One of many steps to baptism

Today after Church, Kate had her baptismal interview with the Bishop. Last night, we sat down with her and asked her questions and prepared her for what it was going to be like. She said she was nervous and we tried to calm her fears. She was excited too! We met together with him, to fill out her form. Then I left and she continued on with the interview. At the end, Darin and Kate did a mock baptism, so the Bishop could make sure they knew how to do it. Then we got a cute picture of Kate with Bishop Hawkes for her memory book. When we walked out of the Church, she was ALL smiles. She said, "It went great and there was no reason to be scared." I gave her a big hug, okay so I gave her several big hugs. I couldn't resist. I asked her if he had asked if she had a testimony of Jesus. She said, "I told him that I did and that I couldn't wait to feel the Spirit when I am baptized." She and I both cried a little, the Spirit was there and we both felt so happy. I told her how proud we are as her parents that she has chosen to be baptized. She looked so at peace and confident. That is an odd choice of words, but it is hard to explain. But I saw in her that having to proclaim her testimony to her bishop bolstered her up, strengthened her. I hope I can always remember what she looked like today. She glowed. She simply GLOWED. I can't wait for Saturday. She'll be brilliant!

I love you so much Kater!

Things I should be writing down somewhere

I have things that I just need to record and since this is my "journal" I will bore you all. For instance, Sarah went to the dr yesterday for yet another UTI. It is crazy how many we have had lately. She is constantly on antibiotics. She has been on them more then off of them. I haven't been keeping track of them and am determined to do so. That way I can say DR. she has had ___ UTIs in the past 6 months. DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. So for the record this was UTI #2. She had #1 just two weeks ago. Poor girl.

Abby still doesn't want to play in the soccer games. This time she practiced at least. So we are making progress. Maybe this Saturday will be the ticket. I never would have guessed she would be the one to be afraid. Sarah didn't score any goals, but she thought she did. She is loving it. Kate didn't score any this week, but neither did any of her teammates. They fell 2-0. I think Kate was the only girl who even got close. She is a determined player and she works so hard at it. She is like her Mom, INTENSE about sports. I love it. Ellie, loves to kick around the soccer ball during Kate's practices, so I think we have our 4th player in the works.

Abby is doing so much better in school. She was never doing bad, but she was a little too talkative and boisterous. Hard to imagine. Hee Hee. Now if I can get her to stay focused. Both she and Sarah are making great strides in their reading and writing. Which in comparison to the kids they ride to school with, they need to make strides. Then again they are geniuses, so I try not to compare. :) LOL. Luke and Amber can READ so well. It is amazing. Sarah and Abby love school and for that I am eternally grateful. I pray that love stays with them. I am still so grateful for their teacher as well. She is the perfect mix of stern and sweet. I am working in their class every Thursday and I enjoy it. I also am working in Kate's on Wednesdays. It is so great to be in there too. You get such a better sense of what your child is learning, the expectations from the teacher, what the teacher is like and how your child is doing with friends. Her teacher is great too. Kate was student of the month in August and a Who's Hoo or is it Who's Who? WHO KNOWS??? :) It is an award they had out on Fridays at the school. They are the Oak Grove Owls. Get it- Hoo Hoo?? Ellie continues to be a screamer. I had a friend over and she was shuddering every time Ellie screamed. I realized then how immune I have become. Now don't take me wrong. It is still ear piercing and annoying, but I think I have had some hearing loss and therefore it is not as potent as it once was. She is learning more and more words, so the screaming is a little less, at least on the days when she is not grumpy. :O) She is the best kisser, hugger, and is always getting my shoes for me when it is time to go. This morning she said I love you to Darin. She has said it before, but it was always kind of her version and today it was as clear as a bell. Oh so sweet.

This morning when I went in to wake up Sarah and Abby I found them in the same bed again. They have bunk beds, but we often find them together. It is always Abby who joins Sarah. They are two very good friends and they really do watch out for one another. One can't get in trouble without the other feeling awful about it too. It is like I have a voodoo doll. I am disciplining Sarah and poking Abby's doll and she is crying just as much if not more then Sarah. Or vice versa.

I can't believe that Kate and Ellie have birthdays next week. Kate will be 8 and Ellie 2. Sometimes I long for more, but know that it is physically just not going to happen. So I am trying to love it all. It is hard to have them grow up. I especially need to learn to love it at 5 pm everyday-that is when it all falls apart. DINNER TIME! UGH!
I'll let you know if I can make it today with a smile and no screaming. It's my goal. :) And by that I mean no screaming on my part. Well or the kids. But especially me. :)

Announcing. . . .

