Dance Class

I remember my first day of dance class at Val's Dance in Bluewater, NM. I was three. I had on a light blue leotard, white tights, and pink jelly shoes. Since that day, I've been to A LOT of dance classes and done A LOT of dancing. And I've loved every single second of it. I really didn't think anything could be more fun. UNTIL, I took Sierra to dance class.

To be fair, Sierra did do dance class last year. But it took her a good 3 or 4 months to actually stand on her 'X' by herself. (Guess who had to stand next to her and do all the moves? Yours truly!:) This year she couldn't wait to start dance. Every Wednesday, I'll bet she asks me about one hundred times if it's four o'clock yet. Now she is very good at standing on her 'X'. She practices her ballet positions and her splits every day. She loves to do the warm-up on my aerobics video "all by herself." Sometimes at dance I stand back and just watch her twirl; thinking to myself how much fun it is to watch her love something like I love it. Who knows? Maybe it does run in the genes!

The BOX!!!!!!!!!!!

Okay so you know the box I mean. It's the one (or two, or three...) that you packed when you turned 18 and moved away. I am now almost 27 so it's been very close to 10 years since I packed MY boxes. Well, my parents got tired of storing them, so they brought them to me about 2 years ago and they've sat in my garage until last week. Let me just tell you that if you want to have one heck of a funny afternoon--just go through your box. I was ASTONISHED at all the crazy stuff I kept. I really don't know what was possessing me when I packed up my room. Here's a short list of some of the things I found in my boxes....
1. a small box full of pennies (none were old or special or anything, just pennies)
2. Every note anyone ever wrote me in junior high (including one from a boy that asked me if he could kiss me! I was DYING with laughter)
3. My AP English, Geometry, Chemistry, Human Biology, and US History notes (because why?)
4. Every book report I wrote from about 6th grade on...including the one where I wrote a letter to Gerald Lund telling him how much I LOVED the Work and the Glory books and his response letter with a picture of him :)
5. A list of everyone I sent graduation announcements to
6. Of course...all the missionary letters...
7. My beaded necklaces that I earned--one bead at a time--at Girl's Camp
8. Scrapbooked pages of every formal dance I've ever been to...with the names of my dates, what we did for our day activity, and where they took me to dinner
9. PICTURES! of me asleep on the bus, at cheer camp, at EFY, the HIDEOUS haircut, the big blue glasses, and ones of some of you out there--Jessica, Megan (can I just say coconut bra?!), Marinda, Jodi, Lindsay, Sarah!!!!!!!
10. A box full of dried, dead flower corsages, movie tickets, gum wrappers, and other junk--I'm sure I was trying to be sentinmental but now I can't even remember why I kept the stuff?

It was a grand afternoon remembering my younger days. I know I'm only 27 but it seems like it was so long that I was in junior high and high school. Remember when the most important things in your life were the football game, who you liked, and what you were going to wear the next day? It's like I found a part of myself that I'd forgotten for a while--amidst all the diapers, dress-up, bills, etc. I remembered how all of those experiences (the break-ups, the moves, the friends, the teachers) that shaped me into who I am today and I was grateful for them. So if you have a box--and I hope you do--go through it someday. Throw away most of it--but keep some of the things that remind you who you are and why you are who you are.

Love,
Tappia

Photo Shoot

We just got new pictures of the girls! Hope you enjoy!

My Top Ten

In Popular Mechanics this month it lists the top 100 things that every guy should know. Things like hang sheet rock, change the oil, etc. Well, all that might be good to know but let's face it--not very practical. So I came up with my own top ten list of things I think every guy should know and DO!
1. How to give a good foot rub--with lotion!
2. How to grill (anything!)
3. How to make breakfast
4. How to change a diaper
5. How to use power tools (let's face it girls...we really do love that)
6. How to hunt something...deer, ducks, elk, my keys, the pacifier....
7. How to drive a stick shift
8. How to take out the trash--doesn't actually require SKILLS, but it sure is nice.
9. How to wash a car
10. How to fix anything around the house

Lucky for me, my honey knows and DOES all of these things so well. What can I say? I'm a lucky girl.

Kids, kids, kids....

So, the other day I was talking to my neighbor Jenny and she said whenever her kids do something messy, funny, outrageous, etc. she takes a picture before getting mad or cleaning up--because SOMEDAY it will be funny. So, I started thinking about all of the crazy things that Sierra has done so far in her 3 1/2 years of life. Here are a few I wish I had pictures of.....the day she got into the sugar canister and threw it--by the handful--all over the kitchen....when she unrolled all the toilet paper off a brand new roll and then dragged it down the hall...coloring with crayons the tile...when she made me keep her blankie in the fridge so it would be cold (go figure?)...how she LOVES the dirt and throws it up in the air and then lets it fall all over her.

So this last month I have a taken a few pictures of her recent antics--coloring with chalk all over the garage (power tools were never cuter than with pink chalk on them) and Easter grass all over the basement. No joke ALL over the basement. When I made her help clean it up I said, "Look at this mess!" and she said, "Yes Mom, but isn't it a beautiful mess?" You gotta love them. Even when they're messy. And someday it will be funny--but even today it makes me smile and wish they didn't grow up so fast.
Love,
The Infangers

Hey Everyone! This slide show is from our cruise to the Mediterranean last summer. Enjoy!

Baby Blessing

I can't believe how time flies! Kynlee is two months old and we just blessed her on July 6,2008. It really does seem like yesterday Ray and I just met each other. Almost five years and two kids later...I can't believe it's gone so fast. Anyway, having a new baby just reminds you of how wonderful babies are--that special baby smell, holding them while they sleep, their soft skin and perfect little fingers and toes, how they stare into your eyes like they already know who you are, and even how cute they are when they cry like they are going to starve in the next 30 seconds.

Most of all it reminds you how great it is to be alive and to be part of a family that loves you. How blessed and lucky we are! Kynlee and Sierra are such good girls and we have so much fun being their parents. The blessing went perfectly--complete with perfect not-to-hot weather and no wind! (what else could I expect with a perfect pregnancy, perfect delivery, perfect baby, of course--perfect blessing with no crying:) We had so many friends and family that were able to come and we had a great time visiting with all of them. For all of you that couldn't make it, we missed you and make sure to check out the pics!

Love,
The Infangers

Welcome!

Let me be the first to welcome myself to the wide world of BLOGGING! Yes, you got it--we are actually attempting to integrate ourselves into the technological world we have so long been avoiding. Well, maybe not proactively avoiding just actively not partaking :) But we just couldn't resist any longer.

Ray's still an agent for State Farm Insurance. So any of you that need quotes....j/k. Tappia is busy with our new little girl Kynlee Jane (who is 2 months old) and trying to keep Sierra (31/2)from smothering her to much. We still live in Idaho Falls and just love it. We love our little house and we even planted a garden this year. It looks a little sad, but what can you do? To top it all off, we have the best neighbors and friends in the world.

We hope all is well with any of you that might stop by our little corner of cyberspace!!!
LOL, The Infanger's