SUMMER SOLSTICE... aka LDOY!

That's "Longest Day Of the Year" for those who do not speak "Helen"! This has gotta be one of my favorite traditions... an outdoor celebration of the day that the sun spends the most time in the sky! (Yes, the Pagan roots would date back to Midsummer's Eve... but we'll just Helen it up and call it LDOY!) We had a somewhat incomplete LDOY, as the big girls were all working/busy... and Steve stayed home to take care of Erika, who was sick. (Please not crypto, please not crypto, please not crypto!) So it was just me and Necia!

And since my camera is currently battery-less... I have no pics to share! But Nat's blog has lots!

Jada was torn between friends and the LDOY party. In order to be "pc" with the friends and not leave anyone out, she decided to miss Grandma's party. The next day the girls all felt bummed as we reminisced some of the LDOYs from their younger years.

Back in the day of the drive-in movie (all our local theaters are gone now) we would spend LDOY piled into the backs of our cars with the kids watching a movie. The girls and I were talking about the most memorable one... "Lion King". Good times!


The most memorable thing about this one was... the mosquitos, ICK!

We got ATTACKED! No seriously... if my camera was working, I would post the PROOF -- Erika helped me count today, and I have (Scout's honor!) 47 bites on my legs! Ah well... it's all good on the LDOY! The sad part... now the days get shorter... waaah! :(

Father's Day Fun in Fairview

We spent Father's Day weekend with the WHOLE Fam-Dam at a great little cabin resort in Fairview. This will probably be our one-and-only full family trip of the summer and it was a fun one. It was very laid-back and low key. The kids had fun and the grown-ups just got to chill and relax... and for once EVERYONE was there. COUSIN-PALOOZA!

Highlights of the event:

Watching "Ella Enchanted" and the group sing-along of "Can Anybody Find Me...Somebody to Love?" Jada wanted everyone to remember that this was a QUEEN song first!

Relaxing on the porch with Grandma and Grandpa.

The FOOD of course! Let's not forget who we're talking about here!

Swimming!!! (I am mighty swimmer-boy!)

Memo to Me: Little brothers will ALWAYS provide mocking opportunities!

Happy Birthday to Scott!!! 2 years old!!

(Adorable son of Swimmer Boy!)

And everyone's favorite... Uncle Jesse's trick computer mouse that shocked the crap out of anyone who touched it!

It was a weekend of full tummies, sunburns & just tons of fun for everyone!

Yee-Owch!!!!!

Yes, that is a picture of MY feet, bound in compression straps, resting on ice packs and elevated on a pillow. That has been my view ALL DAY! The latest in the saga of the plantar fascitis which plagues me constantly!

I had steroid injections yesterday which were supposed to be a pain RELIEVING attempt. Did great all day yesterday. Even went to lunch and did a little anticipatory baby shopping with Crystal. Then this morning I woke up with hugely swollen feet and so much pain that I was asking for a hacksaw to just remove both feet at the ankle!!! I finally got ahold of the receptionist at the orthopedist, and she very blithely announced, "Oh, yes, there can be some pain for 3 or 4 days." THREE or FOUR DAYS!!!! I want you all to know that I asked the PA who did the injections (never even SAW my doctor) specifically what I should expect and he just sent me on my way saying... "That's it. Come back in two weeks and we'll see if you have any more hot spots." GRRRRRR..... No word from the doc or the assistant.... no return call.

So, I called my physical therapist, who I really like, and he was awesome. He actually called me right back, between patients, told me all about possible side-effects to the kenalog, prescribed the elevation and icing, and then (MY HERO) called the orthopedist himself to let him know that there was a real problem here. The PT arranged for Steve to run to the orthopedic office (ALSO MY HERO) and get these compression straps which support the arch, control the swelling and keep the medicine at the back of the foot where it was supposed to be. (He told me, btw, that per his request, I was supposed to have gotten those straps when I went in yesterday. Neither of us is too thrilled with Mr. Hot-Shot Orthopedist right now.)

With that, and a little Lortab, I was able to survive the day. Now that, ladies, will tell you a lot. I HATE pain meds. They make me groggy and weird, but today, it was a necessary evil! After a trip to the bathroom that resulted in tears (big baby!) my husband showed up with one pill and a glass of water and said "No arguing. Take it!"

And now, here I am, lying in bed, missing rehearsal and wondering how in the heck I'm gonna have my family ready to head to the cabin tonight for our Father's Day adventure. I was supposed to get my groceries today... hmmm... hard to do when you can't even stand!!!!Thanks for letting me whine to you. And p.s. Crystal.... there, I do too have a picture of me on my blog! :)

Sierra's New Do!

After a few years of being a dark brown brunette, Sierra has decided to go back to being blonde! YAY! She was the most adorable little blonde kid, and then her hair darkened as she got older.

She had to dye it very dark for her role in CATS a couple of years ago, and it has stayed dark ever since. When she came out of the stylist, and I saw the gorgeous highlights, I felt like I was seeing my little blondie again!

