The Tripp Family

Cold Cheeks!!

2011-02-11T21:33:00.000-08:00

My girls love to play outside in the snow and beg to play even when the temperature is way below freezing. Last week I gave in and bundled Ali and Ash up and let them go out in 10 degree weather. I know, I know...that's too cold, but I'm a sucker and we were all going crazy inside. They only lasted about 10 minutes and when they came in Ali was crying, not because she was too cold, but instead because she had just recently learned about frost bite. She couldn't feel her cheeks, so she was sure she had it, which also meant that her cheeks would turn black and fall off. She was completely distraught and not easily convinced that the numbness was temporary and her cheeks were there to stay.

South Dakota

2011-01-16T14:55:00.001-08:00

Alright everyone!! Here is my long overdue update that you have all been asking me for, but don't get used to it cuz it probably won't happen again for a very long time. So much has happened since my last post that I don't even know where to begin. I guess I will start with our move, even though at this point, it is old news.

We moved from Cedar City to Vermillion, South Dakota in August 2010 with the help of the Olsen family and Malcolm. It was a long drive but the girls did incredibly well considering they were in a car for 3 days. We had two flat tires on our trailer, but other than that it was pretty much uneventful, which was good. Here's a picture of Ali and Lexie eating popcorn off the ground while Rob changed a tire.

Our arrival in South D was super muggy, mosquito infested and we felt somewhat homeless with only a temporary place to stay. However, the small towns here have really grown on us despite the fact that the rivers run in the wrong direction and it is always either too hot or too cold. A local decribed the weather here as a tropical summer and a artic winter. After being here about 6 months I would have to agree.

Rob, Aliya, and Ashlyn all had their first days of school at the end of August. Rob started law school, Ali started Kindergarten, and Ashlyn started Pre-school leaving me and Lexie at home wondering what to do with ourselves. The girls love school and both of them are doing great. Ashlyn has learned to write her name and Ali is learning how to read. Here are pictures from their first days of school.

Lexie has also had some firsts...she took her first steps and has said her first little words here in South Dakota. Right now she is a big time daddy's girl and quite a wild little women.

The girls all dressed up for halloween, and got a whole bunch of candy.

My mom, dad, and sisters Amy and Mary came to visit for Thanksgiving. I can't explain how excited my little girls were to see their Grandma Kris, Papa Champ and their aunts.

We experienced our first blizzard in the beginning of December. It was crazy-amazing to watch the snow fall in a whole new way than anything I'd ever seen before. Let's just say the snow doesn't come down and lay nice and peacefully on the ground like it does in Utah. I could spend alot of time explaining the snow, but I will spare you and just say you will have to experience it for yourself to know what I am talking about.

Christmas came to us here just like it does everywhere else. We had a great Christmas and then spent the New Year in Davenport, Iowa with Steve, Tammi, Scott and the boys. It was so good to be with family. While there with them, we went ice skating and drove across the Mississppi river.

We are settled in here, staying busy, and looking foreward to the summer. We are not sure where or what we will be doing then, but one thing I know for sure...it will be warmer!!!!

My Baby is 8 Months Old

2010-07-06T17:08:00.000-07:00

Lexie is 8 months old today and I can't believe it! She is growing up too fast. She is just starting to crawl, she waves and claps, and has two teeth. She loves to be outside and loves to play with her sisters. She sleeps good at night, but would rather stay up during the day when things are going on. She is so sweet and happy most of the time. We love this little girl!

Catching up!

2010-05-04T11:44:00.000-07:00

It has been awhile since I last updated so I am catching up on the last few months. In February Ashlyn turned 3. For her birthday we went swimming at the city pool and had a little party at Grandma Tripp's. I have decided that I love age three. She has become a little sweeter, a little happier, and a little better at listening. I love this little girl!

We also went ice fishing in February. I hate to admit this, but I have always hated fishing so adding snow and cold to that really ruins a day. This day however, really wasn't that bad. We left most of the fishing to dad and Grandpa Tripp so Ali, Ash and I spent our time sledding, ice skating, and snacking. Beats fishing any ol' day!
In March we went to Alamo for a few days. We all love to visit Alamo. The girls love swimming at Little Ash, riding Babe and the 4-wheeler, playing with cousins, and running around with Grandma and Grandpa. Just this last weekend Lance graduated from SUU so alot of the fam was in Cedar City. Here is a picture of me and two of my sisters, Milly and Angie.
And here are Lexie, Kobe and Jace playing outside......and one more of Dax and Ashlyn swinging.
I am so glad that spring is finally here. At least for today anyway. Who knows what tommorrow will bring, maybe more snow. Ali and Ash are loving it outside, which sure makes my life easier too. Rob is busy working in St. George and as always he is still fixing things up at our house. I have started working out really hard...trying to loose a little baby weight. It's not going too well though cause I actually gained 4 pounds instead. Yikes! On a more positive note Lexie is a little sweetheart. She is sleeping good, loves eating baby food, sucking on her toes (thanks to Aunt Anne) and giving slobbery kisses. She is sitting up now too...except for when she has tipped over. Her sisters think she is the best thing ever and they STILL can't get enough!

