Xanthe's Water Act

Xanthe has loved the water for as long as I've known her. She has an uncanny fearlessness in the water. She is also a big tease. Last summer, she had a routine she loved to pull on the lifeguards. She's so tiny, you wouldn't think she could swim, so she would wade around in the baby pool waiting for an opportune moment. Then she'd take a breath and float on her tummy with her face in the water. She stayed like that until somebody jumped in to save her, then she popped up laughing just before being rescued. Every lifeguard and many of the other adults at the pool fell for it. You have to admit, it's unnerving to see a 20-pound baby floating face-down in the pool. I even jumped in a couple of times.

This summer, I enrolled her in private swimming lessons, just to give me peace of mind. Solidify her skills. She was a bit nervous going into the new situation at an unfamiliar pool. At the lesson, she walked right up to the pool and announced in a very loud voice, "I CAN'T SWIM!! WAAAAAAA!!! BOO!!! HOO!!!" She actually started sobbing like that. Very dramatic. I kept my distance, not wanting her to get clingy. From a few yards away, I watched the teacher carry Xanthe gently around the pool as if introducing her to the water. She managed to convince Xanthe to kick a little bit and put her face tentatively in the water. Xanthe ate up the personal attention, allowing the teacher to coax her to try things, loving all the praise she was getting.

Here she is at the pool three hours later. Goggles, kickboard, motoring around the pool like she owns the place. Jumping off the side, taking other kids' toys, swimming the length of the baby pool underwater. Seems like the swimming teacher was hoodwinked by a 4-year-old. Xanthe told me that she doesn't want to jump to her teacher tomorrow. I reminded her that she jumps off the side of the pool 50 times a day, and that if she can't jump to her teacher, she can't go back to swimming lessons ever again. She nodded and said, "OK. I will." I tried to tell the teacher Xanthe can swim. I'm sure she just thought I was a proud parent, blind to my child's shortcomings. Xanthe has been pretty smug about the whole thing. She knows when she's scored a victory.

Walking in Your Footsteps

This is Freestone's tribute to Scott. It's sweet confirmation of Scott's great parenting that Freestone wants to be a dad when he grows up. I don't know why he pictures himself wearing a red leisure suit in the future, but I'm chalking it up to the limitations of the medium (Crayola) rather that Scott's fashion example.
Freestone has often said that his name will be Scott when he's big and that he wants to have ten kids when he's a dad. Five girls and five boys. Already he's more ambitious than Scott. Scott wants to have one or two kids when he grows up. Oh, wait...oops. Seriously, I think Scott is profoundly grateful that his life has exceeded his original ambitions, especially in the kid department. He loves each one of them individually and perfectly, even Ptolemy, who isn't even born yet. If Freestone grows up to be exactly the kind of dad Scott is, his mom will be very proud.

Big Fish

Golda has made her last trek up the street and around the corner to school. She graduated from 6th grade today, along with close to a hundred other bright, enthusiastic and slightly awkward 12-year-olds. It was a good group of kids, shepherded by four teary-eyed teachers who hugged each child as they received their diplomas. The principal talked about how the 6th graders have become big fish in a small pond, and how they are ready to move to a bigger habitat. Such a true analogy, I thought, as I watched the confident kids I've known since they were scared kindergartners, full of life and ambition. There were certificates awarded for being in the nationwide 90th percentile and above for end-of-level testing. Fully 70% of the kids (including Golda) got a certificate. That means our teachers are fantastic. We are fortunate to be at such a stellar school where the teachers, parents and principal are so highly invested in the kids.

Golda and a few of her friends are outside playing night games. The party started out a little iffy, with a small and disparate group of kids. As soon as I remembered my own rule, Stay Out of the Way, the party took off. How could I have overlooked what a buzz kill a pregnant mom is? Especially when shadowed by a four-year-old who thinks all the people came just to admire her. I can hear the carefree sounds of Golda's friends through the open windows. Although they're getting older and more concerned with the pressures of the world around them, I hope they carry with them some of the childhood they still possess as they enter the bigger pond of junior high. One more step on their journey to the open ocean. Oh, I hope the waters are safe and calm.

Place Your Orders

I am up to my neck in fun activities! Araceli took a lei for everyone in her class for Hawaiian day, as well as fresh pineapple and bananas. Last night was Ari's portfolio party where Scott and I got to go to her classroom and see a DVD of the year's events and pick up her big binder of the work she's done in first grade.

