Willow Park Zoo and Date Night with Manda

Had a fun day off with the all the kids. We went to the Willow Park and Zoo which was small but very fun. They had a scary aggressive peacock that jumped right up on top of the four foot fence when Amanda played back the call it made when we got close to the baby peacock. She recorded it on her iphone and when she played it back, it got all nervous and started looking around for another bird. The zookeeper said that the peacock occasionally flies out of the pen, but he has never seen it attack anyone before. It was a beautiful day at the park afterwards and as usual, Maci had a new friend that she was exchanging phone numbers with. We came home after playing for a bit and made lunch and then I went to do laundry at the laundromat and take Sierra to get an eye examination for contact lenses while the others stayed here to nap and watch a movie from the library.

Sierra did such a good job putting in and taking out contact lenses that it seemed like she had done it before when really this was her first time. We had potato soup and Red Lobster biscuits for dinner and then Amanda and I went on a date. We walked around the historic district on 100 North and Main St. It has a bunch of old homes that have been converted into cute little salons, coffee houses, diners and little boutique type places. There is a bicycle shop that I need to take my bike to to get the flats fixed so I can ride with the kiddos. I think I'll do that in the morning. After walking around, we went to a little restaurant called Angie's and got a hot fudge brownie sundae that seriously could have fed all of us for $6. Amanda and I barely made a dent in the thing. We had a good talk about marriage and important stuff that young adults talk about. Amanda is a fun girl to hang out with and I'm glad she is here. She will be staying in Utah about 3 more weeks before heading back to New York for her new nanny job that will only be 5 minutes away from Wadi. She really loves him and is excited to get back to him. They haven't been together since May 28th so it will have been almost 2 months by the time they get to see each other again.
Tomorrow's practice schedule is from 5:00 pm to 11:00 pm, which is such a bummer because the firework show is at 9:30 or ten ish. I'm hoping that the director will let all of the little boys go early to see the fireworks but I guess that will depend on how well they're doing. Either way, Amanda or I will go with the other kids to see the display while the other one waits for Jace.

Oliver Dress

This morning was the dress rehearsal for Jace as Oliver. He had to be in the wig and costume shop at 9:00 a.m. At 9:30 he had to be miked and onstage for a fight scene. From there he had another fight scene and then had a little break before the full cast came to get dressed around ten-thirty. The curtain call was at 11:00 and we made it just in time to see the performance begin. It is such a cool show with the costumes and scenery. On Friday we will see it all put together with orchestra, scenery and costumes. Can't wait. He worked til 3 and then had a 2 1/2 hour break before going to the sitzprobe for 3 hours tonight. The sitzprobe (for those who are as clueless as I am) is a practice with the orchestra for the singers. They just sit onstage, not in costume and then stand and sing their part in the play while the orchestra accompanies them. They work out any bugs that may be there and get a feel for how the performance is going to go. All the extra music that plays in the background while the actors are going from one place to another is synchronized and timed to perfection so that everyone knows on what note they are to take a step in a certain direction or lift a cup when the drum starts to play. It was very precise and interesting to watch the maestro orchestrate all of the details. A lot goes into making a production this grand into a work of art. So excited for Friday's dress.
We stopped at the library to get Jace a book to read while he has down time during the scenes. He chose the Last Olympian in the series he started reading in school. He also chose out some movies to watch at home when he has down time. The Logan Library allows Festival members to have library access at no charge and has proved to be a fun place for the little girls to play on the computers and for the older two to get their fill of reading material. I've even checked out some gardening books to browse through while I'm here.
The best thing that happened all day was that Amanda drove up from Elk Ridge to spend some time with us. We are so glad she came to add some excitement to our lives. She arrived just in time to watch "So You Think You Can Dance" and we got to watch some of the remaining performers. She was nervous that she wouldn't get here in time after I gave her some bad directions. I told her to turn on 400 South and we really live off of 400 North. My bad.
Sierra designed a swimming suit today and we got most of it done tonight. I'll post a picture after we add the shoulder straps and fix the bottoms. It turned out cute.
Today while Olivia, Maci and I were watching Jace, Sierra stayed home and enjoyed the quiet apartment for a short while. Her friend Kazlie Conrad took the free city bus to get to our apartment. The girls decided to go and cash Sierra's check that she got from Grandma Doris so they took a city bus to the bank but when they got back on, it took them quite a while to get back home. They had taken a wrong returning route and had to wait quite awhile to get back to the transit station. They decided just to walk the four blocks from the station to our apartment, not trusting their routing skills. They made fettucine alfredo for lunch and then we all went to the park. Olivia and Jace went to the Conrad's house to play in between practices and we hit up JoAnn's fabric to get another piece of lycra for Sierra's swimming suit. Fun but busy day again. Tomorrow is our day off of South Pacific and Oliver so we are going to do something fun with Amanda. We might go swimming or maybe hiking. Who knows?

South Pacific Dress Rehearsal

This was the big day for Jace and Sierra! The two of them started early with a wig and make up call, followed by a costume and mic call. The rest of the cast was ready to go at 11 and the curtain went up. They are in the very first scene dressed in their native clothes. They look like island kids with their big bright floral print dress and skirt for Jace. They sound so cute singing together and the acting itself is very entertaining to watch. I took Maci and Olivia and they sat and watched attentively for over an hour. We didn't stay the whole time because we needed to make the kids some lunch and take it back to them. They stayed until 3:00 and then we came home and made some cinnamon rolls for the long practice tonight. The rolls were well received and then we even took some to our new neighbors that just got here from New York. After that, the kids stayed home and watched a movie and I went to garden for a couple of hours at Janet Rouse's home. She is a single mom with one teenager left at home and is an art teacher at the junior high here in Logan. Her garden is overrun with Johnson grass and morning glory but she has watered well for the last two days and it is coming out beautifully. We hope to be done weeding by Friday of this week and have the garden in by Saturday.
Olivia went to her first achievement day with a friend she met in this ward. She even went to play at her house for a couple of hours before achievement day started. She had a good time with Hayley Morrill and enjoys having a new friend. Maci is working on being more obedient and is having a struggle with that principle. I thought if I could bribe her with gum (her most favorite thing in the whole world) that she would respond in the way I wanted her to, but she is not cooperating thus far. She did earn two pieces of gum in one day but today was not so good. She can be so stubborn at times and just insists on doing things her way. The kids asked her to come out of someone's apartment and she wouldn't listen. They didn't know what else to do and the apartment owner finally carried her out and sent her home. I made her go to bed early (10:00) because she wouldn't obey the kids tonight when they were watching her. She didn't like that at all and cried for longer than I thought reasonable, so I sat on her bed and explained why it is important to learn to obey when you're young. As a parent, you never know how much of what you say is sinking in but I hope she picked up something from my endless yakking tonight.
We are having a mosquito problem here, anytime we're out after the sun goes down. Sierra had 4 mosquito bites in less than fifteen minutes last night and is not happy at all. We looked for some stuff to put on them to take away the itching but the herb store here didn't carry it. We've put in a request to Dave to get some ointment for our relief. The temperatures here have been in the high 80's, low 90's during the day but the nights are tolerable, probably somewhere around 65ish would be my guess. Another beautiful day in Logan.

