The "Belle" of the Party

Madison accepted a job offer to play "Belle" at a four-year old birthday party. For two hours she stayed in character and sang, danced, and played with the mostly enchanted little princesses! She came home and told me all about what they said, and it's too good not to blog. The little girl who the party was for was frightened and looked out the window for the Beast, who she was sure was following Belle. Madison explained that the Beast was at home and that he wasn't a beast anymore, but was a man now! Another little girl asked "Belle, can I come and visit you and the Beast at your castle?" Another said "Belle, I like your teeth!". When Madison took off her gloves to paint nails, a girl exclaimed "You have hands!" During the party, one little girl sighed and went to lay down on the sofa. She said "Belle, I need to take a bweak. Will you come sit with me?" The mom called me the next day and said that every little girl wanted Belle to come over and play, and to invite her to their party. If Madison buys the dress from the hostess, it could become a good business opportunity. She could find a friend with blonde hair, black hair, and red for all the princesses, and cover the parties! Anyway, I know I talk about Madison alot, and I need to blog about the other kids, but I guess that Madison is doing a lot of things right now, and I am realizing that she will be off to college soon.

Continued

Continued... On Christmas Eve the kids and I went to Target. At first I was hiding presents under my coat and trying to divert the kids attention other places, but they all hung on the cart like it was a life raft, so I finally said "Kids, we're doing things differently this year. Put a few things that you want in the cart and we'll wrap them up. This was a hit and everyone smiled as Madison and Garrett disappeared into the electronics department, and Livi/Becca hit the toys. Santa was able to deliver a few things on the sly. Dad & Susan came to take care of our family and to make things easier for the holiday. Their help and spirits were invaluable!!!
Other fun Christmas memories! All the singing arond the piano, being the most popular kid with the teachers at school because mom made gingerbread houses that were incredible! The year mom made puppets - hundreds of them, and everything she made and did to make Christmas so incredible. I didn't realize how much she accomplished every Christmas until I tried to do some as a mom myself! Another fun Christmas - having a missionary brother Glen, and his companion over for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day - totally cool! And the great time in Ashton when we brought the flu with us on the plane, and all the throwing up in the snow because the bathroom was full, followed by getting better and making a huge snow fort - skiing, snowboarding, etc. Lots of great memories!
This year we picked two names off the angel tree - one boy needed boxers, another needed mittens, scarf, and hat - simple things. I thought - what a totally bummer as a seven year old opening a box of boxers, so I added a few things an eight year old might like. It's great to give a little, even though we're a little tight this year because I forgot to pay two or three tithings during the year - yikes!!!

A Christmas Memory

I've been thinking about favorite Christmas memories & traditions. Three years ago, Christmas was boiled down to it's essential elements, and it has stayed with me since! Cecily was in the ICU in Inova Fairfax for three weeks, waiting for surgery and post op on her heart. The ICU was a little sheltered cacoon from the world. I lived in the Ronald McDonald house and the family visited on weekends for three weeks. The house was decorated beautifully for Christmas and different groups came to cook and leave things in the fridge and freezer for families that came in hungry after a long day at the hospital. I stayed by Cecily's bed as long as I could, getting there about five a.m. - just a short walk up the street. I hadn't decorated at home, bought gifts, made cookies, or any of the "normal" Christmas things we did, and I missed the kids very much. At Cecily's bed before surgery, she was in made comfortable with medication by the nurses, but her little face was pale and miserable. There was a radio in the room, so we turned it to 97.1 and sang all Christmas songs. I heard the "Red Shoes" song so many times, I finally turned it off. Then I wandered into the book room and got out the "Little House" books - it's never too early to start those! I read to Cecily while she looked at me through squinty eyes. After the surgery, her eyes opened wide - wow! She looked comfortable. Santa and Mrs. Claus came into the ward. They had arrived in a motorcycle and delivered handmade baby blankets to everyone in the ICU. Santa and Mrs Claus stopped in our room and by their faces I could see that to them Cecily looked very sick. Mrs Claus gave me the blue flannel blanket wrapped in a ribbon and I hugged it to my chest. She smiled softly at me and Cecily, and they went to the next room. The kids came up to make cards for Cecily and visit with me. I walked about a mile to go to CVS pharmacy and got them each a little something for when they came to visit. Again,
everything about Christmas was so real in my heart. It snowed through the large window in the ICU. Just the snow, the quiet room, the sleeping baby, and soft Christmas music playing on the radio. I thought about our Savior and his love for us, and how he had blessed us by allowing Cecily to get well, but that everything was in His hands - letting go and letting him work his miracles was something I learned.
We were able to take her home a few days before Christmas to heal. We would be in the hospital again the day after Christmas, but I was so happy to put Cecily back in her crib. We had no presents purchased for Rhett and I, but the Ronald McDonald house had a room full of them.
I'll write more later - piano student has arrived!

