Mom Life

When you need to mop and keep putting it off, a full gallon of milk spilled on the kitchen floor is good motivation to finally get it done.

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Good-bye, April!

Another month has flown by.  We had all our usual lessons and extracurriculars and school activities and church activities and Oz.  But, of course, that wasn't all.  We also filled our time with...

A get-together with Zach's family to celebrate March and April birthdays.

We had a beautiful spring day to celebrate Easter.  We enjoyed brunch at church, a great Easter service, and family time. We had a backyard Easter egg hunt that included word scramble clues to solve.

Once the kids solved their word puzzle, they got an Easter gift.  Briggs got Legos (obviously), Staley got clothes, and Adelie got a few crafts and a pill organizer.  Yes, my 10 year old specifically asked for a pill organizer so that she could organize her jewelry for each day of the week.

We then had Easter lunch and time with extended family at my aunt's house with cousins and second cousins and another Easter egg hunt for the littles.  In our family, Briggs was the only "little" this year.  We always enjoy time spent with family.

Staley started a running streak to prepare her for her first cross country season in the fall.  Her streak of running at least a mile every day began on the first day of April.  She's still going strong.

Cathy and I enjoyed a night out at a winery for a Bingo night fundraiser.  We had a lot of fun, even though we didn't win anything.

Staley started round 2 of orthodontic work by getting braces...again.  On the plus side, she got to enjoy a day of shopping with her cousin and Uma after getting metal attached to her teeth once again.

Adelie and I went to her grade school carnival.  Briggs opted out, so Adelie helped me work her and Briggs' class booths.  She also enjoyed playing all the games and winning all the prizes.

Staley was asked to be part of a live acting opportunity during an Oz meet and greet prior to Judy Garland night at the Peoria Symphony.

I'm sure passing drivers gave us odd looks as I drove some of the kids over to Peoria.

After the meet and greet, Staley ditched the monkey costume, and she and I stayed to enjoy the symphony.  It was actually a concert by a woman who sings like Judy Garland backed by the symphony.  We really enjoyed it!

Staley and I rounded out April (and early May) by helping/teching backstage for the final run of Oz shows in Bloomington.

I've enjoyed helping out backstage and getting to know some of the other NTA moms better.

It was a fun and full Easter.  Oz filled a lot of our evenings this past month.  Now we say good-bye to April (and Oz) as we prep ourselves for the craziness that is the end of the school year.

The Backside of the Stage

Staley loves theater.  She loves all things theater.  She loves listening to theater soundtracks.  She loves watching theater performances.  She loves rehearsing for theater shows.  She loves hanging out with her theater friends.  She loves performing on the theater stage.  And now she has found a new theater thing to love...

Working backstage on a theater tech crew!

For NTA, kids can begin the Tech Kids program once they turn 12.  Staley didn't waste any time getting signed up to learn more about the other side of the stage.  She then volunteered to work backstage for all the Oz shows for the other casts.  She loves doing mics, moving props, and striking set after the shows.

Theater is something that Staley loves.  She enjoys every opportunity she has to learn more about this world of theater.  And now she is embracing a new side of the theater.

Welcome to the backside!

Oz

My kids just completed their spring Stage Kids session, culminating in their performance of Oz.  It was another fun performance, and my kids enjoyed being a part of it.  Oz is the story of the Wizard of Oz once Dorothy's house has landed.  It has the same story and characters as the book, but the songs are all different and new.

The Eureka cast combined with the Peoria cast to bring this show to the stage.

All 3 of my kids had a variety of parts in this show.

Briggs was a munchkin, a teacup, and a baby flying monkey in the ensemble.

He continues to improve with knowing his songs and dances and creating his characters on stage.

His favorite part was when he got to jump on a trampoline as a baby monkey during the song 'Castle of No Return.'  He was a pretty cute baby monkey!! 

Adelie was a munchkin, the China Princess, and an Oz citizen.  She was one of the munchkin soloists and got to do a short rap during one of the munchkin songs.

Her China princess scene was her biggest part in this play.  She had a bunch of lines, and she was PERFECTLY sassy and demanding and haughty as the China princess.  One of the directors said that there were several different people that mentioned how good the China princess was after the show.  For a one scene part, Adelie killed it and was a highlight of the show.

Adelie also did a great job knowing all her songs and dances in the group numbers.  She is now one of the kids in the front row during group numbers as a more "experienced" performer.