It seems like every day starts and ends at the grocery store. I'm sure the rest of you sat down and made a list of all the special things each child would need and then made one trip to the store. I tried that, but new events and instructions keep popping up like weeds. This morning at 7:00 when Araceli told me she needed a BIG bag of M&M's for her ice cream party, I started to wonder. I didn't get a note about an ice cream party. After noticing me bring home cookies for Ruby's pioneer trek and yummy junk food for Golda's swimming/ice skating field trip, Ari probably thought it would be wise to place an order. I'm still not sure if the ice cream party was legit or not, but I did buy the M&M's, since I had to go to the store anyway. Scott wanted two mini seedless watermelons for his Boys' Trip this weekend, and I had to get veggies for my book club tonight. I could have sent Scott to the store but he was busy prepping the yard for Golda's 6th grade graduation party.

I've got to sign off now...Freestone NEEDS running shoes for field day today, or else he won't be able to run fast. And Scott remembers getting new running shoes for field day as a kid, so of course this request is warranted. And why not? If Freestone can't run fast, he might not get a popsicle before they're all gone. Then I'd feel compelled to go to the store for popsicles to assuage his sorrow.

Giving the Bird the Bird

I am not a big fan of guns. In fact, I'm scared of them and the people who love them. But nothing makes me want to go out and buy a gun more than the little bird that lives right outside my bedroom window. Listen, BIRD, 4:30 AM is NOT morning. It's the middle of the night. Nobody wants to hear you warble in the middle of the night. It's not a competition to see who can pipe up first, you overachieving finch. If it's still dark outside, SHUT UP. When people are woken up at 4:30 every morning with the SAME SONG, they start to do crazy things. They scheme about hunting rifles and slingshots and toxic gas and cyanide-laced earthworms.
My dad, back in the day, accidentally shot a woodpecker that kept pecking on our metal chimney. He was trying to scare it away, but his aim was so bad that he killed it instead, with a BB gun. Wracked with guilt, he had it stuffed and displayed it in his library. It made for a good last-minute show-and-tell all through grade school, as well as a viual aid for reports. ("Another report on woodpeckers, Circe?") Now I can completely understand why my dad was out in the front yard shooting in the air. Birds are annoying! So annoying, in fact, that I might end up as crazed as my dad. It really is a good thing we don't own a gun, although my dad did break a window throwing rocks at a bird once. In the interest of preserving nature, I'll try to stay inside during the early morning hours, but if I get any more sleep-deprived, I can't promise anything.

Sunday Notes

I try not to get emotional about each little milestone, but it's difficult when important events are becoming as numerous as grains of sand this time of year. Ruby gave her Book Two recital and Freestone got through his Twinkle recital today. Since it was Ruby's gig, her teacher gave her the choice of having her siblings play. Ruby couldn't pass up the chance to make Golda play her flute, knowing Golda wouldn't want to. Golda was a good sport about it and played very well. Araceli played her Bach from last week's recital and sounded great. Freestone motored through all 6 Twinkle Variations with his teacher, almost running our of gas a couple of times, but making it to the finish line. During Ruby's part of the program, Free obnoxiously sneaked in and grabbed his Twinkle Trophy off the mantle. No ceremony.
Ruby played all ten songs from Book Two, all memorized in order, ending with a duet with her teacher. I was so proud of her for what she's accomplished. Every day for the last few weeks, I have had the relaxing privilege of sitting on the couch and listening to Ruby go through the whole program. I'm sure I enjoyed it much more than Ruby did! Edette, the teacher, presented Ruby with a trophy at the end of the recital. Scott and I both had cameras with dead batteries, so we didn't capture Ruby's cute musical note earrings or Star sitting next to the kids as they played, like it was her job. We missed the trophy presentation as well as the trophy sneaking, and didn't get pictures of most of the great people who made up the audience.

Better, even, than the kids' accomplishment was seeing all the family members, friends and neighbors who have been supportive of us for years and years. Some of our friends and family are probably sick to death of being invited to these things, and we so much appreciate them continuing to answer our phone calls! And bringing food! If anyone wants to take a sabbatical from acting as our fan base, please feel free! Friendship with us seems to come with "strings" attached, doesn't it?

Veruca Salt and the Oompa Loompa

It may be difficult to get your hands on tickets to Wicked on Broadway, but tickets to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory starring Golda and Ruby are plentiful. You can't go wrong on price, either. You could take a hundred of your closest friends to Charlie for the same price as one ticket to Wicked. Even your youngest friends could go; it's only an hour long!

I saw the show tonight and it was wonderful. Ruby and Golda and the rest of the kids were fabulous, and so much fun to watch! The length of the show left us time to visit Baskin-Robbin after. Isn't that always the best part? I think I might have to see the show again tomorrow. I loved watching Golda act like a spoiled brat and Ruby doing the Oompa dance numbers. Plus, I'd like to try a couple more ice cream flavors.

