Scott is going to love this picture. He hates it when I turn the camera sideways, and I don't know how to turn it the right way for the blog. Maybe Scott will fix it. :)

Today was guitar day. Ruby and Freestone both had great lessons. After, we went to Primary Children's Hospital to visit Jackson. He looked great in his new halo. The kids even got to touch it! Yesterday, I told Jackson to recover quickly so we could have Jackson Day Monday, another one of my favorite days of the week!

After we visited with Jackson and Jennie, it was time for group guitar lesson. My role at group lesson is to watch from the other room. On the first song the kids played together, one of them was WAY off. Somebody sounded so bad, I had to look and see what was going on. Well, Freestone had decided that not knowing how to play the song was not going to stop him from joining in. He was studiously plucking notes in "Free-sharp-minor," while all the other kids were in G. Even on the more advanced songs, Freestone doggedly gave it his best tone. Afterwards, I had a little talk with the very patient teacher. He said that distraction is part of playing, and Freestone was distracting, thereby helping the other kids learn the skill of ignoring distraction. I LOVE our guitar teacher!

On the way home from guitar, we passed Scott on his way in to Salt Lake, taking Golda to her play rehearsal. Now he's doing the Barnes and Noble thing while I enjoy the quiet of sleeping kids and the sound of the dishwasher. Heaven!

That's right, we're out of eggnog

Happy Friday, friends! Freestone had one of his eggnog meltdowns this morning. It happens every time we run out of his favorite drink. He falls on the ground, sobbing, "I told you to buy more and more and more of it!" Scott and I are not looking forward to January, when eggnog disappears from the stores. I can just see us special-ordering eggnog online from a dairy in Vermont. Actually, we wouldn't do that. The eggnog tantrums are too funny.
I love Fridays. Last night I was trying to decide what my favorite day of the week is. Fridays are fun becasue of guitar lessons, and because it's early out day at school. Every day of our week has a different feel. Some are marathons of lessons, and others are mellow, when we get lots of homework and practing done, and have dinner all together. I guess I just like the fact that each day of the week is different, and that so many fun things happen every day. Saturday, I'll show you a picture of why I like Saturday mornings so much. I can honestly say that there is not a day of the week that I dread, and that's pretty lucky. What about you?

Happy First Snowfall!

The science fair poster went out the door with Golda this morning and into the sparkly, snow-covered world. It turned out really cute, so if that's what the judges are looking for, then we're set! There were a few setbacks along the way...Max went AWOL right in the middle of the testing. I still don't know where he was, but it's a good thing he came running back the next morning while I was working on a violin downstairs. I was starting to consider two pretty ill-advised options for completing the project. One: buy a new, look-alike Guinea pig. Two: Cross out "guinea pig" every time it appears in the science project and substitute "Freestone." The first option might have led to divorce proceedings, and the second would have involved Freestone on a sugar high. So MAx's reappearance was an answer to my prayers!
It was fun helping Golda type up her report on the computer. I just missed the computer age as a youth. I didn't even take a typing class until 9th grade, and it was my lowest grade ever, except for gym. Golda, like all kids these days, is a whiz. In the time it took me to say, "Gee, I wish we could somehow make a graph...maybe I could find some crayons that aren't too broken," Golda had googled "graph," found a website, entered data for three graphs and printed them out. OK...am I helping or hindering here?
On a different note...I took Golda to flute and drama rehearsal last night (in the very blizzard that has made everything so beautiful this morning.) I had three hours to walk around the Gateway in the snow, so I went to Barnes and Noble and read Jenny McCarthy's book on autism, which my sister-in-law, Jennie, had recommended. (Thanks, Jen!) I must have made quite a spectacle, crying all the way through the book. I highly recommend it to anyone who has a child. It really brings into focus what we do, and would do, as mothers, to keep our kids safe. I can't remember the name of the book.
Speaking of books, any recommendations out there? I'll need something compelling for the next blizzard!

Testing...Testing...

Today is science fair project day. Most of the other kids started their projects in September, since which time Golda has written and choroegraphed approximately 150 musicals and mass produced dozens of illustrated invitations to her shows. But no science project. Today, when my dad suggested testing why your tongue sticks to a frozen surface, I responded, "I don't want to be the guinea pig for that experiment!" That's when I remembered, "Hey! We HAVE a guinea pig!" So, later today when Golda comes home from school, Max will be the subject of some rigorous testing on whether sugar makes guinea pigs run faster. I'm sure Max will love the candy corn I dug out of the Halloween candy. Oh, this is all going to be very scientific! I can't wait!