When Aunt Natalie saw her she said "Oh, that's my Sierra!" Cousins Will and Garyn didn't recognize her though. Of course they weren't the only ones... even Sierra's "main squeeze" Phillip, didn't know it was her. Someone else had to point her out to him. Ha!

Here's how she looked last Christmas (with cousin Samantha).

And here's the new look!

Love it, Seece!

I guess I'm BLOGGING now!

Okay, friends!
After much pressure from the powers that be... (Nat, Crystal, Missy, Janet....) I have finally created MY OWN BLOG! Of course on this lazy June day, it seems simple enough. Check back in September once school starts and you will see.... blank space.... and hear only.... the quiet chirp of crickets!
It appears that I can only survive this life if I am involved in at least 5 different events at once. In fact, it has been proven that during downtimes, when I have **nothing** (ah, the bliss) to do, I will inevitably wind up sick. My stress appears to be what holds me together. That being said... I do really love all the crazy stuff in my life:

First and foremost: My beautiful daughters! There are 5 of them and they are the core of my life. The oldest three, Kaila, Sierra & Jada, are teenagers. Wait, let's amend that: TEENAGERS! And they have truly earned that name. They are just as busy and involved as their mom and when we're not butting heads, we're involved in the world's longest slumber party where we talk and giggle and share secrets. Okay... the head butting happens most frequently, but the other stuff is still fun! Then there is my 11 year old, Necia. She's the tomboy of the group, but with the most tender heart. She'd have every stray animal in the world if we'd let her. Her tough exterior is a thin veil for the sweetness underneath. My "baby" is Erika. She's 7, and frequently reminds me that she's "getting so big". And don't I know it! It's that bittersweet thing where you love to watch them learn and grow, but you mourn the loss of the little person they are leaving behind at the same time. In a later post I will have to share some of her hilarious literary offerings from this year. She's sweet and smart, and I'd love to keep her little forever!

They are all Daddy's girls, so the poor guy in that role is what keeps us all together and grounded. (Sometimes the teens are more "grounded" than they want to be... haha!) My husband Steve, is an incredible guy... just for being able to live with 6 women! Every once in awhile he will mutter... "I'm adift in a sea of estrogen, with no land in sight!" At which point, I have to remind him about the whole X/Y chromosome thing... and place the blame right where it belongs! :) He deals with it smartly however. He has recently completed the Hunter's Education course with Jada & Necia. They both have their own compound bows, and will be accompanying Dad on the archery hunt this year. He's a dead-shot with a bow, but you should see how those girls give him a run for his money! Even he was surprised at their skill! But then he said, "It has to be genetic!" Go DAD!


The next biggest time-taker-upper in my life is my job as a Jr. High Drama Teacher.
YUP... Jr. High. Yes, that's right, DRAMA. And as friends frequently remind me... it shouldn't be too hard a job, considering that Jr. High and Drama are pretty much synonyms! I love my other "kids" (all 200+ of them). I teach 5 different drama classes: beginning, intermediate, advanced, tech theater and Shakespeare. And when the school day is over: Drama club, Shakespeare team, the school musical, talent assemblies and department chair meetings prevail. (I wish I was exaggerating, but I'm not.) And that would be why the blogging may dwindle as summer dies.

I have the FABULOUS calling of being the Primary music leader in my ward. Although I was terrified when I got the calling last summer, it has turned out to be one of my FAVORITE church jobs ever. My church kids are so much fun... and the fact that they are ages 3-11 lets me enjoy a different age group than what I do at school. The Sunbeams (3-4 year olds) crack me up as they take turns hugging my legs while I'm trying to lead the music. One funny coincidence: my Mom has the same calling in her ward, so we can share our ideas. (And most of you know my Mom, so you KNOW what those ideas might entail!)

Summer Fun:
Just because I'm sooooo bored when school is not in session... yeah right... the summer has to be filled with EVENTS of it's own. Let's see... this year... I will be teaching swim lessons in July. And our whole family (except Sierra - who is busy with Drill Team) is doing a production of "Beauty & The Beast" for a local community theater. Steve is playing "Gaston", I get to be the "Wardrobe" (yes, I know that's a singing dresser!), Kaila is a "silly girl", and Jada, Necia and Erika are all enchanted objects in the castle. Our performances are set for the two weeks preceding Labor Day, and in truth I'm kinda terrified. I've directed at least 100 shows in the past 20 years, but I haven't been IN one since high school. YIKES!


So beyond all that, we will be spending time with our extended family whenever we can. I've got the world's best parents. I feel secure in saying that my Dad is the smartest person I know, and my Mom is the funnest/funniest grandma EVER. My 5 brothers and 1 sister (Natalie!) are a huge part of the beautiful chaos of my life.

And THAT friends is me in a very large nutshell! I could keep going, telling you about the GIRLFRIENDS that help keep me centered, but we'll save that for another post. (Brevity in writing is NOT one of my skills! Sorry about that!) It's either a novel or nothing.

So...Welcome to the DRAMA!