We are estatic that Kate has chosen to be baptized. We are so excited, as is she. I am amazed by her everyday. We hope you'll join her on her special day.

Birthday Boy

Dad,

You've had a birthday shout hurray, we want to sing to you today. One year older and wiser too, Happy Birthday to YOU!

If we could only be with you tonight. If we were together I know we would have been barbecuing steak, eating baked potatoes, and enjoying some delicious cake and ice cream. Ahh those were the days when we celebrated together in the AZ sun. Man we miss you. I know I have said this a million times, but it is hard to be separated on days like today. When you have tasted of the sweet, it is hard to leave it. We miss the celebrations!

Dad, I have thought a lot over the years about something you once said to me. I hope you don't mind, if I reminisce with you. I remember I was about 15 years old. We had gone to the church and there was a meeting going on. I wanted to go with you and play basketball while you were in the meeting. At the time, I was talking to one certain boy on the phone a lot. Should we name names?? Okay so it was Naka. :) We had met at Youth Conference and hung out at dances and things. I remember you walked in and said you wanted to talk to me for a minute. You asked me what my relationship with Naka was. I remember being so surprised by the question. I explained that we were friends and that yea we liked each other, but we were not dating or anything we weren't supposed to be doing. I recall being grateful that I could answer honestly and not be afraid to share my feelings with you. I think it made me feel so good that you had come to me and asked me on such an adult level. We continued to discuss it for a bit and then you went back to doing something at the church and I played more ball. I never ever forgot that conversation. It made me want to be good. Made me want to be my best. And I never forgot it when I eventually turned 16 and started to date. I knew that you and Mom cared. I knew that you wanted me to be clean and pure. I knew from that day, that I wanted to be clean and pure for myself and for you. And now today, as a Mom, I hope for that same relationship with my daughters. I hope that I too can turn to them and talk with the same respect and love that you did Dad. This is just one experience of many that I have had with you Dad that has changed me for the better. I hope that on this day, your birthday, and everyday, that you know how much your loved and appreciated. You are my Dad, and how grateful I am for that. You are my Dad for always and forever. YES!!!! I love you Dad. Happy Birthday!

A shout out

Last week for our school carnival, I was assigned to seperate tickets into bundles of $5.00 and $10.00. We had 20 rolls of tickets. Each roll was 2,000 tickets. YES- 40,000 tickets. I immediately turned to the sisters in our neighborhood whom I love. They are Oak Grove moms and dear friends. We had 8 women come last night and I was amazed we actually were able to finish them ALL. I would never in this lifetime been able to do it alone. Thank you dear friends for coming to my aide and make an insurmountable task fun and easy to finish.

A shout out of thanks to Jeanette, Regan, Elizabeth, Britny, Christie, Kelli and Shadley.

What would I have done without you??

PS-Heidi you were thought of last night. :) I know you would have been here in a flash.

PPS-Extra little thank yous to Liz and Ryan for the paper clip runs! You rock!


One of 4 bags of tickets!

A SPLIT EDITION. . .

Little did I know I was going to be so long winded and that this truly would end up being a split edition! I also have to mention how fun it was to hang out with Emily, Shelley and Mikayla. Thanks for putting up with a wild, sick, giggly, kid free Mom. Hail to chocolate chip cookies Mikayla, Amen to no pantyhose Emily and to Shelley, may your good eye for black widow spiders always be sharp. :) And Em, nice hunting, it died a brutal death. We missed you Jill, Melinda and Sarah! Of course, we have to include their hubbys, kids and Whitme. :) It just would have been even better to have the rest of the Mac clan with us.

On the home front, Darin was AMAZING. I would have awarded him the best husband and father award ever in the past with ease. But after this weekend, he blew all past accolades out the window. He had Kate, Sarah, Abby and Ellie at the soccer field by 7:30 am on Saturday morning. Kate's first game was at 8am so he had her in uniform, hair done and with required bow even. :) He watched Kate score two goals and even got some pictures. (that scored big with me!) GO KATE!!!! Then he got Sarah and Abby, gear and all ,to there soccer game at 10am. While there he chased Ellie, cheered Sarah on as she scored a goal (alright Sarah!) and tried desparately to get a very scared Abby on the field (it's okay Abby, next time!). He watched the BYU game, with four kids none the less (thank you so much Rasmussens!) and still managed to get kids in bed on time and bathed. Then he had them to church, hair done and all by 9am. But here is the kicker: he managed to get a roast, potatoes and carrots in the crockpot too. Then he was set apart as the stake YM secretary and had his first meeting. Then had the kids in PJs and in bed by 7PM that night. Words are inadequate. Do I need to brag anymore?? He blows me away. Thanks Darin so much for doing it ALL. I was so grateful to be with my family and you made it all possible. Although, he did such a good job, I think I should just step aside and retire. He does a better job than I do! LOL!

