happy father's day

I think Kim had a great day! It included homemade cards, a SodaStream, the U.S. Open, a dish of 7-layer dip, and burgers on the grill. But if you ask him, I'm sure he'll say his favorite part was this: 

If you guessed that this was Lauren's idea, you are correct. She came to me a few days ago and said, 

"I know what we should make Dad for Father's Day!" 

"Yes?"

"A FUZZY CELL PHONE CASE." 

I must have given her a quizzical look, because she immediately launched into a how-to: "We could get some pompoms, the NEON kind, and glue them all over the case." I laughed, but I knew she was onto something. On an errand to the craft store I spotted the pompoms and brought them home to three very happy girls who quickly went to work. The results exceeded their expectations, though this photo suggests the prototype might need a little work.

Lauren is not dissuaded. Thanks in large part to the confidence and entrepreneurial spirit her father has instilled in her, she's announced a plan to trouble shoot and mass-produce her fuzzy phone cases in a new Etsy shop! The large crowd of people who gathered around Kim and laughed hysterically in the church lobby will be pleased to know that they, too, can have a fuzzy phone case of their own, 

unless . . . 

June 21st

As I packed lunches for the last day of school, I announced to Audrey that today is the first day of summer. I heard Ella shout, "WHAT? Today is the 21st? I MISSED the SUMMER SOLSTICE SUNRISE? Aww, man. I told myself I was going to watch that this year."

two hoop circus

Ella and Lauren did a hula hoop show tonight. The cash register was set up at the top of the stairs. I chose my seating -- floor or sofa -- and was given the appropriate Memory tile, along with a ticket with a number and letter, and a tape name tag.

I took my seat and the announcer (Ella) informed the audience (me): "Welcome to the Hula Hoop Show! Please turn off all of your automatic devices." She glared at me, then shifted her eyes to my phone.
"Let's pretend I did."
"Okay . . . Also, babies must be on your lap at all times, for their safety." I pulled Kate onto the sofa. "And, please, do not try any of these tricks at home. We're trained experts."

Ella performed the right-handed lasso twirl, followed by the left-handed lasso twirl, then the double-handed variety and several quick switches from hand to hand. Very impressive. While she performed she gave step-by-step instructions, which were actually very good, and occasionally added, "FEAST your EYES upon ME!" It was awesome.

When she finished her routine she announced, "And NOW, Lauren is preparing her A-MA-ZING stunt!" She leaned toward me and whispered, "Don't worry, it's not dangerous." Lauren fearlessly took the stage and performed her daring feat -- hula hooping bareback.

It was all so classic. I love these girls and their shows. I wonder how long they'll go on, and hope I'll use every one of my season tickets.

sweet & sour

Last night Ella spent 10 minutes trying to convince me to let her quit piano. At the end of it she left the room and said, "I'm writing poetry! That's what I do when I'm upset."

Today I found a piece of paper in her room that reads:

What kind of mom is mine
If she doesn't let me choose what I do with my time.
I might be as sour as a lime.
So leave me alone.
And let me go home.

Whatever helps her feel better for tonight's practice is fine with me!

cocao kudos

Ella's palate has surprised me before, like the time she asked, "Mom, did you put more vanilla in the cookies this time?" after I accidentally poured an extra teaspoon into the dough. She surprised me again tonight.

She spotted my stash of Ghirardelli's dark chocolate squares and asked if she could have one. I let her try a "Twilight Delight," imagining she wouldn't appreciate the bitter 72% cacao variety. She nibbled it and immediately said, "Hmmmm, it has something like raspberry to it." Sure enough, the package describes the flavor as having "mocha, blackberry and dark cherry notes throughout."

I just thought it was bitter.

very punny

Today at breakfast we had the conversation again. Ella asked, "Mom, is there any chance we could get a gerbil?"

"No."

"Why?"

"Because gerbils stink." Lauren offered a solution.

"We can keep it outside!"

"In the heat and the cold?" I asked.

"We can give him an ice cube in the summer!" Lauren chimed.

"And in the winter," Ella smiled, "We can give him gerbil tea!"

monday

Tonight I helped Ella correct her homework and apparently corrected her one time too many. Pushed her right over the edge and she launched into this monologue:

"Why does it have to be perfect everyone wants everything to be perfect first Dad this morning about the B on my test and now you with my homework and today in P.E. while we were running Mr. Turner said, 'Why are you touching that boy?' but I couldn't help it because it was so crowded and we had to have a TALK and Sam said, 'WHAT THE HECK?' and I had to dance with Ben and I hate dancing with Ben because he has a huge mole on his hand and I had to touch it the whole time AND because he's been in my classes since kindergarten and he always pulls up his shirt and dances the macarena." She let out a sob, then paused long enough to wipe tears and blow her nose. "I'm not ready for third grade."

seminary blessings

Kim started teaching early morning seminary recently, as the scripture mastery teacher who teaches on Fridays. He loves it, which is great. But what has me excited are the "seminary blessings" our stake high councilman and our ward's former seminary teachers keep telling us about. The blessings are different for everyone, they've explained, and they're very real.