Homecoming

Madison went with a friend, Chris Hall, to homecoming. Fourteen kids from the drama department met for a potluck at a home, and then after the dance Chris left with his friends and Madison had to find a ride home. She was laid back about the whole thing, but I don't think Chris was taught basic etiquette. I won't elaborate on that because it will sound shrill. The good story is how we found Madison's dress in less than half an hour. It was the only modest dress in the entire mall, and it fit her like a glove. It was over our budget, but I decided to buy it with the rationalization that she will wear it at college dances, etc. When we went to the counter, the sales woman scanned the price tag and it was 50% off! It was still expensive, but so much sweeter to buy! It's a 1920's vintage style and we bought mary jane pumps to match!

Garrett's Eagle

Day 1 - The group planted blueberry bushes, trees, and cleaned up the dead growth at a scenic overlook. It was sweet to see how many children were helping!



The scenic overlook part was finished in less than two hours.

These rocks are the total body workout! They are lining a run-off ditch for water to keep the trail from eroding. Sam and his family have been by Garrett's side every day of the project.

We call the young man on the right "The mighty Ian" - he is very strong.

Garrett's eagle project has been BIG. Big as far as time spent planning every detail, and big because of all the steps needed to renovate 1/4 mile of trail along the Rappahanock River. The trail has been eroded and is impassible in places. Garrett's job was to first plant trees and bushes at a scenic overlook where a dam was dynamited a few years ago. Then with the help of a wonderful man named Bruce White, Bruce dug a ditch along the trail and donated the heavy rock needed to fill the ditch. Lastly, a quarry donated about 40 tons of quarry rock "dust" to spread on the eroded trail. We have had great help from our ward - they have huge hearts and always turn out for every eagle project. It has taken four or five days to get all the work finished, and Garrett is almost done. Sometimes we have gotten discouraged, and then two or three people will show up, or a family, and we have had exactly the help we have needed. The "Friends of the Rappahanock" who operate an office near the trail, tell us that this is the biggest and most effective project they have ever had, so that makes Garrett and everyone want to work even harder! It's something that will last!

Catching up!

It's official - Madison has voted! This is a picture of the two 18 year old friends after voting, and before they cruised to get their free hot chocolate for voting!




Madison is only going to be a prisoner in this home one more year, so the costume says it all. I think she's eating animal crackers in milk!



If Garrett doesn't get into some branch of the military, we are all going to fall over from surprise! Our friends who just moved into our ward from Florida loaned him Don't pilot gear and gave him a flight suit. Garrett thinks that's about the best gift he's ever had!




Princess Aurora, the Rainbow Fairy, and the Elf Princess before the trunk-or treat!

I think Becca was able to take off and fly around a little bit that night!

We're all doing great! Rhett comes home Tuesday the 11th and we are getting ready to decorate the street and the house with balloons, yellow ribbon, and a big sign.

