Anything's possible.

Brooke was involved with the Fairview Park Fine Arts and Theater Association's summer production again this year.  Now last year's show was good.  It was fun to see Brooke on stage in several different roles.  But there were parts that were rough.  Many parts.  So this year when they decided to put on "Suessical the Musical" I was cautiously optimistic, but honestly my expectations were low.

Brooke was cast to be Thing One, with her best FPFATA friend as Thing Two.  Since the two of them were on stage a lot, they had to be at most of the rehearsals.  It was long hours, but Brooke was having fun and handling the accompanying fatigue much better than last year.  She would come home and tell me how good things were going, how there was one new girl who was such a good singer.  I didn't really pay attention at the time.

Soon enough it was show time.  I missed a performance because of youth conference and was anxious to get to a performance.  I didn't really know what to expect, especially since I was not familiar with the play at all.  And then, the lights went up.

There are not enough words to describe what I saw up there on that stage.  It was incredible.  Incredibly amazing.  From the set, to the staging, to the singing, to the costumes, to the songs...it was pure joy from start to finish.  Brooke and her friend ran around causing trouble just as whey should.  The Cat in the Hat was hilarious.  Gertrude was sweet.  Horton was loyal and innocent.  The Sour Kangaroo (played by the "new girl") had a great voice.  The Bird Girls were in perfect harmony.  JoJo was endearing.  I could go on and on.  I was blown away by the performance those kids gave.

For the closing show I got to help out backstage.  It was so much fun to see everything run like clockwork.  The kids all knew where to be and when to be there.  They had so much fun together.  I loved seeing the little warm ups and team building they did before going onstage.  And it was fun to get some pictures from the wings.

Brooke also had great support from her family and friends.  Stephen was in town and was able to go!  And her Activity Day's leader, with whom Brooke has a special bond, came with a gift in tow,  She made a small Dr. Suess quilt for Brooke's castmates to sign.  It was so cute and so thoughtful.  A couple of her school friends came as well.

I am so proud of the hard work everyone put into the show.  It really paid off.  I told the director she has set the bar high.  I am not sure how they are going to top this one.  I'm so glad Brooke has had the opportunity to be a part of this great group.

We're going back to the start.

A post inspired by photos I thought were lost forever to a dead computer but were somehow miraculously recovered...

It seems contradictory, that the end of the school year would be a beginning.  But looking back now,
all the craziness in those last few weeks was a sign of how chaotic life would become.

We had four kids moving on from three different schools.  So that meant parties and celebrations galore.  Andrew and the other 4th graders celebrated with a bowling party.  Then we had a shindig at the school where there were lots of certificates handed out and the kids sang a fun song (where Andrew was in the back row and I couldn't see him at all) and there was punch and cookies afterwards.  It was great to see Andrew have fun with all his friends--they are all a great group of kids.  We had a good run at this elementary school.  For nine years we had kids attending there, and one year all four of them went together.  So I got a little sentimental, but it's hard to want to linger in a place your child is so ready to leave.  Andrew loved being the BMOC last year but I could tell it had run its course.  Still we are grateful for the wonderful, positive experiences we had at that school and the strong foundation it gave each one of our kids.

Brooke moved on from her short two-year stint at the intermediate school.  Again, there was a party--a luau to be exact.  Brooke hula-ed it up with her friends as any soon-to-be 7th grader would.  And again, there was a formal recognition ceremony, which consisted of some 12 year olds talking about how they learned not to bully (because really there was SO much bullying going on before) and how their two years here were the best two years of their (very short) lives.

Emma and Leah left junior high behind.  The big excitement was finding graduation dresses.  Modest ones.  Two of them.  Nearly impossible.  But very worth the effort, as Emma and Leah looked beautiful amongst girls dressed in dresses that had less fabric than a bath towel.  Strapless, way above the knees, and then add a  pair of high heels and unfortunately the term "street walker" came to mind a couple times.  Surprisingly, I was probably the most sentimental at this celebration.  Overall, the girls had a GREAT junior high experience, which is pretty uncommon.  The "teams" they are on at the school do a great job of having unity-building activities that mix in with the educational side of things.  They made some great memories and friends, and I was feeling grateful that the past two years had gone so well.  And then there was the fact that I'd have two kids in high school in a matter of weeks.