First Day Singing with the Full Orchestra

This was an awesome day for Jace. He had his first rehearsal with the full orchestra today. He walked into the band room and sat down in a row of chairs along the wall with the other principals. He was called to the front and introduced by the maestro, who had to ask him how to pronounce his last name correctly. "This is Jace Salcido and he is our Oliver this year. Don't let his size fool you".  They gave him a microphone so that the orchestra could hear his interpretation of the music and follow his lead (instead of the other way around). The musicians smiled at him and then at the maestro's cue, they began to play a beautiful introduction to the song he has been practicing for weeks with just a piano. The members of the orchestra focused their eyes on their music and the maestro, but when Jace began singing, a few of the members just looked up and had big smiles on their faces. It was so thrilling to hear Jace really feel the music he was singing because of the background instruments that were playing. The orchestra adds so much more feeling to the pieces that are sung. After he finished his song, he came over and whispered to me, "That was SO fun!!"
We had a lot of little errands to run today and by the end of the day we had finished with most of them. I helped a woman in this ward garden for  a couple of hours this morning and then came home to get kids up and out the door to practice. We bought a new allergy medicine for Jace because he has been so stuffy here and blowing his nose constantly. He has even resorted to stuffing toilet paper up his nose when it's really drippy and yesterday when we were on our walk, I had to teach him what my next door neighbor used to do when he was outside without a kleenex. He would put one finger on one side of his nose, bend his head over toward the ground and then blow air out through the open nostril, sending a stream of snot to the ground. Boys are so gross! Jace didn't quite get the hang of how to do it properly so we'll be washing his Sunday shirt soon:) We're going to try Zyrtec for kids and that may eliminate the need to perfect this skill.  Sierra and Jace both have a long day ahead of them tomorrow, starting at 9:00 in the morning and going til 9:30 that night. Jace has a dress rehearsal on Wednesday that will take up most of his day.
The kids went on a bike ride today up to a house that we have been looking at. It is two blocks from the Logan temple, has a beautiful grand piano, a jacuzzi and two stairways leading downstairs, but other than that, it is pretty old. We were mostly just looking for fun:) although I really do love this beautiful place and have told Dave I wouldn't mind moving.
I found a great bike at D.I. today so that I can join the kids on their rides. Dave took the other bike I was using back to Utah County because I couldn't get the tires inflated and got really sore the first time I went riding but I decided I needed to persevere a little longer. This would be a great family activity when we get back to Elk Ridge.
Tonight we went to the mall to exchange some shoes that Sierra bought today. She ended up with two completely different shoes for some reason. As we were walking in, Maci was trying to hold Sierra's hand and Sierra kept batting it away. Maci put her hand down, looked straight ahead and said, "Stop it Sierra, you're embarrassing me." We got a good laugh out of that.
It is becoming warm during the days here in Logan. Our apartment managers installed a window a/c unit today and boy I hope it works. It seems so tiny. Apparently the pioneers didn't care if they were sweaty because many of the homes here are built without air conditioning.

Sunday at the Logan 5th Ward

We love our Logan ward. There are very friendly people in this ward and we had a lot of people come to introduce themselves to our family. The kids found their classes and met their teachers and classmates. Sierra is excited to go to youth conference with this ward because they are going boating at Bear Lake. Jace met the 11 year old scout leader who seems very on top of activities and Maci and Olivia left with phone numbers for new friends. Olivia wanted to sing in the ward choir so she asked me to go back with her at 2:00 for the practice. There was one soprano, 2 altos, 2 basses and 3 tenors. It was a tiny little choir with an enthusiastic choir conductor. I am going to try and recruit these opera people to come with me on one Sunday to choir practice to blow the choir conductor away:) I've had one say that "yes", she would come. We went for a long walk along the logan canal in the evening still wearing our church heels and so we all had sore feet when we got home. After showers we made a triangle and gave each other lotion foot massages that felt so good! What a lovely Sunday it was.

Oops! We missed a few days

So we were waiting for the pictures to be emailed of our golfing adventure but they haven't come yet so we will post them later. We have really had a lot of fun the last two days. We got to go to Willard Bay to play on the "beach" on Friday. The kids got done practicing around 2ish and we drove the 45 minutes to our sandy destination. We bought some snacks and water toys at the local Dollar store and Walmart and we set out to have some fun. The kids were all looking forward to this tropical day in the water because the temperatures have been hot here. When we arrived and got out, we were so disappointed because there were a MILLION mosquitos. Luckily we had some bug spray with us and drenched everyone from head to toe. The bug spray kind of stung because we all had been bitten a couple of days before when we were outside and the new bug spray had lemon in it. Come to find out, they weren't mosquitos at all, only annoying gnats. The kids hopped in the water and started playing and then the Conrad family joined us and they really started having some fun. The Conrad children are about the same ages as my children and so they all play well together AND they have a dog that entertained Maci and gave her someone to play with. We didn't leave there until around 8:30 and no one wanted to go home. We'll have to do that activity again.
Saturday we only had one practice from 10-1:30 and while the older two were at practice, the little girls and I went grocery shopping. It just so happens that it was national Kid Day and Macey's grocery store had a lot of fun things going on for little kids. The had a huge inflatable slide, cotton candy, corn dogs, dunk tank, and face painting for free. Olivia and Maci had a blast! After we picked up the kids and had lunch, we met the Call's at the park by our house. The adults played a card game and the kids ran around the park playing tag and riding bikes. We went to their house for dinner and I got to do some more laundry. Sierra made potstickers and we had Chinese stir-fry too. It was yummy and the Call's are such good company. Still loving Logan!

