Dearest Family and Friends,
Looking back on the year, we have lots of memories of family time together at home. We did have a family trip to Palm Springs with the Cannons and Bear Lake with my siblings, but we mostly stayed close to home. We got Lagoon passes for Christmas last year and they were well used over the summer—we think the kids are sufficiently satisfied for a couple years. We (or Libby especially) is very much a “staycation” kind of girl. Taking all of the kids out at once is not just hard, but downright dangerous. The biggest culprit is usually Elizabeth. She just gets lost as she pursues her own agenda. She was most recently lost as Smith’s while she was looking for toys. Russell is able to take the older two kids places and recently took Wayne and Miranda skiing. Miranda loved being in the magical snow.
We have done a few house projects but have really learned to pace ourselves. Recently we have moved Wayne into the basement bedroom to make room for a baby boy in May 2020! The older girls got new loft beds out of the deal. Libby has been surprised at how much time it takes moving clothes around, acquiring a little furniture, painting one room, painting a new dresser, and rehanging pictures. We still aren’t done, but the girls have loved having their own side of the room and not having bunk beds anymore. The girls are getting ready for “preteen” rooms.
Baby boy: We are expecting a baby boy at the end of May and are totally thrilled. Even though Libby is only 4 months pregnant, it definitely feels like she’s at least 6 months with all the aches, pains, reflux, and annoying things that involve pregnancy. She has good weeks and bad weeks, and recently has been full of some great weeks. Libby is so excited to have a living baby boy in her arms, since it has been almost 10 years since she had Wayne.
Catherine (21 months): Catherine is a delightful girl at times, where she will brush your hair with a toy comb she’s found from the ground, or sit peacefully looking at books. Other times when she’s in a bad mood she won’t eat when she’s starving (including throwing a banana that she will eat minutes later if a cookie is placed next to the banana). If she’s pretty well rested and fed, she’s a keeper. One trick to get her out of a bad mood is to go run an errand and give her a banana in hand. She also is pretty good in the store for the first 30 minutes and likes to ride on the cart. Catherine is a great sleeper, which is a lifesaver.
Elizabeth (5): Elizabeth is a jokester, a rascal, creative, fun, and stubborn. She’s often in her own little world pretending to be a little bird, which turns into a magical bird, which turns into a magical fairy bird. She does love to snuggle with her mommy, which is sweet. She’s slow to get ready for pre-school, but Libby has learned that a Starburst reward does wonders to motivate Elizabeth to move if she comes on the “first ask.” Elizabeth is also the best at avoiding any type of work or avoiding doing any chores—pretending she doesn’t know how to do anything. It turns out that Elizabeth is very capable when properly motivated. Elizabeth loves coloring paper dolls and cutting them out to create special princesses or superheroes. She’s also a great Lego builder who has a great eye for detail. Lately she asks things like, “When I’m a mom, can I have Polly Pockets?” or “When I’m a mom, can I still call you mom?” She gets very concerned about these things and the future, but we give her a hug and tell her “Yes! You can have lots of Polly Pockets.”
Miranda (6): Miranda has a beautiful mind. Lately she has constantly been writing me notes about different things. She just loves to fill a blank piece of paper with rainbows, a picture of Libby and her together, and some kind words. Miranda is very fun and loves food. She gets school lunch and has told me that school lunch is better than the lunches Libby makes at home. She has a great sense of style and loves cute things. She’s actually really fun to go shopping with because she gets excited about pretty things. Miranda is also really fun to talk to and good at describing her feelings, even though she can get overly emotional when tired.
Wayne (9): The past year we’ve noticed Wayne develop more personal interests. He continues to love Zelda and has read every kid graphic novel about Zelda that we could find from the library. However, he still refuses to watch Star Wars. In Wayne’s 3rd grade class, we think he has tried to establish himself as the “math guy” in class, because he will come home and ask tricky math facts about square roots and then try to share the information in class. His teacher gave him a book about math tricks and puzzles a couple months ago which was really sweet. But the best report of all from school was that he is kind to kids in his class that need a friend and he’ll help fellow students with math when he finishes early. When Wayne is not being moody, he is very tender and sweet to his youngest sister Catherine and loves playing with her. He is also loves talking to Libby at night while she gives him a back scratch.
Russell: Loves being the father of such wonderful children. As Libby has been pregnant, he has definitely stepped up even more and almost always puts each kid to bed so Libby doesn’t have to. Russell spent 30+ hours over the summer in chunks of time working on wainscoting, molding, and trim in our living room as we slowly update our house. Our woodworking neighbor said that it looks professional. To pursue his hobbies this year, Russell tried to log more hours at the golf course and ski slopes to develop his skills, rather than see them decline as they did in graduate school. Russell’s greatest hobby is spending time with the kids and helping to take care of the family. He’s very content to be at home with his family and play Pokémon with Wayne, but still manages to go on a bi-weekly run. In fact, Russell has been training for 5ks, which is great for Libby since the time commitment is extremely reasonable. He plans his routes, times his runs, and comes home out of breath from running so fast. He usually needs a good bowl of cereal before bed.
Russell continues to work at GE Healthcare designing next generation X-ray imaging products for the operating room. His job provides the right balance of challenge and change while still allowing him to make time for his family. In March, he had the opportunity to attend a week-long training in at GE Global Research in upstate New York to broaden his understanding of the business aspects of engineering. Russell serves as a counselor in the Elder’s Quorum and spends time on Sundays doing ministering interviews and family history work.
Libby: It’s been a really good year. Libby looks back on the year and has lots of “Groundhog Days” of making snacks after school, doing dishes each night, picking up toys, and working the rhythm of life. But the rhythm is so important to taking care of the kids and just being available when the kids need her. Even though she is in sweatpants and a ponytail almost 90% of the time, she cherishes being home with the kids. There have been many times lately where she pauses in the day and looks at Catherine playing with a toy and Elizabeth coloring while the older kids are at school, breathes deeply, and thinks, “This is what I’ve always wanted.”
The biggest change this year for Libby has been learning how to teach art classes. She began her first art classes in January 2019, and has since done kid classes, adult classes, and private lessons. She loves finding the best art practices and sharing these tools with her students. There is sparkle in Libby’s eye on the days she teaches and she’s grateful to have a fun artistic activity a few times a week to break up the repetitive chores of taking care of the house and family. The key is that her students know she must be able to take care of her kids during lessons, and that has made all the difference.
Other than art and commissions, Libby has really spent time this year studying more finance, business, and marketing to help her operate her household and art business more efficiently. It’s a great hobby to keep her mind going. She also enjoys watching plenty of TV at night (HGTV or the Food Network’s Holiday Baking Championship.) Russell will sit with her through a good renovation show, but he can hardly stand the cheesy baking shows. Libby continues to be an advisor in Young Women’s with the Jr. Class, and loves keeping it real with the young women. They keep her young and make her laugh, (often at herself).
We look forward to the coming year with excitement and wish you a happy new year full of joy and hope.
Love,
The Dibbs