So we enjoyed celebrating our kids' achievements and advancements.  But who knew that the fury of those last few weeks of school was just a small dose of what lie ahead...

T-minus seven days.

And just like that, summer is over.  Ten weeks gone in the blink of an eye.

If you had asked me on June 6th, I would have naively told you that summer would be a break from the craziness of the school year.  After school is out, I'll have time to relax/get organized/get something accomplished/breathe.  Yeah right.

When I look back on this summer, I will remember how it was all about the kids.  Which really is how it usually is and how it should be.  But this time around the activities were much more involved and time intensive.  It was over, under, and all around me.

(There was my highly celebrated birthday week, but even that was not immune.)

The first half of the summer was peppered with baseball game after baseball game.  Every other night we sat at the ballpark, cousins chasing after each other and shyly admiring Andrew, trying to ignore the sweltering heat, cheering on a brand-new pitcher. Then came Girl's Camp, that hotter-than-hot (yet still not the hottest) week that left me with the realization that I actually enjoyed myself...and also with a back injury that would last six weeks.

Then there were the weeks when I had a driver's seat permanently under my derriere.  Back and forth, back and forth, here and there, and back again.  Safety Town, swim lessons, theater camp, cross country practice, rehearsal.  And don't forget the occasional doctor's appointment, a couple of trips to the chiropractor, and weekly allergy shots.

It's all so tedious.  You feel like a taxi driver, only without the tips.  You do it for the kids, knowing full well that they have no idea how much goes in to coordinating, to rounding up, to keeping the gas tank filled.  But every once in a while you get a little something back.  But when you see your children grow, improve, succeed, and thrive, you know it is all worth it. 

I saw Emma and Leah feel the Spirit, strengthen their testimonies, step outside of their boxes, try new things.  I watched them associate with other kids who are like they are: good, kind, pure, strong.  It was an honor for me to catch the small glimpse I did.  I saw Brooke pour her natural exuberance into an impressive theatrical production.  I saw her confidence with her cast mates, with her cue times, with her part.  I was introduced to a heartwarming and clever musical that was unbelievably well-performed. 

The frenzy of summer activities and the buzz of conferences and plays have now devolved into a madness of orientations, band practice, school shopping, and last minute doctor's appointments.  The late Olympic-watching nights turn into sleepy mornings.  We feel the first day looming large before us.  A lesser-experienced person might be fooled into thinking that starting school will stop the insanity.  But not I. 

School starts in one week.  But I am smart enough to know that the insanity never ends.

Patriotism in two acts.

***ACT I***

To celebrate on July 2nd we traveled downtown, waited for a long time in pleasant weather, ate snacks, watched the kids dance and play, listened to music from the Cleveland Orchestra, worried that we'd get wet from the sprinklers, and watched a disappointing 5ish minutes worth of piddly fireworks.

***INTERMISSION***

July 4th. 8:30am. Ward breakfast at Clague Park. Very very hot. Ward members marching in parade. Bad back allows me to sit the mile walk out.  Plans to head to the beach are scrapped due to heat advisory.  The only thing left to do is sit in a (semi)cool movie theater and watch an awesome movie (Brave).

 ***ACT II***

To celebrate on July 4th we traveled to Clague Park, waited for a long time in unbearably horribly hot weather, ate snacks, watched the kids dance and play, listened to music from DJ Easy, worried that we'd get wet from the threatening storm clouds that passed overhead, and watched an amazing half-hourish long fireworks that were actually worthy of the holiday.

***END SCENE***

A word about Scouts.

