Time to Play Catch Up

Yes, I am more than a bit behind on the blog. Sorry, but when life gets busy, the blog goes by the wayside. I must repent of this in the new year.

So here we go. A quick recap of the last few months in the Shupe household.


Christian finished up an amazing marching band season with American Fork High School. In spite of the tragic accident involving Heather Christensen, the band moved on and won several competitions. They won the Western Regional Competition and then, thanks to the generous support of family, friends and sponsors, they went on to Indianapolis for Nationals. They made the semi finals there and ended up placing 15th out of the 91 bands attending. We were able to watch them perform at nationals via a live satellite feed at the high school. It was a great wrap up to a unique season. Here is a YouTube link if you want to take the 9 minutes or so to watch the performance. It was a tribute to World War II veterans and featured music from Band of Brothers. Christian is the second bass drum from the left if you can spot him. Also note the injured band members in the front by the pit, playing their instruments but unable to march. And hang on for the tribute at the end.




Remember this cute, fluffy little thing? Well, she's grown...


...and grown and grown and grown. Inga loves the snow and it makes for quite a challenge when walking the dogs. Jack prefers to keep to the sidewalk, Inga prefers to romp through the snow off the sidewalk. I think she's pretending she's in the Swiss Alps tracking down a lost traveler. But we love her and she has brought new life into ten year old Jack. They are the best of friends.



And speaking of cute things, have you been to Hogle Zoo yet to see this baby elephant? If you haven't, you really must. We went to see her in October and all I could think was, "I think my dog is that big."



Halloween came and went. It was the year of the pirate. Sidney, Kristina, myself and several friends dressed up as pirates. Even Jack the dog ended up in a pirate costume. Poor thing--he's just too good natured to protest when we do such ridiculous things. Inga had the good sense to have nothing to do with any costume.



And Thanksgiving came and went. We held it at our house this year and stuffed ourselves until we thought we would burst. Isn't that what Thanksgiving is all about? Oh, yes, and the thanks part too.




We took the family to Disneyland for Christmas this year. We spent three days in mid-December at Disneyland. The first day, it poured rain. Never fear. Who's afraid of a little rain? Not us. But apparently, a lot of other people. We spent six hours at the park and walked onto almost every ride.

The next day was perfect. It was overcast so I think that scared people away but there was no rain and again, we rode ride after ride after ride with little if any wait. The kids actually went on Splash Mountain twice in a row and didn't even have to get off in between.


Day three was sunny so we ended up with a busier day but still not crazy. Kristina complained about the ten minute wait for some of the rides. I think we spoiled her with the previous two days.



And Christmas was wonderful. It has been a relaxing and wonderful holiday for all of us. We hope it was the same for you. Life is good, not perfect, but very good. We are blessed.

Watched over

It's been an interesting 24 hours. Yesterday, American Fork's Marching Band went to a competition at Idaho State University in Pocatello. Christian texted us to let us know that they had swept their division. We were thrilled for him and went about our business, expecting him home in a few hours.

A little after 7:00 pm, as Dean and I came home from walking the dogs, we received a text from Christian. "The bus ahead of us just went off the road and tipped." Thus began a long, dramatic evening with us waiting for bits and pieces of information as it arrived and worrying for Christian. The bus driver of one of the buses had blacked out. The woodwinds instructor, Heather Christensen, jumped up and tried to steer the bus. She was thrown from the bus and killed. But amazingly, and they are crediting her with this, other than bumps and bruises, none of the 50 students on the bus were injured. No other fatalities, no broken bones. A highway patrolman told the band director at the hospital that he was amazed. "Someone was watching over your kids," he said.

I do believe someone was watching over them. I do believe Heather's selflessness helped. I'm just grateful they are all well. At a tribute at the high school tonight to Heather, Mr. Miller, the band director, commented on the fact that the kids have dedicated this year's performance to veterans who fought for and some even died for this country. He felt perhaps, last night, some of those same people were looking out for those kids on the bus. Someone was. And thank God for that.

The kids are performing Tuesday evening at BYU. The performance will be dedicated to Heather.

Marching Band

It's marching band season and it is currently ruling Christian's life. He has practice 12 hours a week, he has competitions every weekend and while he complains about the time involved (of course there has to be something to complain about), he is loving it. And so far, American Fork High School has ruled every competition. They are doing a tribute to World War II, featuring music from Band of Brothers and the video game, Medal of Honor. And each of the kids wears a dog tag around their neck that honors someone from the armed forces. Christian is wearing a dog tag honoring his Great-grandpa, Andrew Jackson Moffitt, who fought in the Pacific in World War II. We saw him perform at the high school but I didn't take any pictures because I couldn't get a good view of the whole field. But he's got some competitions coming up in the BYU and U of U stadiums so I anticipate some really good pictures from those. I will post those later. He's performing in Pocatello this weekend if anyone wants to make the trip.

