Happy New Year from the Wimmers!!!

Well, we are late as usual in getting out a newsletter! But here is a little about or year 2008.

Some of our comings and goings include:

Adding another girl to the family!!! :) Tirsa Marie was born on May 6! She looks just like the rest of the bunch...blond, blue eyes, chubby cheeks, and smiley.

Ladd had surgery on 2 ruptured discs in his neck...a result of a car crash from years ago aggravated by being clobbered in the Turkey Bowl Thanksgiving Football game (Nov. 2007)...ugh!

Visits from both sets of grandparents as well as other family and friends from out-of-state.

Travels to Utah for Ladd, Indiana for Renaye, Utah for Ladd & Ethan, Cancun, Mexico for Ladd & Renaye, Ladd continuing to travel for work, mostly to Indiana, and a family trip to Ohio to see our Roylance cousins.

Sports...Jenika on Softball, Summer Swim Team for Jenika, Ethan and Karina, swim lessons for Daria, and swimming in the neighborhood pool, Soccer for Ethan & Karina, horse-back riding for Karina.

Here's some thoughts from each of us:




JENIKA (12): "I like to draw, paint, and design fashions. I like to play basketball and softball. I turned 12 and started Middle School...I'm in the band playing the flute and trying to learn oboe. I'm in the Young Women program at church. I like to read and I'm now reading the Nancy Drew series and many other books. I love to sing and I performed at the School Talent Show and the Spring Concert...I'm in a Performing Arts class now and the Select Choir. I babysit a lot now for my parents...and I don't get paid!!! Not fair!!!"


ETHAN (10): "No comment!" I, Renaye, will fill in for his lack of words...Ethan likes all sports, but this year only played soccer and swim team. He continues to be attracted to video games...ugh! He is loving the Wii and an old game boy he got from a friend, but not loving how Mom keeps them under lock and key until homework and chores are complete! He loves to read and reads till all hours of the night. He also loves music and is a great Trumpet player and makes a good sound on the recorder...he also can be found figuring out songs and hymns on the piano. Although he constantly teases his sisters, he is good at watching out for them and is a good example of completing chores!!!


KARINA (9): "I don't know!!...I love horses, I'm taking lessons....I love riding!!! I like milk. I participated in a writing activity at school and it was chosen by an acting group to be made into a play. The play was performed in front of my whole school and will be performed throughout the country! I went to swim team and I was good at the back stroke. I play the recorder and the clarinet. I love crafts, cooking, and writing poetry...I love reading about horses! I got glasses this year..I really like them. I love Tirsa and I hold her and kiss her ALL the time!!


DARIA (7): "I like drawing pictures, especially of my Littlest Pet Shops. I like to read all kinds of books. I went to swim class and learned to dive and swim in the deep end. I like to play with my sisters, especially Legos, Playmobil, and Littlest Pet Shops. I like gymnastics...I can stand on my head for 13 seconds! I like to bounce and climb and roll all over the furniture. I love the balance beam! I still love lots of hugs and kisses from everyone. :)



ALIA (3): "I love my friends...I play with them. I like to help Mommy with baking and cooking dinner...I always pull up a chair in the kitchen so I can reach the counter top. I like to wash dishes by hand so I can play with the water!! I can go potty all by myself now. I gave myself a few haircuts this year, much to Mommy's dismay. My picture was in the newspaper for attending the local Library reading time! I love being read to, dressing up, coloring, and playing with my baby sister.

TIRSA (8 months): "I am the cutest baby girl alive!!! I have the biggest, rosiest cheeks...great for kissing and nibbling. I love drinking my bottles and eating anything I can get my hands on. So far, I've learned to crawl really fast, pull my self up to a stand even if I'm not holding on to anything, and climbing the stairs. In my adventures, I've discovered the garbage can and the houseplants...for some reason, Mommy doesn't like that?! I love smiling and letting everyone at church hold me!!!"



LADD: "I continue to work for Dimension Data as an IT Solutions Architect. I was just released from my Scoutmaster calling at church, but have yet to be given a new assignment. I survived my neck surgery in the spring and I have recovered well...I rarely have pain there anymore. I like to play sports and watch sports, both of which I don't get to do much anymore. I had a great time taking Ethan to Utah for my brother's wedding...we were able to visit BYU campus and managed to go to a football game while there!! I still do a few home improvements, including finishing a corner curio cabinet I made for the dining room and a framed mirror for the living room. Reluctantly, I paid someone to install the wood floors for us...I wanted to do it myself, but with all my traveling it wasn't possible. I traveled a lot this year, mostly on a project in Indiana.

