The Fault in Our Stars

Obviously it has been a long time since I have posted anything. In between girls camp, rugby, an extended Idaho trip, swimming lessons, and lots of little things in between the summer has quickly gone by. Eventually I will catch up on all of those fun things we did--but for now I have a book to talk about. The Fault in Our Stars was a book recommended to me by a friend. It does have some swearing and humor about sexual situations. It was a nice change of pace for me since I have devoted much of my year to light and fun books.

I started yesterday and this morning instead of mopping my floors I sat, cried, finished the book, and cried some more. It is sad. It is about a 16 year old girl who is terminally ill with cancer. So yes, it is sad. And yes, if you don't cry you are possibly heartless. However, it is a good cry and strangely enough not depressing. It is not religious, nor is it really anti-religious. Hazel, the 16 year old terminally ill girl, does not have much belief in God herself. It's one of the reasons I liked it so much. Her view of the world and death and the afterlife is different from mine, and it's nice to read about other opinions. The boy that comes into her life is Gus. He is perfect for Hazel, even when she can't see it. I loved reading it and laughed out loud more than once. It is funny and filled with humor even though it is about death and what our lives mean. Are we remembered when we die? Do we leave an impact when we're no longer here? The ending is thought provoking because life is indeed full of pain. At least at times. And none of us can really get away from death and loss. However, that's no reason not to live and enjoy life as much as we can. Hazel and Gus chose wisely for themselves.

A New Sport for the Jeppsens

 This year Lucas decided to try out rugby.  He is not going to play football this fall due to scheduling conflicts with family reunions and cousin camp, and this was a sport that he could do this summer and it's over before August. I know eventually he'll play football but right now he is having fun scoring tries (equivalent of a TD) and learning a new sport.

It is quite different from football but still fun to watch. The games are in places from Clearfield to Alpine so it's a lot of driving but it's fun to see Lucas succeed in a sport!

Birthdays in May

 Bryan's birthday was on Memorial Day this year. He took the day off (working for an airline you get very few holidays off) and relaxed and enjoyed the day. His surprise present was a pillow pet from Ty. Yes, we got him a BYU pillow pet. He says the couch cushions are not soft enough and so this will be his 'napping on the couch' pillow.

 His big gift was an RC 10 car. He has been wanting one for years!

Lucas took out his remote controlled car and Bryan took out his. Bryan's car is FAST. We have told Lucas that if he learns to drive his REALLY well, then maybe he will get one like Bryan's in a few years.

They raced their cars, we ate a lot of food, and we ended the day with peach pie and homemade ice cream. Happy birthday Bryan!!

 Ty turned four years old on May 14th and on the 12th of May he had his first ever friend's party. It was pirate themed and Lucas helped us out by being the 'bad' pirate who stole the kids treasure.

We had a lot of fun playing games and then having a treasure hunt to find our treasure chest that Lucas stole.

 One of the games was bombing Lucas with water balloons from the upstairs window.

 Then they fought Lucas and won the treasure back.

 I love this picture of Ty! This turned out to be one of his favorite toys!

 A couple of days later on the 14th we had a little family party. We had dinner at McDonald's (Ty's choice of course) and then we went home for cake, ice cream, and presents. He got some fun new toys that he has been playing with ever since.

We love having Ty in our home and my life would be so different right now without him. He is fun and happy and full of life. He loves playing with his toys, riding his batman big wheel, and finding all my hidden treats so that he can eat them too. He is a mommy's boy and I love it. I know it won't last forever and so I'll enjoy it while I can.