Eliza's First Dance Class

Eliza is taking a Creative Dance class, taught by BYU teachers at a theater near our house.  The class is supposed to be for 4-year-olds but I wanted Eliza to be in the class anyway because the teacher was highly recommended and it was a time and location that worked well for us (in the morning while the big kids are at school).  BYU let us sign Eliza up for this time slot because she has a friend in the class, so it all worked out.  But if Eliza looks (a lot) taller and more coordinated than the other girls in the class, that's probably why.

Parents are invited to observe the class only on certain days, and I was really glad to be able to watch the first class.  Of course I figured out right away that Eliza's a natural when it comes to dance.  :-)  First each girl, then each parent, moved around the room with a beanbag balanced on her head.  Then they did different movement activities including practicing running with quiet feet.  They did a Creative Dance version of Wheels on the Bus, and moved in lots of different ways like the animals in a cute book called Off We Go!.  I included a video from that one.

"Show me a dance pose."

 

The Wednesday dance class gives me a good excuse to play with Eliza's hair.  I've gotten more brave/creative with her hair since she started taking the class.  I was quite proud of these little French Braids I did in her hair for another class last month:

"Show me a dance pose."

And, in case you're wondering, Eliza is loving it.  She was conflicted when the class started because her older siblings were playing soccer and she thought she'd like to play soccer too.  I reminded her that she couldn't do both activities, so she decided that she would dance this year and play soccer next year.  We'll see how she feels about that plan in the Spring...

TBT - Eliza's Preschool Wrap-Up, Part 1

Eliza's class was supposed to have a water day during the last week of school, but the weather was unusually chilly that week.  I sent her to school with a bathing suit anyway, in case they did some low-intensity water activities in the classroom, but they didn't.  It was just a normal, fun preschool day.  At least she got a snuggle from our favorite Preschool teacher.

We loved getting to attend Eliza's preschool graduation program as a family.  The program was similar to Jack's preschool graduation, and I was forced to acknowledge once again how much longer we've been in Utah than we originally anticipated.  And, in the spirit of full disclosure, I found myself confirming that Jack and Eliza's preschool teacher would be around a few years longer so that she could teach Luke when he's four...

I made several short videos during the program, but decided to just share these two.  The first one is about a minute long with lots of repetition.  I highly recommend watching the first 10 seconds though.

I didn't get as emotional during this program as I have for similar events in the past.  I'm not sure why.  Eliza had a fabulous experience in Pre-K, and I'm fully confident that she will love Big Girl School as well.

Epic Labor Day Weekend, Part 4

We stopped at a fun park in Spanish Fork for a picnic lunch on our way home from our little camping trip on Monday, then everyone helped unload and get things put away at the house.  Then Ben took Cat and Jack to the Provo Canyon Zipline - something we've had free passes for and they were about to expire.  We were able to take Eliza with us last summer but the company increased the weight limit this year, so Eliza hung out with Luke and me.  Of course Cat and Jack had a blast!  One of the unfortunate things about their trip was that they had a good view of a wildfire that was burning nearby at Deer Creek Reservoir.  (News story HERE.)  The smoke is visible in some of Ben's pictures.

We also had a coupon for a free entry at a local bounce house place, so I took Eliza and Luke there for a smaller-scale adventure.  They still had a great time and there was hardly a whisper of a complaint from Eliza after missing out on the zipline.  Luke took a while to warm up to the idea of playing in the bounce houses, but after a while he was jumping and having fun, and of course he didn't want to leave when our time was up.

That night I took the three older kids to the Orem Owlz minor league baseball game.  Actually, Cat took us.  She earned 4 free tickets (in seats - not the grass!) for reading 1,000 minutes over the summer (I'm sure she read much more than that, but the prize only went up to 1000).  We also had free hot dog and drink vouchers, so that meant I didn't have to cook dinner.  It so happened that the night we were there was also Free Baseball Gloves for Kids night, and a fireworks show after the game.

Is it any wonder that Jack was tuckered out during the game?  We sure played hard that weekend.  I feel like so many weekends pass without anything exciting happening, that I was glad we could have one final hurrah as summer drew to a close.

TBT - Mother's Day

Two highlights of Mother's Day:

First, Ben grilled up some delicious skewers for dinner.  It's not his favorite thing to make, but I love them and he was good enough to make it happen for me.  Grilled pineapple was also on the menu.  Mmmmmmm.  Yes, I'm a lucky woman.