Staley was a munchkin, a scarecrow dancer, an Oz dancer, and the king of the winged monkeys.

She enjoyed being a featured dancer as a scarecrow and an Oz dancer.

She said her Oz dance was her favorite of the dances and her Oz dancer costume was her favorite of the show as well.

As the king of the winged monkeys, Staley had a handful of lines and a short solo in one of the songs.

No matter what part Staley has, she always loves any opportunity to perform and be on stage.

Each show gives opportunities to learn new things, try new things, and spend time with theater friends.

I wasn't great about getting pictures after the shows, but both sets of grandparents came (although I didn't get a Grandpa picture with the kids), as well as Zach's Aunt Sandi and Aunt Jan (who I missed during picture time.)

Stella and Olivia came with their mom to see the show.  And it was fun that the kids' school friends Josie and Stanley joined Stage Kids for this session too.

It was another fun show with fun friends.

NTA has become such a big part of our lives.  Ms. Kelleen and Ms. Taylor have provided so many opportunities for my kids.

I love every opportunity I have to watch my kids shine on stage.

I sure do love these little munchkins of mine!!

Adelie at 10

Adelie has officially crossed into the double digits, so here is my annual post about all things Adelie at her new age.  Adelie weighs 58 lbs (8th percentile) and is 4'7" tall (62nd percentile).  She is mostly wearing her size 10 pants (although a lot of her shorts are still 7/8) and size 10 or 10/12 tops.  She can still wear some of her 7/8 or 8 things, although many are just getting too short.  She's just long and lean.  Adelie is currently in her size 2 shoes.

Long and lean...and loves the water!

Adelie is in 4th grade in Mrs. Mickna's class.  She is or has been involved in a variety of activities through school including Hornet Buzz, Safety Patrol, 4th Grade Drama Club, Young Authors, and Recycling Club.  Outside of school, she has participated this year in her NTA activities (Stage Kids, Rising Stars, Broadway Dance), tumbling (although her favorite tumbling place closed so we are taking a break from that), volleyball, singing lessons, piano lessons, and Wednesday night Kid's Connection at church.  Adelie typically goes to bed around 9 or 9:30 and gets up around 7:15 or 7:30 on school days.  She sleeps in until 8 or 9 on week-ends.  She is often hard to get up for school or church on a typical day.

Although she likes to sleep in and has a hard time waking up on "regular" days, Adelie is able to pop up early and get ready quickly if there is something she is excited about doing...like watching the sunrise with me in Key West on our vacation.

Likes:  Adelie still has a love for all things mermaid.  She enjoys acting and singing, although maybe not quite as much as Staley does.  Tumbling and swimming are favorite sports, even if she's just doing them around the house or in the summer.  Adelie loves to do crafts, often making very creative and inventive things out of paper, tape, and random things she has rescued from the recycling or the garbage.  Adelie enjoys creative play, making up plays/shows or engaging in imaginative play with Briggs or her friends.

Mermaids have been an Adelie favorite for YEARS!

Adelie is my saver and collector.  She loves stuffed animal with her bed getting overtaken with special stuffies and under her loft being the home to her ever-growing collection of Squishmallows.  She also has a collection of plants on the back porch that she faithfully waters and takes care of.  This is the most and longest we've ever had living plants in our house, thanks to Adelie.  Adelie is also the animal lover of our family.  She is the one who remembers to feed the fish on a regular basis, and she is also the one who can most often be found playing with Frisco or trying to teach Frisco tricks.  (She's currently working with Frisco on playing fetch.)

Reading with Charlie

Like all my kids, Adelie loves to read.  Harry Potter is her current favorite series, but she also enjoys any book series about mermaids.  She also has a habit of re-reading favorite parts of books.  Writing her own stories and poems is another favorite past time.  Adelie's poems are some of my favorites of her writings.  When it comes to movies or shows, Adelie is typically pretty easy-going about watching what everyone else wants to watch.  (Briggs and Staley tend to have stronger opinions about movies than Adelie does.)  She does prefer to skip the scarier parts in the Harry Potter movies that she has seen.

Adelie can read anywhere.  This pod chair was her birthday gift this year...a new, fun place to read!