Our Vacation (from Livi's point of view) The final entry

Can't forget Livi's 11th birthday! Dad came home one day before. It was a great present!



Livi hasn't had a bike of her own for four years, and was very happy to ride this baby around!




Madison visiting Virginia Tech. It is a beautiful campus!




We felt our hearts grow heavy but also felt the resilience of hope and Hokie pride at this memorial of the 32 students who were killed in last year's shooting.

I am so happy to be "40 and Sporty". Oops! One of the party guests took off her diapers!

Livi's journal:
On Saturday we drove all the way to Blacksburg. We stayed at a hotel and ate at Backstreet’s Pizza & Restaurant at the Virginia Tech Campus. On Sunday we took a long walk at Virginia Tech and then went to Church. We drove the rest of the way home and that was my vacation on 7-12-08 through 7-20-08. The end!

Our Vacation (from Livi's point of view) Part 4

Our visit to the Cherokee Indian Reservation - Eastern branch - very touristy and also interesting!

This river drew crowds of families swimming and tubing.

Went to see the bears

A tube made a good bed for Cecily!

Becca sporting the newest look in cowgirl wear.

Livi's journal continued...

Then we went tubing on the Cherokee river except for Mom and Cecily. Dad made me and Becca wear a life jacket when rocks were bumping me everywhere. I didn’t even need it because it was so shallow, but it was still fun. Then we got ice cream and went shopping at some cute stores. Me, Becca, Cecily, and Mom saw Bears: Black, Cinnamon, Asian, Grizzly, and Baby Bears. They seemed so sad with all the cement walls and water – that’s it! Then we went home and played Yahtzee.

Our Vacation (from Livi's point of view) - Part 3

We each dug our own pail of dirt the owners brought in from a creek bed nearby. The Rose Creek campground and mine are family owned and operated.



Becca was the first to find a large gem, and then became the "expert", offering her assistance to whomever needed help and assistance.



We all found gems = moonstones, topaz, garnets, sapphires, rubies, amethysts and lots and lots of rocks!

Cecily played on the swingset nearby

Cecily finds cuddling with Garrett is just what she needs before her nap. Back to you Livi......

On Thursday Garrett and I were still feeling a little sick so we stayed stayed home and watched movies while everybody else went to a gem museum and did a tiny bit of mining. When they came home I got 3 gems and a rock turtle necklace from Madison for my birthday. I named him Squirt and he is so cute. I went to bed feeling better but was a little dehydrated. On Friday I was ready! We went Gem Mining and I found a Ruby and Sapphire.

More Vacation (Part 2) Livi's point of view!

On Monday, Garrett, Dad, and Cecily went to Fontana Lake and went fishing. The rest of us went horseback riding. Becca’s horse was Mr. Hairy, Mine was Becky, Madison’s was Knee High and Mom’s was Bromby. We went on a long bumpy trail and it was scary when they went on the edge. After that, we ate lunch and swam at Fontana Lake. When we came home we played scripture charades, had a lesson, and toasted marshmallows in the fire pit for family night.
On Tuesday, we were going to go gem mining, but Becca got sick, so Garrett, Madison, Dad, and I went on a hike on the Deep Creek Trail. We hiked a lot – for maybe 3 or 4 hours and 5 or 6 miles. But we saw pretty waterfalls and ate lunch on a big rock in a creek that looked like a river. When we were almost done, I saw a huge light green moth and then blue, tiger swallowtail, and tiny butterflies on the ground. I picked up some of them and they stayed on my finger and then flew away. It was like a dream come true. When we came back, we went in the hot tub and then played “Bingo” and “Fact or Crap”. On Wednesday we went white water rafting on a river. It was scary and A LOT of fun. When we went home I got sick, then Garrett, then Mom, and then Dad. So the rest of the day was boring. I was the one who got sick the most.

Our Vacation (from Livi's point of view)

The View from our Cabin!



Cabin front porch.



Our first fire and smore fest!

