Young Women in Excellence

 It's been exciting to have Ari turn 12 because now we have three girls in the Young Women program.  I'm not sure how their leaders feel about having so many of them. but there is now a Dopp girl in each group:  Laurels, Mia Maids and Beehives.  There is no escaping the Dopp girls or their pesky mom!

The special evening we had to celebrate the girls' achievements and goals had a theme, "There's Noplace Like My Heavenly Home," so the girls centered it around The Wizard of Oz.  Ruby and her friend Rachel were in charge of the decorating and refreshments, etc.  I love how the YW program is turning the reins over to the girls.  These are skills they need and they are lucky to have the opportunity to develop them early.  Ruby and Rachel created a delightful venue, full of fun touches.

 Each girl made a little display with the question in mind, "How has a pair of shoes helped you to stand in holy places?"  A number of the girls displayed their pointe shoes, and Golda gave a talk that eloquently put into words what the girls meant by saying that their dance shoes helped them stand in holy places.  I'll have to reprint her talk here.  It was absolutely beautiful.   This above is Ruby's display, explaining about her shoes and displaying her shoes from Nutcracker last year.  I am proud of her for working so doggedly since she didn't make Nutcracker this year.  The defeat lit a fire of determination in her, and I am proud to see that, as opposed to bitterness or blame.

 Such a fun theme!

 You can see Golda's display on the left, with some dance pictures and her pointe shoes.  Really, you have to read her talk.

 Ari displayed her new slippers that Grandma and Grandpa gave her and talked about how her home is a holy place.  She also set out one of Tiffany's love boxes with a home on it and a book called, "Finally 12," which Scott gave her for her birthday.  The clarinet in the background belongs to someone else. :)

I love that Ari chose her slippers, especially since we had just spent a day with the Dopps and Hills at Marlin and Ann's missionary farewell and the party afterward, followed by a Dopp November birthday party at our house.  Family is where Ari's center is, for sure.

 Some of the displays.  That picture of Golda and Ruby kills me!

Three new, darling Beehives.  We are so lucky to have so many sharp, kind, wonderful girls in our neighborhood.  It is impossible to measure the positive effect these girls have on each other.  We live in a great place!  Even if Scott and I were total deadbeats, our kids could potentially turn out great just on the strength of their friends, neighbors and leaders.  In fact...are we total deadbeats?  I guess we'll never know, but thanks to everyone around us for supporting our efforts and doing it with style!

It's OK

My aunt Tricia was in the hospital once, a long time ago.  I remember her small daughter standing in the parking lot of the hospital, looking up at her mom's window singing her own song.  "It's o....k....it's o...k...."  It wasn't OK, but things worked out.  Tricia got better.

Forever after that, my friend Sarah and I would sing that little song whenever things got rough, as a sort of funny lullaby.  It always brought a smile through the tears.  When I was in college, I drove with my dear friend Gema to northern Indiana to attend a roommate's wedding.  Gema is Spanish, and her English was terrible at the time;  almost as bad as my Spanish.  We communicated through laughter and charades.  It was a blizzard the night we drove north, and my little VW Fox was no match for the icy roads.  In the darkness, the car skidded out of control.  I managed to veer off the freeway onto an exit ramp that went uphill, spinning the steering wheel to find purchase as we careened closer and closer to the edge of the road. We grazed the guardrail that separated us from the 30-foot drop of the overpass we were headed toward.  All the while we sailed over the ice, I chanted loudly, desperately, "It'sOK it'sOK it's OK it's OK it's OK!"

It wasn't OK, and we should have died that night, but we ended up in a fluffy, benign snowdrift instead of going over that edge.  Later, Gema and I would chant the "It's OK" mantra to lighten the mood if things ever got too serious.  It broke the language barrier.  Eventually, it became a funny story.

Tonight I found myself breathing deeply and repeating,

"It's OK."
"It's OK."
"It's OK."

And it's not.  But it will be. 

Who Cares?

 I signed up to take my girls to a Ballet West dress rehearsal, forgetting that Golda had Nutcracker that night and Ruby and Ari were slated to go to the temple with the Young Women.  (Ari's first YW activity!!)

 So that left me with Freestone.  He has been enjoying his first year of ballet this year, and he is having a ball with Nutcracker.  I can't wait to see him onstage as a Party Boy.  All the way to Salt Lake in the car, this kid was throwing out zingers.  Here's one:  "You know that saying 'If life gives you lemons, make lemonade?'  Well, inless life's going to give you a pitcher, sugar, water, ice and something to cut the lemons with, you're NOT gonna be making lemonade."

