Darling Tziporah

Want to see her crawl?  She is adorable.  I just love this little thing.  Today at the pool she ate her first Oreo and she was covered with brown goop.  It just made her more irresistible.  Can you believe we got this lucky, this blessed to have such a sweet baby girl?  It is incredible how our Father in Heaven puts these unspeakably precious spirits in these fragile, helpless little bodies.  It's a miraculous and mind-boggling plan, of which we can only hope to comprehend a tiny fraction.  God is good, and full of love and mercy.  You know it just by looking into these innocent blue eyes. He loves this little soul.  He loves us all, even those of us who wear green pants and (inexplicably) our wife's Birkenstocks in the background of cute baby pictures.

You Gotta Take Care of the Onion or It'll Make You Cry

On the menu tonight:  French onion soup, courtesy of our very own World War I flying ace. 

The Field...Come On Over!

The field doesn't look like much, but it reads well in photos, I think.  Come on over and shoot some pictures!  The light is good between 6:30 and 7:30 pm, depending on the weather.  You could also try facing the other direction with the mountains in the background.

Unbroken

I had to text Ari's jazz teacher and apologize for this spandex travesty which Ari insisted on wearing to class.  As I tried to talk her out of it, it didn't help that Ptolemy wandered by and cooed, "Ari looks bootiful!"  I suggested jazz pants and Ari rolled her eyes.  "Jazz pants are so last year, Mom.  Everyone is wearing shorts."  In the back of my mind, I tried to conjure up a list of all the moms I ran into at Pat's Dancewear who asked me what to wear to jazz and who walked out of the store with jazz pants.

It doesn't matter if jazz pants are out or in, what matters to Ari is what's going on in the alternate universe of her mind.  It must be nice to be so confident in your convictions, so emphatically positive that your way is the only way.  It's he!! for a mom who has a child so headstrong, especially when red sparkly spandex recital costumes on a regular Tuesday are involved.  But what can I do, break her spirit?  I know how...of course I do; Ari is my daughter.  But I won't.  I like her just the way she is...unbroken.

Wild Ride

My friend Marianne pointed out that I always have a freak-out post about school ending, and then later, a sad post about school starting.  Well, here's the latter.  We have had the best summer ever.  Even though it was extended through Labor Day, the end has come so fast!  I know we had fun; I have our summer list to prove it, and lots of great memories.  I know we relaxed, we skipped a bunch of practicing but we got a lot done, we were allowed to watch TV but we did our chores, we slept in and we got up at dawn, we traveled and saw things, and we stayed home and did nothing.  So we did it all.

What made it all so fun was that we were accountable only to our whims.  Now, the big, rusty engine of academic responsibility is slowly revving up, and it's a sound nobody wants to hear.  Like I said before, I want to take the whole family and run away, but we can't.  We just have to recalibrate and know that our together time will take on new forms.  Instead of being together at the pool or in the car for long stretches, we will bond over reading logs and worksheets, practice time and homework.  I remember, vaguely, that I loved all this stuff before summer came and turned me to mush.

I'm always saying, "This is the perfect time in our lives," and I guess it's always true.  But now, this school year is going to be so exciting and so fun.  The school year has a lot to live up to, having to follow the Best Summer Ever.  With Golda going to Dear Old Davis High, Ruby starting a big honors program, three cute little kids at school right around the corner, and Ptolemy and Tziporah home to be my little pals, I just don't see how it could get any better.  It will, I know, because it always does, but I'm loving this moment in time.  This hazy, lazy moment in time and the bright, new beginning of the school year to follow.  Children, start your engines!  It's going to be a wild ride.

Sneak Preview

 It's not like I woke up this morning and decided we were going to take Christmas card pictures today at exactly 7:00 pm in the field by our house.  I decided this ages ago.  (Last night when the light in the field was pretty.)   Every time I have an idea that Scott doesn't like, regardless of how long it's been in the works, he always argues, "Why do we all of a sudden have to do this right now?"  Usually, it's not sudden, I just didn't mention it because it I knew what Scott's reaction would be.  I like to spring things on him because it minimizes the agony for both of us.  (I'm thinking of Tziporah.  I'm pretty sure "I know we're going to have a seventh child.  I  just don't know when or how, so stay tuned." would have been harder to take than, "I had a feeling this was going to happen...we're having a baby in eight months!")  So yeah, there have been bigger surprises than family pictures on a Sunday night.

Anyway, I had a perfect argument ready when Scott said, "You don't plan things ahead.  You just think of things and then you have to do them right then."

I said, "Scott, think about the irony of that statement.  It's August and we're about to take our Christmas card pictures.  I plan ahead.  This is what planning ahead looks like."