Mini Golfing

This is written by yours truly, Sierra.(my mom had me put that so you wouldn't think this update was written by her...if it was bad :)
Today Jace and I had a full day of practice planned out for us. The schedule only gave us an hour break! It was a boring practice considering we were only in two of the scenes. I watched the play to see how it was coming along, while Jace battled it out playing Plants vs. Zombies... he's such a boy...

My family was planning on going mini golfing with one of our friends, the Conrads. They happen to be the Artful Dodger's family. However they would be leaving me and Jace because our practice wouldn't get over in time. We ended up going anyways because they were done with us for the day, so all worked out. I guess the Conrad's ward goes on little outings like this a lot. When we got there all the kids rushed to pick out their favorite color of golf ball and putter while the adults walked and talked and occasionally helped the younger kids golf. Everybody did 18 holes before going back to eat a yummy dinner. The amazing dinner consisted of: Pulled pork in a roll, fruit salad, chips...lot of them, creamies, veggies in ranch, soda/water, and little crackers and a variety of cheese. Now I don't know about you, but to me that is quite the spread for a church outing. It was kind of miserable to golf because it was so stinkin' hot, but everybody still had fun. When we got back to our "department" and Maci calls it, we saw all of our neighbors visiting out on the grassy area near the apartments. My mom was trying to hurry everybody in so she wouldn't be a bother to them. While she chatted up a storm with Jessica, Maci was having her own conversation with Vanessa. Vanessa could tell my mom wanted all the kids in the apartment and told Maci in her English accent to get inside the house right now. I would quote her but I have my mom's memory skills and forgot what she said. Maci, being the spicy character she is, didn't listen to Vanessa. That was a mistake on Maci's part. Vanessa then used the trick of counting down. Maci was very brave, but by the time Vanessa got to two, Maci was hugging onto Mom's leg for dear life. Vanessa wanted Maci inside not stuck to Mom's legs so she kept on counting. By now Maci was running into the house laughing and screaming all at the same time. Mom went to round up the other more obedient kids that didn't need a count down while I tried to give Maci a shower. Mom came back and went straight up to mom and said, "That was fun , but kinda scary..." All in all the day has been quite eventful.

Mexican Potluck and Dad's Birthday Celebration

Today was an eventful day. Jace had an hour and a half practice for Oliver and that was all that we had as far as rehearsals. Dave dropped him off and then we went to the laundromat to do a couple of loads. We also planned a Mexican food potluck for our apartment complex. We cooked the Spanish rice, black beans and taquitos and everyone brought something Mexican-ish. We celebrated Dave's birthday tonight with a yummy cake and the best birthday song rendition I've ever heard!  It was a fun night getting to know all of these people and finding out how they got their start in this business. They are a great group of people and we are becoming great friends with them. It's nice to have outgoing children that can just go up and start a conversation with strangers. I love that they are not shy and what a blessing that is for them and our family. Maci will just walk up to anyone new that looks to be about 5 years old and say, "do you want to be friends?"  Most of them say yes. Today at the park she brought a young boy and his mother over to our blanket and asked me to give the mother our phone number so they could play together on another day. I told the mom we would call them the next time we came to the park to play. We just don't have lots of fun things to do in our apartment, that's why we're always on the go. I wonder what other parents think of this outgoing cutie. She's sometimes more than I can handle. It was fun to have Dave here. He got me all set up with a printer and new ink cartridge after I had tried a couple of times to do it myself and it hadn't worked. He is so good with technology.  (even though he is turning 55) I will miss having someone to run with in the mornings. Maybe not Dave because he is much faster than me and has so much more stamina. We climbed the stairs at USU this morning and I thought I might have a heart attack about 3/4 of the way up. He was a good sport and walked alongside me listening to all of my comments about the flowerbeds. Not much of a workout for him:)
We watched Wadi dance tonight on t.v. He didn't do as well as he wanted although I think he was amazing at dancing a style he had never danced before. I can't believe that they can learn these difficult routines in such a short period of time and then perform in front of a live audience. I was very impressed with him but enjoy watching his bboy style much more:) I hope he makes it through this round. We all used our cell phones to vote as much as we could. Good luck Wadi!!!

Bear Lake Raspberry Shakes

I know this is Wednesday morning, but I was too tired last night to blog about our Tuesday adventures. Dave and I went for a walk/jog to the USU campus. It truly is so beautiful! The college was started in 1889 and they had buildings still standing that were built in 1902. The architecture was beautiful and had so much detail. The flower beds were so colorful and symmetrical. I loved the look. Everything is so green and lush because of all the rain they're having here, in addition to the snow melting. There have been so many flooding problems and many of the campgrounds and picnic spots along the river are closed because they are partially under water.

We drove to Bear Lake after Jace finished at 6:00 tonight and had a chance to play in the freezing cold water. The kids even put on their swimming suits and got totally wet, head and all. Sierra was the only one that was smart enough not to get totally wet:) We stopped at "quick and tasty" to get some famous raspberry shakes and were not disappointed. It was a fun and beautiful drive and the kids are so happy to do things together as a family. That is one thing I've thought about a lot while we've been here. Living here seems like such a vacation and the kids seem so happy and so I've been comparing the two places in my head to find out what the difference is. (Elk Ridge and Logan) When we're home, it seems like everyone has their own agenda, their own friends and their own activities. Here, we plan to do something together each day and spend time with each other. The kids are getting along so well with each other for the most part, and they are enjoying hanging out and playing together. Even though it seems like there is more to do around the house in Elk Ridge, there is still plenty of time to do something together as a family. The kids really enjoy that. Maybe we need to have less friend time and more family time in Elk Ridge and not let other friends, activities and agendas replace the importance of family time.
Oliver has started holding their practices in the Ellen Eccles theater and today was their first time there. Jace had to go early for a microphone check and so was there for about 6 hours total. The Oliver set is beautiful! There are so many talented artists here working on this play. The costumes are fabulous and the cast will begin wearing them to each practice now. I was just so impressed with the quality of this production. It totally could be on Broadway! And not just because of Jace. There are so many professional people helping to make this a top notch production and it is really coming together.
While Jace was at practice, Olivia and Maci and I went on a walk to the Sweet Shop and got a little treat before heading to the library to play on the computers and check out some new books and movies. Maci's favorite book was "Pinkalicious" about a girl who ate too many pink cupcakes and turned her whole body pink!

