Thursday, August 26, 2021

Missionary Celebration Day!



August 3, 2021, Brother John B. Bingham gave the devotional at BYU. 
It was a beautiful talk and I  LOVED his title!
In Awe: The Astonishing Goodness of God.  

Those sentiments perfectly convey our feelings for Sunday, August 22.
Since we no longer call it a missionary farewell,
 I will call it a missionary celebration.
Britton gave a beautiful talk about the blessings of having the
 gospel in your life and believing in Jesus Christ. 


Church began at 9 AM and Britton was set apart to be a missionary at 8 PM.
All of the siblings stayed to witness Britton being set apart. 
It is safe to say a few tears were shed after the setting apart.
We are all going to miss Britton.


Madeline and Riley were the lucky ones who drove
 the new missionary home after he was set apart.


Britton had a beautiful turnout of family and friends
at his missionary celebration:). 


The entire day was Awesome. 
 Brother Bingham discusses the word awesome in his talk.
He suggested that the next time you use the word awesome, you take the time to consider the personal and unexpected ways God is at work in your life? 

These pictures make it
easy to see how God is at work in our family's life...


Our ROOTS say we're cousin's
Our HEARTS say we're friends!

I hope each one of these kids
know that they are AWESOME!

I wish I would have been more awesome at taking pictures Sunday. Thank you to the individuals who remembered to take them. 
Some say, if you are behind the camera, you miss being in the moment. I disagree. Taking pictures can keep you focused on the moment. Not taking photos can cause one to be anxious and ruminate over the moments they wish were documented.
The struggle is real.
 I love looking back at pictures and remembering awesome moments. 
I am happier when a camera is in my hand. 


Love this picture!

"God loves you and desires you to know Him. You are deserving of His love because of who you are. You qualify for His influence in your life because you are His child. He thinks you’re awesome! And because of this, you are deserving of wonder and awe—no strings attached."
-Bingham, John, (2021). In Awe


This picture reminds me of a story from a talk
 given by President Faust in 2005.
The Light in Their Eyes. 

" A sacred light comes to our eyes and countenances 
when we have a personal bond with our loving Heavenly Father and His Son."


Britton sure is going to miss this guy!


He LOVES his grandparents.

Ashlynn, if you ever wonder how
 Britton feels about you,
He thinks you are AWESOME!
Alyssa made it the entire day, 
with a pic line in her arm, that was awesome!


Britton, you are so lucky because you 
have really AWESOME brothers:). 


Britton, you will be an AWESOME missionary!

Love you forever,
Like you for always!



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Wednesday, August 25, 2021

Random Wednesday!

Ed Mylett posted this the other day.  
Why is it so tough to stay out of your comfort 
zone when starting a new goal?



Look who got his braces off. 
What a handsome smile!


I am thankful these two
have become such good friends. 


Issac should be getting his mission call in the next week. 
Britton is hoping it comes before he leaves for the MTC.


There is nothing I would not do 
for those who are really my friends.
-Jane Austen


For the first time in 7 ish years, we had family pictures scheduled. 
The forecast did not look good for the time we had them scheduled. 
We called the photographer and were able to meet at an earlier time. 


This is outside during the time we had 
originally planned. 

Thankful we were able to change the plan!


The YW were able to go to the temple again 
for the first time since Covid-19. 💓




 

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Tuesday, August 24, 2021

Happy 23rd, Riley!


Journal entry August 17, 1998

Riley Douglas Phippen was born at 4:48 A.M. He is as cute as a
 baby can be, with a perfectly round head. 
He has lots of black hair, big blue eyes, and tan skin. 


Journal entry August 22, 1998

Riley is the best baby ever. He never cries and is always sleeping or lying awake, wide-eyed, and happy. Riley gets the hiccups really bad all the time. He wakes up for a bottle at least 3 times a night, which can really wear me out. Alyssa loves Riley to death and is adjusting well. My patience with Alyssa is short because I want to hold Riley and she wants my attention.  Riley has J.D.'s feet and hands, long toes, and fingers. Riley is beyond darling, I can't believe how blessed I am!


23 years later, Riley is still wide-eyed and happy. I believe the lying awake, wide-eyed is because he is always thinking. His mind is continually going a million miles an hour. Most often, he is thinking about others.
Riley has a heart of gold and cares deeply about others and their feelings. I love it when he calls me on the phone just to say hi.  If someone needs help moving, Ry is always willing to help. I admire the way  Ry is continually willing to serve others.


Riley is still the BEST, and I can't believe how blessed I am to be his mother!  
Alyssa, along with all of his other siblings, loves him to death. 
Today, he and Madeline took lunch to Alyssa because she was not feeling well. This is not the first time they have taken her food. I feel blessed by how they serve her. Madeline took pink flowers to Alyssa the other day to congratulate her on a new baby girl (due in 6 months). Riley and Madeline take care of Baby Luke in the nursery. They are the best nursery leaders EVER!  


Because of your smile, life is more beautiful!
-Thich Nhat Hanh

 Ry and Madeline took 
Britton to a Brantley Gilbert concert a few weeks ago. 
He wasn't any of their favorites, but they all had a good time. 