Here is the drumline. Christian is the first one on the left in the back row.


It makes a mother so proud.

Back to School

Meet Twila Fehlman reincarnated on her first day of fourth grade.

She's got the attitude for junior high.

And this one just makes life easier for me.

This one is too cool for school, or at least for photos. Anyone else have a high schooler that just won't allow a decent picture to be taken of him, ever?

Here is my motley crue on their first day of school. Yes, we're back to school. Yippee, I think. With one in high school and two in junior high this year, back to school cost a small fortune. And I'm not even including Christian's marching band fees because I paid those in increments over the summer. But so far, everyone seems to be doing well. Spencer and Kristina didn't get lost on their first day at junior high as they thought they might. No, Kristina waited until day five to get lost :-).

And you know, this one is going to school too. Yes, we are on week four of puppy obedience school. And Inga is doing pretty well. She's the youngest and biggest puppy there. I swear she grows over night. She's sprouted legs over the last few weeks so she's now a big fur ball with legs. If you intend to come and see her while she is still relatively small, you'd better hurry. She's not waiting around for anyone.

Brace Yourself

Dean and I knew this was coming. We just didn't expect both 12 year olds to be ready for braces at the exact same time. But so it was. So a couple of weeks ago, a day apart, Spencer and Kristina got their braces on. And here they are in all their glory.




They are both finally past the sore mouth and the difficulty eating. Now, Spencer likes to kid Kristina that his braces will be off sooner than hers. He's looking at 18 months, Kristina at three years. Wow, that sounds like a prison sentence, doesn't it? And Dean and I are bracing ourselves for the payments over the next several months. Thank heaven for dental insurance with orthodontic coverage!

Puppy Love

Look at this face and melt. That is exactly what Dean and I did today. Meet Inga, a 22 pound, seven week old Saint Bernard puppy. And yes, we brought her home today. Don't ask about the craziness of it all. Don't apply any kind of logic or practical thought. Just look at the face.

This one is in love with her.


So is this one.


And this one is too.


And this one hasn't been this excited about anything in a long time.


This one will get used to her, and probably come to enjoy the companionship.


This one and her sister are really unsure and a little put out that they weren't consulted first.


And to think that the kids had nothing to do with it. Dean and I flipped head over heels and that was that. Never mind that she was the biggest puppy in her litter. Never mind that at seven weeks her head is already as big as my children's heads. Never mind that she has the potential to grow to 160 pounds. Just look at her and melt.

Not for the squeamish.

As some of you already know, I've been a bit under the weather. Just a little over three weeks ago, I had my aortic heart valve replaced. Yes that meant open heart surgery. For those of you with a medical interest, or those of who who may just be curious, I thought I'd share a few pictures.

First of all, I've known all my life that eventually my aortic valve needed to be replaced. Fortunately for me, it lasted as long as it did and I've really only suffered with symptoms over the last few months. Most aortic valves look kind of like a Y. The valve opens and closes, allowing oxygenated blood to return to the body. My valve looked like an S curve because of a birth defect. Thus, it had to work harder than a normal valve and it sometimes allowed some blood to leak back into the heart.

Well, after all those years of pumping extra hard, the valve calcified and couldn't work very well anymore. And on top of that, because my heart was pumping with such force to keep the blood flowing, I developed an aortic aneurysm, like a bubble in a hose, which was threatening to burst. Since Dean's dad died of an aortic aneurysm that burst, this was more frightening to me than the valve itself.

Well, after a few hours, my very talented surgeon, Dr. Mitchell, replaced my heart valve with a human tissue valve and repaired the aneurysm. The only downside was that my heart decided not to fire correctly after surgery to keep my heart pumping. Along with a new heart valve, I am also the proud owner of a pacemaker now. Not something I anticipated but considering the alternative, I'm grateful. Modern medicine is pretty amazing, you know?

All is well. My family and my friends have been amazing. They have cleaned my house, chauffeured me around to cardiac rehab and doctors' appointments, fed me, kept me company and kept my spirits up. Every day, I feel better and get a little more of my stamina back. Thanks everyone!

And now, if you don't want to see the pictures, stop here. But if not, continue. These aren't the best--they were taken with a cell phone. But for posterity's sake, here they are.

For this first picture, I must thank Ben Leininger. At church, Dean was telling the kids in his Sunday School class about the surgery and Ben drew this picture for all to understand. And yes, the first thing Christian said to me when he saw me after surgery was, "I'm sorry to tell you Mom, but they had to open you up and spread your ribs." Yes, Christian, I am painfully aware of that. Don't ask me why, but this photo made me laugh.

This next photo is my actual aortic valve.

Dr. Mitchell positioned the valve to show how wide it would open. This is all the wider my heart valve would open. It should have been completely open. No wonder I was dizzy and light headed a lot of the time. The penny is just there to give you perspective as to the size of a heart valve.


