The Wizard of Oz!

One of the neat things about doing musical theatre is how much my kids get out of it.

Last week I was in three performances of "The Wizard of Oz" at a local high school. I played the piano, along with 8-9 other musicians in a mini-orchestra.

Rebecca simply demanded to come to the last rehearsal. (I think it was because she was missing me a lot.) It was a four-hour rehearsal (with a half hour pizza break), but she sat through the whole thing and had a wonderful time.


Danielle, the lovely young woman who played Glinda the Good Witch, gave Rebecca a tour backstage, let her wear the crown and carry the wand and carry the wand, put makeup on her, and even let her sing into the mic for a moment. Rebecca was absolutely in heaven.


Rebecca also made a "Flying Monkey Friend" who she liked a lot.



Rachael made about six cards for me to bring to the lead actors for the opening night show, wishing them luck. Even was a little different and related to the character they played.

The show was very good, despite a lot of outside factors working against it, which shows how amazing the people involved were. The kids were masters art the art of ad libbing; for example when a piece of scenery crashed over during one performance, and when the Tin Man's pants tore in another performance.



Also, the costumes and sets were amazing. They actually had a house that rocked and spun during the tornado sequence (not that I could see it, since I was playing and had my back to the stage.)



Now I have a total of three musicals for my resume -- Annie Jr, Godspell, and The Wizard of Oz.
And hopefully there will be many more in the future!

Mock Slumber Party

Every now and then I do something smart, and one of those was combining the girls' birthday parties this year. (Their birthdays are less than a month apart. Rachael turned nine, and Rebecca turned seven.)

They really wanted a slumber party, and fortunately my friend Heather gave me the idea for a "Mock Slumber Party": They come in PJs and bring pillows and slumber bags and stuffed animals. They eat pizza and do their nails and tell stories.

Then at 9:30 pm everybody goes home and goes to bed.
Yay.

So that's what we did.


Here's the gang, soon after they all arrived. Notice Lammie is in her nightgown as well.



Here's everyone having pizza. The girls set up the table themselves, including making the little candle centerpiece.


Robert took Benjamin shopping for trucks when the party began. When Benjamin came back, he happily sat in the roped-off side of the playroom and enjoyed his pizza.



I really think the main reason the girls wanted a slumber party was so they could have pillow fights.



Yup. I'm pretty sure that was the reason.

Alice is making a comeback

You maybe remember that Rachael was a big fan of Alice in Wonderland 2-3 years ago, as you can see here and here. She was often wearing blue dresses and acting out parts of the story. We saw two different Alice plays.

Then nothing for a long time. I wondered if she even remembered how much she had liked it.

Well, we recently went to the movie to see The Squeakquel [help me] and saw the poster for the new Alice in Wonderland movie. (Although we will probably not be seeing that one.)

So I guess maybe that reminded her, because she recently started reading my hardback copy of Alice in Wonderland -- YES, the one that my friend Kim gave me for my eleventh birthday after we had both been "cards" in our fifth grade musical version. This is the first "classic" sort of book Rachael's read by herself.

She also asked to watch this 70's musical movie version we got a couple years ago. We're watching it right now. It's full of "70's stars" -- Sammy Davis Jr as the catterpillar, Red Buttons as the White Rabbit, Imogene Coca (who I remember as "Aunt Jenny" from the Brady Bunch, ha!) as the Cook Martha Raye ("the denture woman") as the Duchess, Scott Baio as ... um .... somebody.

So it's kind of neat to see this interest sprout up again. And it's neat to see how much she's changed and grown since the last time she was into it.

Sleeping kids

On Saturday, Robert and I went to a Christmas Party with people from Robert's office. We were out til about midnight, which is late for us!

When we got home, Robert went into the kids' bedrooms and took pictures of them.


Here's Rebecca, fast asleep ...



... and a sleeping Rachael ....



... and here's ... well, Benjamin not sleeping!

Kids in the Leaves

Robert spend several hours yesterday cleaning up the leaves, and of course the kids had to get in on it.






I guess I didn't have my camera on the best setting, but they're cute pictures nonetheless.



When Benjamin saw what was going on, he ran toward the pile, going, "Me too! Me too!"

