Lake Powell

We decided to throw caution to the wind and head out on an 18-hour road trip to Brett's parents' house in Arizona. We've done it a few times before, but never with a 2-year old.  We're happy to report that all three kids traveled like patient professionals, and we got there just fine.  When asked about the long van ride, Maisy replied, "Well, it was actually kind of fun!"  

We spent lots of fun-filled days on Lake Powell with Brett's family and also with our dear friends the Whipples.  Here are some highlights:

Tubing was classic.  Here Brett and Kasia attempt the tandem tube.  Brett stayed on the whole time, and only knocked Kasia into the water twice!

 

 

Maisy had the time of her life with cousin Cooper.  They were inseparable and sooo cute together.  They couldn't even be broken apart by boat wakes!

Awwwwwww.

Ace enjoying the water

L-R:  Wilson, Ace, Megan, Cooper, Jake, Maisy.  Charlene and Wayne's little white grandkids!

Super Stud waterskiier.

Wilson got up on the skis as well.  He did a great job and was fearless!

Maisy also got up very briefly, then forgot to let go of the rope after she fell down.  The boat dragged her for a little while until she finally let go of the rope!  She recovered just fine . . .

. . . and was still able to complete her modeling shoot that same day.

Speaking of modeling . . .  Didn't we see these two in an Abercrombie & Fitch ad recently?

Or was it these two?  Man, we have lots of models in this family.

 

Or how about these two good-looking guys, huh?

That is Troy doing a back-flip and that is Wilson way at the top.  We climbed up the "Sand King," a huge sand dune where you run (or flip) down the steep dune into the water . . .

. .  . and try not to face plant on the way down.

 

We jumped off rocks and Wilson was very brave!

We love our family and friends, and were so happy to spend some time with them.  The 18-hour drive back home was worth it.  Can't wait to do it again!

Guitars and Justin Bieber fans

Sometimes during the summer we have too much free time on our hands.  One evening Wilson made a *guitar* out of an old shoe box.  Ace was the most excited about this creation.  He quickly embodied the heart and soul of rock-n-roll.  He also got very very attached to the *guitar.*  He wore it to the church for a meeting I had the next morning and he brought it along to the library as well--wearing it around his neck and *playing* it sporadically here and there.

We have a couple of videos of him *rocking out.*  Justin Bieber is a favorite at our house right now and if you listen closely to the second video you can hear the amazing echo skills of Ace on one of Justin Bieber's songs...

(PIONEER) TREK

So, something we participated in this summer was our youth's Pioneer Trek.  Brett and I were called to be a "Ma" and "Pa" of a family.  We were asked to choose our own family name and Brett and I were quick to choose Dibble as our name.  Philo Dibble is Brett's great-great-great-grandfather and such an amazing man in church history.  We told our "kids" some stories about him and they were impressed.  We carried the Dibble name loud and proud the whole trek.  Our motivating saying was, "Let's show 'em how the Dibble's do it!" or "That's the Dibble way!"

Our family was awesome!!  No really--I know every Ma and Pa says that, but ours really was!  There was never any complaining and they had incredible attitudes the whole trek.  They were also extremely strong.  We were one of few families that did not send anyone to the medical tent throughout our journey.  But not only that--they went above and beyond:  everyday they wanted to be first to our destination.  They pushed and pulled tirelessly with determination.  The first day, we were first by a long shot.  The second day  we were 2nd over all and 1st in our company (we started the day 5th to last.)  They also helped others along the trail whether it was helping with water jugs, sharing food, or just being uplifting.  Our kids will be forever an inspiration to me.

A highlight for me was the Women's Pull.  This is when the men and boys were called away to the Mormon Battalion which left the women to pull the handcarts by themselves.  My girls had such a resilient attitude!  They were fearless--seriously.  It was a difficult part of the trail that we were asked to pull alone (very steep and sandy.)  After a little while, they let the Pa's come back to help their families.  When our girls saw Brett come back to help they exclaimed, "Hey!  Go back to war!  We can do this by ourselves!  We don't need your help!"  And we did for most of the trail. (That's me in the blue skirt.)

On the first night we had a Hoe Down.  I must admit--we had a hootin' and hollerin' time!  Our dancing was "fine a cream gravy!"  I was amazed at the energy I was able to muster up after walking 6 miles that day.  This pictures shows me as the "birdy in the cage."  I figured I might as well get my groove on if I was gonna be the "in the cage."

At the end of the 2nd day we realized our handcart was broken.  One would think that might squash some little pseudo-pioneers' spirits a little.  Are you kidding?  No way!  One of our "sons" fixed it with a rope.  Broken no more.