Split Edition

For those of you who know me well, I do enjoy the Today Show. I find I watch it less these days, but I still do watch it a little. I think the reason is I miss Katie Couric. What can I say, I liked her a lot. Not that Meredith is not good, but well Katie is Katie. Anyhow, as they are often saying when one anchor is in one place and one in the other, they have a split edition. So was the case at the Phippen home this past weeknd. I ran off to Redlands, CA to be with my parents, two sisters, a niece, an aunt, an uncle and four cousins. It has been one year since my grandmother passed away and we were excited to do her temple work for her. I joined the party Friday night and stayed all the way through Sunday afternoon. It is an extremely emotional thing for me to go to Redlands. Let me explain. My parents were raised in Redlands and the surrounding area. They met, fell in love and were married in the LA temple. Both sets of my grandparents lived there for all most of my growing up years. In fact, both my paternal grandparents died there. As you can imagine, we spent many, many summers there visiting them. I have so many memories there. And then in the last 8 years we lived in Phoenix and here in Visalia. When we lived in PHX it was a quick 4 hour trip and we were blessed to make it many times. And then moving to Visalia, we have made the trip again as it is only 4 hours south this time. We've made it our stop on our way to see my parents in Goodyear, AZ. It is a pretty little city. And even now as I type this I can't help but well up. I lost my maternal grandmother and paternal grandfather last year within two weeks of each other. My physical ties to this sweet place are gone. Their homes have been sold and that chapter of my life is closed. The chapter is long, full of dear memories. I didn't want it to end. And even now a year later, as I drove into town I couldn't help but cry for my grandparents. I miss them so much.
It is so appropriate that a temple has been built there and we gathered as a family and did the work for my grandmother. It meant so much more to us to do it there then another temple. We had brought her to the open house and had walked the halls of the temple once with her before. And it felt so right to be there again. It also brought such sweet memories forward of my other grandparents. My Dad pointed out in the celestial room where President Hinckley had stood and where my Grandpa and Dad had sat for the dedication of the temple. It was like being home again. I will always feel that way about Redlands.
I loved too, that my Mom and her sister and my aunt Vicki were sealed to their parents. And that my Grandmother who was orphaned at 3 was sealed to her parents. She didn't remember them in this life and what a sweet day for them to be together for eternity. My Grandma was the last of her siblings to pass on and now they are all sealed together. My Mom's cousins came from Idaho and Utah to be there as well. I love each of these strong beautiful women as well. They are who introduced my Mom and Aunt to the gospel and I am so eternally grateful to them for they example and the love and support they have ALWAYS shown my Mom and Vicki. They are just amazing and it is incredible to be with all of them in the same room. They are a hoot. Never has there been a group of 6 women that can laugh more. I loved being with them. I love you Marti, Leslie, Karen, Eileen, Vicki and Mom!!! What great examples you are to me.

Right of Passage

There are certain things that kids do that are inherent. They just DO them. They are different for boys then they are girls. Boys have their legos and cars, trucks and action figures. Girls have their barbies, crowns, wands, dolls and babies. For whatever reason, they need no prodding to do these things and like these things. They just happen. In our house, we are inundated with GIRLY things. You cannot imagine. Darin and I have a favorite quote from "Steel Magnolia" (said with a southern accent) Julia Roberts: " My colors are blush and bashful." Sally Field, "Her colors are pink and pink. It looks like the church has been sprayed with pepto bismol." Our house has definitely been sprayed with pepto bismol! But back to my philosophical thinking. :O) The other day, Ellie came to me with a dress up dress in hand and said, "Help me!" I was so surprised. I knew it was inevitable, but it means a turning point for me. My baby is no longer a baby. She has become a true little lady. And now all of our girls have walked the path to fantasyland.

Jill

You've had a birthday shout hurray. We want to sing to you today. One year older and wiser too. Happy Birthday to you!

With much love and adoration

We send this out to you

To let you know how much we care

And want the best for you

THE TOP TEN REASONS TO LOVE JILL

1. Her smile. It is radiant! It helps you look younger Jill. MUCH younger. Ha ha. Did you get your driver's license yet????