Livi getting into reading the scriptures. She is "King Benjamin".

Hey, I just got back from our vacation and I’ll tell you all about it:
On Saturday, we drove a long time to Ashville and stayed at a place called Homewood Suites. It was really nice, but Madison got sick. The next day, we packed our things and went to Biltmore. It was huge and beautiful. Then we drove all the way to the Cabin called Fontana View 2. It was lovely and I got to sleep on the top bunk. Becca slept on the bottom bunk and right next to us was a cave in, that was our clubhouse which we called “Play Mart”. They had Foosball in that room too. Garrett and I played it and whoever won got to choose which bed they could sleep in. It also had a TV in the room but hardly worked. Mom and Dad left to get some groceries, so while they were gone, we just explored the cabin and watched TV. When they came back, we

read scriptures and then went in the hot tub.

4th of July Thoughts

This past week I've been sick - something that rarely happens to me with my healthy constitution. It was the can't lift your head off the pillow sick - the leave the cleaning supplies in the bathroom because you'll need them again in three minutes sick! I don't want to milk the sympathy card here - just to tell you that these kids really, really helped out! I rented "John Adams" from Netflix, and it came in three dvds - a seven part miniseries, so I watched most of that while I was sick. I really enjoyed it, and for me it really opened up my eyes and expanded my knowledge about this great founding father, and I could relate to the feelings of John and Abigail, who were separated so much even though they had a great love, and how their letters got them through. I look forward to reading their letters next!
We had great plans for the fourth - great plans for the week, and those plans changed, but not for the worse. Madison got up and dressed up in red, white and blue and asked everyone to do the same. Looking very patriotic, Madison drove the four oldest to the church pancake breakfast (in the van), then to a festival at George Washington's boyhood home, and then to the movie "Wal-e". I watched Nadal win in the semi finals watching Cecily play with blocks and duplos, singing to herself. It kills me to not be able to get up when I'm sick and help my children. It is hard to hear that they are bored, sad, tired, sick of being inside, etc. I wish every minute of their day could be filled with laughing and happiness, but I guess that is not realistic, and it doesn't help them be better people in the long run. I couldn't fold the clothes when I was sick to they had made quite a pile on the bedroom floor - I asked everyone to come up and help fold, and they did. The socks also had piled up. I said I'd give anyone a dime a pair, and they got them folded up really quick. Each child rearned about $1.50! I had no idea we'd let the socks go for so long. Our ward is great about helping out, and I have some friends I can call and I know they will be at our door at a moment's notice, but yesterday seemed very quiet. One thing I love about our neigborhood is the amount of illegal fireworks smuggled into our subdivision. You only have to sit on your lawn and get the same fireworks (although less concentrated) than the ones in town. We lit our little ones we got at the stand, like the screaming bee, the cactus, the snakes. Our kids were totally petrified of sparklers - what's up with that? I loved sitting on the lawn and watching it all, and watching our kids watch it all.
My good friend Sachiko was just diagnosed with lung cancer - we are having a ward fast for her tomorrow. She has been through so much adversity, and this just seems almost too much to bear. I asked her what I can do and after saying "pray, pray, pray", she just said "be positive, always be positive... that is the only way to heal.

Livi the Dance Instructor

This happened a few weeks ago: I took a dance club in school and when I came home, Mom wanted me to show her. So I danced and Madison came in, then Becca, then Cecily and Garrett. Dad wanted to see all of us dance without any of them practicing it. So he recorded it and well, this is how it went.

Whew!

