Scout's Birthday!

Well, my Beantown Monkey turned 7 last week.  Man was she excited for this one.  She has had it planned for months and months.  I let her have party this year (I don't throw one every year, on partyless years I take her out for the day and we do a bunch of fun stuff).  She wanted to have a water party this time and that sounded fine by me.  She has a little plastic pool and I bought a Slip and Slide for the party and filled a bunch of water balloons.  We also had a pinata and played water balloon games for prizes.  But mostly they splashed in the water and laid on towels and did yoga (yeah, I know- weird).  I managed to keep them in the yard until the last 5 minutes, when they all wanted to go to Scout's room and see her horses.  I ran the whole party myself too, so I may have forgotten to take some pictures of the pinata and the games.  Eh. 

Scout requested the exact same cupcake cake I made her a few years ago:

I (politely) explained to her that is kind of lame and asked her if it would be ok if I just came up with a surprise that I knew she would like.  She liked that idea and I came up with something similar but different and she ended up liking it, so that was good.

I only had to make the tiniest batch of fondant and that made me really happy.  Lots of different food colorings though- but it went fairly fast and was kind of fun. 

 (Even though I didn't start until midnight.)

We served the cupcakes with ice cream sodas (raspberry sherbet, sprite and whip cream- with a pirouline cookie)  I tried to make the table look kind of elegant and grown up (ish) and the girl's were thrilled, so it worked out.  AND we only lost one of my inexpensive Ikea water goblets, and it may have been my fault (discovered cracked in the dishwater later).   There was only one second of drama, when Scout dropped her Zebra cupcake on the lawn and it was the last one.  I quickly took the zebra off her fallen one and switched it with an untouched tiger one and all was good again.  Not too bad for having 11 excited little 6 and 7 year olds around for an afternoon I think. 

Can I just share how much I am enjoying raising Scout?  When it comes to kids, she is like the whole ball of wax rolled into one.  She is obedient, smart, and funny.  I like how she isn't a tom boy exactly- she loves pretty dresses and pink, but she could care less about princesses and would rather pretend she is an elephant playing in the dirt.  She makes friends easily and is almost always willing to try new foods.  She still puts her foot down on Mexican food which I can't see her surviving in this family like that forever.  But she will always eat sushi and especially loves the fish eggs on top- so how can you argue with her?  Elle couldn't ask for a better big sister either.  Even though the promise of a sister for Scout didn't turn out the way we had all planned, she has totally rolled with it and embraced Elinor for who she is.  The doctor always gets the third degree from Scout when we bring her in, they are always asked what they are going to do to her, if it will hurt and if she is going to get a shot.  

She always lets me know if she thinks Elle needs something, or looks sad, when I ask them both a question, Scout will answer for herself and then will reply for Elinor too in a special "Elinor voice".  Yesterday they took a bath together (they never do that), and it lasted FOREVER!  The entire time, 20 seconds wouldn't go by without an Elinor belly laugh.  She was so delighted.  Scout washed her hair, splashed water in her face, did silly voices and Elle was just eating it all up.  I haven't heard her so consistently happy for so long in a long while- content- yes, actively laughing- no.  In fact, when I got them out the water was cold.  Neither one seemed to mind, silly little things.  

Anyway, I am SO proud of Scout and just love her so much.  I seriously couldn't ask for a better kid.  Love, love, love you baby girl!

Thought I would post a few pictures of her, then thought about how I have all my favorite pics of her in an album on fb, so if you click here you should be able to view them with or without an account and this saves me a lot of time and hassle.

Alright, here's one of her I love that isn't in that album

Bonnaroo and Regan

A few weeks ago, Rob got invited to go on an overnight fishing trip with a friend.  I told him that he should go, it would be fun (it wasn't, but that's another story).  The only thing that made me nervous about this was that I knew I was going to see The Exorcist (for the first time ever, on the big screen no less) a couple days before he was to leave.  I started wondering if that was a wise thing to do.  I went anyway and it didn't scare me as bad as I thought it might.  (More on that whenever I get around to my what I've been watching post).  Friday came and Rob left, I took the girls out for rice bowls at Rumbi's.  Scout went to bed kind of early and so it was just Elle and I.  Elle, I and a live streaming Radiohead concert at the Bonnaroo Music Festival!  Elinor and I had a great time, the light show was right up her alley and Thom was in such a funny mood.  The concert was a lot of fun, and Thom hinted at a Radiohead/Jack White collaboration (!!!!!!!!!!)

At some point we switched to the laptop (better sound)

Lola joined us after a while

Suck face signaled the end of Elle's concert experience.

