Forgetting

Just before David left the house for his last first-day-of-school (seniors rule-woohoo!), he asked me if I was going to take a first-day-of-school picture. I had sort of forgotten about it in the morning preparations (Mom, do you have a notebook I could take to school? Oh, yeah, I guess I need a pencil, too.) but I was only too happy to be reminded. Sometimes this sixth child of mine gets the short end of the stick when it comes to mothering. I tend to forget to do the little rituals that were so prevalent with my earlier children. So here he is in his last first-day-of-school photo (I WON'T be following him to college.)After he left, I reflected that for the last 28 years I had had children leaving the house excitedly anticipating their first day of school and this was going to be my last. It was kind of a sad thought... and then the phone rang. It was David. It was obvious that he had arrived at school, I could hear screeching and yelling as a whole campus of high school kids converged. The sound over the phone was deafening. "Mom, I forgot my schedule! It's on my bedroom floor. Could you get it and read off my subjects and classroom numbers?" Ummm.... yeah. How old are you? I attribute my forgetfulness to age, but perhaps he's inherited it. So I jumped on my bike and met up with 5 other ladies and rode 48 miles. To forget my irritation.

Orlando - Part 2

The last two days in Orlando were spent at Sea World and the Magic Kingdom. Although Emaline's birthday was the day we would be at Magic Kingdom, Allison had ordered a cake a few days ahead so that we could celebrate Emaline's and Mark's birthday (earlier in the month) while Nancy and Jeff were still in Orlando with us.

I'm sure Mark loved having Cinderella on his birthday cake!

Sea World is one of my favorite theme parks. I absolutely love watching the dolphins and killer whales do their tricks. Besides those two shows, we also saw a sea lion show and The Amazing Pet Show which was, well, amazing. I didn't know you could train cats to do tricks. I mean, I know they are smart enough, but I thought they were too stuck up to do anything on command. In the pet show there were dogs, cats, mice, birds, and a pig. I'm sure I left something out. Along with the shows there were aquariums with sharks, walrus', polar bears, penguins, manta rays, and assorted fish and an octopus. And some roller coasters. I don't know how I got talked into going on Kracken, but as they strapped me in, I was like, "this is going to go upside down, isn't it?" and Laura responded, "uh, yeah.....7 times." It was then I felt like swearing. Kracken's top speed is 65 mph with an almost vertical drop of 144 ft. I had my eyes closed most of the time trying to make the 2 minutes and 7 inversions go as fast as possible without becoming completely nauseated. Every time I tried to open my eyes, all I could see was the track ahead twisting onto its side and that was scarier than just keeping my eyes closed. After it was over the kids kept marvelling on how smooth the ride was, the smoothest roller coaster they had been on. I don't remember whether it was smooth or not. I opted out of the other roller coaster, Manta. Around 5:00 pm we were deciding that it was almost time to leave the park, but maybe those that wanted to ride the roller coasters one more time should do that. It was announced that the rides were shutting down because of lightning. Just then the heavens opened up and the rain began. I have never seen it rain so hard and it did so for 35-40 minutes. We huddled under and roof and watched as people scurried by completely drenched. I always thought those movies where people were in a rainstorm for 2 minutes and were soaked through were such an exaggeration, but now I know different. The water on the walkways were soon 2-3 inches deep. Lightning flashed and thunder cracked so loudly and so quickly that we knew it was really close. Finally after about 40 minutes we ran for the car, but didn't get too wet because by that time the rain was just normal rain. It was kind of nice not to be so hot and sweaty!

The Magic Kingdom was magical indeed.

Becca, David, and Laura

Emaline got to wear a button that said it was her birthday and all the workers wished her happy birthday as we passed by or got on and off rides. Mark had arranged lunch at Cinderella's Table in the castle. This was a huge smash, even for Donovan. I mean, we knew the girls would love it, but who knew Donovan would be so smitten? When we walked in, there was a chance for pictures with Cinderella. The look on Donovan's face when she knelt down and hugged him and then kissed his cheek was priceless.

Emaline, Cinderella, Donovan, Ainsleigh

We were ushered upstairs to the dining area, where one by one, Aurora, Belle, Snow White, and Jasmine came by our table to greet everyone. No one was too old to get a picture with a princess! Laura's favorite princess was always Aurora. She used to make me call her Aurora.

Beauty and the Beast?

