Fresco #1

“Fresco #1” is Hunter’s ID for Pageant of the Masters. He is the man on the lower left cutting something with a saw. He went in for his fitting, and unfortunately I’m not allowed to take pictures of anything behind the scenes, so I can’t show you how it went. The fitting consisted of trying on a pair of pants and a shirt made of canvas. The canvas will be painted by an artist to match the original painting. He was also fitted with shoes and a “headdress” of canvas that will be painted as well. In talking with one of the costume designers while we waited, she told me how this is so different from any other job she has had because the costumes are painted and need to look two dimensional when they are finished. Everyone was so friendly and nice and didn’t seem to mind that I had brought my other three girls along for the fitting. I really think this will be a fantastic experience.

Apparently, Hunter’s painting will be the first one in the second act, and disassemble somehow in front of the audience. So cool! Hunter is scheduled to be on stage for 30 of the 60 performances and so I’m sure we’ll become very familiar with the drive between home and Laguna Beach.  Emma has been very supportive of Hunter in spite of her own disappointment at not being called. She is excited because we were told there is a patio with games and snacks for the cast and their families while they wait their turn. But it’s not the games and treats that are the pull for her. It’s knowing that sometimes there are last minute problems and substitutes are pulled from the patio.  So although all parts have been cast now, she is hoping that she’ll be able to stand in for someone at least once. I’m crossing my fingers for her too.

Name Game

After seeing Mel’s great post with information on baby Hilly’s namesake, I was inspired to let my kids know why we chose their names:

Hunter– I babysat a cute little boy named Hunter, and loved reading the biography of Howard W. Hunter. He was a great man and I would love for my son to look to him for direction.

Robert – Chosen for his dad (obviously), and Pappy, and both of Rob’s grandfathers. The tradition lives on without having the title of “the third” in his name.

Joseph – This was my grandfather’s first name and is also for Joseph Smith the prophet. Both were men of integrity with strong convictions and personality.

In Rob’s family it was tradition to give everyone two middle names. We decided to do two middle names for the boys and one for the girls since they will gain an additional name when they marry.

Emma– We loved this name and agreed on it before we knew Hunter was a boy- In large part because we loved the story of “Emma” by Jane Austen. When Hunter was about a year old I was driving down the road when the thought came to me almost as if someone was talking to me, “Emma is waiting and ready to come.” I came home that day and told Rob that I knew we had a daughter named Emma coming to our family.

Elisabeth- This is the name my parents originally meant for my middle name. My great-great-grandmother in Germany on my mom’s side was named Elisabeth. Because I was born by emergency cesarean and my mom was still groggy from medication when the nurse pressed her for a name, I became Amy Lisa. Only afterward did my Nana tell my Mom that Elisabeth was called Lisa by her friends and family.

Hannah– We were getting very close to delivery and could not find the right name for our baby girl. At the time Keira and Brooklyn were at the top of the list, but we both were still not sure. I asked Rob to ponder it on the last fast Sunday before I was due and let me know of any revelations. He heard someone in the ward talking about their daughter Hannah and it just seemed right. I had always liked the name, but never brought it up because I thought it sounded so similar to Emma.  In the end, we followed Rob’s inspiration and chose Hannah.

Brooklyn- Both of my mom’s parents (who passed away before our children were born) were born and raised in Brooklyn, New York.

Sabrina– The day before my scheduled cesarean, Rob and I were putting names on pieces of paper and drawing them to determine the winner. But since neither of us could leave things completely up to chance, this helped only to narrow things down to either Gina or Sabrina. Rob favored Gina because of it’s Italian connection, and I favored Sabrina because it sounded sophisticated and was also the name of one of my best friends in junior and high school. Rob told me I could make the decision because I had a difficult pregnancy with her; and well, he felt sorry for me. After she was born I was leaning toward using Gina and told Rob. He asked, “Are you sure?” and I answered, “…I don’t know.” Then shortly after I decided that Sabrina was a better fit for her, and we never looked back.

Isobel- Chosen for Rob’s grandmother who was born in Scotland and raised in Ireland.

Every name fits each child perfectly, and we love our kiddies all so much.  Each one came to our family with special talents and gifts that are unique to them and it is a great blessing to be their mother.

Welcome to YW

Today I was called to serve in our ward as the first counselor in the Young Women presidency.  I haven’t been a part of YW since I was in high school, so I am really excited! I meet tomorrow with our YW president to discuss my responsibilities.  So far I know that I will be spending a lot of time with the Mia Maids (age 14 & 15) and that the advisor (teacher) I will work with is fantastic. I feel a bit like I’m playing house right now, and wonder if I’ll ever feel like a grown-up.

This is a huge responsibility that I have been given.  I know it will take a lot of time, but also be very rewarding.  I feel like the teen years are the most important in discovering who we are and how we will live out our lives. I am so grateful for the organization and doctrine of our church that has such an emphasis on the success of the children and youth with the Primary and Young Women/Young Men programs.

I really feel like this church embodies the idea of “it takes a village to raise a child.” I recently had a conversation where we discussed how great it was growing up knowing that there were other adults (besides our parents) that felt responsible for and cared about us. And now as a parent, I have been so appreciative of the Cub Scout program for Hunter.  There are adults who care enough about him to teach him and make sure that he stays on track to fulfill the requirements of his den each year.  It feels more important to Hunter because he is getting encouragement from these adult leaders who show such dedication to him.

