Jungle Book

Didi auditioned for her 5th grade musical, and got one of the few solo singing parts:  she got to be Kaa, the snake!  The set was amazing, and the kids worked very hard through three months of after-school rehearsals.  Ever since Didi was in a Shakespeare project group in Eugene, she's loved acting and is getting really good at it.  I wish you could have all seen her shine in this role as Kaa, it was so much fun!

Opening night for the musical was on my birthday.  What a great way to celebrate my birthday, in the audience of one of my favorite performers!  So we had a quick dinner and dessert before heading over to the show.  JeLLo cheesecake--my requested dessert.  Yum!

Didi captured my reaction here to a great birthday surprise for me--Jazz gifted me something I've "needed" for a LONG time:  a GPS!  The kids will all be happy to not have to endure so many U-turns.  : ) 

the elephants

"Trust in meeee!  Just in me...close your eyes, and trust in me!  Slip into silent slumber..."  The best song in the show :)!

Congrats from Dad after the show

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Kaa and Mogley

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Kaa and Mogley's girlfriend from the man village ; )

Her costume was really fun.  She had to carry the tail coiled around her arm when she paraded to and from the stage during the group numbers, and she and the other kids got kind of hot in these costumes.  But, so cute.

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with the directors

with Baloo and Bagheera

We're so proud of Didi for being brave on the stage!  It was so much fun to watch her!

Spring Pics

Here are some more fun events that we've enjoyed in the last few months:

Shark has a paper route.  It's a great job for a kid.  It can be a little stressful when the sorting and delivering duties seem to get in the way of his studies, but he's been able to manage it pretty well.  It's just a weekly paper, so he does the sorting and stuffing on Mondays and Tuesdays, and Mom helps with the delivery on Tuesdays after school. 

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Goldie won this coloring contest at her school, and won $5!

Didi and Jazz had a GREAT time at a father-daughter activity that was held at her school.  I had to snap this picture of the cute pair before their evening together. 

Here's Didi playing as the first-chair saxophonist in her band concert (purple dress, long hair, right side). 

Didi also got to sing in the Select Chorus this year.  She's been asking me lately when she can start taking voice lessons, so that's kind of exciting!  Not sure when we'll start that, but perhaps soon.

Tootie puts on a show in his preschool parent's day performance. 

We've got GREAT KIDS!

Mother's Day

Our back yard is FULL of lucky clovers!  I have so much fun finding one or twenty when I walk through and decide to look for a few minutes.  What?  You've never found one?  Come on over, we've got plenty to share!

It's amazing--"please go do your practicing" is something we almost never have to say with Shark and his trumpet!  He's come a long way in a year, and it's fun to hear him play. 

B Y High School Musical...the Road Show

I am in a very bloggy mood.  I have been reading so many great things from so many cool people that I know, who have become writers in the last few years, and I find myself wanting to be just like them. 

I feel like I have so much I want to write about, so many opinions worth explaining to you,  stories I want to share with you...  I don't find it in me to become a fiction writer, but that's okay if that's not my calling.  I know the fiction world is in great hands with friends of mine that have talents in that area! 

I've especially been inspired this week by a new young writer that I met, who is just 12 years old.  She blogs, has written story after story, and has won awards...and as I read her blog, I forget that I'm not reading the writings of someone my same age.  I'm feeling so inspired. 

I completely understand why people write for a living.  I get these little baby ideas in my head that want to grow up to be big kid ideas and grown-up ideas by coming out of my head and maturing through the written word.  I think I am deciding that I am going to blog a little more in the coming days.  Just to see where my little wannabe writer skillz  can take me. 