RENAYE: "I've struggled through this year in lots of ways. Pregnancy was so painful and difficult this last time, I even had to walk with a cane! I also was still teaching Seminary during all this and the delivery, so it was hard to do all that and adjust to having a new baby. In the Fall, Ladd was traveling so much that I opted to teach Seminary only once a week and give home study the rest of the week. I am now up to 3 days a week, which surprisingly feels a lot better!! I continue to knit, sew, stamp, scrapbook, and make bead jewelry. I have enjoyed creating this blog this year and also re-connecting with long lost friends on Facebook. I also have quite enjoyed cleaning out and de-cluttering my house and my life!

We hope you all have a productive and happy new year!! It is amazing when we really look around and think about all the little things we enjoy in this life, how truly blessed we are!!! May you always keep the Lord first in your lives...we know He is the only way to find true happiness! Happy 2009!!!!

Love to all, The Wimmer Family :)

13 Merion Ln.
Washington, NJ
07882

njwimmers@comcast.net
rc3w@hotmail.com

Weekend Project...Ethan's Bedroom

While Ladd and Ethan were away, the Girls did play!!!...in Ethan's room that is. We changed the Garden bedroom into the Game/sports bedroom. Ethan now feels comfortable in a more male setting!!! :) Here are some pics.

Cancun

I went on Ladd's business trip to Cancun, Mexico on Oct. 22 to 25. It was wonderful! We stayed at the JW Marriott Spa/Resort...beautiful! All the workers wait on you hand and foot whether you are at the pool, beach, or just walking through the front door. We enjoyed snorkeling off a neighboring island, Isla Mujeres, in the pouring rain, but nonetheless amazingly beautiful underwater!...sadly no pictures of that. We went to shops, walked the beach, played in the pools, listened to the waves from our room window each night, went to 2 banquets, danced, soaked up the sun!!! I also went to the spa for a manicure and spa pedicure...very relaxing!!! I spent way too much money, but thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it!!! Sometimes it is worth it to get away!!!

Wild Cherry!!!!

Unlike my dad, this is not my favorite flavor of ice cream! :)

Wild Cherry is the name on the box of the non-permanent hair color I applied to my hair last night! YIKES!!!

I absolutely love red hair! I have always been attracted to guys with red hair and have thought women with red hair are stunning! On me....I'm not so sure. Ladd has always said, "why don't you try red" for the past 10 years or so and I never could bring myself to do it. Well, with the every increasing amount of greys on my head and the lack of money for the salon, I clipped a coupon for Clairol's Natural Instincts...or something like that...and did it myself!

I've been leery of red because I never thought I could pull off the orangey red color, so I thought I'd go with a cooler tone. Here are some pictures....you be the critic! I kinda like it...makes me feel like a different person! hahaha! Let me know what you think!

(I played with the color a bit on the photo shop...the one showing my full face is closest to what it really looks like....the others are a lot brighter than the real thing!!...fun!)

Hardwood Floors

Yippee! Our floors are done! It is so nice to have hardwood installed...not only because I don't have to walk on plywood floorboards anymore like we have for the past YEAR, but also because we hired someone to do it!!! Sometimes do-it-yourself projects are better left to professionals. Anyway, we put in a natural finish Red Oak...it is light and airy, yet cozy. It just makes everything look so clean! Here are some pictures.

Karina Shoots Again!

Well, Karina loves photography! She especially loves taking pictures of nature as you have seen in the past....and once again she took my camera out to the backyard. she took pictures of some of our vegetable plants, some with veggies on them!..yeah! Anyway, I thought you would enjoy these...some of them may even be the same flowers she took pictures of last year, but oh well, they are still beautiful. Some of the pictures I played around with on photo shop to make some abstract art!!! Hope you like them! Once again, I'd like to frame some of these!

ps...some are blurry cuz I think the lens was foggy or she got a little close, but she is learning! :)

We are Swimmers!

Wow! I'm going crazy with the posts here, but I thought I'd share what we have been doing this summer....SWIMMING!!! :) Yes, we are the SWIMMER WIMMERS or the WIMMER SWIMMERS, which ever way you want to say it!!! hahaha! Here are some pictures I took on their swim team picture day...it sure beats paying for the picture packages they offer! I'll have to include pictures of them actually swimming later on in the month. They have had fun swimming laps each morning and being in the meets on Tues. and Thurs. evenings. It's a very fun, laid back swim team program...I think they give out ribbons up to 6th or 8th place so that everyone is a "winner". :)

So far, Karina is the back stroke queen, Ethan excels at Freestyle and Breast stroke, and Jenika gets marks for form rather than speed!! I think butterfly and freestyle are her best strokes. Enjoy these pics! :)