I wasn't so sure this morning when Kim accidentally woke up the girls while getting ready to leave and I found them awake with their bedroom light on at 6 a.m. I told them they could either go back to bed, read, or play quietly until 7, when I would be getting up.

Imagine my surprise when I woke up later to see Audrey at my bedside, completely dressed for preschool with her hair done. Curious, I walked downstairs to find Ella and Lauren both dressed and ready for school, and apparently working together to put things away in the kitchen. "We did our assigned reading for school. And then we had breakfast," Ella told me. "And scripture study. And I packed the lunches."

I told them how amazing they were, how much I appreciated them, and how happy they'd made me, and then I hugged and kissed them until I was certain they'd had enough. "It was fun, actually," Ella beamed. "We're just practicing for when the baby comes."

Seminary blessings, indeed.

stocks

We found these in "London" during our super fun day at Busch Gardens. Perfection.

Isabella Moore

Over the summer Ella announced that when school started she wanted to be called Isabella. I told her I was all for it, but asked her to really think about it to be sure.

As we walked into her classroom on the first day of school I asked her, "Are you sure you want to be Isabella?" She smiled.

"Yes."

So, I introduced her to her teacher as "Isabella Moore" and explained the change. It was no problem for her teacher, but something tells me it still may take awhile . . .

spokane summer 2011

Well, they've done it again. Grandma and Grandpa Humble have managed to pack a whole summer of fun into three weeks. The girls have:

Ridden the carousel

Played in the Riverfront Park spray ground

Shopped at the mall, and the Mercantile

Visited Manito Park's gardens, greenhouse and playground

Had lunch at the Park Bench

Fed the seagulls

Checked out books at the library

Picked glorious peonies from Grandma's garden

Pulled weeds to earn money for gleeful trips to the Dollar Store

Enjoyed delicious dinners on the deck

Slipped and slid down the hill

Camped out in the backyard

Watched deer and spotted wild turkeys from the windows

Visited Fairchild AFB and saw the planes Grandpa used to fly

Covered the driveway with sidewalk chalk

Blown lots of bubbles

Slept with the windows open

Gone horseback riding at the Powells

Run around in a real backyard!

Played with the neighbor's dogs

Eaten homemade ice cream

Watched movies

Seen a movie in the theater

Picked strawberries on Green Bluff

Helped make jam

Baked cookies

Painted pictures

Slurped root beer floats at A&W

Watched grandpa fly his airplanes and helicopter

Played at the park

Swam at the pool

Walked the hills with Grandma

Visited Coeur d'Alene Lake

Played with visiting cousins

Learned a new song . . ."Do, Re, Mi" (and performed it over, and over, and over)

Told lots of jokes at the dinner table

Left their footprints in a concrete stepping stone

and last but not least . . .

Taken lots of baths in the "bubby tub."

Grandma and Grandpa, thanks for making so many memories with us! We love you.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

baptism

A lot of planning went into Ella's baptism, mostly on Ella's part. She planned her program from beginning to end, inviting Grandma and Grandpa Humble to give talks, and asking Lauren to sing "Baptism" while she accompanied her on the piano. Ella felt excited, but nervous, and a little unsure of how it would all come together. She wasn't the only one.

Fortunately, we had lots of help. A great seamstress made Ella a pretty white dress to be baptized in; Miss Ashlee, Ella's piano teacher, helped her learn her music; Grandpa Humble and Kim printed the program; Grandma Humble made almost 100 cupcakes; and good friends volunteered for other tasks.

About 50 people came to the baptism, and a lot of them were kids -- most of whom were tired after a busy Sunday, and less than reverent. But as I watched Ella sitting on the front row, her attention was fixed. She listened to the talks and really seemed to appreciate the importance of her special day. She played the piano beautifully, and Lauren sang like a bird. (I was so relieved!) Their performance was enough to amaze the children into silence.

Soon, the moment had arrived. I stood at the stairs to the font and watched as Kim said the baptismal prayer, lowered Ella into the water and then raised her up, as new as the day she was born. I wrapped her in a towel, dried her off, and slipped her into another pretty white dress. As I braided her hair and tied it with a ribbon I said to her, "Well, you're as pure and clean as you've ever been. How does it feel?" She had a quick answer, "Cold." But when I turned her around to look at her, she smiled up at me and I could see it in her face. Her sleek hair, bright eyes and rosy cheeks glowed with it -- the light of Christ.

We rejoined everyone, then Ella received the gift of the Holy Ghost and a beautiful blessing from Kim. There were lots of handshakes and hugs, followed by cupcakes and congratulations afterward. It was a special night, and one that I hope she'll always remember with joy.

Well done, Ella! We're so proud of you and the decision you made to be baptized. We love you.

xoxoxo

prelude

Ella requested some help getting ready for her piano recital. She asked me to paint her nails and curl her hair. And she shyly suggested that maybe she could wear a little blush. And maybe . . . some lip gloss? I was happy to oblige.