The food was really very good, and everyone got wands or swords, too! Becca requested a sword instead of a wand. Hmmm......We did all of the usual rides, but were disappointed that Space Mountain was closed for repairs. Around 4:30 pm we returned to the resort so the kids (and adults!) could take a nap and returned for the evening. It was so much cooler! We saw the light parade and the fireworks, did a few more rides and bought souvenirs. We were really glad to get to bed around midnight. Our family reunion was a smashing success and we were all sad to part company for our 5 different states. All of the kids were so good to be dragged all over but I have to say that Gemma was a champ for being so young. She fell asleep wherever and was cheerful as can be.

Orlando - Part 1

Our entire family plus Mark's sister, Nancy, came from New York, North Carolina, Colorado, and California to spend a week in Orlando. Mark and I are celebrating our 35th wedding anniversary and what better way to celebrate than to join with the people we love most for some good times. Orlando in August was not our first choice, and it is very hot and humid, but the fun we are having together far outweighs the discomfort. In planning for this week, I had to put some reins on Mark and remind him that we couldn't hit a theme park EVERY day, we had small children to consider (one 7 year old, two 4 year olds, one 15 month old) and besides that, the cost would be prohibitive. He was able to get some discounts by searching online. We arrived Saturday evening, sent out for pizza, and then Allison pulled out the envelope. THE envelope. Earlier in the week she had had an ultrasound and closed her eyes when it came to the part of discovering the sex of the baby, then had the technician put the results in a sealed envelope so that we could all have the joy and excitement of hearing what the newest addition to our family would be (due date: January 5.) They had Emaline open the envelope and had coached her that B would mean boy and G would mean girl. They helped her to find the word.... "girl" and we all cheered. Except Emaline. She burst into tears and wailed that she wanted a boy baby! (Note: she has since got over it and cheerfully tells everyone she is having a sister.) Anyway, we all thought her reaction was hilarious and we are thrilled to have another girl in the family.We traded our timeshare weeks in Kauai for three 3-bedroom units at the Marriott Grande Vista. We are just one mile from Sea World and about a 20 minute drive from Disney. Here is a picture of the outside of the Grande Vista with one of our lovely red mini-vans out in front. Here are pictures of the living room/dining room/kitchen area. We also have a screened in balcony that would be a wonderful place to sit and take in the view of the lake, but it is way to hot and humid. The weather has been in the low 90s with the humidity about 90%. Here is a picture of the master bedroom.We went to Animal Kingdom the first day here and we couldn't believe how sweaty we got. My hair was frizzing up almost immediately. The rest of the week I had to just not care how I looked! I think my favorite part of Animal Kingdom is the safari. I love the giraffes as they walk along so gracefully, practically close enough that you could reach out and touch them from the truck/bus thing they have you riding in. The grandkids loved all of the animals. They did not love so much the scary dinosaur ride we went on. Emaline had her head ducked down almost in my lap the whole time. She usually seems like such a bold, unafraid little girl, but this ride was too much for her! Here we are with our 3-D Bug's Life glasses.In the evening we went to dinner at Medieval Times and the kids really loved it. At one point during the program, Ainsleigh, who is usually very mild mannered, was shouting along with the rest of us for our green knight, and Sarah realized that Ainsleigh was shouting, "Kill him! Kill him!" David showing off his knight prowess: Here is Ainsleigh with the MC:The next day while Mark, Jeff, Laura, Rebecca, David, and Dave Whitley went to Islands of Adventures/Universal Studios to see how many times they could be upside down on the big roller coasters. (25) Allison, Emaline, and Nancy hung out at the pools here at the resort. The Hills and I drove about 45 minutes east to Cocoa Beach. I took a few pictures of Donovan and Ainsleigh playing in the water. This man wandered into my picture of Donovan. He was pretty representative of about 50% of the people at the beach. It made me feel much better about myself in a swimsuit!The following day, Mark, Nancy and I went to Epcot while the rest of the kids went to Blizzard Beach and went on the water slides, after an early morning round of golf by the menfolk. Nancy and Jeff flew home the next day and we hung out here at the resort at the pools and went to a nearby outlet mall. Surprisingly, Mark was quite enamored with the mall and made some purchases. One of them was a $120 tie from Barney's of New York for which he paid $30.

Pink or purple?

If you ask a little girl between the ages of 2 and 12 what her favorite color is, I can almost guarantee she will answer either pink or purple. That same little girl will probably swing back and forth between pink and purple depending on the week (or day, or hour). So when I had the opportunity to make a quilt for my granddaughter's big girl bed, I knew what the color scheme had to be. And the theme? All things princess, of course! Here is the result. I made the quilt top and then took it to a woman who has a long arm quilter did such a wonderful job of quilting it. Finish it off with rhinestones and I'm betting Emaline will love it.