If I ever wonder why I have been blessed with three girls and only one boy, I just think about Scouts and I understand.  I really do not like Scouting.  And I am fine with this.  I will make encourage my son to pass off requirements, I will support various Scouting activities with my attendance, I will do my best to see that my son earn his Eagle award, and I may even make a financial contribution here and there.  But deep down inside, it just is not my favorite thing.  A week at Girl's Camp was such a good trade off to avoid having to help just one day at Cub Scout Day Camp.

There are people out there who love Scouts and feel passionately about it.  I am so grateful for people like that, because I know that once we transition to Boy Scouts, my power to sign off requirements is stripped.  I will rely on and give thanks for those devotees to help my son advance. 

Having said all that, I am proud of Andrew for earning his Webelos badge and a whole slew of other awards at this month's pack meeting.  He needed some prodding and cajoling and maybe a firm word here and there, but he worked hard to get things done.  He is a good example to others and a good example of what a Scout should be.  If there is any program that I'd want my one boy to be a part of, it is the Scouting program.

But that doesn't mean that there won't be massive celebrating when it's all said and done.  By me.

Gee, Mom I wanna go, but they won't let me go, gee Mom I wanna go home.

Ahhh, Girl's Camp. Such a love-hate relationship.

I hate:

~the HEAT.
~the BUGS.
~when girls disappear when it's time to do work.
~when my canoe gets stuck on rocks and I have to drag the thing (with 2 girls in it) behind me.
~the HEAT.
~the BUGS.
~when taking a shower doesn't make a difference.
~hearing a loud group of girls screaming camp songs from across the campground at 12:30 am.
~the HEAT.
~the BUGS.

But I love:

~the beauty of the campground.
~getting away from everyday life.
~seeing my girls develop friendships.

~listening to the lessons taught during Destiny.
~that we didn't have much rain on top of the heat.
~texting my sister across the campground.
~hiking in Nelson Ledges State Park.

~getting to know great girls that I wouldn't normally have the opportunity to.
~the feeling that comes after building a successful campfire.
~hearing sweet testimonies from the girls.
~having my husband come up to go canoeing with us and staying for testimony meeting.
~not having to cook dinner after canoeing.
~Becca's famous braiding abilities.
~laughing with other leaders.
~realizing that there are so many great youth in our stake.

~learning that there are things I need to teach my children not to do at camp.
~getting a great night's sleep by using ear plugs.
~the traditions our stake has established.
~feeling the Spirit while touring the Johnson Farm.
~sharing this year with my sister.
~singing loudly in the car to High School Musical songs.
~observing ways that I can be a better mother and person.
~making things a little easier on the nurse by taking a splinter out of a girl's toe with a needle.
~accepting the fact that with Brooke coming for the first time next year, I am in this for the long haul.
~the divinely inspired church programs.
~COMING HOME.

Hey now, you're an All Star!

Baseball this season has been a tough one for Andrew.  His team has an interesting mix of players and quite often the action on the field rivaled that of the Bad News bears.  One good outcome is that since Andrew was one of the few kids who could throw the ball a decent distance, he has had the opportunity to pitch for the first time in his career.  And it turns out he's pretty decent at it.  He has become the coach's go-to guy to be starting pitcher, and has called Andrew in to relieve several times.  Each time Andrew was able to get his team out of a sticky inning.

Andrew was excited to be selected to play in the All-Star game again this year.  He was able to pick the person who would pitch to him for the home run derby, and he picked his dad.  (Not sure how his dad felt about that...)  He hit it out of the park on the first pitch!

Andrew had a great game.  It was nice for him to field a ball and freely throw it to first for an out and not have to worry about the first baseman not catching it.  He made several great plays and had a couple good hits.

In the last inning, Andrew was called in to pitch!  He only faced 5 batters.  He gave up one unearned run, had one strikeout, and made the other two outs with balls hit right back to him.  Even though his team ended up losing the game, Andrew had a great individual performance. 

The weather was great, Grandpa Brooks and lots of other family was there to watch, and it was a perfect morning for baseball.  We're proud of Andrew and the good sportsmanship he shows and the hard work he puts in for each game.  Congratulations, Andrew!