Final Cast Photo

michael ballam gave jace sixpence as a reminder of his lines in the play.

Moving Day and Other Yucky Stuff

We didn't get to bed until late into the evening, actually it was after midnight, so technically it was the next day. There was a crazy party going on outside the apartments with all cast members from any show invited to attend. It was crowded and everyone brought out any leftover food that they were not going to be able to eat before they left to share with each other. There was hugging and a lot of talking about projects that were coming up next and a lot of exchanged addresses. This group of people that we lived by were such good people. I didn't have to worry about swearing, smoking or drinking for most of the summer and they treated the kids nicely. We shared meals with some of them, swam with others and helped some clean their apartments out on the last day. They have made a big impact in our lives and they will be our friends forever. It took us about 5 hours to clean the apartment and load all of our stuff before we could head to LeAnn's for a yummy dinner. Poor Maci had to fend for herself since she didn't eat her lunch when it was served and ended up finding a jar of Nutella that could hold off her hunger pangs.

Found the Nutella but no utensils to scoop it out with.....

We ended up leaving Jace and Olivia with the Call's for a week to play with their children. We couldn't talk Lyle into keeping Maci too:) We will meet up with them when they go to Salt Lake on Saturday to see a Josh Groban concert and pick up the kiddos. Sierra was invited to stay but has girl's camp this week and had to pass, much to her dismay. After dinner and a little visiting, we headed home and got in around 10:00 and then had to unload two very heavily packed vehicles. I wanted to wait until the morning but then decided that the help from Dave, Chad and D.J. would get the job done much faster. What a wonderful summer experience this has been! We've made so many new friends and reconnected with old ones, enjoyed the Logan 5th ward, explored beautiful, historic Cache Valley, learned a lot about the theater world and created memories to never be forgotten. This will always be a summer to remember.

Winding Down

Norman and Ruth Bacalla

Another three days of catching up:

Sarah Maddock

Thursday we had both shows to perform, South Pacific in the afternoon and Oliver that night. I bribed the little girls with the promise of Aggie Ice Cream during intermission if they could sit still for the first half of the play and they did such a good job watching South Pacific for who knows how many times. Norman and Ruth Bacalla and the Maddock Family from our ward all came up to see the kids in the shows. Brother Maddock is our home teacher and the Bacalla's are such good friends with our kids, they are real lovers of grandchildren. Norman has missed having Maci sit on his lap during sacrament meeting.

We made some great friends when we lived in Mesa, Arizona, the Eddins Family and have stayed in touch over the years. We've even taken family vacations to Idaho to see them a couple of times. They drove from Idaho to see Jace as Oliver. They came to the apartment to visit and share dinner with us before the play. Myrna and I visited about what all the grown kids were doing now while Roy taught the other little kids some swear words:) Just kidding. We tease him about being the man who taught our 3-year-old, Chad, how to swear. He enjoys kids and they sure love him and are attracted to him like metal to a magnet. The Oliver show was sold out for the evening performance so Sierra had to stay home and babysit the little girls, since I couldn't get them tickets. I didn't have a hard time finding an empty seat to sit in, even though there were only a few no shows.

Friday went we on a fun day trip to a swimming hole by the Call's house. We had to park our truck and walk about a quarter of a mile, down a foot path, over a railroad track and wade through a stream before we got to the spot. It was a beautiful, shady/part sunny spot that was lined with huge trees on both sides and it had 2 rope swings that swung out over the deeper spot in the river. It was at least 5 feet deep where the kids were dropping in. There were some cool flat rocks for skipping on the water and I even found a couple rocks that looked like a hot dog and a bun. The kids had a blast and Sierra was forced to drop into the cold water, even though she just preferred swinging back and forth on the rope. There was a little rope swing, just the right size for Maci, so she entertained herself by swinging her feet and bum into the water.

