Peter Pan!

Only one more performance, after auditions and months of practice and rehearsals. Maxwell has had such a blast doing the middle school musical.

My friend Linda got this picture behind the scenes as she was helping volunteer.

Max was in the ensemble, so he was at times in the chorus as a lost boy, and at times in the pirate band. There were 187 students in the musical, so it was quite crowded on stage and along the sides, but he stood out with his enthusiasm and facial expressions, so we were always able to find him.

It was quite the production -- they brought in flying apparatus from another state, and four of the characters flew. I am not sure if some high schools or junior colleges can afford that.

JB and I each went twice, to different performances, with different children. 

Millie brought a teddy bear to her second performance.

This boy at his second performance brought some cash and happily munched away on concessions.

Max says he wants to do the play again next year, too. JB and I were blown away by all the attention, money, and time the play demands of students and parents, but everyone in the community seems to support it and I think we must just be the grumpy minority. I am happy he was happy.

Playing

Millie gives the BEST crusty scowls, hahaha.

At the park the other day, there was another girl named Millie or Milly or Amelia (the parents weren't very chatty), but any time they called for their girl, my Millie kept looking over like, "What?"

And she didn't like it, see below.

Also, she picked out her clothes and leg warmers and I love the outfit so much.

James just played and played on this slide. He is an Andominous Rex below.

I played a game where I would surprise him at the bottom, and I caught part of it on photo!

Andrew couldn't stop playing with these glasses and cross-eyes during the Super Bowl. He wanted to see all the pictures I took.

This girl just loves to nurse still, and she is quite the acrobat. I have more pictures from this same outside session, where she was almost upside down. I sent a picture to my younger sister and my neighbor, who both also have 18 month old nursers.

I don't have many pictures of Max and Ben playing -- Max is busy with play practice til 7 at night these days. As for Ben, I do have a lot of video of him playing basketball for his ELP project. Trick shots and dribbling, and one final "peace out!" swish.

Hair

We are having fun with Millie's hair as it gets longer. Recently she wore pigtails for the first time to church!

My sister-in-law Susan said her trick is to have her daughter watch a show in order to hold still. The boys were all so intrigued and interested in the process. "She looks so cute!" "She looks older!"

She wouldn't look up from the show. It was "Boss Baby." She LOVES that show. She asks for it constantly. "Baby! Baby?"

One morning JB was getting her dressed to run errands, and he got her jacket on, and she put her hands on her head and said "Bow!"

It is wispy hair and like a mullet, and it gets ratty in the back often, but it is the longest we have ever had on a child and it is too much fun.

Andrew the baller

Andrew's first Junior Jazz basketball season is now in the books.

He was the cutest little player, hustling back and forth. The coach was our neighbors' son-in-law and he was so great with the kids.

This was the second-to-last game. JB sat by Andrew when he took a break not long after scoring a basket. They are so cute. (We had had a baptism that morning)

It was fun to be back in the gym where it all started with Max years ago. Max and Ben kept exclaiming about the play -- "They don't call travels/!" "They don't allow steals?!"

I always took lots of pictures of the kids on the sidelines.

And I would try to get video of Andrew as I tried to catch his highlights. I think he is too nice, and would give up the ball easily to more aggressive players.

Do you know who is aggressive? James. Look at that grip on Millie's head and neck as he kept giving her kisses on the bench.

I did have to tell Ben to stop giving Andrew so much advice. I think he was confusing him with tips about cross dribbling and blah blah, while his coach was just trying to get the basics down. But I know it was all out of love!

Ruth

My grandma Ruth passed away last weekend. She was 96 years old. My parents went to the funeral in Washington State. Here's a picture I took from my aunt's Instagram post of the Vernie Deardeuff children and spouses who were there.

I asked my dad, a grandpa of 16, if it was weird that his sisters are grandmothers, and he said "Yeah, we are all just kids!"

My grandma Deardeuff died when I was little and we were living in Peru. I remember my dad flying to the states for the funeral.

A year or so later, my grandpa Vernie married Ruth, and they have been married almost 30 years.  Here's a picture from when JB and I visited them in Oak Harbor, WA in 2009

Vernie and Ruth would visit us in Missouri when I was a tween and teen. They would go to Branson to see some shows (those Osmonds!), and then come up to see us. My grandpa was a Stake Patriarch for years, and he gave me and my siblings our patriarchal blessings. They served a mission in Tallahassee, Florida together, and served in the Seattle temple twice a week for years. 

I liked how they seemed to take care of each other well.  She would comb his hair on the way out the door for example. Their church service was a great example to me. We always exchanged Christmas cards. Many more of my cousins knew them much better, because they lived closer or were able to visit much more often.

I did not go to Ruth's funeral because Millie is still nursing and I didn't want to leave her or take her that long way. Plus JB, as our bishop, had a funeral to take care of during the same time, of a long-time member of our ward. My brother Michael and his family live in Seattle and they went.

When my parents drove back from the funeral, they stopped to stay at my brother Joe's house in Springville this weekend. He has a tiny bit more room than we do for guests. Here we are together, with cute Kaylee in front. 

I've been worried about how my mom handled the drive. And if they will have to make it again soon. I worry that now that Ruth is gone, my 95 year old grandpa may soon follow. But my dad says he's staying with my aunt and her family now, and seems to be doing well. 

I just have to add that while at Joe's, we had to see his animals.

Ben came out with a large hissing cockroach on his sleeve but I did not get a picture of that. I was too busy squealing.