Proposition 8 in California

Many of you have heard of Proposition 8 in California. I have had friends and family knocking on doors trying to educate the public about the consequences of this legislation. Here are some of the possible ramifications if it DOES NOT pass. Thanks to my sister in law Kelly for letting me borrow your typing! These are serious issues. If you know anyone in California urge them to vote for this proposition. States across the nation are waiting the outcome of this before drafting similar legislation.

1. Children in public schools will have to be taught that same-sex marriage is just as good as traditional marriage

2. Anti-discrimination regulations will become more important than religious beliefs.

3. Churches will be sued over their tax-exempt status if they refuse to allow same-sex marriage ceremonies in their religious buildings open to the public.

4. Religious adoption agencies will be challenged by government to give up their long-held right to place children only in homes with both a mother and a father.

5. Religions that sponsor private schools with married-student housing will be required to provide housing for same-sex couples, even if counter to church doctrine, or risk lawsuits over tax exemptions and related benefits.

6. Ministers who preach against same-sex marriages will be sued for hate speech and could be fined by the government.

Canyon Lake

We enjoyed a fun afternoon at Canyon Lake with our good friends the Lymans. The kids each got to try skiing and wake boarding. Even Sadie got a turn with Troy -- what a trooper! All the kids decided wake boarding was the best. Thank so much Lymans for taking us and for taking such fun pictures since we forgot our camera! We love the lake!

Seattle

We spent a weekend in Seattle with our friends the Hamiltons and the Bruschkes. It was a fun filled trip. We spent a day in the city learning about the history of Seattle with an underground walking tour, going to the top of the space needle and browsing the famous Pike's Market. The next day we spent some time at the Ballard Locks and the salmon ladders, we took a hike to a beautiful waterfall and then ended the day taking the ferry to Bainbridge Island. We had a great time.

Sadie's 4th Birthday

Sadie's Birthday was August 15th. Troy and I were actually out of town so Nana Plewe was staying with the kids. She wanted to make Sadie's day special so she took her out to lunch decked out with a Birthday Girl crown to Red Robins. They waitresses gave her balloons, an ice cream sunday and sang to her. She loved it. Later that night the kids made her day special with decorations and the special day plate accompanied a cake and candles. How sweet her siblings were to her. It is nice to get a glimpse of that - once in a great while :) - Two weeks later when scheduling permitted we had a small party with some of her friends. Haleigh was amazingly enthusiastic planning all the games and activities. She even had it written out how long each activity should take before determining the length for the invitations. How nice is that for Mom? She planned pin the crown on the princess, musical chairs and a princess pinata. Thanks Haleigh for all of your help! It was fun!

1st Day of School

The kids were excited to start school again -- but probably not as excited as I was :). Taylor is in 6th grade, Haleigh 4th and Camden is in 2nd grade this year. They all have great teachers and we are looking forward to a year full of learning and growth. Sadie is going to preschool and I will get her posted soon!

Northern California to visit the Bruschke Family

We decided we hadn't traveled enough this summer so five days before school started and three days after being home from So Cal we hopped back on a plane to visit our good friends the Bruschkes. We had a great time with the beautiful cool mornings and evenings. It is amazing how even after a year of not seeing each other the kids just started where they left off. It was especially fun to see Sadie and Alexa renew their memories of each other since they had the least amount of time together. I have to admit my favorite part was having someone cook for her! Especially someone that loves to cook as much as she does. The kids enjoyed the creek up the street and climbing around rock city.

I just love this picture.

I hope to take another one in 10 years of our most likely, most loyal BYU athletes :)!

Sweet Summertime

We think as parents we need to spend so much time and energy and money entertaining our kids in the summer when really all they need are the simplicities of nature. My kids can spend sun up to sun down and still not want to leave the beach. It cost us a whopping 5.00 in quarters for the meter for an entire day of fun. They loved swimming in the waves (and yes even Taylor gets in the freezing Pacific water) they boogie boarded for hours but the biggest time consumer was the digging and sorting of sand crabs. Why this gross little water bugs fascinate them is beyond me but they did and do and we had hundreds in buckets lining the camp of chairs and towels. We enjoyed the company of our friends the Jacobsens one day and Dad joined us the next. We love the beach!

Salt Lake City

After the Dibb Reunion we stayed at the Marriott in Salt Lake with Della, Tim & Kelly, Tyler & Kate and of course the kids. They all loved swimming in the pool and jumping on the hotel beds. The only down side of this stay was the night club music that was blasting t hrough the street that sounded like our room windows were wide open (which they were not). When we called the front desk to ask about a room change we were offered ear plugs?! I think the most drastic contrast was the glow of the Temple behind the blare of music at 1 am. So sad.

The next day we enjoyed a visit to the Hogle Zoo. The giraffe's were the favorite animal of the day. Shortly after the zoo the girls and I got dropped of at the airport to fly home while the boys drove the car home. Troy was being so nice offering to let me fly home after the 3000 miles we drove around Utah, Wyoming, Idaho and Montana this summer. Ironically there was a monsoon in Arizona and after several delays and hours in the SLC airoport, we pulled into our garage a mere 5 minutes before the boys....

Plewe Family Pictures

During the Dibb Reunion we were able to squeeze in some family pictures. Wow is it difficult as I am sure many of you are aware - to take a picture with 13 kis 11 years and under. But then again Troy was just as trying with his sarcasm and smart alec smiles! I can't imagine how Della got any decent family pictures with Troy in the mix!

Clayton, Tim & Kelly, Della, Troy & Sarah, Todd & Monica, Kate, Austin & Tyler, Trevor

Taylor, Hayden

Caden, Camden, Haleigh, Kiselys

Carter, Sadie, Dimery, Thayer

Dibb Family Reunion Day 2

The second day of the reunion was full of fun. We started on the lake with paddle boats & canoes. The kids had a blast trying to race us (they lost) and splashing each other. After the lake came the challenge courses. We showed our bravery with the pole climb, walking across the beam and riding the zip line. Our Camden sweet boy was quite scared after he climbed the pole and realized how high up he was. It took a little reassurance but he finally dried his tears and kept going. Camden we are so proud of you!

After the zip lines we went to some team building activities. First was the Island passage. Basically we all needed to swing from the sinking ship to the island over the ocean of sharks. Can you see the square piece of plywood 16 of us are suppose to fit on. I think that is all I need to say about that! Next we went to two cables connected to two trees starting out close together then widening towards the end. This activity was about trust. All the kids had a cousin their ages and they all did really well. The last activity was also about teamwork. Everyone needed to walk on boards with ropes simultaneously. That was interesting with the ages ranging from 2 - 35! All and all it was a fun day! We all had a great time and appreciated all the hard work of the Dibb Clan for planning and putting it on. We'll see you in four years!

Go Sadie!
Taylor transitioning from the pole to the zip line.

Haleigh zipping on down!
My brave boy Camden!!!
Sarah showing off --look no hands :)

Struggling to stay on the "island"
Camden & Caden working on their teamwork .

Canoeing on the lake.

Haleigh & Kiselya

Taylor & Hayden