A Conversation with Piper

Lowell and Piper (age 10) bought something that came with coupons to use when you become a return customer.

Piper said, "Wow, dad we better keep these!"

"Why?" he asked.

"ummm...hello? The economy!?" she replied.

Raclette

Piper's favorite dinner: Raclette. It is a traditional Swiss meal that is based solely on cheese.

garnishes and cheeses

You grab what you want and put it on your plate. Then you place what you want to melt/heat up in the little trays. They go in the Raclette oven to be broiled into cheesey heaven. The top of the over is an griddle and the underneath part is a broiler.

You can put lots of garnish or just plain cheese

Lowell did and egg...it takes longer but it's good!

Slide it all off and on to your potatoes and enjoy. This is one of those meals that even when you are so full you're about to burst you wish you could keep eating it.Please pass the angioplasty!

10 Years Later-Happy Birthday Piper!

Piper is such a good girl. She is brilliantly smart, thoughtful and creative. She sings in the choir at school and goes to activity days with her church class. She is talking art lessons at the moment and is doing very well. I've enjoyed watching all the little pieces of personality come together to create this unique kid! We love you Piper!

Happy Birthday Piper! How can you be 10 years old?!??

Have 10 times the laughs
and 10 times the cake
and 10 times the good times
that birthdays can make.

Have 10 times the fun
that you usually do,
'Cause today is that day
that you're 10 times more you!
-Hallmark (this was in a sweet card she got from Gramma Mary and Grampa Read)
Piper's been taking art lessons and here is what she's working on. She drew the picture above based on the photo below.
For her birthday dinner Piper picked Raclette. It's a traditional Swiss meal--we'll have photos tomorrow but here is the cheese I drove 40 miles to get for it yesterday. This is $44.00 worth of cheese--seriously. She definitely has her dad's taste!

The Tooth Elf

A very, very sad thing has occurred at the Stewart home. Piper "found out" about the Tooth Fairy. Julia lost 2 teeth this week and the first night Lowell and I totally spaced the whole thing. (I wish I could say this was the first (or last) time that we have forgotten our toothly duties but it would be a lie.) Since Julia was up at about 6 am and it was still dark I told her all about how night wasn't officially over until the sun was all the way up while Lowell snuck down to "take care of it".

2 days later when she lost the other one we did the exact same thing again! We are so totally up for nomination for the lamest-parents-on-earth award. Good grief. So this time Julia comes up and says, "I know the tooth fairy has until 7 am to get here so I'll just go check after 7." "Yeah!", I say as I wink at Lowell and he sneaks off again. Well this time Piper followed him and caught him mid act: pillow in one hand, money in the other, guilty look on his face-the whole bit.

Not one to think up lies at the drop of a hat like yours truly he just looked at her and said, "Ummmm......Don't tell Julia" I say he gave up too easily but she took it well and feels like she's in on a big secret now. She did however tell Julia that the tooth fairy was male, had a mustache and a beard and glasses. Hmmmm....good one Piper. So now Julia insists on calling it the Tooth Elf and has a pretty good idea of what's going on.

I guess I'm a little sad/mad at myself that this little secret got out. My mom was much better at keeping these important parental secrets than I. She still insists that the Santa that visited me as a 3 year old was the one and only. Oh well right?

(this is not my husband)

Magic Nuudles

Have you seen these? Magic Nuudles are cornstarch building block type things. They are tons of fun, cheap and biodegradable.

School Tradition: Dance Festival

Our schools end of the year tradition is a dance festival. Each grade level performs a dance and since each grade does the same dances each year the kids really look forward to all the dances they get to learn. They have watched the older kids perform over the years so they really want to learn that next dance.

This year Piper learned tininkilling, a traditional dance from the Philippines.

Julia's class danced to 'The Lion Sleeps Tonight' where they hunt lions to keep the school safe.

3rd Grade Inca Play: Ledgend of the Corn God

Piper and Mitrian (it's a Viking name) are best friends and they are becoming a bit notorious. They were both cast as wood people in the play their class did for the culmination of their Rain Forest unit. See the rain forest they made in their classroom? P& M play people made of wood who are not too bright. Very cute though!


Their teacher, Mrs Nelson, is one amazing woman! She really goes above and beyond. She expects a lot and she gets it! Piper has grown leaps and bounds this year under her. Piper is sooooo sad that 3rd grade is over. I am crossing my fingers that Julia gets Mrs Nelson next year!

School Art Show

There's really nothing like a kids art show and our school does a really fabulous one. Every kid has multiple pieces done in the styles of all the great artists. Here is Julia and her tribute to Paul Klee.

Julia's Da Vinci-esque self portrait, complete with backwards signature.

Piper's impressionist flowers.

Last year Piper's self portrait was chosen to be framed and hung in the school lobby.

Moab Arts Festival 2008

About 7 years ago Lowell and I decided at the last minute that we wanted to go somewhere on Memorial day weekend. We ended up camping in Moab during the Moab Arts Festival (MAF). It was so much fun that we have gone back every year since. Now I usually go with good friend Traci and her kids. The kids really look forward to it and it's become something of a 'schools out!' tradition.

