Merry Christmas

This year we (meaning Ryan) have opted out of doing a Christmas card. We (and again I mean Ryan) are just feeling too busy and overwhelmed at the moment. So I decided to give a brief update on our lives through the blog.

Ryan is really busy. He is working for a company called Moog. He does a bit of everything. He does anything and everything visual and creative. He is really amazing and so very talented. Not a day goes by at work when he does not get a positive comment on the work he does. He is serving in the Elders Quorum as secretary and is pleased in doing what he can to serve. He is also going to Utah State University (in Salt Lake City). He is working on his MBA. We only have three classes left and are really looking forward to him graduating in June.

I, Brooke am busy also being a stay at home mom with three kids. I have been feeling really overwhelmed this year which is so crazy because I am so blessed in my life. I am able to serve in primary as a Valiant 9 teacher. I really love primary.

Anikka(7) has been growing so much this year, physically, intellectually, emotionally, and spiritually. She is still in Karate which I just love. It has been so good for her and she is so tough. She does really well in school. Especially with spelling and math. She is discovering more about herself and is learning better ways to make choices and to find good people to be around. She has also bore her testimony in Sacrament Meeting a few times this year. I really love to hear her heart and the wonderful example she sets for her brothers.

Bennett(4) is such a crack-up this year. He informed me early this year that his name is Bennett. He will still answer to Ben but when asked what his name is he will say Bennett Charles Jeppesen. He is so focused on where he is and what he is doing at the moment and he is not likely to forget when we talk about doing something in the future. He seems to be taking after his Mom in that he is really good at remembering names. He knows all Seven Dwarfs by heart. He now has hundreds ( and I am not exaggerating) of "Characters" these are all little action figurines that he has collected over the year. He loves tham all. They range from Disney figures to Star Wars figures to Super heroes. He knows when even one goes missing. He really is determined and also seems to really like to know all rules ahead of time and really likes to follow all rules.

Mac(1) Oh Mac. He is a handful of trouble but he is so stinking cute that he gets away with a lot. He is my climber and I just can't seem to keep him off the counter. He has also developed a very cute pout and can stick out his bottom lip so far. He is in to everything but he is so happy all the time that you don't realize until it is too late that he has gotten in to something that he shouldn't. We do not have a single outing go by without at least one person commenting on how cute he is and how white his hair is. He really is a bundle of joy. A really big, bouncing every which way bundle of joy.

We have had a really good year. I am, however, really looking forward to 2009 because I am excited for big changes that may be happening soon in our lives. Stay tuned....

Talking Back

Bennett Charles Jeppesen is expanding his vocabulary in a smart alec way. We were at the store on Monday Morning and Ben asked nicely for some goldfish crackers for a treat. I said sure. When we got to the car he wanted to eat his goldfish right then and I said no we can eat them after lunch. He promptly threw a fit and said "Mom you ruin everything!" It was pretty hard not to laugh and to sternly tell him that he cannot speak to his mother like that. The very next morning, I was getting Ben ready for preschool and trying to get his bed head wetted down and combed. He kept trying to run away until he turned to me and said "Mom, I am so tired of you". Again I have to really try to not laugh and tell him to speak kindly.

Then just yesterday Ben turns to me and asks, "Mom do you know what is wrong with Christmas?" I said "no Ben I don't." He replied "nothing it is FUNtastic!" Hopefully he will learn soon that if he can't say something nice don't say anything at all.

ABC' s af Thankfulness

My cousin just did her ABC's of blessings so I am going to copy her and do all the things I am thankful for.

