Merry Christmas from the Deibels

2014:  Since you've been kind enough to stop by to see what we've been up to this year, why don't we play a game?  It's 3 Truths and a Lie--Can you spot the lie?

 

Elyse:

Finally had her braces taken off in July

Turned 14 and loves going to Stake Youth Activities

Played Veruca Salt in the school's production of Willy Wonka this year

After Swim team is over, she's going out for the Girl's Wrestling team

Jarom:

Started all day Kindergarten this year.

Totally hates that his two best friend cousins are in his class with him.

Has begun his training as a Ninja Warrior by climbing all the walls in the house.

Split his head open twice this year--making him our kid who's been to the ER the most.

Luke:

Has decided to become a vegetarian--which is why he looks like a skinny chicken in his swimsuit

Turned 8 and was baptized a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Loves Cub Scouts and is always asking to work on his Wolf Badge

Started ski lessons with his dad this winter

Paul:

Is turning 12 this month and becoming a Deacon

Loved being in the play with Elyse so much, he's decided to be in a play every year for the rest of his school career

Loves Legos and dreaming up new inventions

Worked on his fear of heights by trying the high ropes course at Thanksgiving Pt and skiing a black diamond with Dad and Elyse



Emily:

Is enjoying the next chapter of her life with all the kids in school--although doesn't like the chauffeur duties as much

Teaching Photoshop classes at the Quilted cottage

Running a Marathon in 2015 with Matt

Loves her fam, her place in life, and her wonderful friends

Matt:

Messed up at work and now somebody out there doesn't have a leg.

Is Interim director this year for the ER Department.

Hiked the Grand Canyon in a single day.

Went on Trek as the Doc this summer

 

 

Merry Christmas to our family and friends!  We love you!

These Are a Few of My Favorite Things (2013):

I interviewed the kids & these are the most memorable events of their year:

Elyse
1.  Took 5th place at the State Forensics competition held at Wayne State, in the "Multiple" category.  Forensics, believe it or not, means "an in depth study of" and not "crime scene investigation."  In this case, she performed an in depth study of drama, in a sketch from Diary of a Wimpy Kid.
2.  Loved running in Yellowstone with her dad, early enough in the morning to hear a pack of wolves howling in the distance.
3.  Turned 13 (a teenager at last!) and got a cell phone and now spends a good chunk of her earnings on buying more minutes to text her friends.
4.  Grew taller than Mom.
5.  Got the part of Ado Annie in the middle school's play Oklahoma.  She had lots of fun practicing and performing with her friends and her cousin.

Paul
1.  Saved his mowing and trimming money to buy a Lego Mindstorm. 
2.  Has loved being on the 5th grade Lego League team.  Competition is on December 7th.
3.  Screwed his courage to the sticking place and rode the new roller coaster, the Gate Keeper, at Cedar Point.  For someone who doesn't like heights, this was his favorite roller coaster ever.
4.  Turns 11 on December 14th and FINALLY graduates to boy scouts.  He'll be able to go on overnighters-including the Polar Bear this year.
5.  Bought a sling shot in Yellowstone and keeps it in his toolbox.

Luke
1.  Was tall enough to ride the big coasters at Cedar Point his year and rode the Millennium Force with Dad.
2.  Jumped on the trampoline.
3.  Braved 9 degree wind-chill to watch the BYU vs. Notre Dame football game.  Coldest Notre Dame home game in 22 years.
4.  Went with the family to adopt our kitten, Luna, at the pet shelter.
5.  Participated in his first triathlon:  the Tri-Kids-Try.  It consists of one lap of the pool, a 2 mile bike ride, and a half mile run.  He just barely graduated to a big boy bike right before the race and didn't even crash.

Jarom
1.  Rode Splash Mountain at Disney Land at the age of 3--not once but twice.  He politely requested not to ride it anymore after that.
2.  Started preschool at Peace Lutheran.
3.  Learned to write his name all by himself.
4.  Loved going to Gramma Paula's and Grandpa's house in Utah.
5.  Played with his cousin, Asher.

Emily
1.  Fulfilled a dream of going to Disney Land on Mother's Day with no diaper bag and no stroller.  My reward for potty training the children.  No more diapers!
2.  In Yellowstone, after a long hot day of hiking around the Old Faithful geyser basin, we happened to go by Castle Geyser when it was going off.  We were all hot, sweaty, and thirsty and the wind blew a wonderful mist over the boardwalk.  I just stood there with my arms out, getting drenched, and loving every second of it.
3.  I get three hours to myself every day now that Jarom is in preschool and everyone else is at school.
4.  Got hooked on BYU Men's Volleyball.  Can't wait for the new season to start.
5.  Going to lunch with Matt whenever he's not working.  Most of our dates consist of a meal and wandering around Lowe's afterwards.
 

Matt
1.  Ran his first marathon and beat his goal time.
2.  Won the Midwest Medwars with his boss and brother, Jon.
3.  Went up north to Pictured Rocks with the boy scouts.
4.  Loved taking Elyse and Paul skiing around Michigan.
5.  Turned 40.

 THE DEIBEL TOP 5 OF 2012

JAROM:

1.  Learned his colors.

2.  Still loves froggies and piggies.

3.  Started household chores:  he sorts the recyclying every day, takes empty laundry baskets upstars, and cleans his room.