Today was a strange day! Around 4:00 we could hear thunder and the sky was a funny shade of green. I went outside and a lot of people were outside too staring at the sky. I didn't like the look of a big group of dark clouds with a green tint coming closer, so we went for the basement. It came quickly without a warning - as soon as we were all in the basement, we could hear the wind wailing, and then we saw our trampoline fly up , up and away into the sky. The wind was sideways, and I could almost hear the music from the wizard of oz - didn't see any witches on brooms or ugly teachers riding bicycles though! The kids wanted to "go up and check on things" but I wouldn't let them. Garrett got on his rain boots and jacket, and I practically had to sit on him so he wouldn't go outside to see the storm. Just a few minutes after the wind came rain and hail, and then the storm stopped. Our trampoline had launched quite a ways and was lying upside down by the park across the way. It's old, and I was ready to git rid of it, so this was the perfect way - we didn't even need to carry it ourselves. Now to just pretend that it's not ours - huh? I don't know where it came from - just kidding!
Garrett's school called a few days ago to make sure that I am at the school tomorrow morning at 8 a.m. for award ceremony. Garrett has been chosen as "Outstanding Freshman" by the teachers and staff, and I am excited to watch the surprise on his face when he sees he has been given that award! I'm so grateful for my kids - they can try the soul, but they also do so well!
Is anybody else hooked on the Bachelorette besides me? I even went on the blog and found out who the final two will be. I have way too much time on my hands at night, folks! Also - what are some of you doing to tighten up with the price of food and gas going up so high? Just interested in your ideas - creative or no. I already know Steve and Jen's - stay home with your darling newborn and ride a scooter to work. Any other thoughts about tightening the belt?

These Happy Golden Days

Rhett's visit was the peanut butter to our jelly - the yin to our yang, the.... well, you get the picture! I met his plane and we pretended to be newlyweds for the next 24 hours, staying up in DC while my dear friend Sachiko watched the kids. We walked through areas of DC we hadn't seen before, and the May weather put on a show of blossoms and green which filled Rhett up! Once home, visions of fixing doorbells and things broken in the house took second place to the kids wanting time with their dad. He took each one out for some time - Livi chose to go see "Mim's Island". Becca wanted a smiling pancake for breakfast at IHOP, Garrett went to the Air and Space Museum, and Madison & Dad went to dinner & saw Ironman. I have proudly said that I am learning to be independent and life life on my own very well, but the reality is that I can do well on my own with God's help, but that we all need Rhett. We have discovered that this year - the incredible strength of a good father and the impact he has on his children. So - enough jabber and here are some blogs.

Madison's Prom

I realize we're posting a lot, but Rhett came home with the camera, and the camera plus Rhett being home opened a whole new door of joy and energy, thus the huge blog spurt before we go into the blog desert once again. Madison was asked on a blind date to another school's Prom and doubled with her friend Mia and her date. Madison had a really fun time, and we are happy to see her branching out in the dating department, especially if it's more casual and fun like last week's Prom. Rhett helped pin on David's corsage, and did NOT give a talk like Mia's dad, which was "touch my daughter and I'll remove your digits one by one". Not too fun! Madison's date is a track star and a top student- pretty wierd to have a blind date for Prom!

Garrett's 15th !

Garrett's 15th was tailored for him - Rhett took him out of school Friday and they went to the Smithsonian Air and Space annex. Two men who love planes in a hanger full of them = paradise. Madison made Kendi's delicious chocolate cake recipe and we loved it! I can see why this recipe is loved by all! We teased Garrett by giving him a dictionary and a shower curtain first - both things he needed, and then pretending that was it in the gift department. Then a few minutes later, after Garrett was trying to be positive with his gifts, we unveiled the "big present". We don't usually go all out like this, but Garrett got the last Wii left in town - we called like 15 stores and one was left stored in the Sear's safe, and I had one hour to get there before it was gone. Word to the wise - buy your Wii's now if you are thinking of one for Christmas! Garrett's goal is to be an air force pilot, and he logged an hour or two of fun in the simulator. This Saturday he goes to the Andrews AFB airshow - the Blue Angels will be there among other things! Garrett has missed his dad so much this year and it has caused him some anguish and anxiety, but he is hurdling those challanges, and doing really well! We are so proud of him and think he's an amazing young man!