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Show Week

This week was "Show Week" at our house - that means we all spent a lot of time at the High School! Each fall the high school puts on a children's theater production and this year it was "Sideways Stories from Wayside School" - a popular children's series of books. Cali had the part of "Leslie" a cute girl with pigtails. Leslie has a problem though - she can only read upside down! So her teacher solves this problem by having her stand on her head to read. Wayside School is a crazy school - including a teacher who turns children into apples, a mysterious 19th floor that doesn't exist and there is also a boy named Myron who sits behind Leslie and loves to pull her pigtails. Leslie screams everytime he does - there is a lot of screaming in this show and Cali was pretty hoarse by the time the last show was over!

Monday and Tuesday were dress rehearsal. I went to watch and take pictures (took over 900 photos) which I then came home and downloaded and edited down to about 450. I helped with hair and costumes backstage too. Wednesday they performed twice for area elementary schools and I took more photos (because 900 isn't enough!). Thursday was opening day with a matinee at 4:00. Jim was out of town so missed it (Seattle)but Tessa and grandma and grandpa were there as well as all the neighbors. Jim arrived home from Seattle just in time for the Friday evening performance, Tessa chose to go to the football game. Saturday was a wild day - Cali had to be at the school at 6:45 a.m. for the choir to go to a morning workshop where they sang, they rushed back to the school for the matinee and then the evening performance - no wonder she was hoarse! Tessa ushered at the evening performance. We then hosted the cast party at our house from 9 p.m. until midnight.

I had worked at the bridal show Saturday morning at the convention center with our Creative Memories booth so missed the matinee show but hurried home to get ready for the evening performance and the cast party - thank goodness for Costco. I sent Jim to Costco Saturday morning - we served lasagna, garlic bread, salad, mozzarella sticks and brownies - the kids managed to consume most of the food and had a great time dancing, playing board games and playing with the Wii. It was a long day though - getting up at 6 a.m. and not getting to bed until about 1 a.m. - I am too old for that I think.

Tessa spent most of Saturday at the dance studio - from 9 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. in class and rehearsal for their holiday performance of La Boutique. In between class and rehearsal she takes her homework and goes down to Starbucks , eats her lunch and does her homework. Thanks to Clark (he recommended them) - we have discovered Pumpkin Spice Steamers at Starbucks - they are SO GOOD. I don't like Pumpkin but they really don't taste anything like pumpkin - YUM!! I've got both the girls loving them now too! Tessa enjoyed one during her break on Saturday.

Sunday morning started early with a Mia Maid Class Presidency meeting at our house at 8:30 a.m. - fortunately I had made cinnamon rolls a few weeks ago and had put a bunch in the freezer so I just pulled those out for the girls.

Wednesday night Tessa and I went to the temple with the YM/YW to do baptisms. I had some family name slips from Tamara that Tessa and some of the other girls were able to do which was nice.

It was a busy Creative Memories week - with several training calls, a team webinar, the bridal show and then another webinar training this weekend. In addition to that I had a board meeting for American Mothers on Friday - I was tired and ready for bed last night at 8:30 p.m. (thus no blog entry last night)!!

I can't forget the "Boy Update" this week:

Clark - took a date (their second date)Friday night to a haunted house and then spent the rest of his weekend studying - what a good boy! He has a big Spanish test coming up he is getting ready for. Thanks to Aunt Tricia for feeding Clark and his roommate Tyson on Sunday -Aunt Tricia - Logan would like me to remind you that he is also available for Sunday dinners :)

Logan - sounded really tired on the phone yesterday - he had a wild week. In addition to writing his 3 articles for the Daily Universe this week and his other school work he made a day trip down to St. George with the YA's to do a show. Shayla's parents came and took him out to dinner while he was there. The YA's also performed for the "President's Club" These are indivduals who all contribue a minimum of a million dollars a YEAR to BYU! They are gearing up to open their show in another week so rehearsal is getting pretty intense!

Logan and Shayla also went to a haunted house this week - guess it is that time of year. After rehearsal on Saturday Logan was able to take in the last half of the BYU football game - in the snow!

Logan called earlier in the week to tell us he had had one of the most harrowing experiences of his life. He had gone into the news room to hand in an article. Next week Supreme Court Justice Roberts is coming to BYU. In preparation for his visit an interview had been set up with Federal Judge Thomas B. Griffith of the US Ct. of Appeals who is a member of the church. There was a specific date and time for the interview and Logan happened to walk into the news room during that time and no one was doing the interview so he was handed the phone, the recorder was started and he was told to do the interview - he had no prep, no warning and really knew nothing about the man.

About a couple minutes into the interview the Judge realized it was being recorded and in all the confusion Logan had not told him - he basically told Logan he was insulted that he hadn't been told he was being recorded and the interview was over and he was hanging up. Using his improv skills learned in drama Logan apologized to the judge, explained the situation to him (new reporter, last minute assignment etc.) and thanked him for his willingness to do the interview, for his example, paving the way for those who come after him etc. - The Judge continued with the interview and in an email to Logan this week told him to stay in contact! Logan said he was drenched in sweat by the end of the interview but pulled it off! Guess he is meant for this PR stuff!! When Logan told his teacher what happened his teacher even admitted they would have just hung up - Logan saved the interview!

Hope everyone has a great week - we are looking forward to getting a bit more sleep this week!

Kids Say the Darndest Things!

Well, we all got a good laugh last night - as soon as Cali told me what had happened she said "Don't put it on the blog" As soon as Tessa heard what had happened she said, "You've got to put that on the blog!" Well - with Cali's permission I am putting it on the blog!! Want to hear??

Cali was making a phone call to our neighbor to let her know she wasn't able to babysit. The neighbor wasn't home so Cali was leaving a message. At the end of the message Cali said, "In the name of Jesus Christ...." realizing what she was saying she hurried and said goodbye. Well we all just howled! It was SO funny. Cali was a little embarassed but she laughed too.

After I got to thinking about it I was grateful - I was grateful that those words come so easily to Cali's lips. Each morning as she gets up and each evening as Cali goes to bed if you were to peek into her room, you would see her kneeling (sometimes on top of the bed, sometimes on the floor) saying her prayers.

Two years ago Cali was in an automobile accident and a 40lb. stereo speaker smashed into her head giving her a bad concussion. They say that when someone has a concussion that they will say some pretty wild things (that their true personality comes out) well, on the long ride to the hospital (they were turned away by two different hospitals because they were full , it was Friday the 13th and a full moon) Cali kept saying over and over again - "we need to say a prayer, we need to say a prayer." Her friend who was with her (an LDS girl) would say a prayer with her. As soon as they would finish she would repeat her request - "We need to say a prayer..."

So I am grateful that the words "In the name of Jesus Christ..." come easily to Cali's lips - even at the end of a phone conversation! I love you Cali!!