Halloween 2008

Carving pumpkins Minnie Mouse, Elephant, & Gypsy Seth's costume had the cutest padded bum. Hadley really wanted a picture of what her skirt looked like when she was dancing. She wouldn't wear her head scarf that night--without it some people weren't sure what she was supposed to be. Oh well... We had to wait a while for David to get home from work before I could take them trick or treating. It felt like every time I turned around Seth had opened up another sucker from my bowl and was chowing down.


I read one time that sugar highs in children are a myth. I decided that whoever wrote that never had children of their own, or never had the joy of sitting exhausted on the couch after a night of Halloween festivities watching your kids bounce off the walls. (Sorry it's sideways--no idea why and no idea how to fix it.)

Candyland ala Lillian

Lillian wanted to play Candyland with me the other day. I responded that we didn't know where the cards and playing pieces had ended up. She disappeared into her room for quite a while and I thought I was off the hook. Then she tells me she's ready to play and I see that she's colored and cut out a BUNCH of her own cards and has the dollhouse figures ready to play. So we did. I was quite impressed with her resourcefulness!

No Training Wheels!

Monster Trucks & President Monson

Seth has a real thing for monster trucks. I bought him a DVD about them that he loves and watched at least twice a day for a while. He takes them in the car, and almost always goes to bed with one in his hand. About two months ago, we were saying family prayer together while Seth rolled around the room, (or danced, or did whatever else he usually does while we pray). The person saying the prayer said they were thankful for President Monson. No doubt Seth heard something else because we suddenly heard his quiet voice start chanting, "monster trucks, monster trucks" over and over, getting louder and louder. We quickly finished the prayer before we all burst out laughing.

Then tonight it was his turn to say family prayer, so I was helping him. We were saying our list of things we were thankful for, "We're thankful for our family, we're thankful that we're all healthy, etc." Then he says, "and Monster truck...DDD" (DVD) and he continues on with what I had just prompted him to say. The girls couldn't hold the laughter in so we had to quickly end the prayer.

Shutup, I'm doin' it!

I have this problem. I feel guilty about everything. I should have known that when I started a blog, all it would do is add one more thing in my life I have to feel guilty about. Why do I do this to myself? I hope someday to delve deep enough into my psyche to figure out the event in my childhood that no doubt left me crippled. But until then...I will do my darndest to justify my actions (or lack thereof in this case).

So here's the thing people. Let me lay it out for you. This is a typical weekday for me. I get my daughter Hadley off to school by 7:40. Then it's getting Seth ready for the day (this includes making sure he has his favorite monster truck or car for that day--it changes every few days). Then I have to plead and beg for Lillian to crawl out of bed so I can then plead with her to get dressed (please do NOT wear those apple print pants with that brown and green striped shirt, honey). Then after I spend time explaining how Mommy can't be late for work and to please get downstairs so I can feed you breakfast (in the midst of all this I have to shower, blow-dry, make-up, etc.). She somehow manages to fit it all in just under the wire and we pile into the car. Then it's off to drop Seth at the babysitters and Lillian at her friend's house (they take her to school for me).

Then I get to spend 2 1/2 hours teaching music at a grade school. I won't go into detail here. Let's just say that, as with any teaching job, some days are heaven, some are hell.

Then I get home just in time to pick up Seth from the babysitters and head over to the school to pick Lillian up at noon. Then I come home and make them lunch. By the time I get Seth down for a nap, make and eat my own lunch, clean up lunch messes, it's usually after 1:00. And you can bet Lillian is needing some one-on-one time with me. She's not afraid to let me know. Then I have that little bit of time between playing a game with Lillian and that time of day where you say, "Crap, what am I doing for dinner tonight?" to get everything else done. And so on, and so on... I won't even describe what things are like when I'm rehearsing a show, or worse, in the run of a show. Yes, I COULD use my nights after the kids are in bed to get more done. If only my body would cooperate with me in this.

So how do I fit in all the rest? Don't know. Some days I don't. Sometimes I have energy to get it all done (pretty darn rare). Sometimes something's gotta give. Or lots of somethings. I try to not let that be my kids or my calling. I won't give up my shows because it is the one thing I do for myself. It feeds me--emotionally and creatively. For those of you who have never done it, you probably don't know what I'm talking about, but you'll just have to trust me. We all have our things we need that are just for us, and this one is it for me.


Now, I'm not trying to play the "I'm busier than you" game. Really I'm not. I'm just trying to let you all know why blogging happens just shy of never.

Anyway, here's a few pictures to pacify you all (all three of you who read my blog) until the next time, whenever that is!

The girls decided to do a lemonade stand this summer. They made about $8 (thanks for that handfull of change from your car, Brooke!)

Outdoor movie night at the Thill's. I'm already missing those warm summer nights.

