Backing up a wee bit...

On April 18th, we celebrated Earth Day at the Nature Center here in Ogden. We watched their bird show and got to see these amazing birds. Each one of them is handicapped or injured in some way, so they've been rescued and brought here to live.

Hazel's favorite was this small owl (I forget it's proper name...).

This was the bigger one. Could you imagine running into him at night?

My personal favorite. So incredible.

Hazel with her cousin, Carson.

They had an entire trail lined with birdhouses created by different people and elementary school classes. So fun.

Happy Earth Day!

The Chopper Caper

I'm proud to announce that my grandfather and dad have recently been published! My grandfather, who passed away in March, worked as a mailman for most of his life and as he walked from house to house, he began writing this book in his head. He wrote most of it down eventually and then tucked it away in a box. Well, about seven years ago my dad decided to dig it out and finish it with him. With their friend, Dr. Ron Moore, they polished and completed this novel called The Chopper Caper. Here is the synopsis they gave of the book in the press release:

An armored truck with three million in cash is traveling through Oregon and a pair of Vietnam War combat chopper pilots plan to hijack it in George Dorsey and Ronald D. Moore’s The Chopper Caper. Pete Placker, a hell-raising Fresno State football player who dropped out to become one of the best helicopter pilots in ‘Nam and Cecil Clanner, a stockbroker who got drafted, team up after they return from the war for what they think is their payday. They commandeer a CH-54 heavy-lift helicopter for what seems a simple heist. But when the hijacking turns into a bloody shoot-out, they find themselves in unknown territory. Now they have to contend with the Oregon wilderness, two unexpected hostages, one infected eye and their own darker sides.

Some reviews:

“Great read with authentic combat sequences. The hijacking is shades of D.B. Cooper.”
Robin E. Scott,
Major General, U.S. Air Force (Ret)

“A real page-turner. It’ll make one helluva movie!”
Ruben A Cubero,
Brigadier General, U.S. Air Force (Ret)
Former Dean, USAF Academy

My dad worked so hard for all those years to get The Chopper Caper published while my grandfather's health continued to decline. The day before my grandfather passed away, my dad received the good news that the book was printed, a hard copy was on the way, and it would be available to the public within the month. My dad and his parents celebrated their great accomplishment that evening and early the next morning, my grandfather passed away in his sleep. We love you grandpa George and we're so proud of your now published book and the legacy you left along with it.

So you may wonder, have I read the final copy?? Not yet! But I will venture to say it's worth your while. I will be ordering my own copy HERE so I invite you all to check it out as well!

You can also check out their webpage at:

www.eloquentbooks.com/TheChopperCaper.html

Good work Dad!

help

alright all you savvy bloggers. help me make my blog cuter. how do i change my fonts? how can I dress up my family pic heading? help, help, help.

Janelle

Sisters

Here's some pics of our two little girls together.

Any bugs?

Sweet sister kisses.

The week after her blessing (so March 8thish), Charlotte started smiling and talking. Now she's trying so hard to giggle; I love it.

Hazel couldn't let Lottie have ALL the fun in the play mat. So she joined her.

Here's Hazel providing Charlotte with all the necessities: ball, tissue, teddy bear, Big Sister ribbon, etc.

Hazel reading to Charlotte while Mom cooks dinner.

Easter Weekend

For Easter, we went to David's parents house and had some fun activities. First, Hazel decorated eggs for the first time (her egg just eventually turned into a blue-tinted brown). Then they had a small scavenger hunt for these huge chocolate eggs that had a surprise in the middle (first picture). And the grand finale was an outside Easter egg hunt. The only thing that baffled Hazel was why on earth she couldn't open each egg and eat the candy right away. Makes sense! We had a great time with the family--thank you Vicki for all your effort!

Her mom helped her eat this one...

Sizing up the competition.

Dad and Hazel hunting for eggs.

David's brother Collin, using Hazel as protection in a snowball fight with his brothers.
David, throwing snowballs anyway.

Hazel's cousin, Sam.Tiffany and Danica.

Hazel sharing the contents of her eggs with Dad.

Sunday morning we gave Hazel an Easter basket with her first little CTR ring, a picture of Christ for her room, and some little goodies, including these sweet red sunglasses.

The Triple Binky Wonder



We're so grateful for this time to reflect on the Savior and his greatest gift, the Atonement.

Ah, spring

Hazel and I (and Charlotte, asleep in her sling) went outside last week for a walk. It's so fun to see the tulips popping up in people's yards (ours too!) and to have green grass to walk on instead of snow. Hazel loves birds and tries to follow them into her secret hiding places, telling me to "shhhh." I hope to get some good pics of Charlotte this week; she is smiling all the time now and is trying so hard to laugh. Love these girls.

P.S. A BIG thanks to my amazing photographer friend Camille for editing these pictures for me. You rock. Check her out.

Where have I been??

Well life is picking up pace and I'm struggling to keep up. We had these family pics taken a while ago by our good friend Brandon Payne. Check out his photography website: brandonpaynephotography.blogspot.com. So here are a few of our latest family pics:







Life is goood. We're getting excited to plant a garden in our backyard and work on a few other projects now that the weather is warming up. Our girlies are doing well and keep us overwhelmed and underpaid, but we love them and enjoy the little things they say and do every day.

Love, the Phipps