Drama Camp

This is the second summer that Golda has invited neighborhood kids to participate in her drama camp. She wrote a little script for Princess Pea and gave the kids parts. I have to admit, I was impressed by all the work she put into it. Monday morning, she had all the parts written out on her white board and was ready for the little actors. The inviting process was a little haphazard, so parts had to be rearranged up until the last minute. The kids were excited. It's so funny that even on this tiny, tiny scale, some of the kids were still a little competitive about parts and lines! Ellison and Jakey emerged as the leads because 1. They can read and 2. They cared. Some of the three year olds who were rolling around on the floor, like Xanthe, got cast as peas. So cute!

Golda has really found her passion with this drama thing. That's the only way I can explain her organizing 17 little kids and teaching them lines. If your kids didn't come yesterday, hey, bring them today at ten. It's five dollars for the whole week, and it's not too late to be cast as a potted plant!

Cabin Time

One of the great things about living along the Wasatch Front is that you can drive east over the mountains and be in one of many beautiful mountain valleys within hours. It's like a different world on the other side of the mountains, perfect for a weekend getaway. The kids and I left poor Scott home to paint the basement and drove to the cabin to make s'mores and relax. Half of the cousins defected for the beach at the last minute, and who can blame them!, but the rest of us had a really great time in the mountains. Uncle Ryan and Uncle Jeff took the kids on 4-wheeler rides and a short hike, while Michelle, Richelle and I discussed life. The grown-ups even managed to get in a couple of almost-heated political and social debates, nothing that couldn't be smoothed over with Michelle's peanut butter bars! What I like best about the cabin is talking around the campfire late into the night, then falling asleep with the sound of the rushing river.

It was a beautiful drive coming down the canyon at the end of such a fun weekend. At home, Scott and Zeljko had gotten all the painting done, so we were greeted by a museum-white basement. Although there's noplace like home, especially in the summertime, we're already planning the next drive east over the mountains. With paradise so close, you have to take advantage.

P.S. That cute picture is the treehouse, for the kids to play in. It's just a small part of what Bruce has built!

Bad

If you didn't travel through the '80's backwards on your tiptoes, trying to do the moonwalk, you might not forever remember where you were when you found out Michael Jackson was gone. I'll remember. I had talked to my brother about my dinner plans. He said, "How can you eat at a time like this? Michael Jackson might be dead." I tried not to think about the possibility until I got Trajan's text an hour later: "Official. Dead. Heart attack." I was watching my kids swim and I gasped. That's the moment I'll remember. The world without Michael Jackson? It's not right. We may never see a more talented, innovative superstar again. He changed pop culture the world over. It may not seem to matter, but it does. Michael Jackson defines my generation. I ask you, who does the next generation have? My kids watched Thriller and some other videos on YouTube tonight, and I was sad for them that they only get to experience Michael Jackson as history. When I was their age, he was my reality. And what an incredible reality he created for us with his genius.

A Dozen Reasons to Celebrate

Golda's 12th birthday! It's a big one, worthy of a bit of fanfare. Last Saturday, Scott took Golda and her friends shopping and out to lunch at the Cheesecake Factory to begin the celebrations. The girls had a great time. It was Golda's dream day, featuring the mall, friends and her favorite restaurant.
Sunday we took a short detour out of Goldaville to celebrate Fathers' Day, then got right back on track Monday with a party at Ryan and Jennie's for June birthdays. Collin, Freestone and Golda opened presents from everyone. Golda was excited to wear an adorable shirt from Grandma and Grandpa when she woke up today on her birthday.

As soon as she got up, a new doll was there to greet her with a Happy Birthday sign. Golda had asked for a Gingham doll, made by my friend Michelle, but I told her Michelle couldn't make her one. (Like that would ever happen!) But you have to have surprises on your birthday! Another surprise was a birthday sign and balloon in the front yard, covertly placed by the Young Women leaders. Such a fun welcome. Then her French teacher had made cookies for the class for Golda's birthday. All the kids were singing "Bonne Anniversaire" all day. Such kind and unexpected gestures continued all day with gifts and phone calls from relatives and friends.

After French, Golda and I sneaked away to the Gateway for a quick shopping trip. We visited Build-a-Bear Workshop where we both decided you're never too old to make a furry friend. With birthday money from Coco and Bill, Golda shopped for jewelry for herself and her sisters. We had to shop fast to make it to the next stop, a voice lesson, one of Golda's favorite activities.

Because there were still hours in the day, and you really only turn 12 once, Scott took Golda and Ruby to dinner at Lone Star Steakhouse and to the movie theater to see "Up." I think they have lots of fun pictures on Scott's camera, wherever it is. Golda is a girl after my own heart, one that can't stand down time and loves to be slightly rushed at all times. This birthday certainly fit the profile of Golda's ideal, with lots of fun packed in and lots of attention. She's a lucky girl.