While watching I was also texting with Matt while he was watching and I was also chatting with B on facebook.  It was like we were all at the concert together (well sort of, I was lying on my own bed- which is kind of nice too).  My neighbor Charity was also chatting on facebook and by "chatting" I mean she was doing her best to scare the crap out of me.  I had text her earlier that if I come running into her house wild eyed at 1 in the morning it was because Rob is gone and I just saw The Exorcist.  She told me that she and Josh have a king sized bed and I would fit comfortably between them.  What I didn't know was Charity's fiendish side when it comes to scaring people.  She kept reminding me that Regan was most likely watching with us.  She also asked me if I knew the weird looking guy that had been standing outside my house staring at it for the last half hour. 

No thanks to Charity or our hall light that decided to flicker (seriously?- there is light flickering action in the movie) I totally made it without freaking out (and Josh and Charity woke up that morning without 3 additional people in their bed).  I even slept with the lights out- I was proud of that.

However, I made Lola sleep by me.  She stuck around me that night way more then usual.  She slept on the floor by my side of the bed during concert watching time and she has never done that.  She has her own chaise in Elinor's room which is the only piece of furniture she is allowed on, and she pretty much spends her time sleeping there, so it was strange for her to be on the floor there.  Maybe she sensed that she was wanted or maybe she just missed daddy.  After I put Elle to bed however, she took her place on her bed and I got into mine and decided I liked having her there.  So........ I dragged the cushion off her couch and put it next to my bed.  She was in heaven.  She loved it and stayed there all night and I was happy too.

Onwards and Upwards

Elle has graduated from this:

To this:

(Man I look tired!  Perhaps I should have taken the picture at the start of the hike instead the end...) 

I borrowed this backpack from my friend (and next door neighbor and taunter-of-scary-images-at-night-when-Rob-is-out-of-town-just-to-freak-me-out) Charity. 

 I Loved it and Elle loved it and now I need to get me my own.  

I wonder if they make any of these that fit 4 year olds......  

Perhaps I'm not going to want her on my back when she is 4 though.  

Maybe I'll just need to get into better shape.

Remember this?

This was our hike up Timpanogos Cave

One of the best pictures ever.

Knives Out

Last Friday, Radiohead was in Toronto to do a show at Downsview Park.  A few hours before it started, during some last minute sound checking, the roof of the stage collapsed.  Radiohead's drum technician Scott Johnson was killed.  3 others were injured.  It happened an hour before fans were let into the park and after the band was on stage doing their sound checks.  The concert was immediately cancelled and people who drove hundreds of miles, and had been waiting 7+ hours to be in the front row, all had to turn around and go home.  People as excited as I was to see their first Radiohead concert aren't going to be able to see them.  It's an unspeakable tragedy.  It is horrible for all involved.  After first hearing about it, those first few hours I couldn't help thinking about what could have happened if this had occurred during the show- it made me shaky.  It's such a horrible thing.  I am so sorry for Scott's family.  I'm just sick about it.  I thought about it during that whole night.  I worried about how Thom was doing.  I just felt like this would really affect him badly.  I even thought about all those beautiful monitors, and all of their equipment and guitars-  it had to have been totally destructive to all their stuff.  Not that it matters much in the face of death, but it still plagues my thoughts.  Everything about it is horrible.  The fans that were there, for the most part are being so amazing about their disappointment.  I think back on my feelings the hours before my show in AZ and can't imagine something like this happening.  

 Where were you Radiohead gods?  

Statement on Dead Air Space on Sunday:

We have all been shattered by the loss of Scott Johnson, our friend and colleague. He was a lovely man, always positive, supportive and funny; a highly skilled and valued member of our great road crew. We will miss him very much. Our thoughts and love are with Scott's family and all those close to him.

Philip

No word from the band since this statement.  They are scheduled to play in Italy next week and no one knows yet if they are cancelling the rest of the tour.  I wouldn't blame them if they did, it was a horrible thing to have happen not to mention the devastation of their equipment.  But I hope they pull it together and come back.  It would show a strength and love that would be amazing to see.   What a concert that first show in Italy would be. 

I just want to tell Thom, Jonny, Colin, Phil and Ed that I love you guys- I feel like this happened to friends of mine- it effected me the same way.  I am so sorry for your loss and I support you in whatever you decide.  RIP Scott, you were amazing at your job.  Hope you are at peace. 

I actually made this post for the purpose of showing this video:  (then decided I should say a few words about what happened)

The Flaming Lips happened to be playing a free concert that night in Toronto.  Many of the RH ticket holders ended up there.  As a tribute, they did a cover of Knives Out.  

What an emotional performance!  Wayne could barely sing and couldn't finish. 

Wayne- you're awesome. What a classy thing to do.  

What's up with your giant fur scarf?

*********Update************

They just announced today that they are rescheduling the European dates, and those dates will be posted in about a week.  Nothing about rescheduling Toronto though- hope they do something for those poor fans (but maybe not at Downsview..........).  

Read their official statement here.  There is a little bit of info on their equipment damage.