First Bus Ride

Before we came to Logan this morning, we all got up at seven and weeded for a couple of hours. Everyone was not very thrilled but it was so overgrown and apparently the older girls and Dave don't know what a weed popper and kneeling pad is so we had to take care of the problem before the weeds took over the whole house. It had rained the whole day before and the sprinkler system went on during the night, even though it was turned to rain delay, so the ground was amazingly soft and easy to work with. Dave mowed the lawn in the front and the back and after the weeding was done, the yard looked presentable again. We headed up to Logan around 10:30 to be at the 2:00 Oliver rehearsal. Sierra and Jace also had a South Pacific from 4-8. While they were gone, we made a birthday cake for one of Hannah's friends and some cupcakes too.
Logan has a free bus transit system that goes anywhere in Logan. They are nice buses, with air conditioning and nice bus stops. It's a sweet set-up. We took a bus to Smith's to get some frosting and the girls were so giddy sitting on the back seat, next to the big window and looking out together. So cute! We'll have to get better at the bus route map because we didn't calculate our time wisely and had to walk the four blocks back to our apartment. Olivia cried the whole way home, disappointed that we couldn't take the bus and "her legs were tired". I gave her some time in her room when we got home to rest her legs:)
Dave came up to Logan for 3 days while Hannah is 5 blocks away at USU for a leadership conference. He helped run the kids to rehearsals today, went to the park with the little girls while I cooked dinner, played a dice game with the kids before bed and went on a walk tonight with the fam while the kids were practicing. He got to meet all of the neighbors and sat outside on the steps eating nachos and socializing with all of the singers in the plays. I think he wishes he were in one of the plays. He would be so good. Maybe next year:)
I've had to step up my cooking game for the next three days. We had lemon fish, white rice, spinach and salad with lettuce from our garden. After Dave goes home, I can get back to easy meals that the kids enjoy. He swears he doesn't care if I make easy food, but he will make comments like, "I think I'm going to eat light tonight" and then he'll totally make his own gourmet "light" meal:)

Weekend in Utah County

I had a wedding to do this weekend in Utah county so Dave and I traded places. The kids had a full day on Friday with several different practices for each of them so Dave was a busy driver all day and night long. He entertained the little girls by taking them to the festival at the Tabernacle and walking around looking at all the booths, eating cotton candy and then making dinner and waiting around for Jace and Sierra to finish. Then he drove home and got here about midnight. I ironed wedding linens all day in a quiet house and watched Extreme Home Makeover while I ironing. I needed Chad to lift the 80 pound buckets we use for backdrops. They are a beast to get in and out of the truck so he came and helped for a couple of hours.
I was busy on Saturday most of the day setting up the wedding and the kids all got to play with their friends that they have missed since being in Logan. Jace went to Seven Peaks with the Lanes, Sierra hung out with Charlynn, Olivia played with Everett and Kendra and then went to Kendra's brother's game, and Maci played with Ellery. What a fun day they all had. It took me 16 hours to set up the wedding and with Dave's help, one hour to take it all down. How is that possible? I still have lots of laundry to do from the wedding but I have a washer right here. We don't have practice til Monday afternoon so we won't be leaving til Monday morning around ten. Got the clothes from Logan done in my own washer and dryer and it took three whole hours:( but it didn't cost anything:) There are a few things I miss about my home, and doing the laundry whenever I need to is one of those things.

Regular summer day

This post was done by Jace. Today was a very normal, fun day for me because I wrote the blog for Tuesday and Wednesday then had to go straight to play practice. The boys I am working with are so very good at acting but, they don't really pay attention for very long. I had practice from 10-12 and got done just a bit early. After I got home I made lunch for myself (a wheat hot dog bun with mayo, mustard, cheese and pepperoni's) and watched T.V. until mom left to Utah county and dad came up here which was around about 8:30. By then everyone was just watching T.V. and being playful. We all brushed our teeth and went to bed at about 10:00 and everyone was happy. :D So, I guess you could say we have it pretty good. ;)

Trading Spaces

I think I will let Jace and Sierra take turns posting something on the blog occasionally because you get their perspective. I definitely wouldn't have named all of those games Jace did yesterday and it will be a more accurate account of what was important to them that day. Today we worked on Olivia's raggedy ann and she helped stuff the body and cut out the dress. We didn't have time to finish it because we were busy in the afternoon with errands but she stitched the face on and it turned out pretty darn cute. Jace had practice this morning for a couple of hours and that was it for the day. The kids got grouchy in the afternoon so I sent them all to bed to take a nap. We didn't get to bed til late last night so they all probably needed a nap. I know I did! After an hour, everyone woke up in a much better mood and were much more pleasant to be around.  I am doing a wedding in Utah county this weekend so Dave drove up to Logan to be with the kids while I drove home to a quiet, empty house. Tomorrow the kids have back to back practices all day long and into the evening  so Dave will be a busy chauffer. We had to write a bio on Jace today for the programs and here is what we came up with: (he helped me write it)
Jace Salcido is 11 years old, entering 6th grade and the ninth of eleven children. Currently he lives in the midst of 5 sisters and looks forward to his man dates with his dad.  He has received musical training and sung with the Utah Valley Children's Choir since he was 3. He enjoys jazz music and the fun music of Sandra Boynton. His favorite song to sing is "Pots and Pans". He enjoys hiking, scootering at the skate park, building with legos and riding his bike to practice with the Utah Festival Opera. He is anti-vegetable which may explain his current size.
The kids seem to be enjoying their time in Logan and all the fun they get to have. We really do play a lot since there isn't a lot of work around the house to do. Jace has helped in the apartment yard on occasion but other than that, we're just exploring Cache County. 

