piles, piles, piles and more piles

I have piles All. Over. My. House.

On the kitchen table. On the kitchen counters. On the nightstands. On the bathroom counters. On the music room floor. On Leo's dresser. On the dryer. On the filing cabinet. On the family room floor. In the hall outside the mud room. On the printer. On the computer desk. On the floor next to my recliner. On the ironing board. (I'm not even going to mention the piles in the garage.) I don't want any of them! And yet, they're here...

When my mom was visiting over Memorial Day weekend, we tackled a few of them, however now more have taken root. Some people have told me that I shouldn't worry about them (or cleaning too much, in general) because I have a baby (and 3 other kids) to occupy my time. However, there is a "Dust Collector's" meeting on Thursday, November 4 and I resolve to have less stuff in my house by then!

Six months

Height: 27.5 inches (90th percentile)
Weight: 17 pounds (50th percentile)
Head circumference 18 inches (90th percentile)
Teeth: 4 (are you kidding me?)

Accomplishments: rolls from front to back and back to front; while on his belly, he will scoot a bit to get to toys; he can move toys from one hand to the other; he laughs when tickled or when Hyrum does silly things; he is curious about lights (flashlights, lamps, overhead lighting, etc.)

To celebrate his half birthday, Sabrina and I made him a "Summer Cake" -- he didn't get to sample any, but I'll just say it was delicious. Bake a yellow cake according to package directions, poke holes throughout the cake with the handle of a wooden spoon. Mix one cup hot water in a small package of jello until completely dissolved. Pour the liquid over the cake and refrigerate for a couple hours. Frost if desired.

why children's clothing shouldn't have pockets

This week I have washed (and dried):

10 green army guys
1 penny
1 smarties wrapper
1 dinosaur
1 twig (it was shaped like a gun)


And for the record, Leo's second tooth has cut through his gums. Perhaps he will start being a little happier again. (And his cold will go away.)

Hyrum City

Ryan's sister, Heather, planned the awesome Gibby trip this August to Hyrum Lake State Park in scenic Hyrum, Utah. We kept trying to convince Hyrum that the lake was his or perhaps his shape during the weeks leading up to the trip. We were unsuccessful.


We ate good food. Ryan taught our kids the "Panda Bear Skit" and we performed it - with props! Sabrina and I played some Scandinavian fiddle tunes. We enjoyed riding on the Biddulph's jet skis. We played at the beach. We went bowling. We ate a 36" pizza at Firehouse Pizzeria. We saw some shooting stars (the Perseids Meteor shower). We played card games after dark. We slept in our Gigatent. We ate lunch at the Hyrum McDonald's - let me tell you how conspicuous it felt to keep calling Hyrum's name in the play land. We played Gibby Family Fear Factor, where Ryan actually ate 'bear guts', 'beef dinner', and 'bloody worms'. All in all, it was great to spend time with family!

Insolent Chocolate

Knowing how much I like European chocolates, Ryan brought me home a box:
of Ukrainian Luxury Handmade Chocolates. I don't even have to share...

Upon opening the box, I'm greeted with the usual "Our chocolates are the best" statement. And an interesting word usage pops out at me.


It probably works in Ukrainian, but somehow, I don't think they really meant to describe their superior chocolate making process as insolence.

from dictionary.com :

insolence [in-suh-luhns] -noun

1. contemptuously rude or impertinent behavior or speech.
2. the quality or condition of being insolent.

Ukraine

One Sunday when Leo was too young to go to church, I sent Ryan this email:

On Apr 25, 2010 12:57 PM, "Malauna Gibby" wrote:

Dedication and Open House Dates Announced for the Kyiv Ukraine Temple

The First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has announced dates for the public open house and dedication of the nearly completed Kyiv Ukraine Temple. The public will be invited to visit the Kyiv Ukraine Temple during an open house that will run from Saturday, August 7, 2010, through Saturday, August 21, 2010. The temple will be formally dedicated on Sunday, August 29, 2010.

Do YOU want to go?

Love, Malauna

Ryan sent this reply:
Date: Sun, 25 Apr 2010 15:32
Subject: Re: UKRAINE!!!

I believe that I do, but I will need to study and pray.

And I sent this one back to him:

From:	Malauna Gibby
Sent:	Sun 4/25/10 3:45 PM

What are you doing sending email during church? I Love YOU!

And that set the ball rolling...he contacted former mission companions and members that he worked with as a missionary in 1993-94. He bought a plane ticket, train tickets, reserved an apartment, and reserved a driver to meet them at the airport.

Returning to the bus stop after the temple dedication.

Now he has returned, so I can blog about his trip with pictures (and his help)!

School Days

Hyrum is attending Joy School this year, today was his first day! With 6 children in the class, I'll be teaching every 6 weeks. I'm excited for him to have his own school to attend. He is even more excited than me. Last night it was all he could talk about. He even made up a song called "I Love Joy School".

Hyrum's goal for this school year: Learn to play the drums (said as he's playing air drums)
My goal for Hyrum: Learn to write his name


Roderic is one happy kid, ready to start First Grade! He has become much happier over the summer. He still has some issues about respecting the personal space of others. During the last few weeks, he has decided that he CAN read with the family out of the Book of Mormon, although he only wants Mom's help on the big words.

Roderic's goal for this school year: Wants to be a really good listener
My goals for Roderic: Learn to tie his shoes [and swim trunks]; learn to ride a 2 wheeler


It is hard to come to terms with the fact that my baby is now in 6th Grade! And what a great girl she is. A month ago she decided that she should play her violin for 20 hours before the school year started, which was an hour a day, 5 days a week. She met her goal, so now we're in the planning stages for a party!

Sabrina's goal for this school year: Run a 9 minute mile
My goals for her: Keep a tidier room/desk; budget for school clothes

First day of School August 25, 2010