Seussical, Jr.

The kids just finished their summer Stage Kids class with their production of Seussical, Jr.

The Eureka cast combined with the Bloomington cast to bring this production to the stage.

Briggs wasn't planning to be in the show until his friend, Grace, signed up.  Then he changed his mind and was the cutest little Who in Whoville and a fish.  As part of the ensemble, Briggs did a great job of knowing the songs and dances and really creating his character on the stage.

Adelie was Cindy Lou Who.  Even though she didn't have any lines or solos, this was one of her best performances.  She was very expressive on stage, did a great job singing the songs and remembering the dances, and was a joy to watch.

Staley was the Young Kangaroo, sidekick to the Sour Kangaroo in the show.  She had a few short solos within songs and made the most of them.  Although this wasn't one of her biggest parts in terms of lines or solos, she said it was one of her favorite shows to be in.

With each show, my kids have more and more friends that they want to get pictures with after the performance.

They love meeting new friends when the casts come together and further establishing relationships with friends from different schools/grades/towns.

The family atmosphere of NTA and the joy my kids find in preparing for and performing each show makes me appreciate this little organization all the more.

Like always, the kids had so many people come to watch them perform.  Briggs' friend, Dava, came with her mom one night...on Dava's birthday!

Their summer baby-sitter, Miss Olivia, came to watch them.

Of course, they were also supported by grandparents...

Miss Vickie...

great aunts...

cousins...

and friends.

It was a fantastic show with my fantastic kids.  I love watching them continually grow in their skills and find joy on the stage.  So proud of them all!

They Say...

Adelie was asking lots of questions about cancer and why people with cancer lose their hair.  As we were discussing this, it came up that sometimes your hair grows back differently after you've lost it.  Adelie seemed very concerned with the whole conversation, so we reassured her that she is healthy and does not need to worry about getting cancer.  She replied, "Oh good, because I wouldn't want my hair to grow back differently.  I really love my hair."  #warpedpriorities

The other day Briggs came out of the playroom and announced that he had just cleaned up the whole playroom by himself.  Getting him to clean up, especially without help, is often a struggle so I was praising him for cleaning up without even being asked.  He replied, "It was a really big mess and all the toys kind of overwhelmed me."  #soundslikehismom  #ioftenfinditoverwhelming

We have been watching the Olympics as a family most evenings.  The strict judging and picky commentary during gymnastics and diving have become a source of conversation (and comedy).  The other day, Adelie said, "I wouldn't be a very good judge because I'd just give everyone really good scores."  #sotrue  #tookindtobeajudge

We were driving a few friends home from Stage Kids and Briggs was talking about his grandparents.  He was explaining that he doesn't call his grandparents Sandy and Paul or Cathy and Mark, but instead calls them Grammie and Grandpa and Uma and Papa.  He explained, "We don't like their real names, so we just gave them different ones."  #iguessthatswhathethinks

During our Olympics viewing, Adelie kept commenting on all the gymnasts' sparkly leotards.  The US team seemed to have different leotards for each different portion of the competition.  At one point, Adelie asked, "Why are they wearing different leotards again?"  To which Staley replied, "Probably because the other ones are being washed."  #laundryismyolympicsport

Even as they get older, I love these little glimpses into how they see themselves and how they see the world.  

Truth

I have come to realize that I can either have creativity or a clean house, but never both at the same time.

#ichoosecreativity

Good-bye, July!

With only a another week until school resumes, we have continued to try to fill our summer break time with fun activities and time with friends.  July was full of fun!

Adelie, Uma, and I went to a Fancy Nancy tea party put on by the library.  It was fun to get dressed up for a special activity with Adelie.

The girls and I took Uma and Grammie to see 'The Little Mermaid' play at 5 Points in Washington.

Some of the girls' big kid friends from Stage Kids were in the show.  One of their Stage Kids' directors and singing teacher played Ursula.  We all loved the show!

My college roommate, Tara, was in Eureka twice for her son's travel baseball games.  I loved getting to spend time with her.

The kids have all had special time with grandparents this summer.  Adelie had a special day out with Uma getting a manicure and pedicure, as well as shopping for school supplies.  Staley went shopping with Uma for school clothes and supplies.  The kids have enjoyed special movie days and outings with Grammie and Grandpa as well.  We are so lucky to have grandparents that are a vital part of my kids' lives on a regular basis.

The kids have also enjoyed fun opportunities to spend time with cousins.

My friend, Christie, and her girls were in town for a few weeks so we scheduled LOTS of play dates, late night walks, swimming fun, and even a sleepover.  When our kids were all together, putting on shows was always part of the plan.  So much creativity!

Briggs and Lucy got to have a special sleepover together at Grammie and Grandpa's house...

...while Caroline had a special sleepover at our house.

Zach took the girls to an outdoor performance of 'Oklahoma.'

One of their old Stage Kids' friends was performing and they loved watching her.

Briggs had so much fun with some of his best friends at Dava's birthday party.

(Notice that he is surrounded by his closest friends...and they are all girls.)

He had a great time swimming and playing with friends.

We met my college friend, Jenny, and her kids at a park in Springfield for a full day of playground, splash pad, park, and picnic fun.

Our summer isn't all sleepovers and swimming and special activities, however.  We've also had plenty of time at home for playing...

building...

reading...

creating..

and outdoor fun.

Oh, summer!  It's been lots of fun, but I'm so sad that you are almost over.  Good-bye, July!!  You flew by too fast!

Water Fun

We have spent a good portion of our summer in the water.  From our Michigan vacation to State Farm Pool to swimming lessons to a pond visit to multiple trips to a friend's pool, we have soaked up the opportunity to have fun, stay cool, and work on our swimming skills.

State Farm Pool is a summer highlight.  Briggs loves going down this little water slide.  Although he hasn't worked up the courage to jump off the diving boards, he will slide down this water slide over and over and over again.

Adelie has courageously conquered the red water slide and jumping off the diving boards.

Staley has been working hard on perfecting her diving skills.

All three kids took swimming lessons at Miss Lisa's pool again this summer.  Staley graduated from the top class and is now an efficient swimmer.  Adelie moved up to the intermediate class and can now swim lengths of the pool with both freestyle and elementary backstroke.  Briggs can swim underwater and loves diving for things on the bottom of the pool, but is still working on swimming and breathing at the same time.

We attended a small group activity at a friend's pond where the kids had a great time trying out the paddle boards and the paddle boats, jumping off the platform and the dock, going down the water slide, and spending time with friends.  While the girls spent most of their evening in the water, Briggs spent a good portion of his time playing in the beach area.

When Zach's parent's neighbors headed to Hawaii for most of the month of July, they offered that we could use their pool while they were gone.  We took FULL advantage of the opportunity and spent most of our free days swimming.

Sometimes it was just us or us with grandparents.

Sometimes we brought friends or cousins.

Briggs loved having opportunities to take off his Puddle Jumper and practice his swimming skills.  Over our few weeks with lots of pool time, he learned to swim further and further around the pool while figuring out how to breath and then resume swimming.  His favorite activity was diving for dive toys.

The girls loved making up imaginary games, jumping in off the side, and working on synchronized swimming routines.  They also loved when I would take slow motion videos of them jumping into the pool.

We have spent a good portion of our July in the water.

The kids have gained confidence and improved their swimming skills all while having fun.

Hooray for water fun and summer memories!