We sat at the dining room table and painted her nails a pretty pink that Ella commented made her fingers look like flower petals. Then we went upstairs to the bathroom where I took a deep breath and made my first attempt at styling Ella's thick mane with a curling iron. I sectioned her hair into three ponytails, each one of them with enough hair for any seven-year-old girl. Curling all of it took about 40 minutes, and Ella opted to pass the time with a Real Simple magazine from my nightstand. I watched her read entire articles with titles like, "Modern Manners: How do you ensure that the office won't bother you when you go on vacation?" and "Life Lesson: A mom bids a fond farewell to carpooling." My favorite was when she, while surveying Father's Day gift ideas, laughed out loud at how each of the featured alma mater-style gifts was from a school with a team in the Big 10 Women's Golf Championship.

After an hour of pampering, Ella's requests had been granted. She looked as beautiful as ever, but felt a little extra special. She was ready for her solo.

This photo was taken after the recital, when her heavy locks had lost most of their curl.
The ringlets were so pretty while they lasted!

essays

Ella had some free time at school today, so she wrote a couple of essays.

Pretending by Ella Moore

Pretending is using your imagong going be ond your drems. You can be a pirat, a mouse, a chef, a host, a factore worker, a princec, a super hero, a indan and much more. Some of your wildest dreams can come but you need the right tools. Not the kind of hamer kind of tool. The stick and ball kind. Pretending has come from cave man to cars from acent Rome to Obama. Pretending has came a long way. My sisters and I have done a lot of pretending. Still a lot of peopel pretend dayly. It is still a comen thing. Some games have pretending like Srades and Who am I. I like prentending. The End

Golf by Ella

Golf is a sport. It is very fun to play. But it is hard. First you learn abot the game. You learn about the profesonels. Then you get clubs. Then you learn the swing. The swing is very crucil. If you miss a move the ball will go in the oppuset direcson. If you are a pro and you tap the ball a teny bit it conts. Each hole has a par. A par is a estemet of the emout of hits. Let's say the par is 5 so if a player gets the ball in the hole in 4 shots he gets a eagel. If he gets the ball in the hole in 5 shots it's a . . . par! If he gets the ball in the hole in 6 shots he gets a Bogey. If he gets it in the hole in 7 shots a dobel Bogey and so on. My 3 favrote players are Tiger Woods, Fil Nicelson and KJ Choy who just won the PGA tore. I am going to a tornemet too in June. I will be abel to see my favrot playres ther and I will be happy! I wont to be a pro when I grow up and my dad will be my caty! The end.

fine print

As souvenirs from Arizona, the girls each got a geode with instructions that read:

So you think this looks like an ugly rock? Well, break it open and see what Mother Nature has created -- beautiful crystals in all colors and forms. Use care opening. Leave geode in bag and tap gently with hammer to open.

The girls and I sat on the driveway while each of them took a turn opening their geode. Ella started out by "tapping gently" but soon turned to hammering with all her strength. After two or three minutes without success she turned to me and asked, "Somewhere on the instructions are there tiny letters that say, 'Results may vary?'"

breakfast table

The girls surprised us by setting the table for breakfast and even making toast! I don't know which part is my favorite -- the single strawberry on each plate, or the yogurt pyramid.

early recruiting

As we drove to the grocery store, Ella asked me, "Mom, do you think I get can into BYU?"
"Sure," I told her, "if you do your best and get good grades."
"But I heard it's getting really hard to get in."
"I don't think you need to worry about it."

It was quiet for a minute while she thought about her chances, then said, "Well, I guess if I don't get into BYU I can always go to college in my pajamas."
"What?"
"You know, college in my pajamas. On the internet."
Lauren decided to help me out, "She saw it on TV."

Which made me wonder, are they really airing online college commercials during episodes of Spongebob Squarepants? Phineas and Ferb? MythBusters?

TLC

Ella wasn't feeling well today and stayed home from school. She rested in bed most of the morning, then brought me a piece of paper, rolled up and tied with ribbon. "What's this?"

"My lunch order," she said quietly, then turned and went upstairs.

I opened the scroll:

oster crackers

red gater ade

a good book

I love that girl.

the most awesome board in the world

Ella did a biography project on Dr. Seuss recently, and loved it. She researched the life of Theodore Geisel and created a display board that she presented it to her class. She did a great job, and I was really proud of her.

The night Ella practiced her presentation Lauren asked, "Can I do . . . an introduction?" And then she gave Ella the most enthusiastic and sincere introduction she could have imagined. I love it. And I know Ella did, too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTUbnjntz7M

sock hop

The girls look forward to Taylor Elementary's Annual Sock Hop every year. It always has a fun 50's theme and lots of great music. This clip is a little long, but I never get tired of watching it. Lauren's got moves. (And I love watching the girls' reaction to the show off! Classic.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pt5969v0HZg