My "Cheat Post"

I was touched when not just one, but two, of my dearest childhood friends (Becky and Kim), wrote to me to ask where I've been lately.

It's strange. I've had many potential posts floating around in my head lately. They would be perfectly good posts (or, at least as good as any of my past posts, for whatever that's worth).

But I have no desire to write.

I don't mean that I have no time to write. I mean I have no desire. Even though I have plenty of topics (and that's usually the hard part), I have no interest in writing them.

I have two solid theories for this .... but guess what? I have no desire (right now) to actually take the time to write about them.

But hey, my mini-following of Exactly Two People is looking for something, so at the moment I'll do what I call a "Cheat Post" (or, more accurately, a "Lazy Post") and put up a couple recent pictures of the kids:



Here's Benjamin, intently playing with his beloved vehicles
(and Rachael in the background)


and here's the girls with tattoos they were excited to get at a pool party.


Rebecca


and Rachael

The new babies at my house

The girls have just re-discovered their Baby Dolls. It's sort of funny, since they were toys they received when they were toddler-age, and now they are eight and six. Rachael has never particularly liked Baby Dolls, so this is almost a first for her.

[Side note: I just realized that a few weeks ago, with Rebecca's help, I cleaned out the doll bin, and gave away about 3 dolls she didn't care for, plus some doll clothes. So possibly, the fact that she doesn't have to root through "the junk" makes it easier to play with her favorites, and that's why they've been re-discovered. Just a thought.]

I thought it was cute at first. Rebecca's doll talks. They're feeding them bottles, taking them for walks in the doll stroller, and putting them in the high chair and bassinet.

But then I started realizing that these are rather old babies. They talk. They whine a lot. They call for food from their highchair at meal time. And they fight over things a lot.

So it kind of feels like there are two more toddlers in the house. Rather loud ones, too.

Oh well. It's still cute.

I love this picture!

I decided to bite the bullet and dig into my boxes of old photos so I can start scrapbooking again.

The lighting is bad in the picture (although I'm sure there's a way to fix that), but otherwise it's a great picture, don't you think?

It was taken in September 2007, when Benjamin was 16 months old and just taking his first steps. Rachael was five and cheering him on.

Mixed-up Kids

A few weeks ago, Rachael and Benjamin decided to dress up as each other:


Rachael, as Benjamin, is wearing only a T-shit and is holding a car.
Benjamin, as Rachael, is wearing Rachael's dress, Hannah Montana wig, and Hannah Montana microphone.


Then everybody got into the act!
Here's Benjamin as Rachael, Rebecca as Benjamin, and Rachael as Becca.



Here's Rebecca as Benjamin, in the Official Position of a Little Boy Playing.

Benjamin's three!

As usual, I'm a little late about posting, but ...

Benjamin turned three on May 11!


Here he is, first thing in the morning, holding up his ... excavator ...? that his grandparents sent him in the mail.


He had wanted a "monster truck cake," so Robert helped the girls decorate this; using Benjamin's own toys when he wasn't looking.



Outside on our front porch later in the day, opening more gifts.

Rebecca had changed into these "party clothes," which I thought was a very Rebecca-like thing to do. This is a nice shot of Robert with his two youngest children.

Field Day!

We are members of a local homeschool group, and we do things with them approximately ...

Two times a year.

Here's what we did last spring.

Fortunately, we also attend a weekly Bible study with many of the same people, so we're not total strangers.

Last Friday was Field Day!



Here's the Wheelbarrow Race! Rachael is in the white tank top and light blue shorts.


Here's Rebecca with Regan, getting ready to start their race!



Meanwhile, Benjamin had fun in the toddler area.

Out of the Mouth of Babes

My friend Kim (who falls into that Special Category of "People who Knew How Annoying I Was When I Was Nine") put this on Facebook. I didn't realize until just now that I had cut off the last few questions and therefore never got answers.

I thought number 12 was the funniest.

*********************************************************************

Cut and paste these questions and ask your kids their answers....it is a RIOT!

Answers are from Becca, age 5, and Rachael, age 7:

1. What is something mom always says to you?
B: Do your morning routine
R: I like being right!

2. What makes mom happy?
B: When I hug her.
R: When I do my morning routine quickly.
[Goodness, I'm starting to sound like a drill sergeant here, aren't I?]