 Ballet West was going to perform three short works:  Firebird, Petit Mort and a Balanchine thing set to Gershwin music called Who Cares.  First there was a mini lecture about the works and Ballet West in general.  Adam Sklute said BW is among the top ten companies in the country, and I'm pretty sure it ranks consistently in the top 5.  Utah is insanely rich in the arts.  Firebird, especially the sword work, was incredible.  Petit Mort was achingly beautiful and haunting to me.  To Freestone, it "didn't even have a story."  After that one, Free said, "We should go.  A play that's called Who Cares?  I'm just thinking that's not gonna be very good."

 Since Free had been so attentive during the first two hours, I had to agree, which meant that we had time for bubble tea before I dragged Freestone with me to book club.  When we arrived, already 90 minutes late, I directed Freestone to a corner with his book and said, "OK, right over there, like a little puppy dog."  And there he sat for an hour without a peep, reading his book amid the raucous laughter that is book club.  Freestone is such a great kid!  On the way out, he questioned me, "Did you ever talk about books?"  Uh...no.  We did cover quite a few interesting topics, though!

 So, during the first intermission, I was looking at Facebook and saw one of Freestone's classmates had posted a picture of a turkey project.  Due tomorrow.  Freestone casually agreed with me that, yeah, he should have had it done sooner.  When we got home at 11, out came the modge podge and candy wrappers to adorn Freestone's turkey.  Oh, and also, it's a contest and he wanted to win.

Sometimes Freestone is funny on purpose and sometimes he just naturally cracks me up.  As the turkey neared completion at midnight, I instructed Free to go brush his teeth.  He said innocently, "But I have homework!"  Oh my gosh!  Two pages of math.  This kid is not bothered in the least by procrastination.  In his defense, though, I did put him right to practicing after school and then whisked him off to the ballet right after scouts.

 Bright and early this morning, before 8 am ballroom, the hopefully prizewinning turkey was complete.  Sleep?  Who cares?  We're having too much fun!

Harmony

 When I got home from Ari's birthday weekend at the Ranch, I found a note Xanthe had written to me.  It said, "Can I do what Ari did and go to Zupas and the ranch?  I love you.  You are the best mom ever!"  That kind of argument is tough to oppose.  Xanthe doesn't get quite as many opportunities as some of the other kids, and I thought it was high time she had her moment, which turned out to be Tuesday night.  The prospect of a trip to the ranch made all of our after-school homework, chores and practicing fly by very efficiently!  When it was time to go, Xanthe shyly said, "I wouldn't want to leave my baby brother home!"

So I ended up with two little ones snuggled up in the back seat watching Rise of the Guardians under Xanthe's special panda blankets.  For my part, driving is pure relaxation, especially when it's so tranquil in the rearview mirror!

 First stop:  Zupas, just like Ari.  It was definitely winter in the mountains, but we still tooled around the outlets a little bit, sampling hand sanitizers and buying Ptolemy some new pajamas.

 Our quiet evening was just what the doctor ordered.  At least it was what I would order if I were a doctor:  Warm fire, fuzzy socks, pumpkin chocolate ice cream, sweet, precious babes, storybooks and lots of quilts.

 Campfire

 On the way home in the pink-tinged early morning, I thought about Rise of the Guardians.  The protagonist must find his "center," or what it is that is most important to him, that he contributes to the world.  I wondered, "What is my center?"  I thought it would be easy to identify.  Nope.  I still don't know.  I saw a personality test of Facebook awhile back that asked you to choose the picture of a tree that you most identified with.  The tree I chose said, among other things, that I was "in harmony with the universe."  I like that, and I would like to believe that my center is harmony.  My parents are both peacemakers, and I grew up in the environment that they created out of their desire for harmony.  My favorite thing is when my children are nice to each other and our home is calm.  My least favorite thing is when something in my marriage or other relationships is off-center.

I certainly felt in harmony with the universe this morning, driving in the sleepy, snowy mountains with my happy children, having accomplished something that I felt Xanthe needed.  With that, I felt gratitude.  You can't truly have harmony without gratitude, because if you're not grateful, you're not in harmony with the universe, so to speak.  Today, as mystical and palm-reader-ish as it sounds, it's all consonance.  The music of the spheres is in tune.  :)

What's your center?