Second, I received several lovely cards and notes from the kids, plus some sweet cards in the mail (not shown).

Okay, I think the small colored notes might have been from Valentine's Day,
but they fit in well with everything else here, I think.

I posted this on FB the night before Mother's Day:

I feel so very blessed to be a mother. I have been thinking about my role in the lives of my children and although it encompasses a myriad of tasks, it seems they can be boiled down to two categories. I act as a teacher, trying to teach my kids academics, practical skills, social skills, love for the arts, safe ways to have fun, how to find lasting joy through the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and more. I also operate as a caretaker, looking after their physical and emotional needs. It's a huge responsibility, this mothering gig, and I constantly feel like I'm not doing enough, but I'm thankful for the opportunity to try. I'm thankful for these wonderful children who help me, teach me, make me laugh, and make me work. I'm thankful for my amazing partner in this parenting adventure. And I'm thankful for the great examples of mothers I've had in my life: my Mom, my grandmothers, my sisters, my MIL, my SILs, and my many good friends (both those who have their own children and those who don't). We each have our own style of mothering. And that's okay. We can still help each other and learn form each other and I've certainly been helped and taught by many of you. Happy Mother's Day!

Is it too early to worry?

At the beginning of the school year, Eliza told me that she had a crush on a boy in her class.

Me: What's his name?
Eliza: I don't know.
Me: What can you tell me about him?
Eliza: I don't really know much about him.  But I really like his mohawk.

Not sure whether to laugh or cry...

A few days later I asked her if she knew her beloved's name and she said that she still didn't know, then admitted that she really didn't have a crush on him.  She just really liked his mohawk.

Feeling better...
She hasn't mentioned The Boy in a while, so I have begun to think that her admiration has cooled.  Then today she brought home this picture:

She said that Tate gave it to her.  When I asked her who Tate was, she shaped an imaginary mohawk on her head.  So that's his name!

Me: Who wrote the I ♥ U?

Eliza: I did.

Me: Who did you write that for?

Eliza: You of course. Because I do.

Okay. We're good.

I'm chaperoning the Kindergarten field trip next week.  I'm hoping I can get a good glimpse of a certain blonde-mohawked young man.

Epic Labor Day Weekend, Part 3

On Sunday afternoon we loaded up our car with a bunch of camping gear, food, and other necessities, and headed to Spanish Fork for a very short camping trip.  We camped at the Spanish Oaks Campground, which was a pretty good place.  It had some hiking trails, which we didn't explore; a reservoir, which we visited but didn't enter because it was Sunday AND we didn't bring any swim stuff; and a playground that the kids really enjoyed.  Note to self: it also had a really lovely group site.  So next time 20 of our closest friends all want to go camping at the same time, we'll know where to go in Spanish Fork Canyon.

Everyone helped get the tent set up, which was fun.  After 10 or so years of ownership (if not frequent use) the tent is getting worn out, but we think we can make it work once or twice more.

The kids loved playing in the dirt.  Particularly Luke.  Our neighboring (unoccupied) campsite must have had particularly good dirt, because Luke was down there as much as he could be, despite our reminders and pleas and Luke-relocations.

It was cold at night, but the kids slept really well, once Luke let everyone go to sleep.  For a while he was running around in the tent, playing and making noise.  It took him a while to calm down, but eventually he fell asleep too.

We ate quite well on this camping trip - delicious tin foil dinners Sunday evening, s'mores for dessert (apparently Ben is the only one in the family who knows how to toast a marshmallow perfectly), and bacon, eggs, and grits for breakfast.  Just because you're camping doesn't mean you have to eat trail mix and MREs the whole time, right?

The last thing to make note of is the receptacle Eliza selected when she packed her clothes.  I saved that picture for last.

Epic Labor Day Weekend, Part 2

One of the reasons we decided not to camp the Saturday night of Labor Day weekend was because we found out about the Studio C Premiere Party at the BYU Soccer Field that night.  The stadium was packed, but we found seats, enjoyed some bubble-ball soccer (the Shoulder Angels were victorious against the Shoulder Devils), laughed during the Q&A (especially when Whitney and Stephen were asked what they were going to name their baby and Whitney wondered how everyone knew she was pregnant), loved watching the season premiere on the big screens on the field, and even waited not-so-patiently to have pictures taken with a few members of the cast.

Gotta love Matt...

I loved it when they sat down and completely blocked the little goal with the giant bubble ball.

Yes, Whitney is obviously pregnant.

JAMES

ADAM

JEREMY

WHITNEY