I recently had my friend’s children over to play while she worked on preparing a talk for sacrament meeting. She happens to serve in the Primary presidency and spends a great deal of time preparing to teach my children. So if I support her needs, she is better able to serve my children. It is such an amazing cycle to me. I will undoubtedly need help with my children while I plan or attend YW activities, and I know that there will be someone there to offer help. This turned into a bit of a ramble, but I believe the gospel of Jesus Christ has service at its core. I am a better person because of the requirements I have placed upon me as I serve. What a blessing.

March Up Tos

– I paid the $90.00 ticket for talking on my cell phone while driving. I was talking to Hunter who was home alone to let him know I was running late so he wouldn’t worry, 30 seconds tops… Of course a cop was sitting there ready when I turned the corner.

– Hannah and I went whale watching with her preschool class and saw some beautiful whales and dolphins. She and her friends had the most fun barking at the seals though.

– Rob found an as-is large screen TV at auction and we picked it up for a good price. Then we discovered the color was off and that this model was part of a class action lawsuit requiring the company to replace faulty parts. Fortunately for us, the parts were on super back order so they offered to replace ours with a brand new flat screen plasma TV. This is by far the best deal we’ve ever stumbled upon. We had a movie party on Friday night, and there will be many more ahead I’m sure!

– I worked at the Calligraphy/Hornbook station for the 5th grade Colonial Day. We practiced writing with feathers and ink wells.  All of the 5th grade classes spent the whole day dressed in colonial clothing, and doing colonial things: whittling, square dances, buzz saw toys, corn husk dolls, quilting, embroidery, tin punching, painting… It was a lot of fun for me, and for Hunter too.

– Emma took a mini-drama class and played the part of “Baker” in The Gingerbread Girl.  She did a great job remembering her lines and looked so cute. Our girl sure loves to be on stage.

– I finished my beginner Photoshop Elements class and passed the final with a 97%. I haven’t really had time to do much with what I’ve learned yet, but hope to soon.

-The transition, after the boundary changes, into our new ward has been great. We’re all happy and still doing our best to keep up with our friends who are now in other wards.

– Rob got a new calling in the ward. I can’t tell you yet what it is yet, but he’s a little nervous. I know he’ll be great! Our new bishop assured me that he has a job waiting for me, but until then I’ve been filling in the gaps while our new ward is staffed (nursery, sunbeams, and leading music-the toughest so far-).

– I tallied laps at the school Jog a Thon and let me tell you, it’s no easy task when they’re all wearing the same t-shirt! I told my four kids they had to give me a high five every time to make sure they were counted for each lap. They all had fun running, dumping water on their heads, and eating popsicles afterward.

So that’s the gist of what we’ve been up to this month. Here’s hoping that April will be a better blogging month. I have some March photos in the gallery now too.

Hi-cup

Have you ever tried to get your kids to take you seriously when you have the hiccups?

“Come on guys it’s time for ch-u-ores.” No movement. “Hunter, get u-i-up and clear the kitchen coun-huh-ter. Emma, do you think I’m kid-up-ing? Go empty the dishwa-a-sher now-hu-ow.” I can’t help but smile at how ridiculous I sound.

So then they were laughing at me. But they were also doing chores so I guess it worked out all right.

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

Well it’s official.  Our ward boundaries were changed.  The whole stake was realigned because we had two giant wards, and three little ones. I wasn’t too worried about it until last night when we had the big meeting. They began by showing a sense of humor and also their faith in God’s will for our stake by having us sing, “I’ll Go Where You Want Me to Go.” When the hymn was announced, there was a nervous rumble of laughter throughout the congregation as we all sat in anticipation of what was to follow. It was a great meeting with our stake leaders who were inspired in their decisions. They explained the process, and it is pretty complex, involving matching up the numbers of women, men, youth, children, and infants so that every ward is about equal. That is followed by paperwork and various approvals etc., so it was not an easy process for anyone. On the ride home we went through the names of friends in each of our kids’ primary classes. A large majority of them are in another ward now. Since we don’t live near family members, the church ward becomes like surrogate family, filling in the gaps that are left open between visits to and from family. So we are all sad to know that we won’t get to spend as much time with most of this “family,” but we’re trying to be optimistic about the new friends we will make and how our circle of life experiences will continue to grow.

It seems that no matter how hard we try to get our family in a stable situation, change always catches up with us.  For us it seems to come in two year waves. To brainstorm our history I wrote up a timeline:

1996- Married – Moved into our first apartment in Provo

1998- Moved to a fourplex in Provo – Hunter was born

2000- Moved to a house in Provo – Emma was born

2002- Rob accepted to Law School – Moved to North Carolina

2004- Hannah was born – Accepted a job and moved to Los Angeles

2006- Sabrina was born – Moved 6 houses down the street

2008- Accepted a new job and moved to Orange County – Hunter & Emma started at a new elementary school

Now- Just when we were starting to feel permanent someplace, our ward boundaries were changed, we don’t know our new leaders yet, and we feel like we’re starting over again in many ways. (I’m not complaining, but still am mourning the “loss.”)

If this is what happens on our down year, I’m pretty nervous about what might be coming for 2010…