Boy Crazy

For a mom who has four daughters and only one son, today was different. This morning, Freestone and I had a date. We drove Golda in to her drama rehearsal, got trendy cups of hot chocolate and went to the..what else? The discovery museum. Freestone is so fun to watch as he plays. He concentrates as if his career depends on how efficiently he gets the plastic balls to their rightful places. The kid works hard!
When we got home, I traded Ari for Henry, and Sarah took the kindergarten girls to a movie. Since I was on a roll, I traded Golda and Ruby for Jackson and Collin, and made it a boys' day. Poor little Xanthe was completely outnumbered. Just to tip the scale even more, we picked up Jake and headed to the castle park. The boys were calling it the "witch park," a name Jackson coined when I asked, "Which park do you guys want to go to?" My lesson on synonyms was no match for the idea of a park full of witches, so the name stuck. Sweet little boys, all of them. I just love 'em.
The BIG boys didn't have as much fun today, watching Utah lose to BYU. After this defeat, Scott vowed to stop watching sports. It'll never happen...sports are hard-wired in to these creatures. When I was in the car with 5 boys today, I turned on the game. The banter of the announcers, the roar of the crowd, held their attention, and they were quiet. But when I asked them who was winning the game, every one of them, in unison, said, "Me!" So it will be a few years before a team's loss will upset them. And I'm glad. Let them enjoy their childhood victories.

Black Friday Fun

When I finally woke up today at 7:30, I just knew that Scott had quietly sneaked out of the house hours earlier to shop. I called him around 8:00 to check on his progress. When I hung up, I explained to the kids what "adreneline rush" means. Scott was definitely in his element, rushing from store to store, finding all the right things. Shopping is not my thing, so Scott tore himself away from the stores long enough to pick up Golda and Ruby and take them out shopping. Meanwhile, I took the "littles" to the discovery museum. Black Friday fever must have hit me walking through the Gateway, because we went to 3 kid stores and bought some adorable clothes for Xanthe and Ari. I couldn't help it!
At the museum, the kids played to their hearts' content for hours while I sat on the sidelines of the giant block station and read my book. I love that place! I met two families with little girls from China, one from Schezuan (spicy province, like Hunan) and one from Outer Mongolia!
Tonight, all the Dopp siblings met at Bruce and Marlene's for another Thanksgiving dinner. Soon after arriving, just as I was having fun talking to everyone, Ari started looking pale and said she didn't feel good, so I took her home, where she went right to bed. Xanthe, too. Hmm...
Today, like yesterday, was the perfect mix of fun, relaxation and family. I am so thankful for our parents, brothers and sisters. I'm thankful for five sweet and precious kids, and for Scott, my funny best friend. And I'm thankful for this soothing break between busy weeks. It's nice to stop and look around and maybe sit with a cup of my new favorite, Stephens Cinnamon hot cocoa. Maybe I'll have a cup now...

We are thankful for our family and all the joy they bring to our lives. Circe and I are just sitting back and relaxing and watching the kids run around and have fun. We are also discussing our favorite holiday memories and contemplating all the future memories we will create with our family. Yesterday I (Scott) went to lunch with my Mom and we were talking about how special holidays are and my Mom told me about how Grandma Hill always made the holidays special. She told me about the time Grandma Hill made a fireplace for the kids out of orange crates and decorated it with Christmas decoration. My Mom always makes the holidays special with her amazing cooking and thoughtful gifts.

Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving 2007.

We had a perfect day hosting the Kings at our house. Felshaw cooked the turkey, we cleaned the house and set up the kids' table and the adult table. Freestone helped Scott make the traditional Dopp Jell-O cups. Ari and Ruby picked out the colors (yellow, orange, green, and purple). We moved all the furniture around to create a new dining experience next to the fireplace. Circe wants to leave the new arrangement to accomodate large parties throughout the holidays. We are just waiting for the Kings to come back for round 2 and watch Circe eat her traditional turkey and whip cream sandwich. Tomorrow we will head out to Grandma and Grandpa Dopp's for "Black Friday" Thanksgiving.