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.

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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