Touche.  I decided I would give plenty of warning that this thing was happening at 7:00, and then just go for it.  During the half hour before the deadline, two kids had to have emergency showers for reasons you don't want to hear about, and there was a scuffle over a certain girl's wardrobe choice.  It makes you wonder what we look like on a daily basis, if getting the nine of us to look presentable is this major.  I wanted to do a photo where we were all wearing burlap bags, but there were several members of the family that said there was no way they were doing that.  I thought it was funny.

Emily, my artist SIL, came over with her nice camera and shot a whole series of pictures, all of which I'm pretty sure were ruined by Freestone.  We'll see.  For now, all we have are these cute trial pictures of Tizzy that we took with our camera to check the light.  If none of the pictures turn out, we'll just do it again.  Suddenly, with no warning...at 6:55 pm on Sunday, September 2.  But let's not tell Scott yet.

Army Guys

Ruby is trying to domesticate Ptolemy.  She started with a very manly sport, Playing Army Guys.  Who do you think won this battle?...

Ruby:  Here's another Army guy.
Ptolemy:  And he's shooting!
Ruby:  No, he's not shooting.  He has a...a...magic wand.
Ptolemy:  No!  He has a gun and he's shooting stuff!
Ruby:  It's not a gun, it's a magic wand and he's pointing it at things and making flowers grow everywhere.
Ptolemy:  Yeah!  And then he shoots the flowers!

Ruby, gwills do not know how to play Army Guys.  Give it up and go magic some flowers somewhere so Ptolemy's guys can shoot at them.

How To Wear Out Your Kids in 24 Hours or Less

 It's Summer Fun Boot Camp around here.  We're all feeling the pressure building to the first day of school and we have to have some extreme summer fun before it starts!  Sarah took some Dopps up to Park City in the afternoon, followed closely by me and the rest of mine after my ballet classes, and a bunch of friends to play with. (Thanks, Sarah!!)

 Swimming was followed by ipad time and dinner...

 18 kids, one future film director who still has to finish jr. high and 5 moms.  No problem.  Right, Jen?

 

 Cheers to us!  Somehow the chaos of all those kids didn't interfere too much with the conversation.  Three pack 'n' plays, a loft full of Littlest Pet Shop paraphernalia and a wii room kept everyone happy until about midnight when we realized, hey, the kids are still up!

 But, as everyone knows, staying up late does not mean sleeping in for kids.  We broke down camp and took a jaunt up to my parents' condo for an early morning swim.

 I wanted to see the damage caused by the fire last weekend.  It's hard to tell how close it got, but it was just feet away from our building.  The whole mountainside is charred to a crisp.  Scott and his brothers were up there last weekend when it got evacuated.  No buildings were hurt.  Miracle!

 Since I love driving down East Canyon instead of I-80, we thought we might as well stop at the zoo and visit the polar bears and sea lions.

What a fun group of kids!  We could have stayed at the zoo longer, but Freestone had to get home for a primary class excursion to the Bountiful Rec Center.  He went straight there.  The poor kid was just hammered when he got home from that, so mission accomplished.  There is nothing better than being worn out by all that sun and fun.  What's next?...

Party Planning

I guess I love to throw a party.  I got it from my mother. The opera guild party she hosted where she made upholstery for our patio furniture and clothing to match for her children is legendary.  She goes a little nutso with the party planning.

I love to host, but I'm not OCD enough to pull off details like the kids matching the patio furniture, or the napkins being a specific shade of chartreuse, or even necessarily being home when the party starts.  Whenever I set out to have a party, I do have visions of color-coordinated perfection.  I allow those visions to inspire me, but I don't hold myself to them, because that's just setting myself up for failure.  Those parties you see in magazines, they are expensive.  Normal people don't have eight hundred strands of twinkle lights or a thousand bucks worth of out-of-season tulips at their disposal, let alone a dozen round tables with vintage cloths.  Although, if anyone has access to round tabletops, it's the Mormons, so I guess I do have some advantages.  Any Latter-day Saint in any corner of the world could pull off a wedding, a natural disaster triage center, dinner for six hundred or all three at once, with 24 hours' notice and a couple of phone calls.

But...for everyday life, I like to do a party, but I don't shoot for a Versailles-circa-1714 vibe.  Guests have a lot more fun when the hostess isn't stressing about details. I thought I'd throw some of my ideas out there and see if "you guys" have any to add.  Here they are:

*Over-Invite.  At least a third probably won't come, and unless it's a group of very close friends, a small party can be awkward.  Specify a start time and an end time.  People are busy, so I like to imply that they can just stop by during the time frame, or feel free to stay the whole time.

