Playing in the Band

I've told you before that band is just something we do in our family. It's an inexpensive way for the kids to learn music and feel like they are part of something amazing.

Tonight was the band concert for Princess and Prima Donna. They both play in the Symphonic band in our school which is the highest level of band. I love that they can do this together!

Their teacher requires 20 minutes of practice every night and they sit down together and play hymns and primary music for me in harmony. It's awesome! They even get to sit together when they perform. Princess is in the pony tail and green shirt. Prima Donna is on her left.

Princess will be going to high school next year and Prima Donna is already feeling the loss. The two are best friends as well as sisters. Maybe that is why they play such beautiful music together...

Happy Easter!

 I have been out of town for a couple of days and my awesome daughters have taken up the slack and put up a couple of fun posts for you. Teach told you all about her favorite reads and the Drama Queen wrote some hilarious predictions for all of us ten years down the line.

I wrote about so many Easter memories last year that my brain couldn't seem to extract any more. Hop back to last year and read this one about when I was a kid, or about our awesome Bunny Rolls recipe. (Teach made some tonight and we put fresh-squeezed orange juice in the frosting. So yummy!) Or maybe you want to read about when my older kids were little. Or you can watch my favorite Easter video.

We had our annual family Easter Egg Hunt on Wednesday, so I will leave you with some pics to brighten your Easter morn. Stop back tomorrow for a rundown of our weekend getaway to Dinosaurland. It was awesome!

The Anticipation!

Gather round!

It was "Wicked"ly Fun

Yesterday I told you about one of the cheapest family outings we have ever been on. Today I'm going to tell you about the most expensive one. In 2007 my sweetie was working an awesome job with good pay when he was asked to help a little start-up company with some hardware design stuff. This is not uncommon for us. We have had our own consulting business since 1994 and whenever he is approached, we set up a contract. The thing that was different about this one was the scope of the project and the fact that it appeared to have no ending date.

The money was awesome! So we started saving up for a real family vacation. Originally we had planned a trip to Wyoming with my sister to go whitewater rafting and to the Tetons. But then her MIL passed away and they cancelled on us. Two weeks before we were to leave, we decided that since we didn't know that area well enough to go alone, we would take the kids on a vacation they thought would never happen.

For years we had sworn off Disneyland as being too expensive and it pretty much is for a family of our size. But with the help of those CityPasses, we found something that worked within our budget. It just so happened that my BFF had recently returned from New York and couldn't stop talking about a Broadway show she had seen there. She recommended we try to find tickets in Los Angeles. I knew her tickets cost her nearly $200 each and that was not a possibility, but I had heard that we could see it cheaper on the west coast, so I hopped online.

I was so excited to see that Wicked was playing at the Pantages and even more excited to see that floor seats were $95. Now trust me on this one, I have never paid $95 for any show in my life, but after her gushing report and one from the Drama Queen who had also seen the show and brought the music back home for the kids to enjoy...yes, they pretty much knew the entire score by heart...I bought the tickets.

Poor Baby Scout...Missed being Wicked

Sweetie is a great sport!

The only problem was that at nearly 2, Scout was too little to see the show. That meant someone would have to stay behind at the hotel and watch her. My sweetie graciously volunteered except that meant we needed a way to get to Los Angeles. I certainly couldn't drive our big van and all the kids into downtown LA. We looked into renting a cab, but we would have had to take two of them because we couldn't all fit in one. Then someone suggested that occasionally you can get a limo cheaper than a cab for a trip that far and certainly cheaper than two cabs.

I started calling around. I finally convinced the All Star Limo Service that they could make the round trip from Anaheim to LA for $300. My sweetie and I decided not to tell the kids about any of this, so as they were packing, we told them to put in some nice clothes in case we decided to go out to a fancy restaurant.

Flash forward to the trip...we all got dressed up and headed to the lobby of the hotel. While we were supposedly waiting for my sweetie to come down, the kids saw this long black limo in the parking lot. They thought it was awesome and they wanted a closer look. Of course I played along and we stepped outside. The driver got out and opened the door for us. The kids were confused and totally started to head back into the hotel. That's when I told them that the limo was waiting for us.

They were so excited! And even more so when they found out where we were going. We absolutely loved the show, all of us. And even though the evening was Wicked'ly expensive (and will never happen again in this lifetime) it created memories that will last forever.

Saying No

Some people think I'm a Super-Over-Achiever, some say a masochist, but really it boils down to one simple thing...I have never been any good at getting out the word, "NO!"

