Logan's First Haircut

This little guy's mommy decided it was time for a haircut.  

And then most of the family decided that we all needed to be involved. 

Logan just wasn't sure what the heck was going on ....

There was definitely apprehension ...

And lots of reassurance ...

And when it was all over ....

j.o.y.

Such a handsome little angel boy.

Mothering.

   

I have been away from my blog for a long, long time ... 

When it had been almost a month since I had posted last, I had two friends let me know that I had better get on it quick.  Oops.  I didn't get on it very quick, did I?  Next month it will have been a year.  A year ... really?  Wow. Lots and lots and lots more has happened for me during the course of this last year, I will say that.  Big changes for this old gal and her fan-damily. But all of those changes will have to wait to be posted about.  Because this post, since it is coming up on Mother's Day, and being a mother is my favorite thing ever ... is about that.

This picture was taken of me right before I became a mother for the first time.  And it's so weird that after all these years (almost 30 now), I can still remember it so well.

I labored for a really long time.  It was about 18 hours when the nurse (who needed a swift kick for not knowing what she was really doing) told me to start pushing.  I remember thinking, But I don't feel like pushing.  In Lamaze class they said you would feel like pushing.  I have no urge to push whatsoever.  But she said I needed to and so for the next two hours, that's what I did.  (I'll spare you the description of what I looked like in that nether region after having pushed for two hours.)  It was awful.  Nothing was happening, but that nurse was telling me to keep pushing. 

When my baby was finally ready to emerge, she came out all covered in an orange tinted slime (reminded me of the tub scene in Poltergeist) and she was a shiny purplish color.  She was a fat, bald, beautiful girl who didn't even cry but tried hard to open her eyes and look at me because she heard my voice and I knew that she knew me.  (When my own mother saw the pictures of McCall fresh out of the womb she asked, "Were you scared to death when you saw her?"  I guess being a purple hue isn't normal - but, what did I know?  I thought she was amazing, and absolutely heavenly.) 

My world changed in that instant and I am forever grateful.

What inspired me to write today was reading CJane's post, on Mothering. I feel what she feels. 
  
In a nut shell, she was sharing about how and why she doesn't really feel that being a mother is a sacrifice.  She said it's 99% self- care and only 1% sacrifice.

... that 1% of pure sacrifice. That's occupied by the hours I've spent pushing my children on swings. I get nothing out of pushing my children on swings. It doesn't tone my arms and it's really boring. I mean, even if my children are blissfully pointing their toes to the sky, I feel nothing except, "Ten more pushes and then I'm going in for a Coke with lemon, okayyyyyyyyyyy?" 

(Except you know in my case, it would be a diet coke.)

I don't look at motherhood as a sacrifice.  And while it has been a really long time since my children were little and demanded the kind of physical exertion of their mother each day, my children still require much of my time and energy and attention, and I love it. 

Like last night when McCall called me on her way home to talk about her frustration with her renters, and this morning when I got a text message from Sophie who needed her immunization records sent to a doctor in New York, and when Elliott called me earlier today to say his throat was killing him and could I please make a doctor's appointment for him.  

Did I mind any of that?  Absolutely on the contrary.   It gives me great joy and satisfaction to fill the needs of my children ... always have and, hopefully anyway, always will.

happiest mother's day to you!

Summer joy.

McCall and her little family have been spending a few days in downtown Salt Lake at the "Little America" hotel, for a stay-cation.  It is her husband's family tradition to spend the night on the 23rd of July and attend the big "Days of '47 Parade" the next morning.  (July 24th is Utah's celebration of when the pioneers first entered the Salt Lake Valley with Brigham Young, and it's a pretty big deal here - the parade is televised and everything.)

Libby has been in heaven.  McCall told me that Libby was playing around their hotel room and said, "I wish this was our new home."

McCall said that guests of  Little America can use the pool at the Grand America (across the street) as well.  Yesterday, they had the pool pretty much to themselves ... all day long.

Well, I'll tell you what little Libby Love ...

if you guys decide to make that your new home,

I'm moving in with you.

Denver.