*Get inspired.  Choose a color, thing, place, book, song or idea to be the inspiration.  It makes it easier and more fun to pull everything together if you're looking for something specific.  Unless you, like me, chose a panda theme before Kung Fu Panda came out.  There were no panda party supplies anywhere in 2005!

*Use what you have.  Choose something you love that you already have for the inspiration, like fruit you've bottled yourself for centerpieces, or books you love for decorations.  Flowers from your yard...relevant photos...

*Accept help.  I always put RSVP on the invitations, but very few people actually do.  If someone calls to say they're coming, and what can they bring, give them an assignment.  Have some things ready beforehand that you can delegate.  People feel bad when you reject their offers to help. 

*Clean ahead, then stop.  Decide a week in advance what you want the venue to look like, and make a plan to get it there.  You do not want to be cleaning non-stop the day of the party.  Then, when things are looking good, walk away.  I always try to schedule a few hours away with the kids the day of a party.  We get our chores done, then we leave.  You can lose your perspective when you cook and clean all day.  And if you stay away too long, there is always the option of ditching everything in your closet instead of cleaning it up, which I highly recommend.  Not that I would ever do that. 

*Break out the good dishes...even if one breaks.  Why have them if I can't use them for people?  If you never pull out your good stuff, get rid of it and stock your cupboards with nice paper plates so you're always ready to entertain. 

*Food...fun, filling, beautiful, sweet, savory and new.  The reason you're having a party is to have fun, so have fun.  Never a nut cup and a mint. No, no.  It's not 1970.  And I think the food should be ready to go when the party starts.  Why torture people?

*Have two parties.  Why not?  After the first one, the house is clean, you've made food, you might have leftover party supplies, the balloons are still inflated and the flowers are still fresh.  Invite a little group over for lunch the day after an evening party, or have friends over Saturday night, family Sunday, same menu.  Two birds, one stone.

*Don't worry!  If I choose to host a party, it is my responsibility to manage the stress.  I want my kids to understand that I love having people over; their friends, my friends...life is a celebration.  If it's a celebration with dusty blinds or guests arrive before I do, oh well.  I'm not going to freak out over something I chose to do.

*Have fun with it.  There are tons of ideas on Pinterest, etc.  Let your creative side take over.  And if entertaining isn't fun for you, just don't do it and don't worry about it.  Or, do it a whole bunch.  Just have one shindig after another until you feel like you have it down and you can have people over without getting stressed about it.  Practice makes...easier?  It's worth a try, and you could end up with some fun memories, even if it turns out entertaining isn't for you after all. 

Now I want to hear your ideas for easy fun, so that I can steal them for my next event!

Love, not just Oreos

Golda asked on her blog "What little random things do you love?" Well, here ya go Golda...
~Sharpies
~Hot chocolate
~Swatches
~Smell of fresh laundry
~Sunsets
~Going to the pool
~OREOS! :)
~Planning parties
~Nestle Toll House cookies
Go to Golda's blog to read the post and maybe answer on your blog here

Oreos=Love

These 12-packs are only $1.99 at Bowman's.  That's super-cheap for 12 bags of refined carbs and sugar.  I had my cart so loaded yesterday that the lady behind me was all googly-eyed.  I said to her, "And this is just for today!"  When she found out the price, she had to go back and fill up her own cart.  So ha!

Yes, I used to be a purist with my kids' food.  Golda ate kidney beans for a snack, for heaven's sake, while all the other kids were having fruit snacks.  Oh, how the mighty have fallen.  I was seduced by the shiny, colorful packaging and the siren call of sweetness and lard.  Besides, those people who grind their own organic baby food and shop at Whole Foods just so they can hemorrhage more money at the grocery store than the rest of us, they are just annoying.  They make me want to corner them in the quinoa aisle and shove toaster strudels down their throats.  Ptolemy cried yesterday for "little tiny s'moreos" for breakfast, and I gave them to him.  Tolly calling Oreos s'moreos was just too cute to resist.  "S'moreos" are whole foods...shape-wise, anyway.  They're round, aren't they?

If any of this loot is still left when school starts, my kids will at least have one thing in their lunch, even if it has little to no food value.  So go, run to Bowman's and stock up on junk.  Your kids will love you!

As soon as I typed that, I knew my kids would need lots of therapy later in life, to combat their equating motherly love with Oreos.  I'll start a savings plan for that.  Oh, wait, I just spent all my money on Oreos.  Love ya, kids!

Ballet Babies

 If you host a party, you're going to want to arrange for this woman to bring all the food.  She will whisk it all in from her immaculately clean car and it will all be perfect and delicious.  How can I convince her to cater all my events...and everyday meals...

