She Says...

On the way home from church today, I asked Zach to stop and get some bacon and brown sugar.  The kids asked why I needed it and I said, "I'm going to make chili.  I want to take some to Aunt Jan and Uncle Jack since Uncle Jack just had surgery, and then the rest will be for our dinner tonight."  Adelie replied, "OR you could just give it all to Aunt Jan and Uncle Jack.  Then they'd have more, and I wouldn't have to eat any.  It's a win-win."

#alwaysthinking

#winwin

#exceptforthepersonwhomakesthedinner

In the Beginning...

All the NTA and school shows that my kids are in are licensed productions, meaning I am not allowed to take pictures or videos during the shows.  However, they do pay for the rights for an archival DVD to be made and for an individual to take archival photos during the show.  I was just given access to some of the photos going all the way back to when Staley first started Stage Kids.  I had a great time going through these old pictures (from over 20 productions that Staley has been in), but one of my favorite things was just seeing how comfortable and expressive Staley was on stage from a very young age.  And so I have decided to post a collection of favorite Staley stage moments that were captured on film.

Staley's very first show.  She was so little that no one else's faces were even in the picture.  Too cute!

She was the cutest little seahorse in The Little Mermaid!  And in every picture from this show, Staley is smiling.  She just loved being on stage.

Gladys Herdman--the littlest and meanest of the bunch.

I love how expressive Staley was during the shipwreck scene in Madagascar.

Staley as Olaf is still one of my favorites.

Hei Hei was another fun role.

Staley really nailed the role of funny sidekick.  Kuwalski in Madagascar, Olaf in Frozen, Hei Hei in Moana, and then Iago in Aladdin.

And actually, she continued her funny sidekick streak as the Young Kangaroo in Seussical.

This was Staley's favorite picture as Winthrop in The Music Man.

I think the hardest part of Staley's role in Beauty and the Beast was walking in her costume.

Even when she is in small roles or in the ensemble, Staley is always expressive while creating her character on stage.

God has blessed Staley with theatrical gifts.  I love watching her use her God-given gifts doing something she loves.

Annie, Jr.

Staley just finished her EMS Drama Club production of Annie, Jr.  They had been rehearsing since September, so it was nice to finally see the full product come together.  

The cast of Annie, Jr.

Staley was cast as Miss Hannigan.  She was perfect for that role!  She owned the stage with each scene she was in.  She had lots of lines, as well as the solo song 'Little Girls' and the trio song 'Easy Street.'  I loved watching her create such a fun villain on stage.

She nailed each scene with not just her lines, but her body language and facial expressions as well.

The entire cast did a great job, and the show came together very well.

This was one of the biggest roles Staley has had in a show, and she really embraced it.  I was so proud of her hard work in bringing her character to life.

Staley's skills as a singer continue to improve, but her ability to maintain her character while singing during this show was very impressive.  Her wig and wardrobe were also very impressive.

Staley had so many people come to watch her perform.  I didn't get pictures of everyone, but both sets of grandparents were there.

There were aunts, uncles, and cousins...

from both sides of the family.

And although I didn't get pictures of them, Zach's Aunt Sandi and Aunt Jan and our neighbor Ms. Vickie were also in attendance.

Maggie and her parents came to see Staley perform.

Some of Staley's school friends were also in attendance, which Staley was very excited about.

Staley really enjoyed having the opportunity to perform with school friends,...

make new friends,...

and deepen previous friendships.

I love that our school offers so many different opportunities for our kids.

Annie, Jr. was a great show!  Staley was a great Miss Hannigan!  And it was great to see a group of middle school students work so hard together to put on a fabulous show!!

He Says...

Briggs was looking at the label on the Children's Tylenol bottle and said, "Why would they make the flavor Grape Syrup?  Grape and syrup together just sounds gross."  

#truth

Briggs went to a birthday party at Elevate trampoline park the other week-end.  There is a zip line there that Briggs was afraid to go down the last time he was there.  He kept talking about wanting to do it this time, but was having second thoughts once he got there.  I insisted he do it as soon as we got there, knowing that he would love it once he overcame his initial fear.  And he did!  When we got home, Briggs made me this card:

My favorite parts:

1.  The way he spelled inkeriging (encouraging).

2.  How he said I help him when he needs help and when he doesn't need help.  (Hmmm....)

3. The picture he drew

4.  His validation that he does love me and thinks I'm a good mom even when I force him to do something he says he is scared to do.

Love when my kids face their fears!

And love this boy!

They Say...

Zach and Adelie were having a conversation about the first moon landing.  Zach shared the quote, "One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind."  Then they had this conversation:

Adelie:  Why is it always mankind?  It should be people-kind.  It's like they're saying men are better."
Zach:  Are men better?
Adelie:  No!  We're equal.  Maybe I'll write a letter to the president and tell him to change it to people-kind."

