Happy New Year!

     It may seem a week late to some, but we are all over our colds and only now are ready to jump into the New Year.  We had so much fun on all our many "Decemberventures." Being with family in Utah, San Francisco, and DC was the greatest.  And we discovered that baby Philo is actually a wonderful traveler.  He slept like a champ on most flights and was generally pretty sociable.  Well, except for being overwhelmed by well-meaning cousins.  Little man also didn't fare too well in our attempt at a live nativity at the Dibble farm.  Although I was thrilled to finally play Mary after years of primary "shepherd-dom", Philo was not too keen on playing the baby Jesus.  Apparently he didn't get the Silent Night "no crying he makes" memo. 

     It does feel great to be healthy and back home and ready to jump into our lives again.  New York really does feel like home and this super mild winter is helping it feel even more like the place we want to be.  60 degrees people, 60 degrees on Saturday.  We will just enjoy it while we can.                                 

Thanksgiving Bedrest

I finally contracted the crazy fever, aches, cough, congestion, extravaganza that's been going around.  Both Dave and Philo were sick over the last couple weeks and I thought I had dodged the bullet.  Not so.  Thanksgiving week found me very grateful for my bed and for apple sauce, one of the few things that felt ok on my throat. 
      Thanksgiving morning we went on a hike with Philo and he loved it.  We ate and spent the evening with some friends who live across the street.  It was a lovely meal and a lovely group of people.  Unfortunately I could barely talk and when I did I sounded a little bit like a gremlin.  We made butterscotch pie, apple crumble pie, and a raspberry jello concoction to share.  When we brought all our leftovers home that night, I thought, "Wow, all we have are sweets, we are never going to finish all this!"  Au contraire, it wasn't as hard as one might think. By the end of the weekend, we had devoured it all.  Pie for breakfast, mmmmmm.
      By Saturday I was having a little bit of a melt down after having been sick all week.  I was determined to have some kind of a family outing despite the fact I hadn't slept in 5 nights and could barely breathe.  Dave and I packed up baby and headed to the Bronx Botanical Gardens for a picnic.  It turned out to be quite lovely and Philo loved getting out of the house.  Dave did get an awesome painting done over the weekend as well.  There were definitely many things to be grateful for over the weekend and some lovely moments despite my penchant for spiking fevers.

      Unfortunately I'm not very grateful for this lingering cough. Good thing Philo is being such a good baby in spite of his mom's waning enthusiasm.  It is time to be done now, ok, thank you, bye, bye...

The Westchester Young Women are Excellent

We had our Stake Young Women in Excellence Program on Saturday.  It is a night where we celebrate all the talents and accomplishments of the LDS young women, ages 12-18, in our church "Stake" which is a collection of church units (wards) from White Plains to the South Bronx.  It was a fantastic evening.  We heard two fantastic talks from young women about how the Personal Progress program helps them draw closer to Christ and prepare for temple marriage.  Victoria Boss played an amazing medley on the harp, we had another musical number by the New Rochelle ward, and Jenny Lara from the Olmstead 1st ward in the Bronx conducted like a pro.    Each ward displayed different things their young women had been working on throughout the year.  The theme of the evening was "Pointed toward the Temple." 
  

The media would so often have us believe that our youth are destined for drinking, drug use, pre-marital sex.  I just read an article today on the Washington Post Reader that the problem with American parents is that we aren't accepting enough of our teens sexuality.  It was so refreshing to be surrounded by this incredible group of teens, who are truly committed to living the Young Women Values of Faith, Divine Nature, Individual Worth, Knowledge, Choice and Accountability, Good Works, Integrity and Virtue.  They radiate goodness and light.  They sacrifice so much to attend early morning seminary (going to a scripture study class at 6:00am) , avoid friends and parties that are not in line with their values, serve others, complete over 100 hours of goals, experiences, and projects to earn their Young Womanhood Recognition awards.  I don't think the problem is we aren't accepting enough, that we are too strict or unrealistic in our expectations.  Perhaps our problem is we are too accepting, we do not demand enough from this exceptional generation of youth.