Tuesday and Wednesday Adventures

This post is written by Jace. The day before yesterday I had a big, long run through for Oliver, I think that these practices are so fun because of the people and just the plain experience! The people have a certain shine that hangs around them whenever I am at practice with all of them. But, sometimes I just have bad days where I can't think of where I go on the stage or am I supposed to sing this high or this low, things like that. I was so anxious to come home that day because the Call family had come over and I had to be at practice. I ended up coming home an hour early because we finished the run through so quickly! I was so happy to see them. :) When the Call's were here ( Braxton, Hudson and Alli ) we decided that we would go to a phenomenal castle park where we played tag and just ran around for awhile. Just a few minutes after we had arrived my friend, Cameron Conrad ( The Artful Dodger ) came to hang out with all of us bringing his sister Kaisly! After that we went to Walmart and got my mom's new glasses! (finally she can see) and went to this lady's house who offered mom a gardening job. While she was busy talking to the lady Olivia and I played Just Dance 2 and played for about 1 hour even though mom told us only one song. :) After that, we met Cameron's family at the Canyon Entrance Park. (Yes that was the real name of the park) at first we couldn't find them because they were at the park next to us, but then they called us and we told them where we were. As soon as we all met up we started to swing (the only play equipment there) and play tag, all in different versions (toilet tag, T.V. tag, normal tag). We also went on a small but very dangerous climb. After that we all went home and went to bed exhausted. On Wednesday I had a 10-12 practice that lasted until 12:30 because our stage manager decided to do one scene that we haven't done at all. Immediately after we went to our sister in law's house Nicole. We ate lunch and dinner there while watching Space Jam, Megamind, and Gnomeo and Juliet. I decided to not eat there 'cause I thought that the Call's would have yummy food and I wasn't hungry at the time. We went to the Call's house this time and I played wii play and wii sports resort with Hudson while all of the other kids played outside. Later on after it was more dark everyone started to play night games like Sardine's and  Ghost in The Graveyard. about 10:30 we left and got in bed. I on the other hand fell asleep at 11:00. I slept in Sierra's bed (the most comfortable) while she slept over at Nicole's. The End

just dance!

Today Jace and Sierra had a run through for the whole South Pacific show and from the news I got from the neighbors, they both did a great job. It was a 3 hour practice and they were both pretty tired:) We all got busy with the bendaroos and created a little beach scene on the wall for South Pacific and a treasure chest full of jewels and Fagin to represent Oliver. It was very fun and the kids all got way creative.

While the older kids were at practice, Maci and Olivia had countless Easter egg hunts. They don't seem to get tired of doing that. They also helped clean up the apartment and then Olivia cut out a raggedy ann from a pattern we found online. She stuffed the arms and legs and we are going to learn how to make clothes and do an embroidered mouth tomorrow. She is such a crafty girl.
Jace went to his friend's house, Cameron Conrad, who plays "the Artful Dodger" in Oliver. They rehearsed lines and then just goofed around and watched a movie too. They watched King Arthur and apparently have a device called "clear play" that cuts out language, sex and violence. Jace said that everytime a guy would lift his sword to kill someone, the movie would skip to another scene. He was quite annoyed with it but it sounds like something I need to get:)
We bought the wii game called "just dance" with some money that Grandma Doris generously donated to our fun summer and the girls have been dancing for over an hour. Sierra went to bed early because she was so tired:) I think I'm going to like this game and I might even get in a little exercise myself. Right now, I don't look so cool trying to copy those dance moves. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-oSv-6O91o
Check out that link for a video of Jace, Olivia, and Maci getting their groove on:)

I forgot to post pictures of a cute jacket that I made on Saturday for Olivia. She needed something to wear over a dress that Sierra finally handed down to her. It was a teal one from Camilla's wedding and Olivia has asked for it for a long time but Sierra wasn't quite ready to give it up. We used a black turtleneck that Olivia never wore because she doesn't like that feeling around her neck and turned it into a little jacket. I got the idea from U-createcrafts.com. I love that site!
Well, another fun day in Logan. Loving life and all the friends we're making. What a great summer experience!

Dad and Hannah Come to Visit

   Jace got a callback on a commercial he auditioned for but it was in Salt Lake on Friday at 1:00. He had play practice from 11-12 and then again from 3:30 til 8 so we had a window of time that he could fit the audition in. It takes an hour and a half to drive there so we had half an hour for the audition in order to make it back in time for the afternoon rehearsal. Dad and Hannah met us in Salt Lake and then came home to Logan with us and slept over on Friday night. Olivia and Jace gave up their beds for our guests and slept on the couches in the living room with sleeping bags. Apartment living is fun for us but I can't imagine doing this for a long time with a big family. We were talking to one man in the opera who is from New York. He lives there with his wife and 3 kids in a two bedroom, one bath apartment and he considers these apartments spacious. We are in a 4 bedroom, 2 bath and it is just perfect. Olivia and I share a room and everyone else has their own. I guess it's all relative.
   Dad and Hannah both went to see Jace's rehearsals and then on Friday night we went to the castle park. Dad and Hannah had a battle trying to knock each other off of the suspended wiggly 2X4 at the park. Pretty comical. On Saturday morning Jace, Olivia and I biked/jogged over 2 miles to a Walmart where we bought Jace a pair of sweatpants to ride his bike in. It's still chilly here in the morning and he only brought shorts and jeans. He found a shirt that he bought with his allowance that said, "50% ninja, 50% rockstar, 100% awesome". There were a couple of yardsales along the way that I just had to stop at. Great finds included a printer for $5 and a rolling gardening cart for $3. We might need a bigger vehicle to get us home at the end of summer:)

trying to knock each other off balance

wrestling with the little girls

our hike up the hill with the little ones

   We drove up Logan canyon and got out to take a little hike. It is so beautiful, more than Payson Canyon and I thought that was unbeatable. The kids drank out of a spring coming out of the mountain and I'm hoping none of them get giardia. Dad and Jace went went on a man date to the Aggie Ice Cream Shop and tried their ice cream. It was fun to have visitors. They left around noon because Hannah had plans and Jace had to get to practice but we are going to see them again soon because of Father's Day.
   This is kind of the whole weekend rolled into one blog but today was Sunday and we attended our new 9:00 ward. It is a great ward and each child had a good experience in their new classes with the exception of Maci. I thought she was just tired because she fell asleep on me during church (which is so unusual)  and when I took her to her primary class she didn't want me to leave (also unusual) so I stayed for the first hour with her. I took her to Relief Society with me and as she sat on my lap, she got warmer and warmer. She had a full blown fever by the time we left church and slept for part of the day. When she wasn't sleeping, she was complaining of a headache and stomachache. I was chalking it up to giardia but Dave said Hannah had a headache and stomachache today too so it must just be a bug because Hannah didn't drink any water from the stream. A couple of our neighbors came over for an impromptu lunch today. We had cafe rio pork super nachos. It was good to get to know them a little better. Sierra suggested that we invite a different person each week and I think it's good for the kids social development because they're all so shy (NOT). We got home by noonish and got to take a heavenly nap. We had been at the laundromat til 11 last night and everyone was sleepy so it was quiet in the apartment for a period of time. Our neighbor upstairs bursts out singing opera at all times of the day and night. It is kind of funny. He actually warned us the first day we were here that he likes to sing and hoped it wouldn't be too loud. He is loud but he has a great voice and didn't interrupt our naps for too long.
 