2. Her laugh. Have you ever noticed that it comes from the gut, but yet is still so feminine? It makes me smile.

3. She always does crafts with her kids. If only I could be half as good.

4. Jill is a great dancer, putting us all to shame. The only one in the family with good old fashion rhythm. Go girl!
5. She sticks to her guns and doesn't let anyone sway her.

6. She flew all the way from Michigan to help me during my darkest time while pregnant. She's a life saver in very real terms.

7. Jill is a PhD wife. She gets an award for pulling through years of college life with awesome patience and good attitude. Your almost done. And so are you Colter! Great job!

8. She loves her family and the Lord, unconditionally.

9. She let me do her flowers for her wedding. Brave girl!

10. She gets up at 5am to teach seminary. Talk about dedication and sacrifice. You're my idol Jill.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JILLO! Love you tons.

Yaquina Head Lighthouse

Growing up nowhere near the ocean, I haven't ever seen a lighthouse, let alone climbed up in one. We saw two while in Oregon and our favorite was Yaquina Head. Once inside, you saw where they stored the oil, a work room and then the black spiral staircase that led to the top. It was exciting to climb up to the top with Abby, Sarah, Kate and Darin. I even got some pictures from up on top. Here's looking up to the top on the inside. Sarah, Darin and Kate climbing to the top. The actual "light."

The view from the top.

Tide Pools

Kate loves to read this blog so it is she that I write to next. I really am bad about writing in my journal so this has to count, okay Kate?! I have to post about the tidepools we saw in Oregon because they were so awesome and that was your favorite part. On the way down to the beach and the pools, you see signs everywhere that say not to walk on the mussel beds. My sister Shelley and I had no idea what they looked like, but figured we would figure it out. Looking out on the pools it looked like there were large dark rocks everywhere. It wasn't until we got up close that we realized the rocks were COVERED in mussels. I don't know if you can tell from the pictures or not, but it was really neat. Behind Kate, are some of the mussels. All of the spots that look like little dark rocks are actually mussels. Another great shot of them is the picture below with one of the orange starfish.

Scattered all over were starfish. I have never seen one in "real" life and obviously not this many. At one point we had to be careful where we walked, there were so many. The colors were awesome too. We saw orange and a red/maroon color.
We also saw a ton of sea anemones. All of the bright green spiky plant looking things are anemones. Don't you love my technical terms?

Kate also found a number of crabs. If you use your superpowers and look REALLY hard you'll see a red crab that we caught moving under water. Also, under the rocks everywhere you could find crabs and hermit crabs in their shells. It was wacky thinking that under you were millions of crabs. Plus don't you just love how the beautiful the rocks are? They were so perfectly smooth. I wanted to pocket some. Too bad we weren't allowed.

Tid Bits

We were reading in 3 Nephi as a family during the chapters where Jesus Christ visits the Nephites. We were discussing with our kids in chapter 19 about how it looked like the disciples were surrounded by fire. We were asking our girls what they thought that meant. Sarah and Kate were both guessing that it had something to do with the power of God. They were looking for words to describe it. Darin told them that the Spirit of God was so bright and brilliant, that it looked like they were surrounded by fire. The girls were shouting out what they thought when Abby lit up and said, "It was awe inspiring!"

A few weeks before we were reading still in 3 Nephi about when Jesus administered the sacrament to the Nephities. We were asking who blessed the sacrament for us on Sunday at Church. Sarah said, "The breadmens do." We were roaring. Kate was rolling on the floor. :) Happy times in 3 Nephi.

My Mom

Today is an awesome day!! It would only be even better if I were in Goodyear, AZ celebrating with my Madre! Happy Birthday Mom. I wish we could be there. So we could give you our card that we have, but didn't get in the mail on time. :) :( I'M LAME. And so we could have some ice cream. Okay no the real reason is so we could give you lots of hugs and kisses. The girls would be smothering you!! But in tribute to you and your special day let me share some of the reasons why we want to smother you. :)

We love you because:

1. You stayed sane while raising 6 kids. That earns you a noble peace prize.

2. You cook the best swiss enchiladas on the planet. And cinnamon rolls!

3. No one can decorate for holidays like you can. And we LOVE it.

4. You have a swimming pool.

5. Puzzles are your specialty.

6. You love to laugh. I'll never forget the time that you and Grandma Mac let loose once you laughed so hard. Hee hee.

7. You love the Lord.

8. You taught us all to love books.

9. You read to us. Kate cracks up when I tell her stories of our summer reading when you dozed mid sentence. LOL!!!

10. You love your grandchildren.

11. You are a cancer survivor.

12. You keep in touch.

13. You wrote that story at the reunion last year that made us cry.

14. You have done our family history work.

15. And because you did that I had one of most spiritual experiences of my life.

16. You love games and now we do too.

17. You let me spend your money and decorate! (alright people I'm not spoiled-it was her house) LOL

18. You love the temple and faithfully go.
19. You cried with me at the dining table when I told you I was miscarrying. And you were there with me at the doctor's office.
20. You are unafraid.