3. What makes mom sad?
B: I don't know.
R: When Daddy yells at her.

4. How does your mom make you laugh?
B: When you say funny things
R: If copies Benjamin in a funny way

5. What was your mom like as a child?
B: Fun
R: I don't know, but she does!

6. How old is your mom?
B: I don't know ... fifty ...?
R: 39

7. How tall is your mom?
B: Lots of inches
R: Shorter than Wilson, but taller than me

8. What is her favorite thing to do?
B: Be with me
R: Cross-stitch

9. What does your mom do when you're not around?
B: Goes out
R: Watch The Big Bang Theory and cross-stitch

10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for?
B: Playing the piano
R: Being a good mother

11. What is your mom really good at?
B: Playing the piano
R: Being a good mother

12. What is your mom NOT very good at?
B: Oh, there's lots of things she's not good at! Doing things that are other people's, like setting up another TV, or WII, or Nintendo
R: Getting me started at schoolwork

13. What does your mom do for a job?
B: Taking care of us
R: Playing the piano for concerts

14.What is your mom's favorite food?
B: I don't know
R: I don't know, but I do know her favorite drink is water

15.What makes you proud of your mom?
B: Taking care of us
R: I don't know
[Well, that one was disappointing]

16. If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be?
B: Caillou's mom
R: A Charlie Brown character person!

More American Girl stuff for Christmas

Robert correctly says that we would probably have no American Girl products in our home if my mother wasn't Willing and Able to buy them.

Luckily for us, she does and is, and so we do.


Here's Rachael, with Julie and her new outfit. I think it's technically a Felicity outfit.
I don't think it matters, since all the dolls basically look the same except for their clothes anyway.



And here's Rebecca, dressed as Kit, and holding Mia, who is wearing Rachael's gift for Julie,
although it is actually a Mia Outfit.
(Rebecca was confused when the gift was opened,
just as you probably were after reading that last sentence.)



And here's my two girls together -- oh, wait, I was just informed that it is Kit and Ruthie -- with Woofie -- but no, I suppose it is really Grace.

My handsome son!

Our cousins sent us some hand-me-downs in the mail along with Christmas presents.

This is a wonderful thing because, as you may remember, my goal in life is to never buy my children clothes.

Here's our Benjamin, age two and a half, in his new suit. Notice he is holding his "cool" and is deliriously happy.



Here he is again!

No time to read, but ...

I remember back when my oldest child was about nine or ten months old, I thought it was a little odd when women said they couldn't find time to do anything after they had children.

Back then, I remember working on concert pieces [I am a free-lance accompanist] while Rachael played on the floor nearby. I organized and labeled photos while she napped in the afternoon, and I did a Variety of Things after I put her to bed at night.

Then I had two kids.

And then three.

And now I don't have time to do anything either.

One thing I miss is reading. I was so proud of myself that I read I Know This Much is True by Wally Lamb, a 900-page novel, when Rachael was a baby.

Since Rebecca (Number Two) was born over five years ago, I think I have read less than ten novels -- none of which are 900 pages long -- including:

The Curious Incident Involving the Dog in the Nighttime (or something like that). I forget the author.

A Ladder of Years by Anne Tyler

The Amateur Marriage by Anne Tyler

a few books by Elizabeth Berg ... one I liked, a couple I didn't.

Anyway. The point of all this is to say that, even though I don't get to read much on my own, I do at least get to read a lot with the oldest two, which is not quite the same, but still good in its own way.

I made a list of what we've read together since around August (basically, the "school year" so far) and was impressed at how much there was:


Ramona the Pest by Beverly Clearly

Mrs Piggle-Wiggle by Betty MacDonald

Hello, Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle by Betty MacDonald

Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle's Magic by Betty MacDonald

Charlotte's Web by EB White

Mr. Popper's Penguins (can't remember the author)

The Chocolate Touch (can't remember the author)

Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder

On the Banks of Plum Creek by Laura Ingalls Wilder

Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren

Pippi Goes on Board by Astrid Lindgren

Pippi in the South Seas by Astrid Lindgren

Betsy's Winterhouse by Carolyn Haywood

C is for Cupcake by Carolyn Haywood



Right now we are in the middle of Seven-Day Magic by Edward Eager, which they are a little young for, but seem to be enjoying. Hopefully we'll read it again, or they'll read it themselves, again in a few years.

