front of the manger. When she saw me she said, "These guys needed to see Jesus too."

Cambry and Vienna helped me make new laundry soap. This last batch lasted me 10 1/2 months! I can't believe how cheap it is to make your own laundry soap! $30! 

Cambry was trying to help Vienna on the swing. Hilarous. We were all laughing so hard, it was very unsuccessful. 

After I helped V on, Cambry pushed her! Hooray! My work here is done.

Aunt Sara came and saved the day- she let both girls brush her hair at once. She is so accomadating with these guys that always want to brush her long beautiful hair. 

Date night with my love down town at the Gallivan Center.

November Camera Cleanup

Costco has the dullest things some times, like these 5 foot tall stuffed animals. Almost everyone liked giving them a squeeze.

Cambry came in the kitchen and sighed a big sigh. "I have so many chores to do today." She then proceeded to mop the floor with a hand towel. I love that she gave her self chores and got right on it.

Hooray!! After 3 separate potty training attempts with Vienna, the third time was a charm. Not sure what changed. She wanted to wear diapers the rest of her life, but she is a potty champ now!!

Myla loves things on her face and on top her head. What a cool cat.

Hooray! Devin's sister is finally home from her mission to the Philippines!! We missed her and are so glad she's back, even if she's not happy to be home. The night consisted of a cold snow storm, a flat tire  and dead battery on my mother-in-law's car. So, Devin was helping Neal fix the car when Sara and her parents flew in. It was a sad welcome home party of one--me.

Cambry loves having Aunt Sara back because she lets her brush her long hair.

Jess and I took our girls on an adventure on Trax to Clark Planetarium. The girls were so safe holding hands.

Cambry posing on the moon. She loves pictures where she is sitting on a rock and looking at me. She asked me the other day to take a picture of her sitting on a rock on a median in the Costco parking lot. Ha!

So at Clark Planetarium there's this screen right here that senses heat. My hands are completely blue (and nose)!! This was after I was inside for over an hour... with my coat on! Oh my circulation is pathetic.

Girls lunch for Jessica's 30th Birthday

Cambry hung her art work on the fridge, and decided she wasn't done.

Cambry has been very diligent about keeping her thumb out of her mouth. She mastered it for 3 months, and the dentist gave her all these princess glass slippers, a thumbs up trophy, balloons, and all the staff cheered for her and took her picture. She was a little overwhelmed with all the attention, but I could tell she loved it too.

Cambry and Vienna do this online preschool that they love (most of the time). It's pretty great to see their knowledge expand.

Devin fixed my moms treadmill so that I could run during the winter. The girls think it is all fun and games. This time, the treadmill was their slide.

October Catch Up

My girls got to try out their cousin's birthday present- this fun power wheel.

Myla was singing her little heart out in the swing, I love her little voice.

Cleaning the finger prints: Cambry, "I'll spray and you scrub." 

Grandma Beck loves

Veena went to her friend's super hero Birthday party. Surprisingly she was asking to go home the whole time.

Devin's Grandpa- Grandpa Wrathall's 80th Birthday Party.

All the kids were happy to take home a balloon.

Cambry came upstairs dressed like this and so pleased with herself, much to Vienna's dismay.

These guys are making a boat out of leaves.

Cambry-"What are those things that you make when you do a laying down jumping jack?"

Every kid should have this childhood memory

Uncle Neal came over to watch a BYU football game. He was a really good sport, reading these kids a book when the game was really intense. These girls absolutely adore Neal.

choo choo!! All aboard the Beck Box express! Myla, Gwen and Mr. Bear.

Veena- "Sometimes I just eat gwass (grass) in my ice cweam cone.

little helpers making witches finger breadsticks.

Halloween play date with the Wards and Ainas. I love these families. We made a Halloween craft, mummy pizzas, and owl cupcakes. We all had a blast, and were grateful for this seemingly never ending warm weather!