That night was a South Pacific evening show, the last one of the season and the cast did a fabulous job. There were a lot of impromptu lines and I was really impressed with how the cast helped one guy who forgot his lines, to get back on track by mentioning a key word in an added sentence. Jace and Sierra were right on track with their lines and song and with the exception of "bay" instead of "gay", their parts went well.
Saturday we went to the swimming hole again but this time, dad met us there on his way into town. He got a job in Draper, working for a company named Prosper and hasn't had the freedom to get up to Logan whenever he wants. We packed a lunch and played for a couple of hours. The Call's met us there once again and while the adults talked, the kids had fun swinging and trying to get Sierra to get into the water again. They would just stand on the bank and not let her back to shore so she would have to drop in after awhile of just hanging on to the rope. They were all trying to grab the swingers feet as they went by, trying to drag them into the water. When we got home, the Session family, from our Elk Ridge ward, came to our apartment to eat dinner with us before the show. We had a baked potato bar with salad. Olivia, Ethan and Rachel painted some pretty artwork while they were waiting for dinner to be done. The older kids watched "Soul Surfer", a movie about a surfer girl who gets her arm bitten off by a shark and goes on to become a recognized surfer. The Sessions are good company and we consider them dear friends. After berry pie and vanilla ice cream, they headed to the informance before the show and I had an hour to get ready. I packed a few boxes for them to take back to Elk Ridge with them, since Dave was afraid everything might not fit. It turns out that that was a good call on his part. They came by after the show and loaded their suburban with several boxes before heading home. The Call's also came to closing night with their children Hudson and Allie. Braxton and Mackenzie had already come earlier in the season so they didn't come but Sierra and the little girls went over to their house to keep Braxton company since MacKenzie was in Washington picking cherries for a job. LeAnn's oldest daughter Shey and her husband Dustin came and they all enjoyed the play and stayed after to take pictures and hug Jace.
Jace had to be dropped off at 5:45 for costume and make up one last time for his final performance of the season. It was sad to see it all coming to an end. Yvonne and Andraya drove up for the finale and stopped to eat a bite of dinner with us before heading to the theater. It was nice to have such good support this whole season. It is a long 3 hour drive from Elk Ridge and we appreciated everyone who took the time to fit us into their plans.
Jace had been plotting to do this since dress rehearsals but saved it until the last night of performances because he thought I would kill him:) Take a look....

Luther Billis (Stephanos), a rowdy sailor from South Pacific gets a large pirate ship tattoo before each show. They are kind of like cracker jack tattoos and go on easily. Jace came out to show me at the end of the show what he had done. I just laughed and snapped this picture. I told him that this would be the only tattoo he ever gets! I hope I was convincing:) He went home and showered it off because as it dried, it became taut and started getting itchy.

Three Days of Fun

A quick update for the last 3 days:
SUNDAY we attended church and then had a glorious nap afterwards. We went to LeAnn and Lyle's house for dinner and a slumber party, not something we do often. All of the kids played together and watched, "The Game Plan". Trying to get the boys to sleep was a joke, they wanted to "pull an all-nighter" but they stayed up shooting hoops in the boy's bedroom only until about midnight, thank goodness. LeAnn and I weeded the garden the next morning and then she made yummy baked orange French toast. We came home after an exhausting battle with the kids to stay longer.
MONDAY we came home to clean up the apartment, do laundry, and practice getting along with each other. We purchased tickets for some friends and family that will be attending the shows this week. For family night, we went on a cool bike ride to the Logan River Trail. It was beautiful and the paved trail was surrounded by huge trees, and a flowing river. Jace was the recipient of a bird's poop which landed on his leg, GROSS and also had a line of mud on his back from riding through mud puddles so fast. Sierra took a tumble on her bike just as we were about to end. She hit the bridge at the wrong angle which sent her bike flying out from under her.She got a little injury on her leg but was more embarrassed that a guy saw her fall. He asked her if she was o.k. but didn't really stop to help because he was jogging. Maci was a trooper for the most part. We rode two miles and listened to her complain about her back for most of the way. She stopped frequently to rest her aching back and pet any dog that we passed. Olivia is in need of a new bike, hers is getting to small and her knees hit the handlebars. The area was beautiful and we will try to get back there one more time before we leave. It is peaceful to hear the river water rushing by. On the way home, we looked at homes for sale and then enjoyed a breathtaking sunset.

