Fireworks 2011

We had Grandma and Grandpa Ripplinger with us on the big Huntsman open grass field to watch the fireworks and hear Glenn Beck talk. It was a fun, family night.

Fourth of July 2011

We were pretty excited, because we made these fun recipes from the Deals to Meals blog that Mom loves. We weres spoiled by Huntsmans, who provided a free, fabulous day of activities and then the greatest fireworks display that night. Happy Birthday, America!

Derek's Wisdom Teeth Come Out, June 2011

Derek needed to have all four widom teeth removed. What better time than on summer vacation? Ha. He went to Dr. Marshall, here in Driggs, who did a great job. When Derek got home that morning, in these pictures, you may see that he couldn't walk straight, and he couldn't hold anything in his mouth, without drooling it down the front of him. He even notice until we pointed it out, so we placed a "bib" around his neck to help him out.

We also thought it was funny, that he kept asking when his adult wisdom teeth would come in. He finally understood that wisdom teeth are come in once, never again. He also thought he has 8 wisdom teeth, so was happy to find out he only had to have four out : )

Elder Trenton Argyle's Homecoming, June 26, 2011

The most Ripplingers we've had together in a long time gathered at Clint and Sherry Argyle's home in Spanish Fork to celebrate Elder Trenton Argyle's Homecoming from his mission in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Argyles came, too, on Saturday night.

It was great to see Trent again, he's better than ever. We swam at Seven Peaks on Saturday, jumped on the trampoline, and went to a pond to try and see toads. A few of these pictures show the one little frog that we found. We thought we could see some eyeballs out in the pond. We are told that last year, they found large toads that were about 6 inches across, but no such luck for us.

Seven Peaks in Provo - Sunscreen = Roasted Blaine

Blaine said that he was sure he covered himself in the sunscreen, but a day later, it sure doesn't look like it. We had a grand time at Seven Peaks in Provo, but now some have to pay the price.

First Light by Rebecca Stead

I just finished reading First Light. Our librarian had originally recommended it for Elizabeth, who is 11, but I wanted to read it first. It is a nice story about a young man from New York City, who goes to Greenland, with his father and mother. He discovers a new land, under the ice, and also finds out his mother is from the "tribe" that lives in Gracehope.

May 2011 Piano, Violin, Braces and Cast Removal

On Sunday, May8, Paula Johnson held her usual end of school year concert. It was Mother's Day, but we had it anyway. Paula has always been a blessing to our lives. I've written of her often. I don't play the piano that well, but I made it a goal to give my children music lessons. I always thought that it is one gift from Heavenly Father that you can take with you to heaven, and you can use it to bring joy to others all your life. Elizabeth and Nikole are thriving, under Paula's teachings. We took a little trip away from her while she was in South America, but now, two years later, we're back under her tutilage, and it's wonderful.

You'll also see Carl with his little violin. He started taking lessons from Miss Melanie (Moulton) t his past fall. She has a points system, where if you earn 50 points by practicing, you get to get into her treasure chest. She says he's gotten in by far, more than any other student! He's a gifted, little musician. He also had a recital recently. Nikole, Elizabeth and Carl are showing their awards they earned.

On Tuesday, May3, Nikole got braces on her teeth by Dr. Hillam of Idaho Falls. She's like most young people, I think. She was excited to have them put on, now not quite as excited to have them. This is a shot of her, prepping her mouth, wide open, for the braces that day.

And here we have Elizabeth at Dr. Brown's office, with Nurse Stephanie, starting to saw the last of the two casts off her leg. This was in April, so she was almost done with her leg regimen; only four weeks of a walking boot to go!