Aggie Ice Cream

Today we had a late practice and slept in til 8:30. It was dark and gray here because of the rain so the apartment remained dark late into the morning which may be what kept us all sleeping so long. It has become really easy to fit in scriptures in the morning because we have lots of free time here. Jace woke up the earliest because last night i issued a challenge that whoever reminds mom first about scriptures and prayer in the morning could have an extra dollar on their allowance. Three of the four kids reminded me first thing when they woke up:) The whole dollar system has been working perfectly because all of the kids have been keeping their rooms and house clean so that they can earn their dollar for the day. On Friday they get to collect and spend their money on toys or fast food or whatever they want. I'm hoping to teach some budgeting and saving along the way too.
   We took Jace to practice but Michael Ballam had another engagement so the practice was canceled. However, I did talk to the show's producer, Jack Shouse, and asked him about how he got in to the business and if he would do the same thing over again if he were younger. I wanted to hear about the pros and cons of living a theater life. He actually got 2 master's degrees; one in theater and one in designing sets and he has used his education to support his family by teaching at the college. He loves what he does and feels grateful that he's been allowed to pursue his dreams. His wife is the stage manager, who also has been in theater her whole life and has been able to work alongside her husband all these years. Jace got to go through his song "where is love" with the pianist who came for the last 10 minutes and he gave Jace some great advice that makes the song sound even better than before. Jace is learning and picking up things so quickly. The producer told me that he was "blown away by Jace the first time he met him because not only can he sing but he talks better than some of the adults here". He was impressed with his vocabulary and his understanding of the emotions they want portrayed.
   We came home for lunch and then headed to the fun castle park to play. Jace and Sierra are such good friends and enjoy spending time together and as a mother, I couldn't be happier about that. They left for the park first on their bikes and I drove the littler girls a bit later. We dropped jace off for a practice from 3-6:30 and the girls and I went to the local IFA to get some garden food. We didn't find what we were looking for but there was a beautiful nursery called "the Greenhouse" right across the street that was simply breathtaking. So much color and very beautiful displays. We also went to another garden shop on center street and finally found the nutrition for Sierra's container garden. We bought a pony pack of strawberry plants and hope to get a few berries this season. Maci, the friendliest child I've ever had, went up to a little 5 year old at the garden store and asked her if she wanted to be friends. So uninhibited! I wish I was more like her. The dad actually came back in the store and asked if the girls might have a playdate at the park tomorrow and gave us their number. It might be good for Maci to have someone to play with while we're here this summer.

   We left the garden store and set off to find the famous Aggie ice cream store and as you can see from the picture, we found it. It was good, but not as good as the BYU creamery on ninth. The scoops were huge! Jace missed out but I told him that he can take dad and go get one on Friday for boys night out.
   Sierra had a rehearsal tonight also and so we headed back to the theater to drop her off. She rehearsed her song and 3 scenes and we were all done by 6:30. In one of the scenes she gets to give Jace a little nudge to remind him to say something to their dad and she was a little vigorous in her actions. They truly look and act  like siblings on stage as well as off.
   We watched another night of "So You Think You Can Dance" to see if Wadi made it into the top 20, which he did. It is so much more fun watching the show when you know someone in it. Out of 50,000 contestants, he is in the top ten males. What a great talent he has! We went for a bike ride, played at the park closest to our house and then got ready for bed. Busy but fun day. Glad we get to have this experience.

Jace Gets In a Big Fight!!!

   Olivia and I went for an early morning walk/jog on one of the flatter streets in Logan. I thought that they all looked pretty flat but they are deceiving. I went on a bike ride the day before and had such a hard time getting home because of the slight uphill incline coming back home.
   Practice today started at 10 and went until 12 and then we had a break til 3. In between that time, we made lunch and then Jace and Sierra rode to the castle park on their bikes. The street they have to cross is pretty busy so we decided that they'll have to use the crosswalk that is a block farther but much safer. Sierra got a splinter in her foot and couldn't ride her bike home, so we put it in the back of the truck and came home. Luckily our new neighbors had a pair of tweezers that we borrowed and she was as good as new in no time at all.
   Today turned out to be Jace's favorite day so far. It was a scene where he gets to beat up the undertaker's employee (Noah) for making fun of his mother. Oliver defends his mother by punching, slapping, and kicking Noah (all choreographed by the way). Jace is all boy and enjoys being tough and wrestling around.
   While Jace was at his long practice, all of us girls went and got a library card and checked out a ton of books. Logan has a very nice library with a comfy reading area for the little kids made out of big floor cushions that look like books. They also have educational computer games for the younger children and Maci and Olivia pretty much stayed glued to those while we were there. (I actually had to kick SIERRA off of one of the computers so that a four year old could play:) They have a large assortment of musical cds and dvds. We checked out The Fantastic Mr. Fox and all of the kids watched it while I started dinner. They pitched in to help while the show was going on. Olivia made some rice-a-roni, Sierra made some grilled chicken and I was in charge of veges and bread. We had to buy a set of pots and pans for cooking while we were here in Logan. I purchased them at Shopko for $50 but when I started cooking on them, the outside red covering (paint?) started melting and smoking up our apartment. It smelled horrible so I took them back tonight and went to the D.I. to see if we could find anything. Olivia spotted a covered skillet in great shape for $2 and we found another pot for $1.50. Combined with the 3 pots they already had in the apartment, I think we'll survive the summer.

 Sierra's summer project for FFA is growing a vege garden. She has to water the plants and take care of them and hopefully we will get some good veges from them. She used some fresh herbs tonight in her chicken recipe so hopefully we'll be using tomatoes and broccoli before too long.
   It was a pretty relaxed evening tonight. I picked up Jace at seven and Amanda's boyfriend Wadi Jones is a dancer on "So You Think You Can Dance" so we watched t.v. and oohed and ahhed over his skills. We all hope he makes it to the finals. After the show, we shared our loaves of bread with our new neighbors and told them all goodnight.
  Because our apartment is so small, it is easy to clean up quickly. The kids don't have nearly the amount of stuff to pick up because we just didn't bring that much. We have a room check each night before bed and everyone grabs their stuff around the apartment to put away. Even Maci is getting good about putting all of her stuff where it belongs because there is a reward involved. Being a minimalist and having less is so much easier than managing large amounts of seldom used stuff. The one toy that Maci really loves is the bug collecting cage that we found at Walgreens. She collected a beetle (and then accidentally stepped on it), 2 spiders (that Jace flushed down the toilet) and a fly (that Sierra refused to let her keep). She keeps her eyes peeled for potato bugs and ants. And we have two dogs in the complex that are just her size. She bugs the owners anytime they're out to see if she can walk their dog. She is an animal and insect lover.
   Tomorrow promises to be another fun and busy day!