4.  Turned 3 and now that's his favorite number.

5.  He is finally potty trained!!!  After twelve years, Mom and Dad are done with diapers forever.

 

LUKE:

1.  Loves to play Star Wars Wii with his big brother, Paul.

2.  All he wants for Christmas is his two front teeth.

3.  Started First Grade.

4.  Participated with the big kids at Hemmeter Elementary Running Club and collected 15 miles on his punch card.

5.  Learned how to ride a two wheeler.

PAUL:

1.  Participated in a community basketball camp in the summer.

2.  Learned how to downhill snow ski.

3.  Faced his fears and rode the Maverick Roller Coaster at Cedar Point.

4.  He also collected 15 miles at the Hemmeter Elementary Running Club.

5.  By far the most memorable event of 2012 was going on the 4th grade, two day fieldtrip to Hartley Nature Center.  He loved conquering the confidence course with his team, playing games, and bunking with his best friend.

ELYSE:

1.  Elyse now attends White Pine Middle School and is the 6th grade student council secretary.

2.  Had braces put on in April--no gum for two whole years.  Wah-ha-ha :(

3.  She played one of the storytellers in the school play, Once On This Island.

4.  Finally, after enduring endless long months in primary, turned 12 and entered the Young Women program.

5.  Took first place in the Tri-Kids-Try triathalon and 3rd place in the MCVI 5k run in her age division.

EMILY:

1.  Hugged, cleaned, trained, cheuffered, fed, clothed, educated, and fervently prayed over four busy kids.

2.  I am celebrating my 14th wedding anniversary in December.  Weird how fast that went by.

3.  My two sisters, LeeAnn & Liz, and three of my nieces, came out to Michigan to visit me for the first time ever!!!  Mom and Dad came, too, and we spent time bumming on the beaches of Grand Haven, biking, and touring Frankenmuth.  Thanks for coming.  That was so awesome.

4.  I took a trip alone to Fort Walton Beach, FL, and spent four blissful days reading, watching the ocean, walking on the beach, taking pictures, and reading some more with my mom and dad.  Thanks for having me you two--Love You!

5.  I became the coordinator for SCRIP, the main fundraising event at Hemmeter Elementary with my friend Laura Fiore.  I now sell, promote, and take inventory of gifts cards every week(who knew I'd ever run a small business and get paid absolutely nothing for doing it?).  Jarom is a superstar for being so quiet and patient while we spend hours in the conference room at school.

MATT:

1.  Finally got permission from his wife to buy a trampoline.

2.  He chaperoned Paul's trip to Hartley.

3.  Continues to oversee and expand the scribe program in the Emergency Department.

4.  Helped design the up-coming expansion of the E.R.

5.  After planning and coordinating for a year, bravely took a group of the Saginaw Ward's Young Men on a backpacking trip to Isle Royale.  It's an island in Lake Superior that you ferry out to.  No phone access, no roads--you are completely cut off from civilization and you carry everything you need to survive for one week in the pack on your back.  Matt and John Lowry led the group of twelve-year-old boys and they all had a blast and everyone came home alive with memories that will last forever.

Fourth of July

 Luke and cousin Nathan

 Paul, cousin Kathleen, and Elyse

 Cousin Steven and Jarom

The fourth of July was unbearably hot.  Gramma Sue and Papa wrote up a family history road rally for all the Deibels in town.  We spent two hours in our blessedly air conditioned car hunting down red cars, flags, hawks, cows, and school busses, along with great grandparents' homes and businesses, and a stop for ice cream.  The rally ended at the Deibel's pond in St. Charles.  We had a BBQ and swam for a few hours, lit fireworks on the dock, and then drove back to Saginaw for the firework show on the river.  We've been in Utah the last two years for this holiday and I have to say, I've missed the Saginaw fireworks.  We may be a dead/dying town rife with empty buildings, but we know how to spend money for the fourth of July.  Over 8,000 people lined the river this year.  Papa got up early and saved us front row seats.  Thanks Papa!  Jarom spent the show plastered to my chest with my hands over his ears.  This is not surprising as I have yet to have a child that initially loves fireworks as much as I do.  Give him another three years and he'll come around.  I enjoyed snuggling with my youngest and I oohed and awed over the show like one of the kids.  By the end of the show his eyes were open, at least, and he named a few colors of the fireworks,  all of which he got wrong because he can't remember his colors yet (it cracked me up).

 Elyse graduated from Hemmeter Elementary this month.  She was sad to leave the school she loved so much, but I know she'll love middle school, too.  Weird--I now have a middle schooler!

 Luke and his cousin Nathan--he was in the other Kindergarten class

 The Four Mormons in Luke's Kindergarten class this year

Yay, school's out!  We're already enjoying our summer!  So far we've been swimming a couple times, to the zoo, walks around the neighborhood, and slept in.

The past month or so in a nutshell

 Jarom turned 3 on the 30th.  We start the laborious and momentous task of potty training

 It raine and thundered most of Luke's birthday on the 27th.  We watched from the garage--Luke watched from the driveway

 Memorial Day:  98 and humid.  Ick.  We melted at the ward picnic, but the kids had fun

 Elyse is the one in the skirt at the end--more memorial day picnic activities

End of April:  Elyse played one of the Jasmine's in the fifth grade play.  She had to hug that shortee of an Aladdin--which neither was thrilled about.  I made her costume all by myself!

Easter

We hosted the cousin easter egg coloring and egg hunt this year.  I tried really really hard to limit our candy intake, so the hunt included the hard boiled eggs we colored and plastic eggs with dimes and nickels.  Each kid collecting just under two dollars--it wasn't really a wower, but they seemed excited.  Happy that I'd done my duty, I enjoyed my sabbath the next day until our neighbor told the kids they could come collect eggs because their guests didn't show.  My kids each brought home a 16 inx16 in bag full of candy which I then snacked on over the next five days.  By Friday I threw away the majority of the candy.  We had a wonderful easter, watching the church's new bible video and by doing our annual tradition of telling the easter story while opening plastic eggs that have something in them to show a bit of the story.