Camping at Pineview Reservior with the Palmers.


It was not five minutes into our drive home that I turned around and saw this.

I'm Alive and Mostly Well...

...just incredibly busy. But things are good. Our show opens this week. Check it out at www.sleepyhollowshow.com.

Lillian has started Kindergarten and is doing very well and loving it. Hadley is loving the second grade, and Seth is NOT loving that he has to be babysat every morning while I go to my new job at Westmore Elementary (music teacher). Loves to make me feel guilty every morning I drop him off. But he only cries for about 30 seconds (so she tells me.)

I do like my new job, but it definitely has it's challenges. There isn't any teaching job that doesn't. But it's the first time I've ever taught the arts to kids who are there simply because they have to be, not because they want to be. It's been a challenge for me.

Anyway, with a part-time teaching job, directing a production, workshopping a new production, taking care of three kids, and being in the RS Presidency, I find that blogging ends up very low on my list!

Fun!

I saw this on my sister and sister-in-law's blogs so I thought I'd do it to!

Here are the directions:

1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you. If you don't want to play on your blog, or if you don't have a blog, I'll leave my memory of you in my comments. Or if you don't feel like commenting you can email me if you have my email address.

Are they just too cute, or am I just biased?

Diana Gabaldon & Cell Phones

I took the girls to the park a couple Saturdays ago and while I read one of my favorite authors, they pretended to have conversations with hip and cool friends on my cell phone while taking pictures of each other. When Hadley asked me to bring the camera to the park, I had no idea this is what she had in mind. These are just a sampling.

Family Night on the Farm

We went to Thanksgiving Point last Monday night and had a good time. It was cowboy/cowgirl night so the kids got to practice shooting guns (water guns) and ropin' steers (haybales w/ cows heads).




"I'm not nervous riding this pony...honest."







I dare you to click on that photo and check out the uvula on that girl. The kid was born with her Dad's huge mouth.

Yeehaw!

p.s. Thanks Val!

Hummingbird Moth

Last night I went out to turn on the sprinklers and there was this thing floating around one of my plants that has little tiny white flowers. I thought I was looking at a tiny hummingbird. It moved just like a hummingbird, wizzing from flower to flower and hovering at each while it drank. I told David to come out and look. I asked if he thought it was a hummingbird. He said, "It looks like it, but look at those antennae." I went and quickly looked it up on the internet and sure enough, it was a moth--a hummingbird moth. The thing that was so amazing about it, was you could get right up to it and it never even flinched. Just acted as if you weren't there and went about its business. These pictures I took make it look more like a moth than it did in real life. It was really cool. I was impressed that my camera got such clear pictures of the wings, as they were moving so fast they were almost invisible to the naked eye.

Preschool Graduation

Lillian graduated from preschool on Friday. She asked if she could take her umbrella with her as it had been raining off and on. I dropped her at the classroom and then took my seat with the parents, thinking she'd just put it with the coats and backpacks, but as you can see, she didn't...

Great Book!

This is a great book! I just finished it. I highly recommend it if you want to make sure your kids are learning how to think, a process which isn't taught very well in our current school system. Using classics to teach is the main reason Stories in Concert exists. We are excited to be a part of this endeavor and enthusiastic about the future of our company.

SOMEBODY please teach those Knight girls how to smile!

Pockets--gotta love 'em

While we were on our vacation, Seth discovered that most of his pants have pockets, which he thought was pretty cool. He had one accident going up some stairs when he couldn't get his hand out fast enough to catch himself, but other than that little blunder, he was looking pretty suave...

The Firths

Our awesome and dear friends, David and Mary Firth and their kids, visited us at the end of March. We met them while living in Los Angeles before either of us had any kids and they became like family to us. When we left Los Angeles Hadley was 17 months and Danika was almost two. Danika and Hadley are only four months apart, and Jason and Lillian are only three months apart. So it was fun to get the kids together. Lillian got quite attached to Jason for the short time they were here. We miss them so much and don't get to see them often enough. But we've scheduled a trip in August to visit them in Montana where they live. Can't wait!





P.S. David and Mary adopted both of their children. Mary produced and directed a documentary called "The Giving" that I highly recommend if you know of anyone who is pregnant and wondering if they should give their baby up for adoption. Check it out at www.thegiving.info

Hadley's Birthday

For Hadley's 7th birthday, her cousins Brody and Aiden came over for a late night. We started with a a dinner of chicken nuggets and chocolate milk, at Hadley's request.



Then Hadley opened her presents. Her last present was a mysterious envelope that started her on a scavenger hunt through our front and back yards...







Which ended at our shed



where she found...



A NEW BIKE!!!



Then we got out pillows and blankets, popped some popcorn and watched "Enchanted." Good times.