A little early morning hike at Sand Dune Arch in Arches National Park. If you've never been, it's TOTALLY worth the drive and for the record this is the only 'hike' on the driving route that's really worth doing with little kids. It is so beautiful, shady and really fun. Our big girls are probably ready for something harder but it's still a favorite.





Moab's Swanny Park has a cool skate park so the kids brought thier scooters this year. They were rather impressed with the older boys that were doing all kinds of cool tricks with their bikes.


One of the major contributors at the MAF is Wabi Sabi, they do a children's art booth with all kinds of free activities for the kids like face panting, tie dye, puppet making, a magician, to name a few. Julia had her face panted like a Geisha.

And of course there are a handful of carnival 'rides'.

The new favorite: The sling shot!

Over all: a super fun day! See you there next year??

Wordless Wednesday: Photos from Gramma's Visit

Piper at the Hershey Track

Mitrian and Piper ran the 50 meter dash this week at the school track meet. Piper was a little nervous because it was her first time running in it but she did well and had fun! She also did field events: the soft ball throw and the long jump. Good Job Pipes!

Something to talk about!

I don't think anyone with kids will be surprised at this.  I have to share a link (click here to read the story that inspired this post) that has changed my heart. I have read about a 'change of heart' in the scriptures before but I never knew what it was. I thought it was a way to act or a way to behave and that if you did it all long enough God would change you into that person that you had been pretending to be.  I know now that it's a gift.   It's something involuntary that makes you see, feel & experience everything differently. I think I have been waiting for an experience like this my whole life--I've been waiting to feel something so strongly that I am a different person just for having felt it.

When both Piper and Julia were born I vividly remember a feeling of complete euphoria, I was so overwhelmed with love and responsibility and gratitude for them.  I tried several times to write them letters as a babies that they could read when they were older. I tried to capture how much I love them and how intensely they changed me--I tried but it's impossible, there aren't words.  

When we were at Chloe's birth, the joy and bittersweet emotions ran high.  There is such a presence in the room when a child is born.  When that child is a literal gift to you from God and earthly birth parents, the experience is unbelievable-the joy is palpable; the pain of the birth parents is tangible.  Again, I have tried several times to write something for Chloe that tells her a tenth of the privilege I feel to be her mom, that explains how much she was loved by her birth family and eagerly awaited by us.  I just don't have the emotional maturity or the writing skills to get it right.

When Hazel was born it was such a great day.  After all those years of wanting to be pregnant, then all the months of worrying about her condition it was wonderful to finally be at that day and meet my little miracle.  I was terrified of what might happen but knew that I was in love with her, I also knew that my heart would go head over heels the minute I looked into those little eyes and our souls said 'hello!' for the first time.  After all the worry and fear and waiting I needed that so much.  I needed to know she was mine and that I was meant to be her mom.  The most surprising part was when I finally got to hold her at 2 weeks old, I thought I would be an emotional mess.  But I wasn't, it was the best day, it was the purest joy I have ever felt.  It was like I'd finally found my missing piece.

Well for all my attempts at letter writing, I've never gotten it quite right but this lady has and although our stories have different endings, I share many of her sentiments about the pregnancy and birth and mothering.  I wish I were as far down the path of faith as she is but she inspires me and that is a good thing.  

Happy reading.  Think of my girls and of course all of your own sweet daughters.

Better Late Than Never...

Piper's Birthday Interview

A few favorites:

Color:  Indigo

Food:  Hamburgers & Pizza

Movie:  Meet the Robinsons

Treat:  Marionberry Ice cream

Book:  Ella Enchanted (the last one she read)

TV show:  Fetch and Arthur 

Song:  The Mexican Cooks Song (one she wrote herself, soon to be debuted on the blog)

Subject at school:  writing

Place to visit:  Disneyland

Holiday:  ALL the holidays

Thing about 3rd grade:  that her classroom is a portable

Questions:

What is the coolest thing about you?:  My hair, Gramma calls me Rapunzel

 

If you could change one thing about yourself what would it be?:  I'd dye my hair lighter blond (insert giant eye-roll from mom here)

Where would you go on a trip?  NYC

What will you be when you grow up:  For my career I will be an illustrator and artist, my skill will be doing hair and my hobby will be skiing and ice skating.  (we've put some thought into this then I see??)

Do you want to get married?  Yes, I want to marry someone cute with short, dark, straight, spiky hair.  He'll be an inventor and very smart and nice and not scared of his own kids. Also, green eyes & no unibrow!  His name will be Spencer.

Do you want to have kids?  Yes, 2 boys and 2 girls.  The boys will be named Simon and Jonathan and the girls will be Jane and Claudia.

What kind of a car do you want to drive when you are a grown up?  A purple convertable

What are the best things you've done this year?

Got baptized

Had a picture in an art exhibit

Learned all times tables 0-12

Read 1 Nephi

Wrote a song

Learned snowboarding and ice skating

Turned 9!