July 24 Festivities

The day after we got back from the Grand Canyon, I took Araceli and her friends on an overnighter to Park City.  It was Georgia's birthday, so the girls arranged to kidnap her without talking, and wait to reveal who they were.  Awkward!  But they loved it.

We drove up to see Sarah and Roland's brand new cabin.  Their view is extraordinary, and the cabin is beautiful.

I forgot the key to the Ranch, so Scott drove it up.  Is he the best, or what?  I wish he could have stayed longer, the pool was so relaxing.  Freestone was there too, because I wanted him to be my friend while the girls were doing their thing.  He's a fun kid.

Celi, Sofia, Riley and Georgia

The next day, we came home in the morning and went to the pool.  It was the 24th of July, so everyone in Utah had a holiday.  Tziporah really wanted to get a treat at the pool.  I took a lot of pictures of her begging.  She's a champion beggar, and I don't know why she's so persistent.  It rarely works, because I can't just give in to the whining, can I?  She's a nuisance.  But a really cute one.

Grandma and Grandpa had the family over for a big barbeque for the 24th.  I so appreciated having someone else prepare a meal.  I'm not the best meal planner, and having over a dozen people around for three meals a day all summer was hard, just from a logistical standpoint.  I was always buying food.  I don't mind doing it; I'm just not great at it.  Marlene is, though!

Ah, these guys.

Marlene's extra grandkids!

We tried to squeeze in lots of pool days, but it's never enough.  I love when the Scheullers are at the pool.

The epitome of summer.  If only more moments were this relaxed and carefree.  We'll take what we can get, huh?

See Ya, Summah!

If I hold really still, will summer still leave us?

Summer dies a slow death, and then it stays warm after school starts and the pools close, just to torture us.  Labor Day weekend is our traditional farewell to summer time.  We like to be home, soaking in every last minute of pool time and Cherry Hill time.  On Labor Day, we arrived at Cherry Hill at 10, thinking we would be there until the Oakridge pool opened at noon.  We ended up staying at Cherry Hill until 5.  We just couldn't say good-bye.  Emily and Josh and Ryan and Jennie all came to join us, and it was a big cooler-full-of-pop, Little-Caesar's-Pizza, waterslides-and-lazy-river kind of a day.

We reluctantly left Cherry Hill because we wanted to carry on the tradition of closing down Oakridge at 8 pm.  Most years, I'm reluctant to leave, savoring each fading ray of light.  This year, it cooled down, and by 7:00, I was having thoughts of warm pajamas and cozy socks.  We wouldn't dream f leaving before the pool closed, though, so I wrapped myself in soggy towels and soldiered on.  The hypothermia helped ease the difficulty of saying good-bye to the pool for another year.

All the kids, except Freestone, who left Cherry Hill with Ryan and Jennie so he could play Magic the Gathereing with Collin.  We missed him!!

It's all fun and games until someone informs you that - guess what? - summer is over.  Yep.  It just ended.  I know you didn't see that coming, Tziporah, but it just happened.  Sorry, baby!  I promise, autumn will have its own allure.

Unwinding

 After a 10-hour day at the band festival, those of us not going to the BYU-Utah game had to unwind at the pool.  It really was the last pool day.  I know I keep saying that, just like I keep saying "This is our last kid," but it's true this time on both counts.  When we left at 8 pm, it was almost dark outside!  Boo hoo!

 Golda got to dress up and be Disney's Belle today.  She is just as sweet in a sundress.

 "I wanted some little tiny s'moreos!  Get me some little tiny s'moreos!"

 Well, look who ate all the s'moreos.

 Milk and cookies never tasted so good!

 Do I have anything on my face?

 Here, let me take some pictures of you!

 Best friends

 Belle, off-duty

Xanthe and Esmae doing their "dance" moves, Abe and Ptolemy trying to copy.  We gave the kids unlimited cookies and Angry Bird crackers and found out that there really is no limit to how many treats kids will eat.  So we got them ice cream too.  Good-bye, pool.  We love you!

Irk

This is my swimsuit.  Scott bought if for me last summer.  It was expensive.  I like it.  And even though I have a cute swimsuit, I haven't been to the pool nearly as much as usual.  I thought it was because we're hectic-busy this summer, but I just had an epiphany.  The reason we haven't been to the pool is the conversation Ruby had with an employee there.  It took the wind out of my sails and I didn't even realize it.

At the pool a few weeks ago, this woman (a "friend" of mine) watched me walk away and then leaned in to Ruby and said, "Your mom has had that swimsuit for years, hasn't she?"  Ruby said, "Uh..." and the woman said, "Why don't you buy her a new one for Mothers' Day."  She walked off and left Ruby standing there thinking about how Mothers' Day was a couple months ago.

When Ruby told me about the incident, I tried to shake it off.  But now, every time I go to the pool I feel so ugly.  That thoughtless comment changed me from the fun and capable mom who used to bring a whole slew of kids to the pool every day, to the ugly, saggy impostor woman who shows up at the country club in a swimsuit that's old and dingy.  The new me isn't fooling anyone.  She's poor and tired and she forgets to bring swim diapers.  She doesn't wear makeup and her kids splash each other in the eyes.  She doesn't know the lifeguards and she isn't very friendly.

I miss the old me at the pool, but I don't know how to bring her back.  I find it ludicrous that an insignificant comment like that can rankle me so much.  Instead of asking what's wrong with a woman who would say something like that, now I'm asking myself what's wrong with me that it made me feel so dumpy and embarrassed.

Have you even had something this stupid happen to you that you could not get over?  Ugh!!

Xanthe's Wish

I am willing to bet there is not a soul in the world with less patience than Xanthe.  She goes berserk in between songs on a CD, throwing a fit about why the music stopped.

We were at the pool when Xanthe found out about Wish Chips, how you can make a wish if the chip is folded over.  She immediately closed her eyes and bit into one.  Then she opened one eye and looked around. Running over to me, she shouted, "My wish didn't come!  My wish didn't come!"  I asked her what the wish was and she whispered in my ear, "A pony."

I said, "Xanthe, a pony isn't going to just appear at the pool.  You might as well wish for a unicorn.  A pink one."

Moms say the dumbest things.  Xanthe put her hand on her hip and said, "Mom, ponies are real."  Yeah, but you still can't get one by biting into a barbeque-flavored Clover Club.  Just don't try to explain why to Xanthe.  Coco tried to talk her out of dreaming big, but then just felt like she was crushing the innocent childhood right out of the little wisher.  So Xanthe is still waiting for that pony.  But not a unicorn.  Those are pretend.