 Here are two of the most beautiful pregnant dance teachers the world has ever seen, Kenzie and Marianne.  We combined a little baby shower for them with the ballet teacher meeting, added the gourmet spread of food that Julie brought in, and had a wonderful evening.  I had to take pictures of all the food because Julie is a professional-level chef.  If she had a food truck, I would camp outside of it.  For my part, I made the ice water.  It was delicious and very cold, if I do say so myself. 

 When all the gifts had been opened, Marianne was reminded of the Kaysville Theater blip they show before the movie, where one guy spills his popcorn and drink and steps in gum and the other guy cleans up after himself.  Marianne's gifts were strewn about, while Kenzie's pile was neatly lined up and organized, clothes folded in their bags.  Shall we analyze their personalities?? 

Here's one personality we dearly love, Clytie Adams.  I hope Tziporah gets a chance to be in her class in a few years.  I remember well all the hours I spent under Clytie's tutelage, and how diligently she worked trying to turn me into a thing of beauty.  I was telling Sarah a funny story about Clytie the other day.  When I was maybe seven or eight, I had pretended to fall down the stairs and I said my arm was hurt.  I put an Ace bandage around my arm just before ballet so I could get maximum sympathy for my "injury."  I was doing my thing, bending my arm to place my fingers like birdies on my shoulder, albeit with some difficulty, given the bulkiness of the Ace bandage.  Finally, Clytie stopped the music and spoke generally to the whole class, saying, "Now, if anyone has a fake bandage on their arm, they may feel free to take it off now."  She didn't want to single me out, so she cast her eyes around the room.  So did I, looking for any girl who might have a fake injury, unlike mine, because mine was real.  Do you see what Clytie was up against with me?  I doggedly finished the class with my genuine arm injury, but I never tried to pull that act again. I learned my lesson.  Clytie could be teaching paper cup stacking or how to use a mop and she would end up with students who are poised, beautiful, polite, talented and possess a deep and abiding love of artistic beauty in their hearts.  I don't know how she does it, but I'm glad she does, and I'm thrilled to be along for the ride.

Rose Parade Recital

Well, I am humbled and a little bit teary-eyed over the generosity of our friends, family and neighbors. We had a garden recital in our front yard at dusk to raise money for Golda's Rose Parade trip.  Each student has to contribute $800.00, plus we are expected to help the "band family" raise an additional hundred thousand or so through fundraisers.  We thought Golda could do this one recital and earn a portion of her trip money, and Scott and I would pay the rest, even though we have gone broke this summer supporting all the other band fundraisers!  

We had fun setting up for a Davis High-themed recital in the front yard.  It was the perfect summer evening, and I tried to just listen and enjoy the girls' pieces.  They did wonderfully.  I just love to listen to them play, and it was fun to see and visit with everyone.  For the last piece, Golda played the Davis High fight song.  Quite a few of us joined in on the last D!...H!...S!"

After the guests filtered out and Scott cleaned up and headed to Park City with his brothers, and Golda's next party started in our back yard with all the wardies, I put the littles down and counted the contributions.  And that's when I got teary-eyed and humbled.  We had gotten generous contributions from friends and neighbors who couldn't come, even before the event.  And after...well, thank you, everyone.  It's stunning to be part of a community who rallies for each little cause and loves each little child we're all collectively trying to raise up.  It's inspiring, and makes me want to be a better person, like the people around me.

 The kids and Sinatra the cat lounging about before the recital.

 Two proud parents, Winifred, Nancy's mom and Scott, you know him.

 Emi and Nate, thank you!

 Josh and Emily's family, our favorite neighbors!

 Thanks for printing the programs, Scott.

 Guests arriving

 Little Nancy, Ruby's student.  She is so smart and talented!

 This counted as Ruby's Book 4 recital, which Roy has been asking her to have for awhile.  I love the guitar repertoire.  I could listen to Ruby all day.

 Dear Golda, I am sorry, but it is way too much fun to listen to you play the flute.  You can't quit!  

I know you don't really want to, deep in your melodious heart.

 We love Sister Gammon

 How does Kenzie look this fabulous five months pregnant? Five MONTHS!

 Jeff and Richelle and their little athletes.  I was joking that this could be their Christmas card picture.  They always seem to be color-coordinated!  Jeff, that shirt has a little too much maroon in it for this picture, though.

 Since Ruby was busy tonight and couldn't babysit these cute kids, they came to the recital!

 The Wardies

 Beth and Gayle above and Coco and Ann below.  Beautiful women, my heavens!

 One of our biggest supporters.  I think she had five other things going on tonight, but she is a die-hard friend and sister.

Dear Old Davis High School...