When we finish that, I'm hoping to read Here Comes the Bus by Carolyn Haywood.

I have read part of The Secret Garden with Rachael, which we both like a lot, but Rebecca is too young for it, and won't sit still for it, and it's hard for me to find regular time to read to just one kid. We had the same problem with the Little House books. (I will also confess -- and I had the same experience when I read them myself as a kid -- that the Little House books tend to put me to sleep.)

Becca particularly liked the Pippi books.

The child who puts me over the edge

I wonder if most parents have this ...

I have One Child who is the one who Drives Me Crazy Most. (If you know us personally, you probably know who it is.)

Said Child just makes me livid sometimes in a way the others don't. It probably has at least as much to do with me as it does with Said Child.

Maybe God sends you offspring like that to force you to deal with certain ... uh, weaknesses, in yourself?

I have been having a Tough Day with This Child. One insight I do have -- although I often don't actually listen to my own insight -- is that the times I most want to whack and scream at This Person are the times when He or She most needs my cuddles and hugs and calmness.

Do ya think we look alike?

Here's a picture of me and my oldest daughter, Rachael, taken over Thanksgiving.

Maybe it's just me, but to me we look so alike it's almost freaky. Anyone else think so?

It is a Good Thing, to look like Rachael.

The Official Position of a Little Boy Playing

Robert took these pictures of Benjamin a month or two again. The truck was free -- Robert got the kit at Home Depot on Craft Day.

This is what position Benjamin spends most of the day in. I think it's a boy thing.

I never buy my kids clothes!

Most of you who know me know that I am Cheap Cheap Cheap.

Actually, I probably shouldn't say that. It makes me sound like a jerk. I would hopefully never screw over someone to save a buck.

But let's just say I get very excited when I can find a deal.

Maybe you could call me a Tightwad?

Anyway, one thing that makes me deliriously happy is that I almost never buy clothes for my children. I have two women that give me hand-me-downs that make up about 80% of my kids' wardrobes, then about 15% (or more) of their remaining clothes are random hand-me-downs and gifts.

I have three kids, all younger than eight. In the past three years I have bought less than ten articles of kids' clothing, total. One of them was a premie outfit for Benjam just because he was too big to fit into any of the baby clothes we had. I also bought a few bathing suits.

And yes, we do use hand-me-downs for socks and underwear and shoes too.

There are many reasons why this is great:

1) The obvious one is money. To illustrate my opening sentence, one time when we got a few bags of hand-me-downs for the girls, I actually did rough calculations in my head of how much all of it would have cost if bought new. Since it was a lot of Carter's and other good brands, the total came to a few hundred. Even if I bought everything at consignment sales, three years of clothes for three kids would cost quite a bit.

2) Shopping for clothes is not a "fun sport" for me, and I certainly have no desire to drag three kids to stores every season, or line up a babysitter every time Benjamin needs a new size.

3) I am maybe more wasteful than I should be in some areas -- for example, we use paper plates and cups at times, and I don't re-use baggies. This kind of makes up for it in my mind.

4) The clothes are more special when we know the people who had them before us.

When it's time to "change out the closets," usually due to weather, we haul the stuff we need down from the attic and pack up the old stuff.

Then, I do something kind of fun: because we are lucky enough to get so much great used stuff, I segregate them into piles: pants, shirts, dresses, jackets, etc. Then I tell the girls to "come into the store and go shopping." I might tell them to pick out five pairs of pants each, etc. What they don't pick, I pass on to someone else.

I know at some point we won't be able to do this as much when the kids get older. But for now, it is a byooooo-tiful thing!

We got a note sent home from Rebecca's teacher

The girls played school for a few hours the other day. Rachael is always the teacher and she writes a daily schedule and everything.

Later Rachael brought me a sealed envelope that said "to Rebecca's parins"

Inside a letter said:

Rebecca brok a rool at nap time. first genuvev asct hr a qeshchin. the rool is don't tok at nap time. then Rebecca tokt bake.

That darn Rebecca! :)