Jeppesen Family: May 2008

Sunday, May 18, 2008

Riley's Dance Recital/ Fiasco

Riley was so excited for her Dance Recital this year. But, with her on again off again bug she's had for 3 weeks that makes her puke and have horrible stomach pain and diarrhea, I knew it was inevitable that her Recital would be hard for her to get through. Of course, the Recital Day was the worst of it yet. She was puking before we even left and then thought she would be okay. Poor girl. This first pic is her in the dressing room trying so hard to be tough and not cry. But, she danced her first dance and even managed to smile. Then backstage she puked and puked. She had awhile to lay down, and then it was onto her next dance. She was determined to make it through and with the little strength she had, she did it. You would never know she was so sick. Afterwards, she was so happy that she made it through and just wanted to be held as she watched the rest of the recital. She taught me a huge lesson. Sometimes things are so tough and you would rather just sit out, but with a little courage and determination, you can make it through even with a smile on your face! What a strong little girl. We are so proud of her!

Trev's B-day Cake

Playing Baseball

Riley and Luke loving playing baseball right now. Riley starts T-Ball next month and I think Luke is going to have a hard time just watching.

Riley's Last Dance Class

Riley loved having Grammy Mitzi as her teacher this year and learned a lot!

Monday, May 12, 2008

Our Stay At The Grigg's

Last week we got to go stay with Julie for a few days while Trev was in Florida. It was a great little vacation. Our kids had a blast together. We took them to the zoo which I have to say is a great little zoo. I stole these pics off Julie's blog since I forgot my camera. Anyway, they had some entertaining little monkeys that would come over and jump against the glass just to get a rise from the kids. They are still talking about the crazy monkeys! Anyway, we got in some quality time together and some good shopping while the kids had fun doing everything from riding bikes to even riding sleds down the dirt hill across the street. I guess that's what they do in Idaho. (I can't believe I never did that as a kid.) It was so funny to watch once I got over them getting filthy dirty. They got going as fast as they would on the snow, just a lot dirtier. Thanks, Jule, for a great vacation!

Friday, May 9, 2008

The NeverEnding Stomach Flu

Have you ever heard of a flu like this? Two weeks ago Riley threw up a few times. Then she had diarrhea that has lasted for 12 days! Then she started puking again for two days. What is the deal? We have been to the Doctor and everything, but haven't heard any results from our "sample" yet. Anyway, it has been a long two weeks and I have cleaned up every sort of bodily fluid you can imagine (which I have to say is 10x worse when you're pregnant.) And I feel so sorry for her. Anyway, to top it off, Trevor has been away for work for the past two weeks through all of this. But he comes home tonight so I think I can make it that much longer. I know I can't complain, there are much worse things. I just needed to vent. I think I will probably sleep for 2 days straight when he gets here. Jade has offered to babysit so we can go somewhere without kids tomorrow... what a much needed break!

Happy Birthday Trev!

I just have to say Happy Happy Birthday to my husband, Trevor, who is 29 today! We love your guts out! Thanks for being so great!

Saturday, May 3, 2008

Happy Birthday Jade!

Hope you have a great one. You deserve it! Thanks for always being there for me. So glad we live close! Happy 26th!