A: Anikka

B: Bennett Charles Jeppesen

C: Church

D: Dishwasher

E: Entertainment ( Crazy things the kids do)

F: Family

G: Grandparents

H: Home

I: In-Laws (I really do have the Best)

J: Jeppesen Name

K: Kitty's (Thor and Loki)

L: Love

M: Mac

N: Neighbors (near and far)

O: Outings

P: Parenthood

Q: Quirks (the little things that make us all unique)

R: Ryan, the love of my life

S: Sitting Still ( for 3 minutes a day)

T: Talking

U: Undershirt (modesty)

V: Vietnamese food

W: Water

X: X-Rays ( modern medicine)
Y: Youth
Z: Zoo

So some of these are a bit of a stretch but I think I get points for creativity. These are also not the only things I am thankful for. There are numerous things that I am thankful for that start with a lot of letters But I only used one thing for each letter. Happy Thanksgiving

Something Fun for Christmas

Midway Utah is most known for Swiss Days. Recently they have started hosting an Interfaith Creche Exhibit. If you are ignorant like I was a Creche is a Nativity Set. People who collect Nativity's exhibit them at the Swiss Stake Center in Midway. The entire church is put to good use to show off all these Nativity's from all over the world, it is a really cool thing to see. The free exhibit is December 5th, 6th, and 7th. It really is worth taking a drive to see it, all of you that are close enough to come. E-mail me if you want more information.

Just Like Pulling Teeth

Anikka had gym day on Tuesday and the gym teacher sent home a note telling parents to make sure the kids have good shoes to run around in. That got me thinking about gym, so I asked Anikka what they do in gym class. She immediately got embarassed and said "well, today I did 27 push-ups." I said "Great! nice to know that you learned how to do a perfect push-up in Karate huh? Did your teacher see how good your push-ups were?" Then she got even more embarassed and said "Yes, She had me go up in front of the whole class to show them how to do a perfect push-up." I told her that was so great and she said "I don't want to talk about it because I don't want to brag." Then the rest of that night and the next day I would ask her questions to try and get more information about it. It turned out she did the most push-ups in the whole class and was singled out for it and she didn't quite like the singling out. Ryan, who is also very shy and humble about his many abilities was so postive with her about not wanting to brag. I felt that she should celebrate her accomplishments and be so happy about doing well that she would skip home to tell about what she accomplished. I didn't realize that I needed to deal with self-esteem issues and the balance of humility and pride at the age of 7.

Halloween Pictures

Mac the Cow

Old Ben Kenobi Anikka the Snow Princess

Ryan's really awesome vampire pumpkin.

Buffalo, New York

Ryan and I were able to go to Buffalo last week. It was so pretty there and so much fun! We left on Wednesday and it is a really long day to fly out there. There are no direct flights.Here is a picture of a pretty tree on a residential road in Orchard Park, New York. I would love to live in Orchard Park. This trip was a work trip for Ryan and a vacation for me. On Thursday, Ryan was Art Directing a photo shoot and I was able to see the sights of East Aurora. It was very neat to walk the main street. I really loved the Roycroft Campus. It was a haven for the arts. They did pottery, leather work, and copper work. I really enjoyed walking through those great buildings. On Thursday night we went for a drive and went by the LDS Church in Orchard Park. There were a lot of cars in the parking lot so we stopped in and said hi to the locals. We asked if it was really as bad there in Buffalo in the winter as everyone says. They all said "No, We get snow but it isn't as bad as everyone says. However we are a hearty people and we can handle anything that comes our way." It was also just nice to be able to visit with other members of our church.I loved seeing all the squirrels everwhere. I thought they were so cute and seemed so much bigger than our squirrels in Utah. On Friday, Ryan and went to Niagra Falls. That place is so very neat and as usual pictures just do not do it justice. A picture of me to prove I was there.

A picture of Ryan. Yes, that is a grimace on his face. It was one of the few times I was able to get the camera away from him.

The American Falls

Looking down the American Falls.

It was just so amazing! We had a great time and even decided to count it as a belated 10 year anniversary trip. What else says Second Honeymoon like Buffalo and Niagra Falls. It was great to be able to miss the kids. I was also somewhat vindicated when both my mom and Ryan's mom said that Mac is at a really hard stage and he is exhibiting this hard stage very physically. They were both worn out and I got some sympathy. Win, Win. We would also like to thank our sponsors for the great trip. Moog Medical for paying for Ryan's trip and our livelyhood. Aspen Aire Home Care and Little Valley Lawn Care for watching our kids, Thanks Moms and Dads!