I had really been looking forward to getting things a little caught up this weekend. We had the three days and Saturday was without Sleeping Beauty rehearsals or basketball games...or so I thought. It turned out that our Jr. Jazz games were cancelled the previous week for the team I'm coaching. Suddenly we had a Friday night practice and a Saturday morning game with a swim party afterward (arranged by my amazing assistant coach who happens to have a beautiful indoor pool AT HER HOUSE!)

My Calender

So I'm thinking, OK, I still have the rest of Saturday and Monday to get my act together. About Thursday my sweetie suggested that he wanted to visit his mom on Monday and that he needed to help her with some home repairs and the kids wanted to go sledding. So suddenly my Monday was gone. My big projects for the week included getting my stuff together for my tax appointment, helping the Dog Walker finish 4 scholarship applications he's been working on. Make the King costume for the ballet, and make a cake/birthday party for Burrito because all the family was coming over on Sunday.

Suddenly I only had Saturday from about 2:00 until I dropped into bed. That's when the Dog Walker announced that his Young Men's group was going camping from Friday right after school until they got home Saturday evening. Could I please help him get ready?! Oh, and he had to speak in Sacrament meeting at church on Sunday (in front of about 300 people). Could I please help him write his talk? It's on integrity...

To make a long story short, I survived the weekend. I dragged my box of paperwork with me to see my MIL and sorted receipts while visiting. I helped write the talk while my family watched a movie without me and instead of a long overdue nap, I worked on scholarships Sunday after church. After the family all left from the birthday party, I plopped myself down in front of the sewing machine and got the King costume about half made.

Picture Credit:

We got home on Monday about 7:30 and I was feeling like it might work out. My week looked like this. I had half a king costume to finish that I had promised to deliver on Wednesday. I had basketball on Tuesday and Thursday nights, parent/teacher conferences on Wednesday and Thursday after school. Scouts at my house on Friday. Numerous trips to the dance studio, Bossy's having a Park Lane jewelry party at my house Wednesday, my tax appointment is Saturday along with a Tupperware party and early morning pickup of 3200+ boxes of Girl Scout cookies that all need to be delivered.

Drama Queen did Scout's hair to read "Day 100"

Are you tired yet? Sport has Scouts on Wednesday, Crafty has Activity Days and I still have to take my turn with both car pools. Oh, and I promised to help with Hundreds Day on Tuesday in Scout's class. Friday and Saturday have Sleeping Beauty rehearsals that take most of the day and I have a Tupperware party to close and get the order in by midnight on Friday...and it's a pretty big one with lots of replacements that will take me at least an hour to do. And don't forget I still have three scholarship applications with March 1 deadlines. The Blue and Gold Banquet is next Tuesday and since my sweetie is in charge, I'm arranging all the food and entertainment for about 100 people. Our basketball tournament starts next week too, so there is a meeting and schedules to review and buildings to reserve. And we don't even want to talk about laundry or dishes or meals or homework. And of course my awesome blog!

The dress fabric

So Monday night, I'm feeling completely overwhelmed facing this huge and hard week. I get a call from my cute little niece, Araineia. The conversation went like this, "Hi, Aunt Sandy, this is Araineia." I hadn't heard from her in months so I was excited to chat for a minute. Then she asked, "Do you think you could make me a dress for my girls' pref dance?" My heart started to pound. "When do you need it?" She paused for a minute. "The dance is on Saturday," she finally said.


I tried, honestly I did. I started telling her about my crazy schedule, but she was so sweet and understanding that I just couldn't disappoint her. She showed up yesterday and we went to the store for fabric and a pattern.


As Teach always says, "Sleep is over-rated anyway..."

Exhausted!

The Final Wrapup 2011

Joining with some of my blogging friends to wrap up the last three months of 2011...hard to believe it's almost over. So much has happened this year! For the first three months, click here. Second three months, click here, third three months, click here. Last three months, don't click, you are already here!

My Silly Sweetie

We had an amazing October! We shared several stories about Halloweens past including a vintage Cheetah costume worn by all of our kids down to Scout that was originally made for my sweetie. I told you about my first real job and my first speeding ticket. And don't forget the amazing light show put on by the Dog Walker. We also attended my sweetie's 30th high school reunion! The drive down was a little crazy... The Dog Walker was featured in a huge article in the Deseret News' Mormon Times section. But my favorite post was the one about my grateful little Curly and his sweet prayer .

Baby Doll surrounded by Halloween candy.

November was filled with home repairs and an impromptu kitchen remodel after Princess cracked my ceramic cooktop.

New Countertops, yay!