Rotary Club and Salt Lake Town Club

http://youtu.be/d95UvT2lnJ8 (this is the link for you tube and listening to jace sing)    Jace had two P.R. meetings today in Salt Lake City. Michael Ballam keeps choosing Jace to go and perform. I think it's because he's a kid that can steal the show and he causes the listeners to fall in love with him. Michael has said before each performance to the audience, "You may not take him home with you. He already has a family that loves him". Jace did well at the rotary club but the mike was not on and he probably couldn't be heard in the back. He was a little bit nervous but he gets more comfortable with each performance. His third time in public was a charm and he did a lovely job at the Town Club today. Again, there were many older women that hugged, squeezed and pinched his cheeks to let him know they appreciated his talent. They served us a very nice lunch of salmon with lemon sauce, herb-flavored  rice, zucchini and yellow squash and pistachio pie. Jace ate a few bites of salmon and rice and called it good. His salad and other veges were left untouched, no big surprise, but he didn't seem too hungry. We rode to Salt Lake with some of the other performers and got to know them a little bit better. They are such nice normal people but definitely into their musical careers. They are extremely talented and have sacrificed much to get where they are. The two gals that rode with us, both teach vocal and piano classes and perform as often as they are asked. What a gift it is to have a voice that is so pleasant to listen to.
   After we were done there, we had to stop at Target on our way back to Logan. Apparently, I'm not the only one who loves Target. These girls were content to stop for just 10 minutes so they could wander through Target before getting back on the road to be home in time for practice at 5:30. I told Jace he could get a toy to play with at the apartment. (we kind of forgot to pack any toys) He chose a lego set that we thought was $12 but turned out to be $30 and I didn't notice it until we got home and he was already playing with it. I was in such a hurry at the store that I didn't really pay attention to the total until I saw the receipt on the counter at home. Oh well, it better last him all summer:)
   Sierra didn't have any practices today so she stayed home and took care of the little girls while I accompanied Jace to Salt Lake. She is such a helpful daughter and I think that the day went smoothly for her.
   After dinner tonight, we went to a ward building close to our house and met the bishopric and found out what time our meetings were on Sunday. They begin at 9:00 a.m. and the kids would rather go to LeAnn's ward that starts at 11:00 but I don't want to make the drive when we have a ward just 2 blocks away. We'll give it a try.

   There was a really cool park close by so we stopped and played until sundown and then came home to make caramel corn and share it with our new apartment neighbors and the girls that we rode with to Salt Lake today. The kids sang "Bow the Knee" to them with Jace adding the harmony for us and then we all got ready for bed. Tomorrow will be a busy day of rehearsals for Jace but nothing for Sierra again. I think she would like to be busier but we will find something fun to do. Maybe swimming? I tried to upload Jace's singing today but so far it's lost somewhere on my computer. I got it to youtube but then couldn't find it. I'll try again tomorrow:)

The Logan Tabernacle Debut

Jace video singing where is love  This highlighted link is Jace's performance today at the Tabernacle.
Today was Jace's first "unofficial" performance as Oliver! He had to be in his Sunday clothes at the Tabernacle at 11:45. We had to run and buy him a new shirt because the ONE he brought from home had a stain right on the front pocket. He was totally fine with that but I thought he should make a good first impression in public. We are going to be here for 10 weeks and the boy brought ONE shirt for Sundays. He's definitely not like his sisters when it comes to packing for a trip:)
   He didn't appear nervous at all when we were getting ready but I could hear it in his voice when he was singing. This may take a little warming up to but just like he did in Les Mis, in time, he will be totally comfortable in front of an audience. We sat by some older folks from Arizona who spend their summers in Logan and they had already bought tickets for Oliver so they were thrilled to meet Jace when he came to find us after the show. There were a lot of older people who came to the performance today and after the show, there were tons of people who came to shake Jace's hand and the women gave his cheeks a little pinch:) He was on the stage and we were up in the balcony directly above him and he looked up and mouthed the words, "Save me". I guess he'll have to get used to all of those grandmas giving him hugs and pinching his cheeks:) It's only going to get worse:)
   He had until about 2:30 before his next practice so we came home and ate lunch and the kids went for a bike ride to the park nearby. Apparently, Sierra caused a car to skid to a stop when she was crossing the crosswalk. One car stopped but another one in the other lane didn't see her. Thankfully she wasn't hit and the kids all made it home safely. I watched the 2:30 practice with Olivia and Maci. I thought I might have trouble with them sitting for so long just watching Jace, but they both love it and seem to enjoy the rehearsals. It is sometimes hard to keep them from singing along with the songs. They both know all of the words. Sometimes they get a little bored and want to make countless trips to the water fountain or the bathroom but they are getting better about just sitting once we get in there. Olivia has really taken to Jessica Medoff who plays Nancy in Oliver. She lives right next to us in the apartment complex so Olivia used her artistic abilities and created some sidewalk art, intended for Jessica. Jessica said it makes her feel loved to have such an adoring fan.

   We finished at 3:30 and had to be back at 4:00 for a 3 hour rehearsal of a different scene. We ran home, grabbed some snacks and a water bottle and dropped Jace off for practice. The girls and I went shopping at some quaint little stores on Main Street and then came home and made dinner. Cafe Rio burritos. Mmmm.
After eating dinner and picking up Jace, Sierra and I went to the laundromat and did 3 loads of clothes in an hour (gotta love that!) and then went to buy some toys for her to keep the girls entertained while I go with Jace into Salt Lake tomorrow to do another performance. This time he will be singing at the Rotary Club and Town Club. These are all publicity meetings for the Utah Festival Opera but Michael Ballam keeps choosing Jace to go for some reason.
    When we hear Jace sing, we are all so proud to be related to him. Sierra has made so many positive comments about his voice and how nice he sounds. It makes me so happy as a parent to see his siblings giving him such great support and love.
   A couple of you have wanted to know our address so I'll just put it out there for anyone that wants to write. It is: Jace or Sierra Salcido, c/o Utah Festival Opera, 59 South 100 West, Logan Utah, 84321.