Let me introduce you to Sarah Jane.  She was an orphaned baby that was put into our family's care for the duration of the Trek.  We carried her with us the whole way.  We had some great times with Sarah Jane.  Our experience wouldn't have been the same without her.  This was one of her favorite spots to travel--right by the water cooler.  She loved it!

Overall it was an unforgettable experience.  I will never hear "Come, Come, Ye Saints" again and not feel that special stirring inside.  We LOVE YOU, Dibble family!!  Dibbles Forever!

A Wet Independence Day

It was a fabulous and rainy 4th of July!  The 4th of July is always the longest day of the year for our family.  We get up early, participate in every patriotic activity we possibly can, then go to bed late after "boom, ooooh, aaaah."  This year, we didn't let a few million raindrops spoil our growing family tradition.

This year's festivities began with our little scout helping to lead the pledge of allegiance at our church's annual pancake breakfast.  He is so into scouts right now, and doing an awesome job.  The breakfast was fun, and the bike parade was the crowning moment.

Maisy, Wilson, and Daddy spent more than an hour decorating the bikes for the parade.  Those bikes just might have been as red, white, and blue as any bikes have ever been!

Ace wasn't afraid to get a little muddy at the breakfast.

After continuing our busy celebration with a neighborhood lunch party, then another get together with friends in the afternoon, then a Melissa City Hall ribbon cutting ceremony, we grabbed our camping chairs and headed to the City of Melissa Independence Day parade.  The parade was great--all 8 minutes, 44 seconds of it.  Gotta love a small town celebration.

Just as the parade was ending, a torrential downpour drenched the festivities.  We hustled over to Maria's Mexican restaurant for dinner, then headed back to the heart of the city to watch a spectacular fireworks display.  As the clock hit about 10:30, we rolled into the driveway and put our little patriots to bed.  Yes, our family July 4th tradition is alive, and we will never let anything, including the weather, get in our way!

Happy Independence Day from the Gustavesons!

A Little Mommy Time

Okay, so I'm really really REALLY sorry for the lack of posts lately.  We've been very busy, but things are slowing down now and I am recommitting to posting regularly.  So let me flip the calendar back a month or so and fill you in on some fun activities that I have been doing.  First, at the end of April I met my old BYU college roommates for Women's Conference on BYU campus!  Not only did we have a flippin' nostalgic time, but it was a very spiritual experience too.  I was inspired by women that continue to inspire me even today and will probably stick with me forever.  I came home completely rejuvenated.

Oh, yes we DID!!  We stayed in the dorms.  We were giddy little co-eds.  We laid on our beds, ate snacks, chatted about this and that, and...counted our gray hairs (ok, mainly we counted Quincy's gray hairs, ha ha!)

 I adore these women!!  I don't know if I would have survived college without them.  I truly hold them in a special place in my heart.  Love you guys!

 

So, then in May I had the fabulous opportunity to go to the opera in downtown Dallas with yet another kindred spirit of mine, Dianne.  We experienced Madame Butterfly together and agreed how despicable Pinkerton was and how captivating Cio-Cio-San was.  We ooohed, we aaahed--we laughed, we cried.  We stood and shouted "BRAVO!" at the end.  I felt like a high society lady for one night.  I remembered how much I like being me and I have Dianne to thank. Yea for opera!

Finally, I saw Wicked and well it was WICKED!  Really--it totally lives up to all the hype.  The music is addicting and the characters infectious.  It was so fun!  Then my friends and I stayed in a hotel that night for a fun "girls get-a-way."  I'm debating whether or not I should tell about how we almost got kicked out of the hotel.  Oh, well--what the heck!  We almost got kicked out of the hotel!  A disgruntled and power-driven security guard knocked on our door and told us there were several complaints that we were being too loud.  Then we got a letter under our door saying we must quiet down or the police would be called and we would be asked to leave. Crazy, right?  I dunno--we didn't have the TV on or music or anything. We weren't even being that loud (we were laughing a bit.)  So, I guess we couldn't help but be a little wicked on our adventure...he he...

Phew!  So that sums things up for me.  That's enough excitement to keep this stay-at-home-mom satisfied for a little while.  Hooray for good times and HOORAY for my husband who made all these adventures possible.

The Rainbow Connection

We are so proud of our girl Maisy!  She recently performed a sweet bit of ballet to the timeless classic "The Rainbow Connection" in her dance troupe's spring recital.

She was so excited to hit the stage, and when it was her time to perform, she hit every step and gracefully executed every move.  She was mesmerizing to watch!

The most beautiful ballerina we have ever seen . . .

There is never a bad time to curtsy . . .

Taking a break after a long day of practice and preparation . . .

Gracefully chillin' with fellow ballerinas Abby, Lexi, Kamryn, and Tabitha

Maisy, we are so proud of you, and we can't wait to see what you do next!