Lexie

2010-01-25T09:45:00.001-08:00

I have had several people ask me for more pictures of Lexie so here they are. She is almost 3 months old now and starting to be a really good baby. She smiles alot and is just beginning to laugh. She has the cutest pouty face that helps me enjoy her even in the bad times. I think she looks like a combination of her two older sisters. She has blue eyes like them both and a little wave to her hair like Ali. Ali and Ashlyn love to hold her and help do all the mommy things. Are all girls naturally born mommies? She was blessed two weeks ago here in Cedar at the Rock Church. Thanks to all of you who made it. I love blessing days. Babies look so sweet all dressed in white.

This one is a picture of Lexie with Grandma and Grandpa Higbee. She is grandchild number 8.

Here is the pout caught in a picture.

This is Lexie all bundled up.

Long Winter Days

2010-01-23T08:49:00.000-08:00

I don't know how anyone else feels, but I am sick of winter already. Lately we have spent most of our time indoors trying to stay warm. We have played alot of dress up, Guess Who, and watched alot of movies. Ali and Ashlyn have also decided that it is alot more fun to sleep on the floor in their new sleeping bags than to sleep in their beds, so slumber parties in the living room are starting to be a regular occurrence. Daxton even joined in for a few nights when he came to visit. We have ventured out a little and last week Rob even went ice fishing with his dad at Panguitch Lake. They caught 4 fish so Grandma Tripp cooked them up and Ali and Ash ate the nasty things. We have also taken the girls sledding a couple of times and they love it. Ali can't get enough and Ashlyn is happy as long as she can have a handful of snow to eat at all times. I am glad that they love the snow, but for me, I just can't wait until spring!!

Life with Three!!

2009-12-08T12:35:00.000-08:00

Lexie is now a month old and I have decided that it is true what they say. They really do grow up fast. She is so sweet and probably too spoiled. She still sleeps quite a bit, but has decided that from around 5 pm until about midnight it is her time to cry and fuss. Ali and Ashlyn still love her and I have to remind them all the time that she needs her space. So far three hasn't been too bad, but Lexie isn't the only one who is spoiled since Rob has been around to help. Ali and Ashlyn are really excited about Christmas and spending time in Alamo. They both sat on Santa's lap...Ali asked for scissors and he laughed saying HO HO HO. She wasn't too sure how much she liked him laughing at her but got over it fast. Ashlyn went next and asked for a barbie. Like she doesn't already have 10. He asked what her name was and she said Ashlyn. He must have heard Ashley because he kept calling her that. When she was done she said, "Daddy, Santa call me Ashley. Dat not my name. Me Ashlyn." It was pretty cute.

She's Here

2009-11-09T19:02:00.000-08:00

We finally have our little girl!! She was born on November 6th, weighing 7 lbs. and was 19 in. long. We named her Lexie after a lot of stress and a family vote. She is so sweet and so far has been a really good baby. Ali and Ashlyn love her to death and take pretty good care of her. I am so blessed and love my family. Ali and Ash weren't allowed in because of the flu so this is how they meet their little sister for the first time. They were both a little quiet at first. When we came home they were waiting at the door with Amy, Justin, and Mary. Here they are holding her for the first time.

The Last of Virginia

2009-10-27T07:57:00.000-07:00

I am finally getting around to posting some of our last pictures from Virginia. They are really random but I guess that is what you get when I don't keep up on my blog. This is a picture of Ali at East Beach. It is in the Chesapeake Bay so the waves are smaller, there were a lot less people, and more weird things like jelly fish. Ali spotted one in the water and Ashlyn ended up with little bites on her from the larvae. At least that is what we were told.

Here are the girls posing for a picture and I am impressed because they are both smiling. This is Ashlyn at the pool with a flower that she picked off one of the trees. I couldn't seem to convince her that they were better left alone. The poor trees are probably still working hard to make up for the damage she did to them while we lived there.

Here is another pool picture of some of the kids we swam and played with all summer.

This is a picture from the duck pond across the street from our apartment, definitely before I looked very pregnant.

Grandma and Grandpa came to visit the begining of September. We were lucky to get them out because grandma gets sick and hates to fly. After they missed their first flight I figured there was no way they would really come, but surprisingly they made it. We took them to the beach where Rob and grandpa tried to catch some waves. We also toured the USS Wisconsin Battleship, and visited First Landing where John Smith and his crew landed. Grandpa, of course ended up flipped around, not knowing which way was east or west, so luckily I had it figured out by this point.

Here is Ashlyn with her "Papa" who has trained her to call him Papa Champ.

This picture makes me laugh. Ali must have touched something unbecoming, but Ashlyn has it going on.

I only have two pictures from First Landing. The first one is good...just Ali and Ash in a hut. The second one however is my big booty helping Ashlyn potty in the woods. Yipes. Why would I post such a thing?

Okay, I am finally done posting pictures for now. I still have a few from our trip to D.C. but that will have to be another day. This last picture is at the airport just before we boarded the plane to fly home. What a LONG day but we made it!