After a phone call from her new Beehive advsor, Golda commented that Young Women's is a bigger deal than she thought. This is all a bigger deal than I thought, too. Twelve is pivotal, it turns out. Moving into Young Women's is a big part of it, and so is junior high. Golda reminded me today that she is allowed to wear makeup now. I said, "What are you talking about? I probably said that when you were two and twelve seemed like a long time away." Nevertheless, I said it and I think I was right. It's time to slacken the reins a little bit, not for the first time or for the last. Here we go into uncharted territory, Golda charging ahead, Scott and I holding back, just close enough to cheer her if she falters. Happy Birthday, Golda!

This is the Dad

This is the dad who took Golda and her friends shopping for her birthday yesterday.
This is the dad who got choked up reading Fathers' Day cards from his kids.
This is the dad who did ballet pickup approximately 150 times this year.
The dad who searches for the perfect gift, worries about his kids, checks them out of school for special lunches, knows everything about their thoughts and provides for all their needs. This dad blesses his children with his Priesthood, reassures them with his understanding, teaches them empathy and compassion and occasionally shoots them in the eye with a Nerf gun. He's not 100% perfect, but he's as close as you'd want a dad to be. If he were any more perfect, he'd probably be annoying. We'll take him exactly as he is! I love this guy!

Six

These cheese balls, plus Ruby and Jackson, made up the group at Chuck E's.



For months, Freestone has had June 19th planned out. It's his birthday, and he informed me back in February, "We're going to Chuck E. Cheese June Ninteempf." He said I always make him have superhero birthdays and this time was going to be different. Somehow, the kid that can't keep track of two shoes always knew how many days were left until June Nineteempf. This morning when Freestone's dream was finally realized, he was very, very serious about doing the Chuck E. thing right. The pictures show how careful he was with his tokens and tickets and how serious he was. He didn't cut loose like the other kids, but he did everything just right and thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience in his own way.

The little band of trusty friends burned up all their tokens in a blaze of fun, after which we picked up Little Caesar's and went home for pizza, cake and presents. Perfect!

Chuck E. Cheese wasn't the only dream that came true for Freestone today. He has been saving his money for two more controllers for the PS3 so four people can play Little Big Planet at once. He has a big box about two feet tall that he saves money in. He talks about the box daily, about how when it's full of dollars, he can get two more controllers and Ruby can go to Paris. I love that he was going to fund Ruby's trip to Paris. In this economy, jobs are scarce for kindergartners, so Freestone had two one-dollar bills and a five that he stole from me, and things weren't looking much more lucrative than that. Scott worked his retail magic and came up with an old gift certificate and a sale. Freestone got his two controllers. He was elated! He looked at the package and said, "Oooo! Now I can save up my dollows for something else!" The kid was in heaven all day. I kept telling him he could do whatever he wanted. All the kids got cheese danishes for breakfast and treats at the pool, he played video games during dinner, and we stayed out until 11:30 watching movies under the stars at a neighbor's house. Close to midnight, with blue snow cone-stained lips frozen in a smile, our baby boy finally closed his tired eyes on the perfect birthday.

Fleeting and Forever

I always have my favorite moments from ballet recital week. The ballet buns and makeup and costume changes, watching and waiting from the dark auditorium, rehearsing under the warm stage lights, all of it is uniquely exciting. The performance nights, where it all comes together, rush by in a whirl of tutus and ribbons, then it's all over.

I watched Golda and Ruby dance their gorgeous modern dance (Seagulls) and felt for a moment like the whole thing would be over in such a short time. A rush of tutus and ribbons, and they'll be too old for dance, and gone. I was struck as I watched them glide and soar, how quickly they have come from being small dancers like Araceli to gaining maturity and ability. All too soon Ari will be in their shoes, Golda and Ruby will be those big girls in the advanced classes and Xanthe will step in to take their place in the groups of tiny dancers who skip happily around the stage showing off their pretty costumes and their enthusiasm.

The third week in June contains a gift to me: four days every year when time stands still and I am here, now, with all the dreams I dreamt when I imagined my future. I get to see my students demonstrate everything they have learned. I get to see my choreography come to life. I get to do the hair and fix the costumes and listen from the drivers' seat in the car as the girls talk about their experiences. They are not thinking about how quickly it will all rush by. They are just living their lives. Most of all, I get the rare opportunity to watch from backstage as my children lift their faces to the fleeting light of the stage. That image of beauty lasts forever, even if childhood doesn't.

Thank you, Clytie Adams, for the third week in June.

