This was the week of the eye doctor.  Although getting your eyes dilated is no fun, the sunglasses they give you can be theatrically inspiring.

I actually took Megan in because she is getting CONTACTS!!  She is very excited about them.  I took the opportunity to have an exam for new glasses for myself.  While we were there, the receptionist came over with a list and said, “We’ve never seen any of these members of your family.  With your nice insurance, wouldn’t you like to get their eyes checked?”  I thought, and I decided that actually sounded like a pretty good idea.  So that’s how Sarah and Cheyenne and Calianne all ended up at the optometrist this past week, as well.  No one else needs glasses!! YAY!!  Megan thinks that is the pits and the cosmos is picking on her.  But, after her second trip to the optometrist, she was able to successfully put in and take out her contacts and was allowed to bring them home.  Since then, she has been getting better and better.  I am thinking that seeing Megan in glasses is quickly becoming a thing of the past.  It’s a good thing, because we do so want her to be happy and realize what a beautiful young woman she truly is.

So, not only is she beautiful, but it turns out that she can play tennis pretty well, too!  Sarah and Megan have both been playing on Springville’s city rec minor league tennis team this summer.  There were only four other girls on the team with them, so it is a largely overlooked program here.  It’s too bad, because it was a good program!  I was really pleased with it.  The girls had practice twice a week with their coach and a competitive match each week.  So they played tennis three times a week.  The program ended this week with a tournament.  I thought they’d be sitting around a lot, waiting for their match, but it wasn’t like that at all!  This is how it worked.  Every player was put in a position on their team.  1st thru 7th (our team obviously didn’t have a 7th).  Then all the position 1sts play each other, all the 2nds, etc.  There were six teams there and they played everyone in their position.  Then points were totaled and final places were battled out in “pro matches.”  Sarah was in position 4 on our team and Megan was in position 6.  They both played in final pro matches and Sarah placed 1st in her position and Megan placed 3rd.  Isn’t that cool?  They both got trophies AND they both got to play tennis all morning and into the afternoon!  I am liking tennis.  There is no sitting on the bench and no being relegated to the outfield.  Everyone participates.  It’s too bad this sport isn’t as popular as others.  Not only that, but there are free tennis courts everywhere you live and you only need one other person to play.  Come on.  Those are some big selling points.  Sarah and Megan have sure had fun with it!

This was also the week of Dance Camp for Cheyenne and Calianne.  We just heard about it last week.  A teen in our stake holds the camp in her backyard in the mornings, teaching a small group of children several dances over the course of a week and has a recital Friday night.  They also made t-shirts.  Cali and Cheyenne had a ball!

They danced beautifully Friday night, too!

 

They had fun and we had fun watching them!

This was also the week of the Skinner Girls Harry Potter Marathon.  Savannah’s friend invited her on Saturday to go see the last Harry Potter film on Thursday.  Savannah asked if Sarah could come, too.  She could, but now Savannah had a problem – Sarah never read the books nor had she seen any of the movies past the first one!  Horrors!  Savannah quickly set about to rectify the problem.  She borrowed the whole set of movies and had her sisters sit down with her to watch the whole lot of them according to this schedule:  Movies 1&2 on Monday, 3&4 on Tuesday, 5&6 on Wednesday, 7 part 1 on Thursday morning – then they were all set to go to the theatre Thursday afternoon!  Finally, Savannah saw her sisters turned into Harry Potter fans!  Sarah did go with Savannah and did love the movie.  Since then, she has been back to the theatre to see it again (with Mariah this time since now SHE had to see it, too!).  She’s also borrowed the books on CD and is halfway through the second book already.  Silly girl!  We told her it was good!  Anyway, Megan wasn’t quite as impressed as her other sisters, but they all had a good time together watching all those movies.

Meanwhile, Benjamin continues to strive for tyrannical leadership over our home.

See how he is?  He knows he’s not supposed to be on the table.  He knows he’s not supposed to play with the phone.  Does he hide from us?  Does he try to do these things while we’re not looking?  Nope!  He cries and hollers at us for taking him down or telling him, “No!”  then he defiantly goes right back to what he was doing – and SMILES once he’s got there!  It’s a good thing he is so cute.  We’re actually pretty laid-back parents, but we do have our limits.  For instance, we watch while he crawls up on the table and starts throwing the forks off the table and onto the floor, but when he reaches for the plates – well, we draw the line.  The phone is another good example.  We let him play with the phone and push all the buttons, but when he wants to put it in a cup of water – well, we draw the line again.  In spite of this completely reasonable stand, when we draw the line, it makes him absolutely furious.  Holy Cow!  We apparently do not understand the importance of the investigative work we have so rudely cut short.  This week has actually seen a decrease in his most commonly used weapon against us – hitting his head against the floor when he does not get his way.  Hello!!!  Crazy kid!  Sometimes he will even laugh while I try to get him to stop.  Benjamin!  I worked hard on making that head!

On a more pleasant note, he has mastered a very adorable wave which he lavishes on neighbors and family alike.  It is a wrist rotator wave!  It is very cute – and high tech!  He has also started babbling like he means it.  We have conversations often.  I have no idea what’s been said, but it is fun. 

Goodbye until next week!