Golfing, Fishing, spending time with Madeline in Iowa, 
or anywhere for that matter, are Riley's favorite things to do. 
Riley, I am thankful for the example you are to others and me. 

Happy 23rd, Ry
Have the best year EVER!🎂
Love you forever, 
Like you for Always!

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Thursday, August 12, 2021

Scotty McCreery Concert!


A few months ago Ashlynn started letting everyone know that 
Scotty McCreery was going to be in concert 
and that she NEEDED to go. 
This AMAZING brother of hers 
bought tickets for them to attend. 


She is going to MISS Britton horribly when he leaves on his mission. 
The two of them tease each other relentlessly, 
but I think it is their love language. 


Yes, Britton even bought her a 
T-shirt and took her to dinner.  
It looks like he also let her wear his hat:).


Somehow they ended up with VIP tickets. 
Looks like they are pretty darn close to the front of the stage. 
I lOVE you both and am excited that you were able to have this memory together before Britton leaves. It won't be long and Ashlynn will be stuck at home alone with boring mom and dad:). 

 

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Wednesday, August 11, 2021

Wednesday Ramblings


This truck was parked in front of one 
of the open houses we went to. 
Ashlynn HAD to have her picture 
taken with it because it was so COOL!
Is that legal:)?


I've started walking in the mornings. 
I LOVE the way the mountains look 
with the sunrise in the early morning!


I bought Ashlynn some orbeez. 


She LOVES them and the way they squish 
 through her fingers and toes. 
I, on the other hand am not a huge fan!


The other day we brought Luke to our 
house to hang out for the day while Alyssa rested. 


He was not a huge fan of going down the slide,


but climbing up was an activity that he LOVED!


The swings were his favorite. 
When we finally decided to leave, he was 
NOT happy about it.
 I think he would have let us swing 
him the rest of the day. 


These two are so adorable. 



JD went with Britton and his two sisters to 
a Garth Brooks concert last month. 
They still talk about how AMAZING 
Garth is in concert. 


I LOVE this!
 I have a way of seeing the negative in life when 
I am not being intentional about seeing the good. 
This is a great reminder to be intentional in what I am looking for. 

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Tuesday, August 10, 2021

Happy Birthday, Alyssa!



This cute girl turned 25 this year. 
She found out she was expecting a few weeks before her birthday.  Her husband received a new job that they were very happy about. They packed up the entire apartment and moved to a bigger one. I was amazed how quickly she was able to get her new place put together. Alyssa was like the energizer bunny, she kept going and going.  It turned out that her energy to be an over achiever paid off. About a week after she had the new place organized, morning sickness hit her with a vengeance. 
She would be elated if morning sickness held true to its claim. 
Instead it lasts all day and all night. 
I am amazed on a daily basis at what she is able to accomplish 
even when she is not feeling her best. 


About a month before her birthday Madeline pulled me aside 
and asked if she could do a surprise party for Alyssa.  
Madeline had her home decorated so adorable, 
Ry cooked bacon on his smoker, the two of them put together a 
Krispy Kreme Cake, and together they made Alyssa's day!


Alyssa lives about one mile from Madeline and Riley. 
She was pretty darn sick the day of her birthday. I am pretty sure she 
would not have been able to handle a party that 
required her to go any further than their place. 
I am so thankful for Madeline and her thoughtfulness.  
I love how Madeline even used Alyssas favorite colors.


Alyssa has a blue Kate Spade purse. 
Madeline came in clutch and 
gave her the matching wallet. 
It was the PERFECT birthday gift.


Alyssa has been beyond excited to have another baby. 
She is seriously the cutest mom EVER!
I wish pregnancy wasn't so hard on her. She has lost 
9 pounds already and anyone who knows her, 
knows she does not have 9 pounds to lose. 
She is tiny as can be at the moment, with arms that look like she does drugs.
 I guess when it comes right down to it she kind of does at the moment:).  
She is currently using
 home health to keep fluid and vitamins in her. 


Luke is the most adorable kid on the planet. 
He loves his momma to bits and with good reason!
No matter how sick she is, her main 
concern is taking good care of Luke.


When Alyssa called me the other day she was not feeling well.
 I told her to not feel guilty about letting Luke sit in his bouncer 
 and watch TV while she rested on the couch. 
A little bit later she called me upset over the fact that she tried 
to take Luke on a picnic and it didn't help, she still felt sick.
As I said...over achiever!


Watching Luke read a book is SO adorable!
One only needs to observe Alyssa reading him a book 
for one minute to understand why. 
She puts an abundant amount of expression 
into her words when she reads to him. 


Let's be honest, 
Alyssa puts a considerable amount of 
expression and enthusiasm into everything she does. 
I admire the way she lives her life 
with so much vibrance. 


We all LOVE you, Alyssa!
Thanks for the example that you are to all of us. 
You are an amazing wife, mother, sister, daughter, and friend. Overall 
you are simply and incredible person who brings happiness 
into the lives of those around you and everyone you meet. 
Love you Forever,
Like you for Always!
Happy 25th Birthday🎉




 

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