Love is in The Air

In our Ward/neighborhood we started a "Soup Kitchen" to help get us through the long cold winter. We just get together to have lunch (soup and pot luck salads and bread) and to let the kids play. As we were leaving a cute little girl that is nearly 4 yelled to Ben, "Wait I haven't given you a hug and a kiss yet!" Ben said "Oh." She said "Can I give you a hug and kiss?" Ben said "Sure." And he gently sets down the pot he was helping me carry and throws his arms wide open and he is smiling so cute. The little girl stepped in for a hug and they give each other a big bear hug and she kisses him on the cheek. It was very cute! Ben really is very sweet most of the time.

Life Lesson Learned the Hard Way

My dear, sweet daughter Anikka got herself into a bit of trouble the other day. Her friend suggested that they help themselves to some of their teacher's treats. Anikka said no, but her friend went in the classroom and took four Jolly Ranchers. She kept two and gave two to Anikka. According to Anikka she just couldn't resist and ate one. When the teacher found out about the missing treats and asked the class who took them, everyone in the class said they all said it wasn't them. So here comes the redeeming part of this story. Anikka started feelng really yucky inside. She then told her teacher what happened and returned the Jolly Rancher that she did not eat. So her teacher sent her to the principal's office where Anikka and the Assitant Principal discussed what happened and what the consequences should be. They decided that one detention will suffice. When she got home that day she was very upset and feeling very bad. We talked about what we needed to do and decided that she take her tooth fairy money that she had been saving and to make resititution by buying her teacher another package of Jolly Ranchers, and to write a note of apology. I also told that there was one more person she needed to repent to and she said that she already had. This was a very hard experience for Anikka and me but the silver lining is that she was able to feel bad and then to try to make right the wrong that she did. She also learned a lot and will never do anything like that ever again.

Funny Ben

The other morning Ben turned to me and said.

"I am a good boy, Mom."

I said "yes, Ben, you are"

He said "And you love me."

"Yes, Ben, I do." I said.

"Do you know how I know?" He asked.

"how?" I asked.

He said " you give me your 'I love you' smile."

I smiled at him.

He said "yep, that one."

It is times like these that just melt your heart and make up for a lot of the daily screaming and fighting that these kids do. It also makes it easier to forgive him for throwing his little brother to the wolves quite literally.

On Saturday morning Ben went outside and left the door open so naturally Mac goes out too. One minute later Ben comes running inside and slams the door shut with Mac still outside. He is yelling "Sophie is Coming" Sophie is a neighborhood dog that the boys are a little afraid of, she jumps on them and she is not a small dog. So Mac is outside screaming. I run to open the door and Mac is pinned against the door with a big dog licking his face. As soon as I picked him up he was totally fine and wanted to pet the dog. Later that afternoon I asked Mac to show Dad what the dog did and he stuck out his tounge, just like this. It is very cute.

Too Many Close Calls

Shouldn't a third child instinctively know to stay close to his Mom and to really try not to get into trouble. By the time the third one comes along a mom starts to feel a little relaxed, thinking I have two other kids that I have taken care of, I can take care of another. A bit of a "been there, done that" attitude. My little Mac is really not one I can ever let out of my sight for even a second. He is a climber and a busy body. Today He escaped me while I was distracted went outside because Ben left the door open and ran into the road. It is normally a pretty busy road, but thankfully there was not a car in sight during those 3 seconds he was out there. Then during bath time tonight Mac was done with his bath and in his jammies. I was ushering Ben into the bath just in time to see Mac fall in head first. He was fine and didn't go under at all but still it is scary. I am so grateful that we have a Heavenly Father in our lives to look out for my little ones. What a blessing! Right now I am thinking that I will be keeping Mac under lock and key until he is 19 then he can leave the house to go on his mission. I can only hope that he will quickly learn Rule #1 and really stick to it. Rule #1 in the Jeppesen house is to "Stay by Mom". That is THE rule whenever we go anywhere, Anikka knows it by heart, Ben is still learning it but how do you explain that rule to a 16 month old. Whew! What a day.