Planting a Garden

Today is Saturday and our schedule wasn't quite as crazy as yesterday but we were busy doing lots of other things. I let the kids sleep in until 9:30 which turned out to be a mistake because then we had to rush to get ready and be out the door by 10:00. Jace had a costume fitting for South Pacific at 10:15 and Sierra had one at 10:30. Jace decided he wanted to ride his bike to the Dasante Theater and we had talked about it and mapped out the route yesterday so I told him if he could get ready by 9:45 he could do it since we thought it would probably take him 20 minutes to get there. It is a straight ride down 400 North to 100 West and then a left at 100 West and on down that street for five more blocks. A perfect L-shaped route....or so we thought. We left the apartment at 10:00 just in case we needed to pick him up on the way and get him there by 10:15. We got to the Dasante building and didn't see any sign of his bike. I had given him my phone in case he got lost so he could call Sierra's phone and talk to us but he never called. So I called him. When he picked up he sounded frustrated and a bit nervous. He said he was lost so I dropped Sierra off and she took his appointment time. I was still on the phone with him and he said he was at 100 West and 100 North. He was only about a block and a half from the theater but thought he had already gone too far when in fact, he hadn't passed the theater yet. So he rode on over and quickly went up to the costume shop to get his clothing measured on him. They, of course, had to adjust every single item of clothing to fit these skinny, short Salcido children. There are very talented seamstresses out there who have a passion for design and are a delight to work with. After the measurements, we stopped at the farmer's market and listened to a band that played the kind of music dad likes, that old time rock and roll stuff. Jace chose to sit and listen to them the whole time instead of playing on a playground that was nearby, while we walked around and looked at all of the booths, go figure. After that we drove to LeAnn and Lyle Call's house, just 15 minutes away, to help LeAnn plant their garden. They have kids about the same ages as Olivia, Jace and Sierra so the kids all had a fun time. Maci ditched her dress-up shoes and mostly just played in the mud. We had to get home in time for Jace to shower before his rehearsal from 4:00-7:00. He practiced the staging for "pick a pocket" with all of the other boys and Fagin. I came home, had the kids take showers and made dinner. When I went to pick Jace up he said that someone wanted him to come and sing for him after his practice so we went and waited for about 20 minutes for this conductor to finish but he didn't look like he was quitting anytime soon so we came home and ate dinner. Just before we were heading out the door to the Call's for a movie night, this conductor asked if we could come back and let him run through one song with Jace that he will be singing on Monday in the Logan Tabernacle. We headed back down to the Dasante and stayed for another half hour while Jace learned some better techniques to sing his song. What a wonderful training opportunity this is turning out to be for all of us.

Off and Running

The heater and the water heater were both fixed this morning. Hallelujah!
Well today was the first day of practices for Jace and Sierra and WOW! are they going to be busy!! I have become a full-time driver, taxiing them from one rehearsal to another. This is what our first day looked like:
8:00 a.m. Jace had to be at the make-up and wig shop to get ready for a portrait shoot. Someone met him at the door as he arrived to make sure he was where he needed to be at the times he needed to be there.
8:35 a.m. appointment in the costume shop for Jace. His clothes are so cool! Even though I had to send   measurements for him, the clothes we too big and had to be taken in before the photo shoot at nine. They ended up pinning his long sleeves with safety pins, and added some buttonholes to his jacket so it wouldn't just hang on him.
9:00 driver picked him up and drove him across the street to the theater for the photo shoot. Very talented photographer that got Jace and the artful dodger to give her the emotions she was looking for. There were nine adults at the photo shoot and Jace had everyone laughing at his Salcido self-deprecating  humor. He is a good communicator with adults and I felt happy that he was getting along so well with everyone. After the shoot, we headed back to the costume shop to change and take off the layers of make-up they used to make him look dirty.
We came back to the apartment, ate a quick breakfast, and then took Jace and Sierra both to a song practice for South Pacific from 10:30 to 11:30.
2:00-2:30 was another song practice for Jace with Michael Ballam, the artful dodger, Nancy and Bet. This practice went well and Jace sounded great. I saw Michael Ballam look over at the musical director and smile when Jace started singing. I am so proud that he is using his talents and sharing them with others.
4:00-6:00 Oliver's Food Glorious Food song and scene rehearsal. This was a fun practice where the boys learned the staging and singing sequence. There are so many talented people working with all of these little boys and in such a positive way. Even when they wanted them to do things differently, they said it in such a way that the boys still felt like they were doing a great job. It's nice when people love their jobs because that spills over into the attitude they have for those they work with.
After this practice, we got to come home, go for a bike ride, take a drive to the Logan temple, play at another park by the temple and then take a warm shower:) On the way home Sierra and Olivia played too long on the tire swing and got motion sickness and their tummies hurt all the way home and for most of the night. Maci wanted to go longer however :) Everyone was tired from our busy day and went straight to sleep after eating yummy homemade snow cones.

First Day in Logan

Well we arrived around 1:30 in the afternoon after driving for about 3 hours. (we made a couple of stops on the way) Dad followed us in the van piled high with all the things we will need for this summer. After unpacking and settling in to our apartment, dad left for home and we went for a bike ride to the park that is about a block and a half from our home. The kids played on the rock climbing wall mostly and then played tag together. We finished our ride as it was a cooler day and then we came back home and went grocery shopping. I love that Logan has a Macey's grocery store. It feels very familiar. We spent a ton of money on food for the next two weeks and have some yummy meals planned that are easy. Since dad isn't here, I can get by with mac and cheese, sandwiches, hot dogs and chips, top ramen and the kids think I'm the greatest mom in the world:)We may even have cereal one night for dinner if I don't want to cook:)
Olivia is sharing a room with me and all of the other kids have their own rooms. It's funny how quickly we can clean up such a small space that doesn't have lots of extra stuff sitting around:) Sierra has been right on top of the cleaning up and keeps the apartment in top shape.She also has brought her vegetable growing containers with her for her FFA summer project. They mostly died from thirst, but they're coming back.
     The first night of sleep was uncomfortable for everyone. Sierra's mattress was lumpy and saggy, Olivia saw a spider above my bed right before she was going to sleep and then we couldn't find it, our heater was set on 62 and I couldn't figure out how to turn it up and get it to stay, and Jace needed a night light and the only one we had was a bright light in the hallway. Maci forgot her plethora of stuffed animals so her bedtime ritual of singing to all of them was foiled. I think the only one who slept soundly was Olivia. Our hot water heater also was not working and we only had cold water for showers. But Logan is beautiful and I have a call in to the maintenance man.