TUESDAY I let the kids choose what they wanted to do since I had tickets to a different opera that night with Janet Rouse. They chose to go to the Logan Aquatic Center for the day. We got a discount because we were members of the opera festival and enjoyed 5 hours in the sun. I got a huge sunburn, so did Sierra on her nose. Everyone else fared pretty well. The water was the perfect temperature and the kids all had a great time. They played on the high dive, the twisty and drop slides, and Maci hung out in the kiddy pool. By the end of our time there, she was without a life jacket and going under the water a lot. I wish we lived by the pool in a warmer climate sometimes so that the kids would all be more confident in the water. We had super burritos for dinner and then I left for the opera, the kids watched t.v. amid a very messy apartment. When I got home at ten, we had a cleaning party, much to everyone's dismay, except for Jace, who asked what he could do next. I like not waking up to a huge mess. Everyone gladly went to bed and I'm sure, had a sound sleep.

More Sold-Out Performances

It is getting pretty risky to just wear my parent badge and hope to be able to get into a production and find an empty seat. Today's Oliver that I went to, I shared an over sized chair with another mother who had a boy in the play. And then at intermission, I found a seat that was vacant and made the switch to a chair of my own. The ushers were told not to let anyone with a badge in but because I was Oliver's mother I was able to squeak by. Thank goodness I have a connection to the star:)
Jace's primary class from our Logan ward came to see Oliver today and his teacher bought all six kids plus her mother a ticket. I know that wasn't cheap and she was so generous to do that for the kids. She said that some of them probably had never been to a play before and she was glad to do it for them. We made them little treat bags with goodies to eat during intermission. After the play, I took a picture of all of Jace's class from here with his teachers too. Sister Kandler said that they would really miss Jace because he participates so well in class and that he is just one of the most polite children she has ever met. She even bought Jace an Aggie ice cream to eat after the show was over. He felt very special to have his new summer friends show up to support him.

After the show, Sierra and I went on a date with the Conrad's, Melanie and Kazlie. We went to Olive Garden for dinner and then to the Don Giovanni play. It was in Italian with super titles in English above. The singing was wonderful. Rochelle Bard, the soprano has a glorious voice that is pleasant to listen to. She makes singing those high notes seem so effortless and she didn't seem to be straining at all. Jace and the girls had a water fight with some of the girls in the apartments and then got their fill of television while we were gone. It seemed as though everything went well while we were away.
Saturday morning came way too early for Jace and Sierra. They had been up late the night before and they were the guests for "Breakfast with the Stars" this morning. They had to be there at 8:30 to mingle and tell their stories about how they got to this point in their lives. I guess Sierra made everyone laugh by standing on a chair because no one could see her. Michael Ballam and Jessica Medoff were the other guests that came this morning to answer any questions people had for them. They both enjoyed this opportunity and the lemon poppy seed muffins that they got to eat.
We came home and cleaned the apartment for a bit and then Jace and Sierra had to leave to do a South Pacific matinee. We packed a lunch for them and then dropped them off and headed out for some fun. We loaded the bikes on the truck and went searching for a bike path along the river. We drove to Hyrum State Park but found that it was not what we expected and ended up at an elementary school in Hyrum instead. We had lunch there, played on the playground and then headed to the Willow Park Zoo and Park to ride around. A spinning toy kept Olivia busy for a good 1/2 hour, it was like a merry-go-round and Maci just played on the other stuff. She wanted to go on the spinning toy but it was moving too fast for her liking. We enjoyed riding bikes at this park because it was flat and had no bumps. When we ride bikes in the neighborhood, Maci is constantly stopping to get off her bike and pull it over the uneven squares of sidewalk. Because there are so many old trees in Logan, the sidewalks are quite bumpy from the roots pushing up the squares of cement and breaking some of them. Maci is nervous to ride over those, fearing that her training wheels will not keep her bike upright. She jumps off often so it takes us forever just to go around the block. At this new park, the cement was smooth and our ride was pleasant.
Tonight we went to the Call's for a BBQ and a visit. Lyle grilled hamburgers and hot dogs, I made potato salad and LeAnn cut up a watermelon. They are such good friends and the kids have sure enjoyed visiting with them. They all get along so well and we will all miss the friendships that have formed this summer. They will be the reason we come back up to visit Logan in the future. Only one more week and we will head home to a lonely dad, Chad and Hannah. We miss them and the kids are looking forward to playing with old friends before school starts. We will have to register for school when we get home and see what teachers the kids have been assigned. Something to look forward to.