But for now, I would like to just share some great family photos with you, since I love to do that too, and I feel there's much to offer by way of a photo update.  Here goes:

Did you know that our family was involved in a short musical performance called a Road Show a couple months ago?  Jazz and I were asked to assist a few other adults in directing the youth in our church in a 5-8 minute musical production of our own composition, to be performed with other scenes from other youth groups in the area.  We came up with the them of "B Y High School Musical" to go along with the regional theme of "Arise and Shine Forth".  We took a song from the movie High School Musical and expounded on it...changed the words just a tiny bit, added a script of our own, and then helped these fun kids learn it and perform it--all in 24 hours (the working with the youth part was to be done in one weekend, nothing more).  It was a whirlwind weekend, and pretty crazy, but worth it for one simple reason:  we know we created some wonderful memories for these kids.  And isn't making memories what being a kid is all about?  Heck, I guess it's what being a grown up should be all about too.  So yes, Jazz and I found it to be a LOT of work, and it's not something we would volunteer to do again out of the goodness of our hearts, but if we were called upon to do it again...um...well let's not think about that.  Let's just remember that our kids had a blast, and they did an awesome job of performing.  If it had been a competition (as Road Shows used to be in years past), our group would have won ; ). 

Shark loved being the high school mascot.  Lucky for us, there is a school nearby with Cougars as their mascot, and someone had this awesome costume for us to borrow.

Goldie got to be one of the "book nerds" in the cast.  She, Didi, and Tootie were technically under age since it was supposed to be an activity for the teenagers (or kids ages 12 and up), but since their parents were on the production team, they got to be in the cast (otherwise we would have had to find babysitters for the entire weekend).  They had a great time! 

Tootie was in the closing segment as a member of the rock band.  He tells everybody now that he plays the guitar. 

Here we are giving a last run through in the parking lot right before the performance. 

Didi got to be a cheerleader in the cast, and got pretty good at this stunt : ). 

The production team that we worked with was made up of some of our most favorite people since we've moved here.  If we had to do this again, we'd definitely want them on our team.  Especially since they're the ones that requested that we be their assistants this year, and turnabout is fair play, ha ha.  ; )

I'm Picky, Are You?

 
I never thought of myself as a picky eater, until recently, when I made a discovery:  I am a picky eater.  

I used to think picky eaters were the kids in my family, who won't eat half of what is served to them (or less than half), or the adults in my family that don't like all of the same foods that I like.  I thought that if someone else was doing the cooking, I would eat just about anything, and anyone who doesn't like my cooking is just simply ungrateful.

I know I'm not the world's best chef (which is understandable since I don't even aspire to be considered a chef of any sort--cooking is my least favorite chore), but why would it matter if:
-I didn't follow a recipe exactly?
-I don't use the same recipe you're used to?
-I included an ingredient or two that doesn't TASTE good to you?  (ham, tomatoes, or noodles--heaven forbid, etc.)
-I burnt the food just a teeny tiny eensy teensy bit?
-I brought home the generic brand instead of your favorite name brand food?

In my mind, those were all the characteristics of a picky eater.  None of those quirks bother me in the least.

BUT, I finally recently realized and decided that I have to be in the picky eater's club, whether I like it or not...just for different reasons.

You see, for me, it generally doesn't matter if something doesn't taste quite right, or look quite right even.   But I discovered that I do have two criteria that all of my food choices center around: is the food A) "healthy" enough, or B) is it so incredibly delicious that I will let the health-aspect slide (and this usually only applies to sugary foods).  Oh, and C)-if the food is overpriced, I probably don't want to buy it (this doesn't apply to wonderful restaurants, where the atmosphere makes up the cost difference). 

Even if it tastes kind of yucky...if it's good for me, I will love it.  Brussel sprouts, tofu, whole wheat everything, fat free/light/low calorie--bring it on.  On the other hand, if it's not good for me, please don't offer it (unless it's sugary).  Extra butter on the popcorn--are you trying to kill me?  Deep fried whatevers?  Get me out of here!  White bread? Pass, but thanks anyway.  Greasy cheesy pizza?  Well, if you'll lighten up on the cheese, make the crust thin, and load it up with vegetables (and less greasy meat), then I'll probably eat 4 slices ; ).

I'm hoping to discover that everyone is picky in their own way.  That will make me feel better for realizing I've been in the picky eater's club all along.

So I'm just wondering...what kind of eater are you?  Picky with taste, picky with nutrition, picky with ingredients, picky with where the recipe came from, picky with cost?  Does this thought represent you: "I don't care how healthy it is, as long as it tastes good"?  What matters most or doesn't matter to you?  (Please reply...pretty please?)