Remember that my sweetie thought that meant we needed new countertops too? We had a bunch of birthdays, Bossy turned 27, Dog Walker turned 18, Scout turned 6, and Taco turned 7. And our Thanksgiving was an amazing time filled with family and fun. Bossy's birth story stretched into three days and the Dog Walker did a guest blog on his Disneyland trip with the Marching Band. Sport's football team won the state championship! But my favorite post was about my silly Dog Walker and a trip to the swimming pool...you just have to read this one.

Fall, leaves, fall!

December was busy and crazy and full of family activities and fun. The girls did an amazing job in the Dance Recital. Scout had her very first visit from the tooth fairy. We shared tons of Christmas memories and traditions.

The Dog Walker put up another awesome light display and our extended family love the annual Christmas party. Christmas Eve meant Christmas jammies, and Christmas day was filled with happiness and love. My favorite post had little to do with Christmas, in fact it was a camping story that couldn't be told until Christmas was over.

This wrap up has been so fun! I love looking back over the stories from the past year. It makes me remember why I started this blog in the first place, to record the crazy happy fleeting moments. It makes me sad that I didn't start years ago. Thanks for sticking with us in 2011. Excited for 2012...Happy New Year!

Birth Story: Prima Donna

 It was late June 1998, and I was immensely pregnant with our seventh child. The days were long and hot and I was more than ready to be delivered. Since my two “big” babies, the doctor had decided that inducing about ten days early was perfect for me. The baby was due about the fourth of July, but our ultrasound had not revealed for certain the gender since the babe was sitting with legs tightly crossed. So we scheduled the induction for June 27.

As usual, I could barely sleep the night before. The doctor had promised us that the nursing staff would call between 5:00 and 6:00 AM and tell us what time to be at the hospital, but we had better be ready to leave immediately if that is what they wanted. When the call finally came through, they told us to sit tight, that they were busier than expected and to wait for another call. We went back to bed and tried to sleep again, but it was nearly impossible.

Prima Donna!

The second call came in just after noon and they told us to come down. Finally! We gathered our things and headed to the hospital. It was so nice to have kids old enough to mostly take care of things at home. It took us about 30 minutes to make the drive downtown, but by the time we got there, beds had filled up again and they turned us away at the front desk. I was so disappointed that I was in tears. The frazzled nurse kindly suggested that we go somewhere and get a good lunch and then come back. My sweetie steered me toward the elevator and we headed back to the street. It’s a good thing he had it all together, because I was falling apart.

Normally we would be pinching pennies, especially with the pending birth and associated expenses, but I think my sweetie knew that this day needed to be special. He took me to a restaurant called Windows on the Square (I think, it doesn’t exist anymore and I didn’t write the name in the baby book). It was high above Temple Square and the view was amazing! So was the food, but it should have been for the price. We took our time and talked and lingered until the appointed hour and then we headed back to the hospital.

Prima Donna and Princess

It was nearing 5:00 when we again approached the front desk. This time they were ready for us! We checked in and got the induction started. I felt my first pains around 7:00 PM. As the evening dragged on, I wasn’t progressing much and they kept turning the Pitocin higher and higher. My sweetie sacked out on the sofa and I was having trouble keeping my own eyes open. The nurse kept coming in and making me turn this way and that, trying to get the baby and me into more active labor.

About 4:30 AM, we decided my sleeping wasn’t helping the baby any, so I sat up on the bed as best I could and tried to stay alert. That’s all it took. Within about 15 minutes the baby had crowned and was on her way out. She was born just after 5:00 AM. We got to keep her with us extra long because the nurses were changing shifts. She was so beautiful with long straight black hair and dark blue eyes. Right from the beginning she was playful and happy. She was and is a bright spot of sunshine on a warm summer morning. And I was so grateful to finally get a chance to sleep!

Christmas Day

 Just completing an amazing day! I’m tired and I’m stuffed and so are my garbage cans…good thing tomorrow is trash day. I heard the kids shuffling around in the hallway just before six this morning. They are a certainly smart about who they send in. It’s always the cutest, littlest one with the biggest eyes.

We dragged ourselves out of bed and met them at the door. Since I was carrying Baby Doll, that meant I got to go down the stairs first. We have always done age order starting with the youngest. Teach wasn’t very excited about taking pictures, but I convinced her we needed to share with all of you, so she spent the morning snapping pics here and there.

We always start with the stockings and as usual, Santa didn’t disappoint us. We found oranges, chocolate, movies and small toys. The pile of gifts under the tree and piled around was massive although not as big as some years. I volunteered to spread the cheer (and the presents!), so I started handing things around.