#truth

#notcountingonbiden

#smartgirl

Zach overheard Adelie and Briggs having this conversation about raising chickens.

Briggs:  It you have chickens, you get lots of eggs.  But then you might end up with lots of baby chicks.

Adelie:  It doesn't work that way.  You have to have a rooster to have baby chicks because you have to have a boy and a girl to have babies, just like with people.  Except people don't lay eggs.

Briggs:  Right.  They have to cut the mom open to get the baby out with people.

Adelie:  That's only when they get stuck.

Briggs:  How do they get them out when they don't get stuck.

Long pause...

Adelie:  I think you should just wait and talk to Mom.

#thoseconversations

#awkward

#deflecting

#smart girl

Snow Pictures

We typically try to do family pictures about every year.  We've done them in the spring.  We've done them in the fall.  We've done them in the summer.  But we've never done winter family pictures.  I thought it was time to try.

We waited for a good snow.

The kids thought that doing family pictures in the cold and snow wasn't my best idea.

Zach might have agreed with them.

But I loved how they turned out.

And because my kids have gotten SO much better about pictures, we weren't outside that long.

It wasn't really even THAT cold.

Winter pictures?  Check!

And I call it a success!!

So Blessed

Sometimes I have to stop and reflect on how blessed we are as a family to be surrounded by people who invest in our lives and the lives of our kids.  I think about what our life would be like if we didn't live close to family.  If we lived in a big city with big schools.  If we didn't have a solid church family.  If my kids weren't involved in activities they enjoyed.  If all we had was us.  Us isn't bad, but our life is richer and fuller because of where we live and what we do and who we surround ourselves with.

Our families are our biggest support.  My kids have two sets of grandparents who are very present in their lives.  They have aunts and uncles and cousins that they love spending time with.  But it's not just immediate family that we are blessed with.  My kids have great aunts and uncles, neighbors, church family, youth leaders, school teachers, older kid friends, and family friends who support them, enjoy them, mentor them, and love them.  

As I was going through pictures from the past few months, I came across a few pictures of my kids during various lessons.  I began to think about those people who are helping my kids grow in the things they love.  Their piano teacher doesn't just teach them piano.  She is interested in their other activities and gives them little treats on holidays and is excited about their successes.  Their singing instructor fits in extra sessions to get them ready for performances and has used her own time to make adjustments to their music and is always so positive and supportive.  Their school teachers send home notes of encouragement and are invested in my kids not just academically but personally.  Their Sunday School teachers and youth leaders pray for them and connect with them and care about their spiritual growth.  I feel so blessed that my kids are surrounded by people who want the best for them and are helping to make that happen.

We are so very blessed by the people in our lives.

So blessed!

Good-bye, January!

We kicked off a new year with a busy January.  We finished up Christmas break, celebrated Staley's birthday, enjoyed the Penguin Project, and jumped back into the swing of life with school and activities starting back up after the holidays.  Here are a few of our January highlights...

Staley's actual birthday was in the midst of the busy Penguin Project rehearsals and shows.  She enjoyed a sleepover with friends over Christmas break as her celebration with friends, but we were able to squeeze in her dinner of choice (Zach grilling, of course), dessert (Oreo balls and ice cream), and a few gifts before rushing off to a Penguin rehearsal on her actual birthday.  Staley's main birthday gift was tickets to see the musical 'Six' in St. Louis in February.

We celebrated January birthdays with my family.

Cousin time is always the best time.

As a Christmas gift, we got tickets for me to take the girls and my mom to see Les Mis at the Fox Theater.  It's my mom's favorite show and one of my favorites as well.

We drove down to St. Louis for the day.  We ate a yummy lunch at Fountain on Locust and grabbed dinner at Steak and Shake on the way home.

We all enjoyed the show.  The girls had a little trouble following the plot in places, but still said they liked it.

I much prefer giving experiences rather than things as gifts, and I think this one was another winner.

While the girls and I were gone, Briggs and Zach had a fun Daddy day.  They went to the Caterpillar Museum and the Riverfront Museum, watched a movie, played games, launched rockets, and ate out.  So much fun!!

We took advantage of the first not-frigid and not-melty snowfall of the winter to do a little sledding.

It was a fun time, although Zach and I realized that our old people bodies are not made to go down hills on saucer sleds or snowboards anymore.

The rest of our month was filled in with play dates, activities, lessons, rehearsals, and some cozy time at home when our schedule wasn't full with all the other things.

Our January was full and fun and flew by.  Here's hoping February does the same.