Happy Birthday to a fabulous husband

This guy swims through shark infested waters to bring me lemonade. When I married him, I didn't realize how thoughtful, sentimental, and romantic he is. He always remembers anniversaries of things like our first date, when we got engaged, and of course, when we got married! An example is when our oldest daughter was getting married. We had been out for a morning walk/run and after returning home hot and sweaty, we took stock of what yard work needed to been done for the upcoming wedding reception. He asked me if I knew what today was. Uh... (think fast, Wanda, what is the date?) "Oh yeah," I responded, "it's the day you proposed to me twenty five years ago!" Big hug! And as he held me in his arms he whispered, "Would you do it again?" Out of nowhere he produced a new, huge diamond ring. Later for another gift he had my old diamond set into a necklace as a surprise. He bought me red high heels for Christmas that I get compliments on every time I wear them. He actually likes to shop! But it's not the gifts that are the most important thing about Mark. It is the thought he puts into making sure you feel special. He thanks me for making dinner. (uh, isn't that my job?) He never makes me feel guilty about having fun while he is working. He brags about me and my accomplishments to other people. We have a lot of fun together and there is nobody I'd rather spend time talking and not talking* with. He's goofy, hilarious, smart, and he is the love of my life. My Mr. Darcy. *See "Best in Show"

Happy Birthday, Cheryl!

August 5th is an awesome day. Not only is it my husband's birthday, but it is also the birthday of one of my sisters. Cheryl is on the left

Cheryl is the baby in our family, and next in line after me. Growing up, we were always buddies and loved to giggle together, much to the dismay of our mother. I'm sure we drove our older sisters and brother crazy, too. Cheryl is a beautiful, talented woman. Even though she is four years younger than me, she passed me up in piano by the time she was in second or third grade. I could have been resentful, but I have to say, I was really proud of her abilities. I still am. Recently my daughter told me that after having Aunt Cheryl over for dinner she felt like I had been there because many of Cheryl's mannerisms reminded her of me. It is amazing how you can live apart for 35 years and still retain some of the same characteristics of those you lived with when you were young. I only wish I could have absorbed some of her piano abilities.

Imaginary Friends

When my first child was 3 years old, she had imaginary friends. She first used them to test the waters of parental dictates with statements like "My boy thinks that you can have dessert even though you don't eat your dinner." When I would respond that her boy was incorrect, she would hastily say that she TOLD him that but he wouldn't believe her. Jack, as he later became known, was the test case, the one who made the mistakes. He was later joined by Pee-Hee (a girl) and then THEY were joined by her five boys and five girls, with no assigned names. She just referred to them as "my five boys and my five girls." When we went out, we were quite a crowd. They all disappeared when she started kindergarten, just like the pediatrician said they would, although she did name her two goldfish Jack and Pee-Hee. Mark has been an avid online college sports board commenter. Actually, I'm not really sure what you call grown men who go to Cougar/Ute sports boards, assign themselves monikers and avatars so they can chat/argue about college sports, religion, books, cycling, news, etc. with people they have never met. *I* call them his imaginary friends. Every once in a while, mostly when he goes back to BYU for a football game, an event is planned (such as a tailgate party) where he actually meets these people. I mean, how do you know they are not mass murderers or something? So, with a big roll of my eyes, I agreed to go to Lake Tahoe this weekend to meet up with 10 other people from his board who he had never met to ride our bicycles 71 miles around the lake. We met for dinner the night before and introductions were made. I had a hard time keeping straight the real names and their posting names such as: bluegoose, bigPiney, the Borg, etc. But I have to admit, they were fun (and normal) people. There were 12 of us in all (four women, 8 men) who rode the lake, 5 of whom sported BYU cycling jerseys. In South Shore, a minivan passed us with someone hanging out of the window screaming, "Go Utes!" At one of our rest stops, three cyclists from Carson City flipped a U-turn and came back to find out who we were. One of them has a son attending BYU. It was a lovely ride around the lake, despite the thunder and rain as we climbed the switchbacks up to Emerald Bay. Traffic was pretty bad, being a Saturday in August.The most amazing thing that happened, though, occurred between the 25 and 35 mile marks. We were close to beginning the climb up Spooner grade and came upon a long line of cars being turned around and police cars blocking both sides of the road at Sand Harbor. When we got up to the policemen, they told us we were free to go through, that one side of the road was washed out from a broken pipe. It was awesome! For the next 10 miles we had the road to ourselves! After reaching the summit, there were those cyclists who hit 48 mph on the downhill. I'm a big chicken and kept it at 36. We returned to our condo for a post-ride meal and chatted for a couple of hours. It turns out that imaginary friends can be quite enjoyable.