A sneak peek...

The girls could not decide between angels and princesses, so they're both. Here they are just before the ward Halloween party:





I have Elizabeth's hair in rag curlers for tomorrow, since she gets to wear her costume to school. I thought she looked lovely with her hair in 'curlers':



We'll see tomorrow if it turns out. :)

Beautiful girls:

A new smile

Here she is!



The family at the pumpkin patch:



On the swings...



Lovely girl:



I love this picture:



Oh, alright. I know what you all want to see:

Angela...

...can READ.

She is sounding out every word she sees and reading the books her sister brings home from kindergarten.

I don't know how we're going to fill the next TWO YEARS before she starts school. She will have no use for it when her turn finally comes.

But I love it. I can't wait for her to start reading chapter books (like her sister is doing already). I know she will get lost in the worlds open to her then.

So far, this is my favorite part of parenthood. The abundant love of literacy is wonderful.

8 Things Tag

Thanks to Melissa for the tag!

8 TV shows I love to watch:
1. Heroes
2. Lost
3. House
4. Project Runway
5. What Not To Wear
6. Top Chef
7. The Colbert Report
8. Scrubs

Of course, now that we no longer have cable, I'm limited to what I can Netflix. That means I'm focused on the first two only. I don't watch much TV anymore, despite the fact that I was able to come up with 8 shows I enjoy.

8 Things I Did Yesterday:
1. Drove the kindergarten carpool
2. Went to the gym
3. Had FHE with Than and Susie (and it was awesome! Thanks, guys!)
4. Washed the clothes, and then...
5. Procrastinated putting the clean clothes away
6. Helped Elizabeth with homework
7. Made dinner
8. Contacted a far-too-long lost friend

...And I didn't do everything I meant to. In fact, my list is even longer.

8 Things I'm Looking Forward To:
1. Fall weather
2. Going to SLC to do some family history research
3. Attending births this fall
4. Having fresh-baked bread in the house again
5. Going to Zion NP now that the weather's perfect
6. Popcorn and movie night with my husband
7. Getting my doula recertification
8. Watching the latest Heroes episode

I have a LOT to anticipate, with both large and small delights.

8 Things on my Wish List:
1. Besides those millions of dollars? Um...
2. An awesome, affordable home near my daughter's school
3. That dinner turns out well tonight
4. More peace in my home and self
5. Success at the FHL
6. Endless patience with my children
7. To finally finish Pride & Prejudice
8. Good birth experiences for my pregnant friends and clients

This was a difficult list to populate. If only my desires were more tangible!

8 People I'm Tagging:
1. My mother
2. My sister
3. Susie
4. Cynthia G.
5. Cassie
6. Amber
7. Telsha
8. Jenny

...and anyone else who reads this and wants to snag it. Enjoy!

And what does "amazing" begin with?

Here is a series of pictures of Elizabeth's ABC project. She took Angela's preschool book and thought of one word for each letter, wrote the word, and then drew a picture of it. I thought it was fantastic and took a picture of each page.

Click below to go to the album with all the pictures. Oh, Elizabeth commandeered the camera and took the pictures of Angela near the end, and the last N page is Angela's own work. She spelled NO, drew an egg, and then wrote EGG.

ABCs

Daddy's girls

What rhymes with "Nantucket"?

It's that time again,
Time to show our skills are mad:
Game night proves they are.

On Sunday night, Than, Susie, Mandy, Lance, and myself were in attendance.

For those unfamiliar with the creation of these masterpieces, let me explain. For game night, we usually get one piece of paper per person and write the first line of a haiku (5-7-5 syllables) or a limerick ("There was a young man from Japan," etc.), pass them on, write the second line of our neighbor's, and so on, until all the poems are finished. The results are usually clever and occasionally brilliant.

Here are the best poems, in my opinion, from our latest game night:

Limericks
It's a shame that "Mother's" went under
Buying all those shares was a blunder
My house has foreclosed
It might be bulldozed
And what sweets can console me, I wonder?

My roommate is wearing a dress
I think he's had too much stress
Brewskies galore
Now he's on the floor
And he looks kinda hot...but I digress.

Haikus
Sweet ringtones galore
And I found the perfect one:
"Ding-a-ling-a-ling!"

There's gold in them thar
Thick and sturdy molar teeth -
transplanted wisdom.

Big banking's fizzled
The subprime market's collapsed
Death comes unexpect--

Big River at Tuacahn

I didn't know very much about Big River, the Huckleberry Finn musical, that was introduced during the fall run at Tuacahn. Earlier this year I read the Mark Twain book for the first time and I didn't care too much for it -- it was boyish and episodic. So I went into Big River last night as a big skeptic.

My expectations were exceeded, so much so that I nurse a biting regret that it took me so long to see this show. We have less than two weeks until the close of the 2008 season; Big River closes on October 17th. I wish I'd seen it sooner, so that I could recommend it to everyone, and see it again myself.

Kevin Milnes' Huck Finn is energetic and optimistic, and absolutely endearing. The score is fantastic: a mix of Americana, gospel, country, and bluegrass. The plot has more heart than the book I remember, and it's more poignant and relevant. It is epic, without even trying, without being overblown.

But the very best things are:

• Jay Pierce, who plays Jim, is nothing short of phenomenal. This man is a fierce actor, but he is also an amazing vocalist. When he sings, I cannot even breathe, because his voice is so enthralling. This man's talent is truly transcendent.
  


• The river. The Tuacahn stage was built to be flooded, and they create a river onstage that is breathtaking. The water comes down in a series of drops from the hills behind, then courses out onto the stage towards the audience. It is a rushing constant stream, several inches deep at its peak, and it is a stunning sight.

My very favorite moment in all of theatre is here, during the song "Muddy Water," a duet with Huck Finn and Jim, sung on a raft, when the river water makes its appearance. I don't know how they guided the raft, but it was flawless and simply astonishing. The two strong male voices, mixed with the gush of running water, is thrilling. There is no other place this could be duplicated.

If you want to hear Jay Pierce's magnificent voice, here is a clip of him singing with the Trans-Siberian Orchestra:



If you're in the St. George area, or will be in the next ten days, GO to Big River.