Happy 2nd Birthday Levi!

It seems as if time has sped up with each child. Levi turned 2 today, and I'm having a hard time believing it has been that long since he joined our family. The last two years have been filled with many hugs, kisses, and love for our little guy. He is
the best surprise our family has ever had.

Levi is a fun little 2 year old. He has outgrown his Mama's boy syndrome (for the most part) and loves to play with friends, go to nursery at church, and explore outside. He is incredibly friendly and will say "Hi Grandma/Grandpa" to anyone who looks like they'd fit the part. Levi enjoys searching for bugs and then squishing or - I hate to admit - eating them occasionally. Levi's current obsession is the Hulk. He'll walk around growling the words, "Hulk smash!" as he bends over and flexes his little arms. He has a set of Hulk gloves which he enjoys "smashing" his family members with. Levi loves balls, especially "basketbowls" and "soccerbowls" and all animals. He is a little maniac when it comes to swimming. When water is around, fear is not a part of his vocabulary. Levi will jump right in, submerge himself completely, and then come up sputtering and laughing. His favorite foods are "chocate," "go-go" (yogurt), and "eyecream." His favorite songs are Michael Jackson's, "Beat It," "Boo Boo Boo," "Do-Re-Me," and "The Bones Song." We love to hear Levi sing, especially when he is performing a Levi opera.

We went to the Ridgeway Reservoir today to celebrate Levi's birthday. We swam, enjoyed icees, and played with our new puppies. Happy birthday Levi, we love you!!!

His and Hers...

We would now like to introduce you to Athena Tippets (a.k.a. Derren's dog). Athena is a Great Dane and is welcomed warmly by those who feel Chin Chin is a little too girly.

We're Adding One More to Our Family!

We'd like you all to meet Chin Chin Tippets, our newest little girl. Chin Chin is a Shih-Poo (Shih-Tzu Poodle mix), is very mellow, and loves to be snuggled. Mommy, and family are all doing well and are thrilled about our newest addition!

Happy 4th of July!!!!

We hope each of you enjoyed your holiday as much as we did.

Ours felt like it started last weekend and continued until yesterday.

We ended up having an unexpected cancellation of plans last week so, our family used the time to plant 7 fruit trees (2 cherry, 2 plum, 2 apple, and a peach), create 3 4x16 ft. garden boxes, and plant a vegetable garden. Despite how much work it was, I felt like I was in heaven! I'm so excited we are finally (literally) planting roots somewhere.

Once the plants were in and watered, we had visitors. Aunt Mechelle (from New York), Aunt Tenele, Uncle Milo (Te-Milo, as Josalyn calls him), and cousins, Camille, Justine (Beans, as Levi says), and Aaron (Derren, as Levi calls him) came to stay over night and see where we are living.

Friday we were all on our way to the BLT Family Reunion - for all you non-tippets BLT stands for Brigham Lewis Tippets, not bacon, lettuce, and tomato - at the YMCA in Winter Park, CO. We spent 2 1/2fun filled days with a lot of Tippets'. We had a talent show (I'm still bummed Mechelle didn't perform a solo!), smores, pictures, church, cafeteria food (that's a big deal to homeschoolers!), canoeing, a few cuts and bruises from cousin rough housing, and lots of time to realize how great our family is. I came back feeling pretty proud that I am part of such a large group of fantastic people. Thank you Tippets family!

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Make a Smilebox scrapbook

We hope each of you had as much quality family time as we did, and enjoyed your 4th of July!