Sometime back in June ... maybe it was June ... at least I think it was June ... the girls and I took a road trip to Denver.  Chloe had plans to move to Los Angeles (as I mentioned in this post, here) and Sophie had gotten a nanny job in New York for a year, so Haley (mainly Haley) decided that we should all take a girl's trip to Denver and audition for the X-Factor. It was mostly for the adventure, the fun, the time together, and I was all for it.  Eight hours isn't too bad of a drive, and I have actually wanted to visit Denver for a long time.

Haley and Chloe had both auditioned for American Idol in previous years. ("You've got a nice voice, but it isn't strong enough for American Idol ... Your voice is more suited for Broadway than American Idol ... We've raised the bar now, so it's a no ... Yada, yada, yada.")  I figured their chances of making it onto the X-Factor were pretty slim to none, so I made a suggestion.  You girls would have a much better chance of making it if you auditioned as a group.  There aren't as many groups and you guys sound really good together.

So they learned a song ... one song.  They sounded really, really good.  And I wasn't the only one who thought so.  But this post isn't about that ... it's just a quick one about hair, since I haven't posted in a super long time and I have posts waiting in the wings that I want to do but feel the need to post in the order in which things have happened, sooooo ....

Our favorite hotel to stay at on our road trips is the Hampton Inn.  LOVE IT. Great rooms and the most comfy beds you would ever hope to sleep in, in a hotel.  (At least a hotel that is reasonably affordable.) Sadly, the Hampton Inns in Denver were not reasonably affordable at all.  BOO.  We opted to try our hand at hotwire.com and picked out a cheaper rate in the heart of downtown Denver.

Score.

We had no idea how close the hotel was to the venue, the Denver Coliseum, where auditions were being held - we just hoped it wasn't too far.  Fortunately, we lucked out with the location and how nice the hotel was. (The beds, however, not so much.  Lopsided, with crunchy sheets.  Very disappointed compared to our beloved cozy Hampton.)  But I did love the little bottles of shampoo, conditioner, and lotion:

Good Hair Day - In Good Condition - Peace Be Still

Fantastic marketing.  When I took this picture of the girls I thought it could totally be an ad for shampoo. 

They were nice and fresh.

And looked adorable, ready for this little adventure together.

(They thought they'd be cute and hold hands - knowing I would get a kick out of it.  I totally did.)

At the end of the audition day, they were a little less for wear.  It had been a really, really long day.

But after I took this picture, of these three happy faces, it instantly became

one of my new, all time favorite photos ever.

It makes me happy ... for SO many reasons.  I sure love these three.

(Oh, and then we went to McDonald's.  Of course.)

  

"hey mom!"

McCall and her little family were at Disneyland last week.  Her husband, Jared, snapped a picture of her snapping a picture. Whenever Libby picks up Logan, he gets a big smile on his face.  He always has.  Now add the hand raised ... I am dying at how sweet this is.  

I could seriously eat them both up.

That's a Wrap.

Sophie Corinne Wood

Alta High School Graduation

June 6, 2013

Utah Valley University

I don't know what it is about high school graduation day, but i love everything about it. There is a special kind of buzz in the air, and happiness abounds.  Especially for this little girl of mine.  Baby #5 had her day in the "sun" last Thursday and couldn't have been more excited.

The graduates had to be there early, so Sophie's friend Josie drove down with her and said she would save us seats.  Josie called me after they arrived to ask where I wanted to sit.  NOW. I have a very particular spot that I like to sit in ... seems a little odd, but I prefer the back of the arena, behind all the graduates, so that I can watch all of those glowing faces walk into the ceremony.  My very favorite pictures of the day are always the ones where my kids are walking down that tunnel.

When I first saw Sophie, and looked at her face, I thought, Oh my gosh, she is McCall.  I was looking at the same face I had seen when her big sister had walked down that tunnel ten years earlier! It was a little freaky.  Then I looked at McCall and said, "She is you!"

I turned back around to Sophie and as the Pomp and Circumstance March started to play, my eyes welled up with tears. This was it.





Libby and Logan joined us too and I was so glad they did.  Since Logan is the best baby on the planet, and pretty much the best baby who ever was, he did great.  He had his snacks and his pacifier so he was GOOD.  Libby, on the other hand, likes to go go go, so being quiet in a confined space is a little bit harder for her.  Thank heavens her mom thought to bring the ipad - except when Libby wanted the sound up really loud because she couldn't hear it over the noise.