Denzil Stewart Park and Foundation for a Better Life

On Wednesday, we went looking for a place to ride our bikes. We had been wanting to find a gorgeous trail to ride along and this was our big adventure for today. We followed a brochure map that we got from the Chamber of Commerce and found a little trail with kiosks all along the paved trail telling about what the area used to be like thousands of years ago. Apparently Cache Valley was under water at one time and that is why the soil here is so rich. No wonder everyone here has a vegetable garden. At the top of the mountain, we found tons of sea shells and the girls gathered up handfuls to bring home. We walked and Jace rode his bike along the trail until we came to an amphitheater  and then went on a short beautiful hike up the side of a mountain. The trail was covered in shredded bark, (I love that smell) and had hundreds of wildflowers along the path. The path was shaded and it was just heavenly to behold. Someone spends lots of time maintaining the trail because there were little ceramic frogs, butterflies and other garden ornaments all along the way. Near the top of the trail, there was an amazing view of the Cache Valley and the Logan temple. A house right there would have been magnificent. When we reached the top, we had traveled from the bottom of the nature park into a well-kept neighborhood with historic houses. We looked around on foot for awhile and then decided to drive the neighborhood when we got back to the truck. We played at a fun park that had a misting system for the kids to cool off under and then came home for some lunch.

It was still dark outside when I woke up the three smallest children to drive them all to Salt Lake City for Jace to do a commercial for Foundation for a Better Life. He had to be there by 7:15 a.m. and it takes an hour and a half to drive there so we left at 5:30 and made it two minutes before call time. I had the kids stay in their pajamas and sleep while I drove but no one really slept because Maci kept talking. They changed clothes in the car while I was driving and we took a couple of minutes once we got there to brush teeth and comb hair. With two minutes to spare, we arrived in the Avenues in Salt Lake (another place I would love living. The old trees and homes are so inviting to me AND the beautiful yards.)

Jace in the red ball cap with his crew from the commercial. Danna Wilson was also chosen to be in the commercial and it was fun to see her and her dad. Lynn played with the girls while the filming was going on.

I left Jace in the care of the crew, who dirtied him up and fed him well, and took Maci and Olivia with me to try and find a dollar store. We stopped by temple square and looked at all of the beautiful flower gardens and the girls stuck their hands in the water features there. We took some pretty pictures then continued our search for the dollar store.

We finally found one and went in a bought coloring books and crayons, a backpack for Maci to take to kindergarten and polly pocket rapunzel dolls. I needed some things to keep the girls busy during the day because I knew it would be a long one and Maci isn't one to just sit for very long. We headed back to the shoot location and didn't stay very long because it was time for lunch and the actors were the only ones being served lunch and the little girls were hungry. We went to Wendy's and grabbed some fast food which the girls ate quickly because the next thing on our agenda was the splash pad at the Gateway Mall. We came prepared with swimsuits and towels this time and the girls played for a couple of hours with no complaints at all.

The kids all got their own guest library card so they could play on the computers.

After we dried off and got dressed, we headed to the Salt Lake library on 400 South. What a treat!!! The children's section is one whole floor of the library with furniture just their size and lots of cubbies to sit and read in. Bean bag chairs and comfy, quiet  places to peruse through books were everywhere. It was excellent! Plus the had about 20 computers for the kids to play on, either on the internet, or they had a ton of educational games on the desktops of the computers for the littler kiddos. Soon after we got there we got a call, picked up Jace and returned to the library. The kids rode in the glass elevator where you can see all the mechanics of the elevator and look out at everyone as you travel up and down to each floor. I think that was the highlight for the kids at the library. We grabbed a bite to eat at McDonald's, all because it had a playplace and then began the long journey home. What a day! Glad it's over and now I'm going to shower and head to bed. It has been a long, but fun,  day. I forgot to mention that Sierra had tickets to a show called, Little Shop of Horrors, and chose to stay home and go to that. She really enjoyed the quietness and going to the show with Jeanette Blakeney, her new opera friend. They made pasta roni and ate caramel corn while watching a movie after the play. Sierra also forgot to water her plants and they looked dead when I got home. We will see if they survived her neglect:)