Adelie is definitely the slowest and not always the best eater in our house.  Fruit is by far her favorite thing to eat.  She's not always big on main courses, but would happily fill up on fruit, bread, and desserts if I'd let her.  Adelie still enjoys wearing dresses and rompers and nightgowns, although she also likes comfortable sweatshirts and leggings and cozy pajama pants.  Anything with mermaids is still a favorite to wear.  Adelie prefers to be barefoot or to wear sandals, even in the winter.  She takes off her shoes and socks immediately upon getting home.

Adelie has her own fashion sense.

Adelie is social and enjoys being around people and spending time with friends.  Her best friends from school are Stella and Anna, but she has a variety of other people she hangs out with at school, church, and in the neighborhood.  She loves playing with her siblings and her cousins.  She and her cousin, Caroline, have become especially good friends as Caroline has gotten a little older.  Adelie also really enjoys entertaining and helping out with younger kids.  I know she'll be a great baby-sitter one day.

Adelie with her friends, Stella and Anna

Siblings still make the best friends!

Dislikes:  Adelie is very sensitive and empathetic so she does not like getting in trouble, disappointing people, being left out, or hurting anyone else's feelings.  She moves pretty slowly in the morning and at night (getting ready for the day and getting ready for bed)...and when eating...and when getting ready to leave the house for activities... and does not like feeling rushed.  Adelie has some pretty legitimate FOMO and does not like when her siblings are involved in things she can't be involved in or invited to things that she's not.  She especially always wants to be included in anything Staley is doing.

Two girls.  Two distinct personalities.  And one who still always wants to be doing what her big sister is doing.

Skills:  Adelie is super flexible and excels with tumbling skills, even without attending consistent tumbling classes.  She can do front and back walkovers and continues to work on her back handspring.  She is a good runner, now running a few 5K races without having to stop and walk.  Her skills with acting and singing both continue to improve, and I love seeing her confidence grow with each show that she is in.

Adelie shines on stage!

Adelie is very creative and an excellent writer.  Her stories and poems are well-formed and often very inventive, creative, and witty.  Adelie is bright and does well in school.  She has gotten all A's on her report card since she has transitioned into letter grades.  Her most recent standardized testing has her skills at the 97th percentile for reading and the 75th percentile for math.

Adelie got some cross stitch projects for her birthday and picked it up really quickly.

Personality:  Adelie has so many facets to her personality.  She is very thoughtful and generous.  Adelie is always giving compliments, making gifts for people, donating her money, and sharing what she has.  She faithfully brings her own money to place in the offering on Sundays and often gives money she gets to St. Jude or wants to use it to buy gifts for people.  Adelie is a great friend and is kind and inclusive with everyone. 

Adelie is always ready to help out.

On the other hand, Adelie is very silly and goofy.  She is genuinely funny and loves to make people laugh.  She is my child that is often making funny faces or doing goofy things.  She can get very silly, which sometimes makes her slow to get things done.  And although she is often sweet, Adelie also has a bit of a sassy side and can eye roll, stomp, or get huffy about things.

My goofy girl!

Adelie has some little quirks in her personality as well.  She sometimes gets weirdly anxious about things like not knowing where something has come from, like a new pen in the pen drawer that she doesn't recognize or not remembering putting a book in a specific place and then finding it there.  Instead of focusing on the logical explanation, she sometimes gets worried about things like that.  This has ebbed and flowed over the past year or two, but has recently started making another comeback.  Adelie is also my most germ-conscious child, washing her hands longer and more frequently than is probably necessary.

Adelie's personality combines the sweet, the sassy, the silly, and the quirky into one perfectly unique Adelie.

Adelie has a strong faith.  She is solid in her convictions.  She prays sincerely, takes notes during the sermon at church, and asks good faith-based questions.  She took a step in her faith this year by choosing to be baptized.  Sometimes she has to be reminded that faith isn't rule based as she wanted to clarify the "rules" when she gave up sweets for Lent or talks about feeling like her prayers should be longer.  Adelie is my daughter who doesn't like to disappoint others or get in trouble, and sometimes this can be reflected in some of her faith questions.

Faith question:  Is stealing wrong if it's from an inanimate object?

Adelie has such a unique personality.  She is sweet, but also sassy.  She is thoughtful, but also goofy.  She is sincere in her faith, but also silly in her interactions.  Adelie is so many things, but one thing is certain.  Our family would not be complete without her!

Love this 10 year old and all the joy she brings to our family.