Yes, making choices to wait to have sex till marriage, to abstain from harmful substances, to dress modestly, to be honest, these are tough decisions.  But the young women I interact with everyday consistently prove that living this way is not only possible, it is desirable!!  It brings true happiness, peace, and self-confidence.  It is indeed "Living after the manner of happiness."  This is what I want for my children, no less than a full measure of joy.  I'm so grateful for the opportunity to be involved with the youth.  If we set the bar high, these kids will rise to that bar. 

Just a couple of notes on baby Philo.  He has gone on a bit of a sleep strike this past week.  He suddenly hates his car seat as well.  He now realizes that when he goes to sleep or gets stuck in the back of the car, it is not nearly as fun as being the center of attention.  He had is 3 month appt and now weighs 15lbs and 13 ounces and is 25and 1/2 inches long.  Mr. 95% we like to call him.  His whole life has been a growth spurt.  He keeps trying to roll over but has so much weight to heft, he hasn't quite mastered it yet.  He does love the baby bjorn facing OUT.  He is always exploring and loves new adventures.  Well, as long as they don't involve mobs of strangers trying to hold him and squeeze him.  The sure way to get a smile is to speak to him in Spanish.  Works like a charm.  We love our little turkey!

Happy Birthday to Me

Aren't birthdays a great time to start blogging again??? My goal is to update this blog once a week. We'll see how that goes :) Philo caught his first cold and has had a little cough. His little hoarse voice is very cute, but in an effort to help him feel his best, Philo and I stayed in most of my Birthday. Dave did a great job at still making it a special day for me. He decorated our table beautifully and bought me new slippers and a new robe. He was also very sneaky and had my neighbor, Kim, put a new zipper on my very favorite fleece jacket. I've been wearing it for years with a broken, frayed zipper. Dave came home from work with a pint of ben & jerry's and we ate pizza and ice-cream and watched "Ballerina". It was a great day

And a little bit about life as a new mom...
Little Philo continues to be such a blessing in our lives. We had hoped and prayed to be parents for so long, not really knowing what the Lord had intended for us. We were so thrilled to get pregnant and have our little boy. It is funny though how sometimes, when you dream about something for so long, you think "the real thing can't possibly live up to my expectations." Having baby Philo in our home has been even more wonderful than I ever could have dreamed.
Yes, going from a dance career to being a stay-at-home Mom has been an adjustment and certainly taking care of a baby has its challenges (uh, can we say sleep deprivation) but I feel so certain that this is exactly what I need to be doing at this time and there is nothing on earth more important or more fulfilling than taking care of this sweet little guy. I also feel like I have more time to care for my awesome husband, our home, and more time to serve in the church and my community than I ever have before. I've learned so much already about being a little less selfish, managing my time, and creating a Christ-centered home. Obviously I'm still a total rookie, but every day is a new adventure.
I remember while I was pregnant so many people commenting, "Enjoy being pregnant, it is way easier having them on the inside than on the outside." I have to disagree with that one. Having him on the outside is a million times better than being pregnant. I will take cute baby and sleepless nights any day over feeling nauseated and tired for 9 months. Some days I just wake up smiling and thinking, "I'm not pregnant anymore!!".
I'm so grateful for all the wonderful mothers I'm surrounded by that are powerful examples in my life. And thanks to my own mother who sacrificed so much to help me grow.
A couple of notes about Philo. He is a mover and a shaker. He loves the baby backpack (much to his Daddy's delight) and loves to be in motion. He has turned into a great sleeper, goes down for naps happily and knows when it is night time. He is also a hungry, hungry, hippo so can't sleep for super long stretches at night without having to eat. His smiles are adorable, and we will pretty much do anything to get him laughing.
He does love a good cry as well, especially right before mommy needs to teach a lesson, during meetings, or pretty much when I'm trying to get anything done. He is not one to just lay down on a blanket and play contentedly.

I realize this was 3 posts in one, and a little jumbled, but hey, at least I did it....I promise more coherent posts in the future.

Gingerbread Mania

Tis the season...to make gingerbread houses! Dave and I in general got a jump on the Christmas season this year which means we got our tree the first of Dec, the decorating is done, and we even have some presents under said tree. (Of course our "holiday" newsletter still will not make it out in time for Christmas. Pick your battles I say.)