Our Religion

We belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. One of our apostles, M. Russell Ballard, described our beliefs best in his Oct. '07 Conference Address. (If you want to post this to your blog, feel free to copy and paste) Facts * • First, “Mormon” is a nickname for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Members are often referred to as “Mormons,” “Latter-day Saints,” or “LDS.” The term “Saint” means “member.” * • Second, the Church was restored in 1830 in upstate New York with Joseph Smith as its first prophet and president. Today it is headquartered in Salt Lake City, with President Thomas S. Monson as the present prophet. * • Third, there are now over 13 million members in 176 countries and territories. About 6 million of these are in the United States, making us the fourth largest Christian denomination in America. As one of the fastest growing Christian faiths in the world, we complete a new chapel every working day. Members pay a tithe, which is 10 percent of their income, making this and other programs possible. * • Fourth, local congregations are led by volunteer, unpaid members. Both men and women serve in assigned leadership positions. * • And fifth, Mormons are well represented in politics and government. (In the United States, for example, there are 16 members in Congress, from both political parties.) Members also serve in high and trusted positions throughout the world in business, medicine, law, education, media, sports, and entertainment. Faith Next, people need to know something of our faith as committed Christians with strong traditional values. Along with the Articles of Faith we need to emphasize that: * • We believe in the eternity of the soul, that God is the Father of our spirits, and that we can return to Him after death. * • We believe that Jesus Christ is our personal Savior, and we try to model our lives after Him and His teachings. We commemorate Christ’s atoning sacrifice in our Sunday worship services, similar to taking communion in other churches. We accept as fellow Christians all who believe Jesus Christ to be the Son of God and the Savior of all mankind. Many Christians do not understand that we have much common ground with them. Joseph Smith taught that Jesus Christ is the core of our belief, and everything else is an appendage to it (see Elders’ Journal, July 1838, 44). The name of the Church is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. * • We believe the original church that Jesus established was lost and has been restored again in our day. The priesthood, the authority given to man to act in the name of God, with apostles and a prophet to lead us, has been restored as have all necessary ordinances of salvation. * • We believe in and we use the Holy Bible, both the Old and New Testaments. * • And we believe in the Book of Mormon and other books of scripture which support and authenticate the Bible and testify of the ministry and divinity of Christ and of God’s ongoing revelation to man. Indeed, the Book of Mormon is “Another Testament of Jesus Christ.” Family The next thing it is good for people to know is how family-centered our theology and our lifestyles are. Once again, simple statements are helpful to someone who is uninformed but curious about the importance we place on families. * • Mormons place particularly strong emphasis on family as the basic unit of the Church and of society. We have a deep commitment to marriage (defined as a union between one man and one woman). Polygamy, a limited practice in the early pioneer days of the Church, was discontinued in 1890, some 117 years ago. * • Families and individuals, whether members of our faith or not, can attend Sunday services in our chapels. Here we worship together, instructing one another from the scriptures. * • Latter-day Saint families are encouraged to hold family home evenings weekly, usually on Monday nights. This provides a regular and predictable time for parents to teach values to their children and to have fun together. We invite those not of our faith to adopt this practice with their own families. * • The Church has auxiliary programs for women, youth, and children as a support to the family. These programs provide such things as religious instruction, opportunities for Christian service, sports, drama, music, and Scouting. * • And there is also much focus on extended family, genealogy, and personal family history, providing young and old with a stronger sense of roots, identity, and belonging. The highest and most sacred ordinances of our faith relate to our families, both living and dead, and some of these ordinances take place in our temples. Fruits Now, even as someone begins to understand a few facts about us and comes to know us more accurately by our faith and the importance of family, it was the Savior who said “by their fruits ye shall know them” (Matthew 7:20; emphasis added). A church, or any way of life, should be judged by the fruits or the results that it generates. Here are a few examples based on United States statistics. But these would be similar throughout the world among practicing Mormons (by which we mean those who attend church and the temple regularly): * • One of the fruits is a longer life. Studies show that practicing Mormons are healthier and therefore live longer than the national average. In 1833 the Lord revealed to Joseph Smith the Word of Wisdom, which is the way to live in order to enjoy a long and healthy life. * • Second, those who are married in and attend the temple regularly have a divorce rate far below the national and world average. * • Third, we achieve an educational level that is higher than the national average. * • Fourth, over 70,000 members volunteer at their own expense to serve for 18 to 24 months in humanitarian efforts, Church service assignments, and full-time missionary service throughout the world. * • And fifth, we place strong emphasis on self-reliance and a solid work ethic. We encourage active involvement in our communities and in providing service to others. The Church continues to donate substantial money, goods, and services to humanitarian causes around the globe, including untold hours of labor donated by members to assist in disaster cleanup and relief.