Counting My Blessings

Some days are more difficult to be a Mother than other days, and I often feel like I am the only one that thinks that. So in an effort to feel more positive I will write down 5 things I love about each of them.

Anikka

1. I love having a little girl to go shopping for!
2. I love that she is such a great big sister.
3. I love that she keeps her room so clean.
4. I love that she loves Karate.
5. I really look forward to girls nights with her.

Ben

1. I love that Ben has brown eyes.
2. I love that Ben loves to draw.
3. I love that he loves his "Characters".
4. I love his determination.
5. I love that he is such a collector of things.

Mac

1. I love his white-blonde hair.
2. I love that he is such a cuddle-bug.
3. I love that he loves a bath-bath and his "b b"
4. I love his dimples
5. I love his smile, He is mostly a happy baby.

Well, I feel a lot better maybe I can get dinner done tonight!

Anikka's Testimony

In the spirit of using this blog as a journal I want to post a memory that I always want to remember.

On August 3, which was fast sunday, I was visiting my sister in Idaho and Ryan took the kids to church. When the member of the Bishopric finished with his testimony he invited everyone to come and bear their testimonies. Anikka turned to Ryan and said "everyone?" Ryan said "yes". She then said "even Me?" Again Ryan said "yes". So she quickly jumped right up to go bear her testiomony. She ended up being the second one up to the podium and didn't know quite what to do, then Elder Jeffery R. Holland pulled down the seat next to him and motioned for her to sit down. Elder Holland is in our ward so we get the joy of seeing him about five times a year. When it was Anikka's turn to bear her testimony she stood up and said:

"I want to bear my testimony that I know this church is true. I know that this is Jesus's church and he wants us to be happy."

Then, not remembering quite the right protocol to end her testimony, she stalled a little bit and finished:

"I hope that we all like to go to church, and..... Jesus likes us all to go to church and wants us all to be happy like him. I want us all to remember to be good to others and always choose the right. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen."

She then walked off the podium giving Elder Holland a mini high-five. He whispered in her ear that she is beautiful and she did a very good job with her testimony.

Anikka has always shown a talent for public speaking. She has performed in different plays and productions, and has given speeches in front of hundreds of people. I need to find a forum to help her further develop this talent.

First Day of School

Anikka's first day was on August 19. She was so excited to be starting 2nd grade.
Ben started preschool on Sept. 4. He was just hamming it up for the camera. I was not able to get a "just stand there and smile at the camera" picture. These are more fun anyway. It really shows off their personalities.
This is a picture of the post preschool crash. He had so much fun. He really needed the nap.

Fall Top Five

I thought it might be fun to play off the Jeppesen Five theme and occasionally do a top five list. Fall is by far my favorite season, so here are my top five favorite things of fall.

1. The Weather. I love the crispness of air.
2. The changing of the leaves. It is just so beautiful, I love to decorate my house in the reds, oranges, golds, and browns of the season.
3. The Shopping. I love fall season clothes. I love to wear the layers and the oranges, golds, and browns. Thanks to my Aunt I know that I look best in those colors too!
4. Football. I know I don't watch as much football as my husband would like, but I still like football and cannot wait until my boys will be playing.
5. Halloween. It is such a fun holiday. The kids get to dress up and be what ever they want to be for a night and we parents get to confiscate the candy and go through it to make sure it is safe and to get our favorites. There have to be some perks for being the parent.

Blogging Bandwagon

I have officially hopped on to the blogging bandwagon. Mostly because I really enjoy reading others' blogs, but I also want to use this as an online journal for my family. So, some things may be boring to outsiders and there may be months between posts, but for now I am excited to get this started. I have some pictures from this past summer that I wanted to post in the inaugural post to show off what our kids are up to.

Anikka and Sensei Manie. Anikka just received her Purple/White (3rd level) belt.

Ben's 4th birthday party at Mimi and Papa's house. Ryan, the man of many talents, decorated Ben's requested Superman cake.


Mac found some mud in our front yard. When he began clapping with delight it splashed in his eyes so he rubbed them and ended up looking like this. He was happy about it the whole time.