Last night I had the annual Dibble gingerbread extravaganza with a few friends from the neighborhood. There was some latent gingerbread decorating talent hidden amongst the crowd that finally found an outlet for expression. There was only one candy casualty. Kristin's house went down San Francisco earthquake style. We learned that too much candy on your house really can be a bad thing. Who knew?

Here are some pictures of the works in progress. There is nothing more magical than building an edible house except, well, maybe eating an edible house. That is pretty great too.

DC and Trio Dance

I saw a dear friend at the gym today who reminded me how long it has been since I blogged. Alas, I have been remiss in my blogging but I'm going to start my New Year's Resolution a bit early and start blogging again.

Dave and I ventured down to Washington DC for Thanksgiving. (Yes, Churchill is still running, one of the many miracles in our lives) We had a blast. A family that Dave knew really well from Layton has a strong east coast contingent and they were all getting together in DC. We were lucky enough to get the invite. Dave's good friend Dan-o flew out with his wife Autumn and daughter Audrey. We hadn't seen them in years and had never met their little girl (who is ridiculously adorable.) We stayed with Kara and Dave Ludlow and their gaggle of kids. Every morning when we walked into breakfast, their little boy Seth greeted us with "What are you doing here?" Loved it all, the kids, the food, the 11 pies, it was choice.

We also had the chance to visit the Library of Congress for the first time. It was a special experience, such an exquisite piece of architecture. We enjoyed it even more than we anticipated.

On our drive home, we stopped by Aunt Cleo's house for cucumber sandwiches and apple cake with her and Charles. Every time we get to spend time with the DC Dibbles we can't help but love them more and more. They are absolutely delightful. We even got to ride in Cleo's new chair :)

Last week was performance week with Trio Dance Collective. The show went really well, despite the fact I re-injured my ankle right before our opening night performance. Why I felt the need to do petite alegro with beats in warm-up class is beyond me. Despite some rather serious "ouchiness" I was able to perform quite well. The experience reminded me of how much I love to perform; the unpredictability, the ability to tell a new story every night. Good times.

On the fertility front, Dave and I have tried a round of Clomid. I have experienced some pretty nasty side-effects but hopefully it will all be worth it. The positive side is, any bad behavior on my side can now be blamed on the Clomid. "What? I couldn't help crying at that commercial, it was the Clomid." Or "I know I am being petulant and selfish, but really, it is the Clomid." along with "Honey, the Clomid is making me want ice-cream right now..." Let's hope Dave doesn't read this bit and get wise to my ruse...

Fall has fallen...

The leaves are changing color and so are the bruises on my ankle. I decided to carry two gigantic boxes and a plate of cookies down the stairs Monday night and it did not end well; picture boxes, cookies, and my body careening down the stairs. My ankle got caught in the middle of the action and snapped like a crisp twig on a fall day. The excruciating pain was over in just a few hours, it turned out to be a sprain and not even a very bad one at that. I was hobbling through rehearsals today and faking it like a champ. Although I will miss some performances this weekend, I should be in fine form again in no time. It is truly such a blessing that my ankle is healing so fast.

The last few months have gone by in a blur. Dave is working much overtime as the design stage of Rio will be over in another week. Only Dave and one other member of the design team are still wrapping things up with Blu, the parrot, and the other lovable characters from the movie. It comes out April 11th, don't miss it.

I am dancing with a contemporary dance company in NY currently, Trio Dance Collective. It is proving to be a wonderful experience. I'm learning so much from my choreographers and fellow dancers. They are a delightful group to dance for. I'm also learning that I am very interested in choreographing my own work as well. One of my performances this weekend would have been a solo I choreographed on myself as part of a showing at DNA. Unfortunately, the ankle won't permit it so I will keep everyone posted on future showings.

Other than that, Dave and I continue to love working with the youth in our respective church callings. We had a multi-stake youth Standards Event on Saturday that was a huge success. It was a long day but well worth the effort, most of the 230 youth in attendance had a marvelous experience and we heard lots of wonderful feedback from leaders and parents. Of course one parent did tell me on Sunday that when he asked his son how the activity was his son responded "torture." I guess you can't please them all :)