prima ballerina

Ella has been so into ballet this last year; all she sings is the music from The Nutcracker, Swan Lake, and any other classical music she hears. When she does her "ballet" that means she holds onto something (a couch, your finger etc.) and puts her leg out in an arabesque. So when I was driving her to her first day of dance she was quite put out that I wasn't going to be in the class with her so she could do "ballet". She finally decided it would be o.k. because her teacher would hold her finger. When I explained there were lots of other girls in her class and the teacher wouldn't be able to do that she looked perplexed and said, "then we need to go back because we forgot to bring our couch."

beat the heat retreat

Looking at these pictures, they portray a peaceful serenity that you can only find in nature. Who would guess that the following picture is the antithesis of that serenity.

Allison & Auburn proved to have a loathing toward camping and the great outdoors. They screamed every time they were put down...leaving me with fried nerves and tired arms. I was trying so hard to have a good attitude and put on a good face, but I was miserable! It wouldn't be so bad if we were alone.. I was just extra sensitive with all the other families camping around us. So I spent the entire night juggling the babies trying to keep them quiet..an almost impossible task. It didn't help that it was a lot colder than I had anticipated and in packing for all the kids, completely forgot to pack for myself. So shivering, I finally loaded the twins in the car and put a movie on for them till the rest of the camp woke up. I LOVE camping.. but I'm pretty emotionally scarred after this experience.

Now to look on the bright side... Dallin and Ella were fabulous and all the other kids really took them under their wings. They loved finding rocks to add to the ever growing collection and digging in any sand pile they could find. They were filthy and blissfully happy!

I'm still not emotionally ready to write this post. The fact that we strung Whitney's (& Bryan, Christopher, Bono, & Fritz) departure out for days and days did not help matters either. Whitney and Bryan are heading to Lubbock, Texas where Bryan will be starting law school. Although we are trying to act supportive.. we're not. We're selfish and want them here. But.. Que va hacer?

We started the marathon farewell Sunday with a Texas style dinner at our house. The kids even made a bunch of Texas flags to hang around the kitchen.

It was fun having everyone together... and I just love watching other people (Neil) try to do the twin thing. It makes me realize I have learned a few pearls of wisdom along the way.. like don't ever think you are going to sit down and enjoy your own glass of water with twins on your lap!

Monday consisted of Nertz. This has always been our family game. It's great when we play it at reunions or somewhere with others, because our family always dominates! But when it's just our family (the in-laws don't even bother trying to play anymore) it's pretty cut throat. We're not going for personal bests or anything like that, although we would recommend that for poor Dad who can't seem to keep his score in the positive. We are all just going after Karen. Now to properly give Mom her credit, she is the all time champion.. but somewhere in those lonely junior high years, Karen caught up. She would probably even be that good if she didn't cheat... but we'll never know now, will we?

Then Tuesday we went to Grandma's house before Whit left for the airport. We were just delaying the inevitable. Then it happened. We said goodbye.

I know this will be tough for Bit... first baby, Bryan's law school hours, and I know how much she loves to meet new people! :) But she's amazing...and always surprises me at how grown up she really is.

I think the real person I'm sad for is me. Yes, throw the confetti, I'm having a pitty party. Everytime I think of somewhere new I want to go or something I want to try I want Whit there with me. She's the one I consult before making any kind of fashion or design (not decorate) decision. And no one appreciates a great recipe like Whit. (although she is a food snob!) She is just a great little sis... Ok.. that was theraputic. I've gotta go now... gotta call Whit!

she has a wrinkly twinkly smile

I have the best grandparents in the world. I do. My childhood memories of my Grandma Ella & Grandpa Bill are like fairy tale dreams. They lived in a palace with more rooms than I could count, winding staircases and hidden suites. They had a different room for each meal we ate. Waffles were served with at least three different types of syrups, fresh fruits and whipped cream. The grounds were like the Secret Garden, with walls covered thick with foliage and blooming flowers (all kept beautiful by Victor, the gardner, who always brought us Sees caramel suckers). Looking up from the tree swing you could barely see the branch you were gliding from. It was a fairy tale. Someday I'll write pages about it.

We were spoiled. Grandpa would take us on Donut Brigades and Grandma created an event out of anything we did. It truly was "always fun for everyone, when Grandma came". And actually, the reason I give the backstory, is to explain why my kids will be able to say they have the best grandparents in the world. My mom learned from the best.

On the first day of school Grandma Deney had an ice cream party to cool off her grandchildren's hard working brains. The kids loved to pick out colored cones and funky sprinkles. I'm sure their brains were sufficiently cooled!

An ordinary day...turned extraordinary.

Like only a Grandma can do.

k for kindergarten

I can't believe I have a kindergartner! Dallin was excited to be a Franklin Firebird and didn't seem the least bit nervous. I, on the other hand, was a nervous wreck. Would he eat his lunch? Would he remember where his classroom was? What would happen when he had to go to the bathroom for the third time in ten minutes? We even had a practice timed lunch beforehand to make sure he could open everything and eat in the time allowed....it would be a miracle.

The first week was an adjustment. All-day school was a bit long for a little guy who still took naps! The first couple days I picked him up he was on one. He was irrational in his irritations.. "Why did you park in this parking spot." "Ella is looking at me!" "Why are the babies in those seats?" all said in the most ornery tone. By Friday I was convinced I was going to have to pull Dallin out of kindergarten and he would just have to start school when he was 8 or something. But as time has passed he has adapted and is doing great. His penmanship is awesome and it is fun seeing him learn all those phonograms just like I remember doing. OUGH: "o..oo..uf..off..aw..ow"..that's always been my favorite!