Araceli Circe

 Araceli's birthday followed close on the heels of Halloween festivities.  I remember being pregnant on Halloween.  My due date was November 11, so I was scheduled to go in on November 4, but I really wanted to have that baby on Halloween!  I had been hotter than Hades all Autumn.  I kept wondering how it could possibly be so darn hot at the end of October!  I secretly (or not so secretly, considering my very vocal complaining) was to walk so much trick-or-treating that I would hasten my labor.  It didn't work.  I did have really sore groin muscles, though!  I could have waited until November 5, so that Ari would be born on my grandmother's birthday as well as Nikki, my sister-in-law, but since the 4th was on the table, there was NO WAY I could wait until the 5th.  No way.  Ari's birth was quick and easy, and when she was born, we were all laughing and crying.  It was a celebration!  The room was awash in what I now know is Ari's spirit, her fundamental core:  joy.  Scott and me, my parents and Trajan were all there, in awe of this tiny, aware person.  Now I wonder who else was in the room, contributing to the feelings of elation and joy that we all felt.  Probably all of Ari's younger siblings, delivering her from the other side of the veil, saying a temporary good-bye.

 For hre birthday, Ari wanted to invite Ellison to the Ranch.  We left Saturday afternoon.  Ari is so enthusiastic and easy to please.  I didn't have a book, so I suggested stopping at the used book store in Bountiful and was met with a resounding, "Yes!!!"  Ruby, Ari, Ellison and I each selected a book.  What a fun birthday activity!  We were right down the hill from Nana Ruby's house, so we stopped in for a little visit.  Nana greeted each of us, until she got to Ellison, and then she said, "Let's see...you're not one of them, are you?"  Nana chuckled.  When I told Nana that Ellison was Sarah Watkins' daughter, she changed her mind about Ellison being "one of them."  :)  We had a nice visit.

 Ari's dream (yes, DREAM; she is very dramatic) was to eat at Zuppa's.  The Park City location had just opened that very day, so we got to be some of the first customers.  Ari and Ellison LOOOOOVED the soup!  It's contagious being surrounded by their gratitude and enthusiasm.  They are so easy to please!  Ellison kept saying, "Thank you!  Thank you so much!"

 The girls were equally enthusiastic about our visit to World Market.  Ellison is a big fan of the Japanese sodas, and Ari si abig fan of this pillow, which we did not buy.  :)  Ruby and I looked around for ideas for Ruby's YW project.

 Finally arriving at the Ranch, Ari and Ellison disappeared into a card game while Ruby and I read our books.  Seriously, can you imagine hosting a better "birthday party?!"

 At some point, Ari pulled out a plate of very old cupcakes.  We put matches in them and sang a very fast renition of Happy Birthday, trying to get to the end before the matches ignited the ancient cupcake wrappers!  This is another thing I love about Ari:  she is prepared, for one thing.  She brought her own cake!  And she is laid-back.  She didn't care that the cupcakes were left over from Halloween, and started out as day-olds in the first place!

 Bless Ellison's little heart, she brought a present which - surprise! - Ari ABSOLUTELY LOVED!!!  These girls are so cute.

 The morning was heavenly;  it was Daylight Savings, so we were able to sleep in with impunity.  Then we woke up to watch a storm blow in as we sipped sea salt hot cocoa in front of the fire.

 We had to be home for church, and Ari's last day in Primary, so we dropped E off at her PC condo and drove home.

 Not to worry, though, there were more celebrations on the horizon!  Coco invited us over for dinner, cheesecake and presents with the rest of the Kings.  And all of this happened before Ari's actual birthday!  I was afraid the day would be anticlimactic!

 Not so.  The morning of November 4th, Golda made Ari French toast before she left for school.  After school, Ari got to practice and then go to ballet.  She always practices without too much complaining, except when she vows, "I am quitting cello forever!", but she thought she should be exempt from practicing on her birthday.  I disagreed because in my mind, the best gift I can give my kids is the feeling of accomplishment.  She she practiced and was happy, but she was even happier when Grandma and Grandpa rang the doorbell with a gift!  Thank you!

She was also happy to go to ballet, where all of her friends were waiting.  Scott picked her up from ballet and took her to their traditional dinner at Pepperbelly's, complete with free fried ice cream.  Meanwhile, I was getting bubble tea during Ruby's guitar lesson in honor of Ari's birthday.  Because the second-best gift I can give my kids is to enjoy a treat myself "in their honor."  Just kidding.