Royalty

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A lot was going on in the bathroom yesterday. Golda was getting ready for Medieval Day by dressing as a queen. The 6th graders had to earn their Medieval status by doing chores at home. The kids who earned the most points got to be queens and were entitled to more privileges than serfs or knights, etc. Golda's competitive spirit had her weeding flower beds, fixing dinner and doing a service for a neighbor. I would like to personally commend the 6th grade teachers for this idea! Earning queen status was a LOT of work, most of which benefited me.

The other person in the bathroom was Princess Xanthe, hiding in the shower so she wouldn't have to go to the eye doctor. Although it was a great hiding place, I still found her because she was wailing and whining. We'll have to work on strategy. She did go to the eye doc and survived. After days of trying to get a contact lens in this baby's eye and failing, the doctor told me, "Well, I WAS asking the impossible." Well, he could have TOLD me that before I spent a week of my life torturing my kid. Next week Xanthe will be sporting glasses and an eye patch four hours a day. Cute!

You know it's the end of the school year when the kids have actual costume changes during the day. After Medieval morning, it was time for the 6th grade Shakespeare plays. Golda was Baptista in a scene from Taming of the Shrew. I have to say, the kids were pretty good! (Especially Golda, of course:)) I was impressed with their level of preparation. Again, I appreciate the 6th grade teachers. Introducing them to Shakespeare in such an interactive way is a great idea. Now they know the plot to four of his most widely known plays. It's good to start these things early, before it's too late. I used to read Shakespeare. Now I read Yahoo headlines on the way to my blog.

Little Cellist

Dear Araceli,

You played beautifully in your cello recital tonight! I was so proud of you for learning your piece so well and sounding beautiful. You looked at the pianist and listened and counted, and your tone was great, especially the last note! You got it! What an amazing girl you are. I'm so glad you're "one of the big kids" now. It's fun to have you stay up a little later and be so helpful with everything. Your baby brother is going to love having you as his nanny. I bet he loves the sound of the cello already. You'll have to play your Bach for him when he's born and see if he recognizes it!

Daddy and I are so lucky to have a daughter like you. We think you're beautiful and perfect, and we love how much love is in your heart. You're a good example for the little kids, and the big kids, too. It's a good thing you're the middle child, so you can be a friend to everyone. Heavenly Father sent you here to be a very important part of our family, to bring joy and love wherever you go. I think He is very proud of you, and I am too.

Love, Mom

Tradition...Tradition!

I can always count on Memorial Day weekend to be one of the most fun of the year. We took advantage of the pool opening, which, as I mentioned, is heaven for me. Friday, our first pool day, Xanthe walked into the pool, looked around and said, "I need a treat." I had to remind her of the rule: "No treats until the last day of summer." Last year, Freestone discovered that all he had to do to get a treat was go to the snack bar and say Bill and Coco's membership number and they'd give him whatever he wanted. It was like magic! Until Mom caught on.

Sunday after church, Scott and Golda went to Uncle Ken and Aunt Loretta's missionary homecoming. We're so glad to have them back from St. George! Araceli's day included a special date to the opera with Coco and Bill, while the rest of us visited the cemetery where Marlene's parents are buried. A few years ago, we started a tradition of spaghetti dinner at our house the night before Memorial Day, and once it's a tradition, it becomes even more fun. The kids get to talk about all the fun they're going to have the next day at Lagoon! Incidentally, the kids also worked a good couple of hours in Jakey's sweat shop, coloring pictures for his upcoming art show.

Lagoon Day we got up early to finish everyone's practicing before packing up and going to Lagoon. Scott wonders why the kids have to practice on a holiday. I tell him there's no way I'm passing up an opportunity to use Lagoon as an incentive!

Although Scott and I were both hobbling by the end of the day, we could not have had more fun. Between the enormous picnic at the Turquoise Terrace and the kids' excitement, it was a perfect day. Grandma and Grandpa wanted an old-time photograph of the grandkids to hang at the cabin. The girls at the photo place got all 19 kids dressed in pioneer/outlaw garb and managed to take a beautiful picture with everyone looking their cutest. Quite a feat! One more ride on Puff the kid coaster, Freestone's favorite ride, and we said good-bye.

After baths, I took Araceli, Golda and Ruby for an evening stroll around our local cemetery, regaling them with stories of my grandparents, ancestors and kids I went to high school with who left us too soon. It was a nice night. It's funny how a person's life can be distilled down to a few anecdotes to be passed on through the generations. It makes you want to live a good life, so that when stories of you are told later, a picture of integrity comes through. I feel that way about all our ancestors on all sides of the family, and I'm so grateful for my kids to be the product of such worthy men and women. Having their example to live up to is a blessing. Having their tradition of Lagoon Day is a blessing, too!