Rose-Colored Glasses

Remember the Little House on the Prairie episode where Mary went blind? How could you forget. She was screaming, "I can't see! Ma! Pa! I can't see!" It was terrifying. I thought about that today when Xanthe got her new glasses. One side of the glasses is just glass. The other is a prescription that makes the lens super thick. We have to patch the eye that can see for four hours a day while she wears the glasses for the bad eye. When I put the patch on, Xanthe wasn't screaming like Mary Ingalls, but she kept repeating, "I can't see. I can't see. I'm going to bonk my head. I can't see." The other kids were very supportive, although we were entertained by the fact that the glasses seem to age Xanthe about 40 years. She was so heartbreakingly adorable in the patch and glasses. Ruby tested Xanthe by holding up five fingers. Xanthe's poor little eye didn't know where to focus. Xanthe guessed seven fingers. After that, Ruby, with her compassionate heart, became Xanthe's seeing-eye dog, leading her around the house and watching Curious George with her. We only made it about an hour before taking off the patch and glasses. Xanthe was exhausted.

This is going to be rough. We have to try it for six weeks, even though the doctor thinks it won't help. I'm grateful that he's willing to try. It breaks my heart that Xanthe's sight is limited. Everything I see when I look around reminds me that Xanthe's perception is in some way compromised. It must add to her insecurity to have faulty depth perception and half the peripheral vision she should have. At first, the doctors guessed she may have been exposed to syphilis at birth, which can damage the retina. When I researched that, it seemed like she surely would have died of it if she had had exposure. Later, the doc speculated that Xanthe's condition was retinopathy of prematurity, damage caused to the retina from being premature. Who knows? Maybe the bundle at the orphanage gate was even smaller than I had imagined. A little scrap of humanity destined to become strong enough to hold her own in a family of older siblings. Somebody brave enough to walk around blind, grasping her sister's hand. Determined enough to take on every challenge, even the ones that make her mom's heart crumple.

To Erin :)

Erin was right to request photos of my last pregnancy. Thanks, Erin! :) I suppose it must be documented, as frightening as it may be. Golda snapped these for me after 12 hours of ballet dress rehearsals. So just take a glance and look away. Hurry!

Best Friends

I am an expert on good friends; I have a few. Good friends are always saying, "Your house looks so clean!" and "Let me take your kids." and, "You're doing such a great job of..."
At least that's what my friends are always saying. I am so fortunate to have them as friends. They are the kind of women who use their best china and silver and prepare their best dishes for a friend's baby shower. For a SIXTH baby! Who does that? My friends are rare and precious and I love them. Even the young ladies dined with linen and participated in making one-of-a-kind handmade onesies, bibs and cloths. Love them!! The gifts were perfect, from the swadling cloths to the handmade blankets and quilt and Ptolemy's first love box. Thanks, ladies, for a perfect night and another brick in the wall of friendship. It's wonderful to be surrounded by such easy grace. I hope my daughters grow up to be just like my friends.

Caveman Living

Last night was horrible. The stomach flu that all the other kids had for about five minutes, Golda has gotten a more violent case of it. But that's not the horrible part. Kids throwing up, no big deal if you have a bucket and a working washing machine. Unfortunately, Golda missed the bucket and threw up on the TV remote. Then came the nightmare: Watching So You Think You Can Dance without the ability to fast-forward the commercials!! We were lucky that Ruby figured out how to access the DVR menu and turn on the show, but we had to sit there like animals for two whole hours and WAIT through the commercials. It was exhausting. EXHAUSTING! By the end, we didn't even care anymore. Our eyes hurt from staring at too many muted commercials. Scott immediately got online and ordered a new remote, which won't be here for five days. That's five days of TV-free living, because I can't be subjected to that kind of primitive suffering again.

Those of you who don't have DVR, you leave me speechless. How can you spend a whole hour watching an hour-long drama, and watch it at the exact time the network wants you to? Especially if it's on at 7 PM. Who watches TV when the kids are up? That's just torture. Just like you have to have electricity and running water in this day and age, you must have the ability to skip commercials. It will change your life. Without the power of DVR, you're no different than the cavemen. They thought rubbing two sticks together was the ultimate invention. Do you think Fred Flintstone would have powered his car by running really fast if it had had an engine? You have got to get this technology.

Oh, and Golda is fine. Still throwing up, but at least she didn't have to sit through the show last night.

Party First Grade Style

If there's one thing that doesn't stop kids from running through the sprinklers, it's rain. Araceli had her end-of-school sprinkler party at the exact same time we had a downpour. Since they were already drenched from playing in the back yard clubhouse, it seemed like a perfectly good idea to follow through with the sprinkler plans. The hot dogs I put on the grill gave the aura of a party, and the opportunity to drink unlimited amounts of pop cemented the festive atmosphere. I think we should do this every day!