Three weeks and counting down!!

2009-10-19T19:23:00.000-07:00

My due date is getting closer and I am definitely ready to NOT be pregnant anymore. However, I am not too sure that I am completely ready for a new baby. Since we have been back from Virginia we have been running around...Lake Powell, Salt Lake, Logan, Alamo, St.George, and Cherry Creek. We have basically been everywhere but home and I haven't spent much time getting prepared for this whole thing. I guess that I better get to it because it's coming whether I am ready or not.
Ali and Ashlyn are doing great adjusting to being home. They love having their toys, and a yard, and their grandmas' and grandpas' back. Rob has been staying busy hunting and being Mr. Fix It and I have just been busy growing.

My Little Girls

2009-08-20T10:40:00.000-07:00

I can't believe how fast the summer has gone. It has been a blast and we have all really enjoyed our time in Virginia. Ali and Ashlyn are growing up so fast. Ali amazes me all the time with the little things she says. The other day she asked me, "Why is is so much easier to be bad than it is to be good?" She loves to learn and is a good big sister. She is super silly and giggly alot of the time and she makes me laugh just because she laughs so hard. She likes to be in charge and she keeps us all in line. She loves her dad and does so many things just like he would do it. Ashlyn acts alot more like her mom. She is so hot and cold. She is sweet one minute and so "poison" the next. (My family...you all know what I mean by poison) She is getting really tall and growing up alot. She talks to her baby sister almost everyday. She tells me that when the baby grows bigger bigger then she is gonna hold her. It kinda makes me sad that she will only be my baby for a little while longer. I love these two little girls. They are so much fun.

July Pictures

2009-07-25T06:51:00.000-07:00

On the 4th of July we went to a parade in Chesapeake with some friends. It was hard to find a parade around here and this one wasn't all that great. They had games at the park following, but we didn't last very long because it was crowded and crazy. We really missed our small town Alamo celebration!!

Another day we all went to Chick-fil-a dressed like cows. They were giving away free food and we were bored. Crazy, right? Here are my two little cows.

Ali turned FOUR!

Ali turned 4 on the 15th. She was really excited about her birthday and choose to go to breakfast and watch a movie at the theatre across the street. Ali got lots of fun things for her birthday and it has been nice to have a few new toys around here since we didn't pack much.

Later that day we had a princess party with all the little girls that are out here with APX. They made princess crowns, ate cupcakes, and played. Lots of fun!

This is Ashlyn eating a cupcake "her way".

We waited for Rob to get home that night before Ali blew out her candles so this is her at about 10:30 0r 11:00 p.m. What a day!

The Pool

2009-07-22T15:46:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures of us swimming at the pool. We seem to do alot of that these days since we have nothing to do right now but play. Ali and Ashlyn are starting to swim really well and love the water.

This is the bath afterwards...

and crashing on the couch right after that.

Playing at the beach

2009-07-16T18:09:00.000-07:00

We finally made it to the beach a few weeks ago. Here are some pictures of Ali and Ash the first time they played in the ocean. They loved the waves and had a blast jumping them, however Ali was a little disappointed when she found out that the water tasted like salt. It was kinda rainy, but that didn't stop any of them from going all in. I chose a drier route and only went in to my waist.

Rob took the girls out and some of the waves went over their heads. I was not happy with that at all and made him come back in.

Doesn't Ashlyn have a cute little BOOTY? She already gets more comments on it than a two year old deserves.

We are having ANOTHER girl!

2009-06-09T20:25:00.000-07:00

We just found out last week that we are having another girl. I can't believe it. I guess that it is true what they say...the Tripp boys only have girls. I was a little disappointed at first, but I am trying to look at the bright side...I don't have to deal with swords, spiderman or any of that boy stuff that I don't love. I am due November 7th and I am in no hurry at this point to get there.

Virginia Beach!

2009-06-08T12:57:00.000-07:00

We finally made it to Virginia Beach! Ali and Ash loved the plane ride and were actually really good. It is great to be with Robert again and the girls are glad to have their daddy back. Everything is going good so far and there are alot of things to do right here by our apartment. Living in an apartment is a change for us, but that is kinda why this is all so fun. We live on the 13th floor and have a pool on the 5th floor. We spend alot of time swimming and I for one am enjoying the peace of no t.v. The beach is only about 10 minutes away, but we haven't made it there yet. Hopefully we will get there soon. I am still trying to figure out which way is east and which way is west and instead having mountains to help me with that I have to keep my eye on two tall buildings. Sorry that I don't have any new pictures. I will try to get some up soon.

Here's my fam!

2009-05-02T17:18:00.000-07:00

This is a pic all of my sisters and my brother
Lance from his wedding in August 2008...

...and here is my whole family.

First Post!

2009-04-25T21:59:00.000-07:00

Well, I am now officially a blogger! I don't have alot of pictures to post yet and I'm not real sure how this blogging stuff works... BUT I am excited to get started. It will be great to have a way to keep in touch with everyone now that we are moving to Virginia Beach for the summer.