Family Night Barbecue and Caine Lyric Opera

On Monday we went school clothes shopping in shifts. Sierra and Maci got their turns last week, and Jace and Olivia got their turns today. We started out looking for pants for Jace since he seems to only have 2 pairs of shorts that he wears constantly here. People are going to think he only owns 2 outfits because he wears the same thing all of the time. We found 3 pairs of nice jeans and 2 pairs of shorts at D.I. for 2 and 3 dollars each. I had already purchased some shirts for him the last time I was in Elk Ridge so he is pretty set for school. We bought a couple of things at Walmart and he was done. Boys are so much easier than girls. He just wanted basic t-shirts. The one thing that he was a little picky about was a pair of skinny jeans. He was looking for black and we didn't find any so he is waiting for just the right pair before he buys those. He bought his own tennis shoes because he wanted to spend a fortune on them and was willing to use his own money to get what he wanted instead of what I wanted. They are pretty flashy skate shoes.
Next up was Olivia. She wanted to go to JCPenney because she saw the cute clothes that Sierra got there for school. She wanted to copy Sierra's shirt choices but I only let her copy one. Copying is the nicest form of flattery, but Sierra was not flattered. It was more like annoyed. Olivia likes sparkly and it was hard to let her buy glittery stuff but I did allow one shirt with many sequins and glitter. She was happy. I found all of the girls some cute shirts in the morning and then when I took her shopping, she found a few that were things she liked and feels good about her choices for school. She came home and showed everyone her new clothes. All of the kids are getting excited for school to start and to see their friends again.
For family night we were invited to the Conrad's for a Barbecue. The made sloppy joes and dutch oven Chicken Italiano that was delicious. We took taquitos and cilantro dressing and chips and salsa. A few of the actors and actresses from our apartments were also invited and we played just dance on the wii. After the actors and actresses left, we watched the new Karate Kid down in the Conrad's theater. It was really late when we got home and into bed. Maci was a nightmare at their house, not happy about much that was going on. She didn't want to eat anything but junk for dinner but wanted dessert so I had to insist that she eat dinner or no treats. She threw a temper tantrum during the movie so I made her sit in the truck and cry so we could hear the movie. I distracted her from crying by asking her if she wanted to come with me to walk Coco the dog around the block. She jumped at the chance because she loves Coco and ran practically the whole way around the block until we came to a huge St. Bernard that came running after us. I had to pick up Coco, yell at the St. Bernard to go home, and calm Maci all at the same time. Maci is a lot of work in case you haven't gathered that. I get advice from well-meaning friends and family all of the time on how to raise Maci but I've tried most of the suggestions I'm given and have decided that she is just her own person. I try to be patient with her, but sometimes she gets the best of me. I love the little dear and hope that in the end she will feel that she is loved and that I won't squash her spirit too much.
Today we took it easy in the morning, slept in and had breakfast at 11:00. I guess everyone was tired from all the activities on Monday. We did a little laundry, made quiche for dinner with some Ciabatta bread we bought at Crumb Brother's Bakery, Jace went to a play at the Lyric Theater to watch, "See How They Run" with Owen and the kids had their last art class with Janet and Owen Rouse (her 14 year old son) and learned how to do origami.

Janet does the artwork on the chalkboards at Crumb Brothers and she did the big front board in honor of Jace because she recently went and saw Oliver. She drew a boy holding out his hands and asking, "Please sir, I want some more". She also advertised on the board for UFOMT so that was a good plug for the company. Olivia also went to activity day at the church and got some hand-me-down clothes from Hayley Morrill, which she liked. We played several games of Egyptian Rat Killer but I never won. I'm just learning but slowly I'm getting better.
I forgot to mention that LeAnn came by today and hung out for 40 minutes. She has been having trouble with a tooth in her mouth since the beginning of summer and today the dentist tried to remove it but had a very difficult time. She was in the dentist chair for 2 hours. She had to go back a little later and didn't want to drive all the way home so she came over for a visit. While she was here, MaciLeAnn who was sitting on the couch. The biggest glob landed right in LeAnn's hair and she was such a good sport about it that she had all of us laughing our heads off.