And here is my latest friend. This pillow is here to keep me from coming apart when I sneeze, cough or laugh too hard.

I truly am grateful for the doctors, nurses, and so many other people at the hospital that got me through this. And even though I said it before, I need to say it again. My family and friends are the best. At night, when I lay in bed and no longer can hear my heart murmur, I have to remind myself how lucky I am. Life is good, a little painful at the moment, but very good.

Happy 20th Anniversary!

Wow! We've actually been married 20 years. I think we are supposed to give each other china or some such gift. For such a milestone, you'd think we'd be doing more than just going out to eat tonight. But honestly, it's just not necessary. I'm just proud of us--proud of what we've accomplished, proud of who we are, proud of our family. It's a good anniversary. Here's to at least 20 more years together.

Go see this.

Anyone familiar with these books? If so or if you just love visual illusions, puzzle games, and good photography, go to the BYU Art Museum and see the Walter Wick exhibit. My kids and I went over spring break and had a good time. And that is saying a lot when you have four kids all with different tastes. So if you are anywhere close to Provo, take an hour and swing by the BYU Art Museum. Click here if you want to learn more.

Gearing up for Easter and Spring

Usually by Easter, the weather has warmed up and signs of spring are everywhere. My daffodils came up this year but they have had a hard time with the snow we've had. But spring is determined to come and Easter always helps it feel a bit more so.


This morning was our neighborhood Easter egg hunt. The weather held just long enough for the hunt. It started to rain as we were heading home.


And tonight, we decorated Easter eggs. We experimented with marbling eggs this year (add three tablespoons of vegetable oil to your dye). The most unique egg was this one by Sidney. We dubbed it "the Earth egg".


No matter how chilly it may be outside, this sight always tells me that it truly is spring, even if it doesn't feel like it.


The neighbors' lambs are my favorite part of every spring. I love seeing them every day as I drive past. And my favorite thing they do, besides just being so dang cute, is that they race. I've seen it more than once so I swear it is so. A bunch of lambs all stand together. Then suddenly, they all race as fast as they can to the nearest ewe. I know they are saying, "Last one to the ewe is a rotten egg."

Happy Easter and Happy Spring everyone!

Wax Museum

Meet Leonardo Da Vinci...


...and Pocahontas.

They both came to life in the kids' 6th grade class yesterday, along with multiple other famous people from the past. It was a bit like visiting the Hall of Presidents at Disneyland. The kids sat frozen until you walked up to them and then they delivered a 20 second sound bite about their famous person. Both kids did great. Kristina struggled with pronouncing Pocahontas at first but by the end of the day, she said, "I feel like I have a hole in my tongue" after talking so much. Well done kids!

Legos

I've been going through a lot of my older pictures lately. And it has been a fun walk down memory lane. I find pictures like this. Remember when you used to get this excited over a birthday present?

And as I go through pictures I start to see associations with other pictures. Christian loved legos. He was always creating something.

This creation he made just for me.

And as I become reacquainted with my pictures, I realize that I need to take current pictures that show that certain hobbies are still alive and well.

Still creating after all these years.

Happy Birthday Kristina!

Kristina has been counting down for this day for weeks. Yesterday, she told me it was going to be the best day ever. So far, as she listens to her new ipod shuffle, it appears to be. Happy Birthday Kristina! We're glad you're part of our family.

Photo Challenge

Mitch challenged me to post the 4th photo from the 4th folder on my computer. The problem is that I have roughly 12,000 photos on my computer in various folders embedded within folders. That made this challenge a little harder than it sounded. Where do I start? So I decided to just start at the base of my files. And here was the photo I found.


For Christian's 8th birthday, Dean, my dad and my brother, Shawn, took Christian, his friend, Austin, and Spencer to an air show at Hill Air Force Base. This photo was taken there. I love the fact that they are trying to appear so tough and cool. That's my Christian, always cool, and Spencer, always looking up to him. And they've all been born with that love of airplanes that came from both the Shupe and Moffitt side of the family.

This was a fun trip down memory lane. And now, I'm supposed to challenge four of you. So I challenge Becky, Jodi L, Jody F and Keri to do the same. Can't wait to see what you post.

It was a Beautiful Day!

Yesterday was an amazing day. Kristina was baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. And then later in the day, she was sealed to our family for time and all eternity. It's hard to describe what an amazing day it was but it feels like the culmination of a very long and difficult journey. The bottom line is that Kristina was meant to be a part of our family and we are so glad that is now official, not just in this life, but in the next.

Thanks so much to the missionaries, Elder Lanier and Elder Holcomb, who taught her the Gospel discussions, to Dustin Steel who acted as our Russian interpreter during the discussions, to his wife Christina, who patiently sat through the discussions as well, and to all of our family who supported us through this process, especially our kids who put up with a lot.

My wonderful friend, Colette, took pictures at the temple yesterday and I hope to share some of those on this blog soon. But here are some for now of the wonderful day.