21. You lost weight, not that we cared what you weighed, but we love that it will help you be with so much longer. You worked so hard. . .

22. You are sewing Kate's baptism dress.

23. You make every effort to be with us at important times in our lives.

24. You were a pioneer, joining the Church, altering our eternal course for generations to come.
25. You showed us how to live the gospel.

26. We love you because you are our Mom and Grandma! This list could be endless.

Happy Birthday Madre. We love you so much.- Darin, Amy, Kate, Sarah, Abby and Ellie

Father's Blessings

I think one of the best parts of the first day is getting a father's blessing. I am so grateful for my own Dad, (LOVE YOU DAD) for always being worthy to hold the priesthood and give me a blessing before every year. There was always such a wonderful spirit and it always calmed me so much. I want so much for my girls to feel the same way. Darin gave each of the girls blessings on Tuesday night. I had YW's on Wednesday and didn't want to rush through it, so we did it a day early. Abby went first and the thing I remember the most about Abby's was that she should always remember to pray. That if she ever felt alone, that she could pray and know her Father in Heaven is near. Sarah went next and she was told she has a duty to be a good example to her friends and sisters. Afterwards, Abby said, "Sarah has a duty!" It was adorable. She was LISTENING! Then it was Kate's turn. What stuck out in my mind was how Darin blessed her to work hard and try try try. He also blessed her to choose her friends wisely and that if her friends ever made bad choices, that she needed to stand tall for the right. After each blessing we took a picture with each daughter. Then Ellie climbed up on the chair by herself and folded her arms. Darin and I were shocked and awed at her sensitivity to the moment. Darin gave her the sweetest little blessing and then she too gave hugs all around. I was so proud of Ellie, for noticing what was going on and for having a pure desire to be blessed by her Daddy. For Kate, Abby and Sarah for their GREAT example. And for Darin, my love and my rock. Thanks for blessing each of our precious girls. I love you! Here's Ellie after her blessing. Ahh the joy the gospel brings!!

A New Era

So this morning I sent Kate to 3rd grade and Sarah and Abby to kindergarten. I think I would have been a nervous wreck if I hadn't been praying and worrying now for months. I even fasted, along with Darin, for them and well for me too. It sounds a little nutty, but I cried and prayed so hard for these three little girls this past Sunday. I know they are young to send, but we it seems like the right thing to do. Yet at the same time, I can't help but worry they'll listen or follow instructions. I worry if they'll have friends and then worry they'll be good ones. I worry they'll not understand or fall behind. I worry worry worry. I am so grateful for the sweet feeling I had on Sunday after ending our fast. Of course that doesn't mean the road will be easy, it just means we can know our Father in Heaven will be at our side as we walk the road.
Kate was so excited for this morning that she was dressed and had her bed made by 6:15am. She got very shy when she got to the classroom, but I think she'll do great. She has a male teacher once again, Mr. Ferrera. He seems outgoing and easygoing. It'll be a different year. Last year's teacher was the artsy type and her teacher this year hardly has a thing on his walls. Abby and Sarah were excited as well and had no problems getting in and finding their name tags. They got right into looking at books. The Lord watched out for us and gave us the most patient teacher ever. She is so sweet and loving too. It went about as smooth as I could have hoped for. Now if I just won't worry too much. . .

Here are my cuties on their first day:
Go my Oak Grove Owls!

All of them got home and reported:

Sarah, "We're in kindergarten and I will like it everyday! There will be happiness in kindergarten. And I love Mrs. Simons." :)

Abby: "I just love kindergarten. There are two Abby's in my class. There are two Sarah's too." When asked if she liked it she said, "YES!"

Kate: "Third grade is so awesome. I had a great time. I made some really nice new friends, Angel and Anna. Mr. Ferreira is funny."

The Mom said, "Now if we can only keep these positive attitudes until JUNE , we'd be in business. :) I'd say we are off and running folks! Here goes the rest of 2008."