First Kloepfer clip

Ok, so Google video is having major problems. So that's delaying the Kloepfer home movies. We might post them all directly to the family website (Matt will get back to me with whether or not we have enough space). For now, I'll start uploading 10 min clips and I'll email you the links. This first clip shows Bill and Ken as young kids (about 4/5 and 2/3). The woman with them at the very beginning is our great grandmother, Jean Brown Fonnesbeck. Have fun and stay tuned!

Like Mulan!

Ryn knows she's not supposed to write on anything but paper. I left her drawing with an ink pen while I changed Elle's diaper and I kept hearing her say over and over, "Like Mulan!" When I came back, the inside of her forearm and hand were covered in scribbles. My first reaction was frustration with her disobedience. But then she looked up at me with her innocent, joyful brown eyes and said again, "Like Mulan!" (remember the part where Mulan is trying to cheat her way through her matchmaker interview) How could I be mad? I could only laugh and kiss my princess, thankful for these constant moments of joy she brings to life.

Eternity

We had the cutest experience during Family Home Evening this last week. Not because of any great or amazing lesson--we just read a story in the Friend about a little girl asking her mom about her wedding pictures, her dress and being sealed for time and all eternity in the temple. After we read the story, we showed Ryn our wedding pictures and told her that we can be together forever as a family because we were sealed in the temple when we were married. She oohed and ahhed over my "pretty white dress", how I looked like a princess and Kevin like a prince, the beautiful flowers and the temple. Then, when we were done looking at the pictures, I told her that she would one day be sealed in the temple, too. I didn't know if she had made the jump in her mind from the girl in the story, to Mommy, and then to herself in the future (she's only 2 :) , and so I waited to hear how she would respond. She thought for a minute and then just started spouting excitedly about everything that would happen to her when she was married in the temple, ending in "happily ever after"! Kevin and I just looked at each other with tears and wonder in our eyes. Here is a video where we tried to get her to repeat what she had said a few minutes before--not quite the same, but pretty close.

SHE'S ONE!!!!

Yes, I am so late telling about Elle's wonderful first birthday. We're making her one year video like we did for Ryn, so that will be posted here soon. But until then, I just wanted to record for her, for myself, and for anyone else who's interested the fun we had on her day, May 29. Since a picture is worth a thousand words, a video must be worth even more--so I'm using a lot here. When she woke up, she went right to Carma, who took off her pj's and helped her into her fluffy pettiskirt (from Michelle) and a cute pink ribbon around her little head. Then Elle helped us decorate herself, as well as the light in the kitchen, with streamers and more ribbons.

When the kitchen was sufficiently clothed with birthday cheer, Elle settled in for a delicious bowl of birthday oatmeal (her favorite breakfast) with Carma.

We all got dressed--no, we didn't take Elle out in her breakfast attire :)--and Kev, Ryn, Elle and I hit the road for a birthday full of animal and outdoor fun. First stop: Cabela's. Yes, it's an outdoor/sporting goods store, but it is AMAZING! They have huge displays of stuffed (taxidermy-stuffed polar bear, brown and black bear, mousse, mountain lion, zebra, lion, impala, etc, etc, etc!) animals and aquariums with hundreds of live fish, all able to be enjoyed for free! Both girls absolutely loved it, even though Elle got a little scared of the fish when she was too close to the glass.

Next stop: Thanksgiving Point's Farm. This place had everything and more that you could want in a semi-petting zoo: fluffy yellow chicks, llamas, sheep, horses, cows, chickens, peacocks, and pony rides. They even had a miniature frontier street with a few child-sized buildings including a jail and MISS KITTY'S Dance Hall :). Again, the girls had a blast and so did we! It's amazing how much fun things are when you get to see them through your children's eyes.

After all of this, we came home to a great dinner, presents, and a double chocolate birthday cake for Elle. One special part of the day was having my Grandma Turtle, via webcam, singing and watching with us as Elle 'blew out' her candle and destroyed her cake. That video will be part of the one year video, so I won't repeat it here. The day was perfect and wonderful in every way. Just like Elle.