With eight hundred and eighty two students in Sophie's graduating class, it was a really long program.  But a good one and entertaining.  We all got a kick out of what each student did as their name was read - being the next recipient to receive their diploma.

I would like to be posting a picture of the silly pose Sophie made when it was her turn, which was on the big screen, but we sort of lost track of her in the crowd, and I wasn't quite prepared with the camera when that happened.  (NOT happy about it - but I'm pretty sure I can purchase a copy of the picture somehow.)





Haley managed to get Logan to sleep for a brief 15 minute nap.  (McCall deemed her the baby whisperer.)

And then it was over .....

The end of an era for this mama, and the start of a bright future for this beautiful girl of mine.

Congratulations my little Did-Did.  
I couldn't be more proud.

My mom and dad were here from New York and got to attend three grandchildren's graduations.

(I know ... you wish you got to sit through three graduation ceremonies too, huh?)

McCall had a dermatologist appointment afterwards but didn't want to miss out on lunch with everyone, so we said we would wait for her.  But don't you worry about it ... we headed straight for our favorite place for a snack and a couple of diet cokes to tide us over in the meantime.  

#thegoldenarches  #partofanyspecialday

Seniors.

Sophie's high school had their "Senior Dinner Dance" on Friday night.  One of her best friends, Makayla, picked her up for the event.  These two girls have been friends for most of their lives.

And by most of their lives, I mean literally ... most of their lives!

Sort of takes the expression:  BFFL to a whole new level, doesn't it?

They grew up .... how did that happen?

Chloe Ray and Jennifer Love.

SO. 

Before I get off the subject of my little Scarlett Starlet, Chloe Ray - another actress that she has always, always, always reminded me of is Jennifer Love Hewitt. I can't quite pinpoint if it is their facial features (real cute, feminine), their mannerisms (girlie, quirky) or their body type (curvy, hour glass), but for years I have thought that. When I see Jennifer Love in anything - I think of Chloe.

When my girls were young, we used to watch the TV show "Kids Incorporated" all the time and loved it.  If you've never seen it, it was a teeny-bop sitcom.  The cast was a group of youngsters who were in a band together and would perform a couple of numbers during the show.  Jennifer Love Hewitt was on the show at one point, as was Stacey Ferguson, aka:  Fergie (she couldn't have been more than eight, and was so darling then) and Mario Lopez (he sure makes the rounds, doesn't he?).

When Jennifer Love resurfaced in other shows, there was just something about her (hmm, maybe the fact that she reminds me of one of my own) that drew me in ... I'm a fan.

Surely, I have mentioned this before, but Chloe is my daughter who is in pursuit of the Broadway dream.  Ever since that girl was little, she has loved to sing and perform and be on stage.  She is at her happiest when she is involved in some type of production.

Chloe recently finished a run of "Chitty, Chitty, Bang, Bang" at a local theater and her plan was to move to Los Angeles as soon as that show wrapped, BUT .... another little show called "Footloose" came her way, so she is currently living in Jackson Hole, Wyoming for the summer playing the part of Wendy Jo.

I miss her now, I will miss her like crazy when she moves to L.A. and then eventually New York, but I have always encouraged her to pursue her dream of musical theater.  (I told her I look forward to wearing a sparkling gown at the Tony Awards when she invites me.)

When Chloe was still a teen, she got the part of playing one of the wives in "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat."  They asked her to dye her hair black.  UM, NO!  I thought they should get her a wig ... but Chloe was all for it.  So she and her sister Haley, unbeknownst to me, went ahead and did it. Surprisingly, we loved it.  (Who would have thought?) She kept it dark for quite awhile too, and since then her hair has gone from dark to strawberry, to blonde, to brown, to strawberry and back to blonde.  (I think she's in the right profession - she can pull off lots of different looks.)

(Chloe and Jennifer as strawberry blondes.)

(Chloe and Jennifer as brunettes.)

(Chloe and her husband in her second run of "Joseph" ... wigged this time.)

(In "Chitty, Chitty, Bang, Bang".)

(In "9 to 5".)

(In the studio, as her silly self.)

Wigged or not, silly or serious, I absolutely  adore her.

#numberonefan

(Top photo and photos 1,7 and 8 were taken by the talented Keala Jarvis.)