Shipley Family Update 2022

Happy Christmas to all! We are grateful for this year of growth and love our family has experienced, and for the gospel that has allowed us to focus on our Savior Jesus Christ. Here are some updates from our family:

Matthew hit his 1-year mark at Nugget (all remote) this October, which allowed him a 12-week paternity leave- and he is loving having more free time to do laundry, change diapers, and watch the world cup. We currently have him until mid-February and are going to miss having him around all the time. This year he continued being the lone-sober member of his bar-hopping dart league, had an early mid-life crisis and bought a surf board (and asked for flippers for Christmas), went to lots of early-morning church meetings (amen for 11 am church next year!), soccer as per usual, and worked hard on developing & illustrating his own board game- Best XI. It is really coming along and he hopes to launch via kickstarter sometime in 2023! Stay tuned!

Elise completed her 7th semester teaching at BYU-I and is currently on a break to give birth and recuperate and such. Postpartum depression has been a significant struggle, but she is enduring and fighting it like a boss and is very slowly starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. She made 3 goals this year- 100 bird species, read 22 books, and no candy. She hit the birding goal in August, because just as she suspected, birding is near impossible with a newborn. Her favorite find of the year was Mute Swan in Cape May, NJ. In October, she was 8 books behind her goal, and upon mentioning this to Matthew he replied, "Hmm that's too bad. Oh well!" With that encouragement, she finished her 22nd book in November (Favorite read: Anxious People). Once she found out she was pregnant, she gave up on the candy goal. No regrets. She enjoys embroidering, birding, audiobooks, teaching Gospel Doctrine, sleeping, trying to have a social life, playing board games with Matt, not being pregnant anymore, and binging The Crown.

Callum started Kindergarten this fall and loves it. Elise cried a lot the first few days while Callum often forgot to say goodbye or hug her as he *ran* into the school. He loves it and we are so happy he does. He is still an animal enthusiast, very much into Wild Kratts/Zaboomafoo and the non-fiction animal section in the library. He likes to quiz us with "did you know..." facts and is amazed that we actually know anything about... anything. He essentially taught himself how to swim this summer and enjoyed soccer with friends in the fall. He asks so many questions. SO MANY QUESTIONS. We admire his curiosity and also enjoy the infrequent silence. He saved up his money to buy a blue beta fish named "Bluey" (a show we have never watched), and has since become indifferent, if not oblivious to its existance... Some of our favorite Callum-isms: "Umpelican Cord" (umbilical cord), "Chihuahua's Witnesses" (Jehovah's Witnesses), "Mom, why do the devils come out at night?" (Tasmanian Devils are nocturnal), (Some stranger- "Look at that duck!") Callum: It's a MALLARD!!, "Mom put ELECTRIC SHOCK pants on me!!" (Static electricity), "If we are the polar bear team, why are there no POLAR BEARS ON OUR JERSEYS" 

Zack is upset about not also being in Kindergarten, but we think he's getting over it. He turns 3 in December, and is turning out to be the most stubborn one in the family, and the happiest one in the family- sometimes switching between the two within literal seconds. He is our family dare-devil, jumping off the diving board all summer, climbing up the side of the bunk bed, running full speed towards walls, etc. He is somehow ALWAYS hungry and very picky. He loves reading, puzzles, trying to do everything himself, dressing up as Spiderman/Winnie the Pooh/Marshall (paw patrol), trying to check Matt's underwear for poop, persuading anyone and everyone to do his bidding by any means necessary, and testing if all playdoh tastes like salt. He wants to do and say and be everything that Callum does/says/is which is adorable and infuriating (to Callum) at the same time. Some of our favorite Zack-isms are putting on his "swim soup," "Pinnie the Pooh" "I have a secret for you- I LOVE YOU" "I'm so very (hungry, tired, poopy, sad, etc.)" "It's Peter Potter!" (Harry Potter)

Finn Layne Shipley joined our family on October 5th, and has been a boy of surprises and miracles. He surprised us by making a very quick entry into the world exactly 2 weeks before his due date. If you have been around me at all the months leading up to his birth I've probably annoyed you with my master plan of having him induced on the 15th so that I'd have Callum born on the 5th, Zack born on the 10th, and Finn born on the 15th of their respective months. He ruined my plans but I'm coping. He surprised us by having HAIR, our first to not be born bald (and remain so for the first 15 months of their lives). He was the smallest of our babies by a whole pound, at 7lb. 4 oz. He required 9 hours in the NICU for low blood sugar, but recovered quickly. Unfortunately, 2 weeks later (on his actual due date), he was admitted to the Pediatric ICU for RSV, and we would remain there for 13 days. He required intubation, an NG tube, and multiple lines throughout his little body and it was probably the hardest 2 weeks of our lives. We were blessed with uncountable miracles, and I wish I could list them all here, but in short- we were strengthened by friends, strangers, and family on both sides of the veil in the form of prayers, fasting, and service. We were blown away by the outpouring of love we received and has reconfirmed to us the reality of our Savior's love for his children. We are so grateful to have Finn a member of our family and love the sweetness he brings to our home. He has a different nickname by almost everyone in our family, including "Finny," "Finnegan" "Finners" and "Phineas" 

As a family, we enjoyed many visits from family and friends, took a family trip to DC in the spring to see the cherry blossoms & hit up some Smithsonians, spent 5 weeks out West attending Lauren & Payton's wedding, taking the kiddos on their first international trip to Mexico, and Disneyland, visited grandparents, went to the beach a lot, swam a ton, joined the mini van club, dressed up as the Hundred Acre Wood gang for Halloween, lost a lot of sleep over the newborn stage, and said farewell and welcome, to our ever-transient, but always wonderful Durham friends. We're grateful to get to connect with friends & family near and far at this time of year and send our love to you wherever you are!

Much love,

The Shipleys