 The Pepperbelly's dinner worked out perfectly so that Scott could drop Ari back off in the alley for her jazz class.  Another fun hour of friendship, hard work and creativity.  My violin lessons ended right in time for me to catch the last few minutes of Ari's jazz class.  It was fun to see her dance, especially on her birthday.  I stood there and relfected on how quickly my little toddler pixie became this "older dancer."  It's sad.  I know it's good, but it's sad.  Ari and I were going to get a treat, but she was too stuffed from the fried ice cream.  Instead, we went to Bowman's and chose some exciting things for school lunch.  It was a good birthday.

Thursday, Ari gets to go to the temple with the Young Women.  How did this happen?  I started out with a baby and I ended up with a friend.  A fun, joyful, exciting, beautiful, talented friend.  I love you, Araceli!

 Oh, and to top off Ari's birthday, I made her go into the Kaysville Theater and get us some popcorn with extra butter while we were waiting for Golda and Ruby.  Then I made her go back in to put more salt on it.  In a perfect testament to how generous and sweet Ari is, she thought this was fun!  And it was, because Ari was there.

Art Day

The day after Halloween, the kids didn't have school.  Is that the best idea ever, or what?!  I relished sleeping in (after getting Golda to the high school at 6 am to catch a ride to an all-day dance workshop in Provo) and then waking up to whatever we wanted to do, which turned out to be art.  Xanthe and Esmae had no interest in following my instructions for a candy wrapper turkey, so I let them go their own way while I made a candy wrapper turkey, so we all had fun.  I fact, Xanthe later said that modge podge candy wrappers was her favorite thing she has ever done.  Wow!

Colors!

Tziporah was absolutely in heaven over having carte blanche to do anything she wanted.  As she painted, she kept saying, "Mine!  My paint!"  Why didn't I give her better colors?  Her masterpiece turned out an ugly color of puce, but she was thrilled with the process.

Freestone's process had a much better outcome.  He searched for pictures on the computer and found one similar to this, which he copied.  I didn't help him one bit.  That's why it turned out so amazing!

After the rest of us left for the park, Ruby continued working on her sign.  She is on a little committee for Young Women in Excellence night, and their quote is "There's Noplace Like Our Heavenly Home," with a Wizard of Oz theme.  They're having a great time with the planning, and Ruby wanted to get a leg up on the work, so she painted this quote from Glinda the Good Witch.  I love everything about it!  It's true, and I can't wait to see what else the girls come up with for their night in Oz.

Every time we paint, I wonder why we don't do it more often.  I hope we do!

Those Hard Halcyon Days

 Wednesday after school, Dance Company rehearsal and ballet, Golda packed her bags for the rest of her night:  dinner in a bowl, flute, lesson music, wind ensemble music, dance clothes, and homework.  Homework, you know, in case there was any time between eating in the car, her flute lesson, band concert and last dance class.  So that's why she usually doesn't start her homework until after 10 pm.  Good thing she doesn't have to be out the door until 7 in the morning, right?

I feel guilty, I really do, when Golda is always working so hard.  Wednesday night at 10, as she was cracking open all that last-day-of-the-term homework, I told her, "I'm so sorry you have to do chemistry.  I have nothing but fun planned for tomorrow."  She said wearily, "Thanks, Mom."  Apparently, my attempt at sympathy came off more as flaunting my life of leisure.  In some ways, high school is a beautiful time of freedom and awakening.  It's a golden time that never comes again in any form.  In other ways, it's more grueling than any other time of life, both practically and emotionally.  You're studying things you don't necessarily care about, yet you may be at the pinnacle of developing talents that you love.  You have obligations to a family, yet you're developing as an individual.  It's all preparation for "life," and it can feel a lot like cramming.  Like everything is at stake.  And honestly, it is.  So being a teenager is a lot to handle.

I remember my high school experience with extreme fondness.  But I would never go back.  It was too hard!  I made too many mistakes!  I could say the same thing about almost any stage in my life.  It was wonderful, but it was hard, and I don't know that I was very good at it.  But the fact that I don't want to go back tells me I'm headed in the right direction, and Golda is too.  I am proud of her for a work ethic that never stops.  I love her for the way her inner light shines out through her countenance.

When she gobbles up her dinner en route from one thing to the next, having planned hours and hours ahead to make her day run like clockwork, my heart swells.  Both because Golda reminds me of my youth, and because I'm so glad it's her turn and not mine!  I must say, Golda, you're doing us "right proud," as they say in Davis County.