The little kids got tons of packages! Curly was so excited every time he opened something. It didn’t matter what it was; it was the best thing ever.  He has always been such a grateful boy. His big gifts were a scooter and a remote-controlled Cars2 set. 

Scout got a big-girl scooter and Barbies. Sport got thousands of Legos and a Cars2 set. Crafty and Prima Donna both got digital cameras and Ipod shuffles.

Princess and the Dog Walker waited for ages watching the little kids open the colorfully wrapped packages until I finally handed them two that had been stashed on the piano, away from little feet that might step on them. Princess opened hers first and she was excited beyond belief to find the thing she hadn’t even dared to hope for, an Ipod Touch. The Dog Walker opened one too, although I’m not sure he even knows what it really can do.

The Gym Rat, Drama Queen, and Teach opened a variety of Tupperware products including a fry pan and some amazing knives. They were so excited! Something I gave them instead of something I was trying to convince them to buy…

I surprised my sweetie with a new camera and he surprised me with some lights for the living room (I’ve been complaining for years how dark it is) and the promised labor to replace them over the holidays.

We opened about half the gifts and then I took Baby Doll for a nap while my sweetie started cooking dinner for the 26 people we were expecting (although that’s not really that many more than the 18 we normally have). At 1:00 we headed off for church. I loved the chance to sing the Christmas carols and remember why we celebrate Christmas!

After church we grabbed a quick lunch and finished opening that stack of gifts. Then we spent the rest of the afternoon cleaning while my sweetie and half the crew cooked rolls, turkey, prime rib, and mashed potatoes and gravy.

Bossy and her family showed up at 6:00. We sat everyone down around 6:30. The food was amazing! We were entertaining my youngest sister and her family as well as Grandpa and my brother and his family visiting from New Zealand. Then there was another round of gift-exchanging as the kids took care of Grandpa and he took care of them.

Finally, it was just us, so we shared our gifts with Bossy’s family and she shared hers with us. Somewhere during that time Scout fell off a folding table and she is carefully nursing a sore arm…I’m guessing we will be in for a trip to the doctor’s office in the morning. I’ll let you know.

Teach put together chocolate fondue with lots of fruit and marshmallows and the kids pulled out some games. I love having them all together, getting along and just loving each other. That’s what family is all about…Hope your Christmas was as sweet as mine. Maybe now I can  finally get some sleep!

A Bunch of Turkeys

Sweetie

Gym Rat

Another turkey...who is missing?

Dog Walker

Princess! Turkeys don't have lips!

Taco

Crafty

Scout

Prima Donna

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays and not just because I love to eat. Although I have to say that I can make an AMAZING pecan pie. About ten years ago, I decided I wanted to learn to make a pie. I don’t ever remember my mom making pies, and on rare occasion Grandma might throw one together, but homemade pies were not part of our tradition. I did a little research and a lot of experimenting, and I finally stumbled upon a recipe that we all really like from America’s Test Kitchens. Now I make pies every year (well, except the year that Scout was born). I just finished up the pies for this feast…six pumpkin, three pecan, and one cherry.

My family is all about traditions. We started a rather silly one about 5 years ago. I’ve told you before that we love the Reflections contest sponsored by the PTA. So one year when Teach was still in high school, she decided she wanted to create a Theater entry around a Charlie Brown Thanksgiving. The Dog Walker has a tendency to memorize movies and the part of Peppermint Patty denouncing Charlie Brown in one of his favorite speeches.

So the entire family was in on the joke except the Dog Walker. We sent him upstairs to the shower and then we put out “dinner” consisting of popcorn, toast, chocolate pudding, pretzels, and jellybeans. You can imagine his reaction when he returned. With the camera running, the Dog Walker didn’t disappoint us although we were surprised to find out that he really was disappointed about dinner and until we assured him that the real dinner would be served shortly, he was pretty upset.

This has become a fun tradition for us! Now we choose someone each year to play the part of Peppermint Patty. This meal happens at noon and that keeps everyone satisfied until the actual dinner is served. We have added lunch meat just to make it a little filling, but the kids love the chocolate pudding in long-stemmed glasses and gorging themselves with jellybeans. These fun turkey pics were taken a couple of years ago. Bossy and Teach usually provide the kids with some fun activities while they are waiting for the food. See all these things I have to be grateful for? Even if they are a bunch of turkeys…

Burrito

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Me holding my little Curly (before he was curly)

Bean Dip

Teach

Sport

Drama Queen