Is there a final Sleeping Beauty post?

This might be it!

After a couple of grueling weeks, our family is temporarily out of show business.  (Though Molly starts Backyard Broadway camp next week, so the interval is pretty brief for her.)

A little back story on the upcoming pictures:  After a few performances, we pulled Roland out of the show.  Though he was enjoying being in the show(finally), and liked the cast and the show itself, he just never really was anything other than a distraction on stage.  Everyone tried their best to help, including one saintly actor who carried him on his back for his first scene, but Roland was just too naturally oblivious (and not invested enough to overcome that tendency).  He'd spend the scenes he was in looking at the ceiling, messing with his shoes, or just end up in the wrong spot on stage somehow (despite being manhandled almost constantly while on stage to avoid this).  So we yanked him, and told him we were glad he tried, but we wanted him to concentrate on his football career.

I was a little sad going without him, but chaperoning Molly was super easy, since she always knew her entrances, and had her props ready.  It got so easy, that the last show, I watched from the audience, and it was such a good show, I felt really sad at the end:  Now I'm never going to see it again.  After the show, we went to a cast party (with Roland) in West Salem, where during the director's speech, he paid tribute to the fact that Molly was the best behaved, hardest working, and most in her correct spot member of the cast.  She was really proud.

The director's son took a lot of photos of the performances, and shared them on Facebook, so I'll share some here!

Thanks Theater Outreach, Molly and I had an amazing time, and Roland had fun and learned how much work this stuff is!

Here's a picture I stole off another Facebook page.

What else are we doing this Summer?

Now that the play is over (insert sigh of relief and sigh of regret), we have a few other fun things lined up (other than the new baby, who we can't really schedule).

I realized that I'd never posted pictures from last summer's Kaneko Day Camp, which we just love.  Tokyo International University has a campus here in Salem, as part of Willamette University's campus.  Students from Japanese colleges spend a year here in the US, taking classes at the Kaneko building, and with US students at Willamette.  They spend a whole year, and are here in the summer.  (Which is why that dorm is air conditioned, and has an outdoor pool.)   One thing the program does to get the students interacting is run a day camp.

The campers, who start at 2nd grade, and go up to middle schoolers learn origami (which Roland particularly likes.)

Calligraphy

A Japanese dance

Some language

And other stuff.  My kids have had such a great time, I felt that I should spread the word a bit.  Roland has loved it for two years, and Molly had a great time her first year.  We liked it so much, that despite it taking place during my due date this year, we signed up anyway!

Sorry about the picture quality!

What are you growing this year?

Besides a new baby, I have let the kids plant seeds in their gardens, our garden boxes, and of course they each have a few plants.

I am a big believer in letting kids do whatever they can for themselves.  It is both lazy parenting, and an inspiring show of confidence in my children.  Since Roland has helped me several times with the process of mixing composts, I knew he could lead in this project while I took photos from my chair with my foot up.

As you can see, he had lots of (mostly unwanted) help from little people.  Welcome to my world!

Molly at work in her garden beds.  She's not the natural gardener Roland is, but when in Rome, have your own garden.

Lillian has a strawberry plant in her planter, and some nasturtium seeds now.  (Along with other assorted seeds that I won't hold out too much hope for.)

After the work was done, we celebrated by eating copious amounts of strawberries.

You want me to take a picture of what?

Roland really enjoys age appropriate legos, but for pure rainy day with siblings time--Duplos are the way we roll here.

He asked me to take a picture of this structure, for whatever reason.

What else have they done to promote the show?

I know you're dying to find out!

The cast did several promotions, here they are at First Wednesday in Downtown Salem.

The show has been so good last weekend, can't wait for my parents to see it tomorrow!

Is today Joy School

We are happy to announce a new graduate in the house:

Lillian is our newest Joy School graduate!

Lillian and her friends Tevin, Moroni, Tessa and Annelore all crossed the living room to receive their certificates of a year well spent!

She seemed very proud.  She was the youngest in her group by nearly a year, and she grew so much participating in the curriculum and playing with her friends.

I'd like to add a special tribute to the moms who were the teachers this year:  When I broke my foot, suddenly I couldn't keep up my commitment to teach every five weeks.  With no recriminations, they rewrote the schedule, and Lillian was able to keep benefiting from their kindness.  So did I.  I love to be impressed by how kind mothers can be.

What are you doing this year for football?

Due to Roland's great enthusiasm, we decided to put him in summer football with the YMCA.  He requested that we use the money we'd set aside for Cub Scout Camp, and do this instead.  Since he has already earned his Bear (with 6 months left to go), and Cub Scout camp is right before my baby comes (or even at the same time if a miracle occurs and I have an early baby), we happily agreed.  We did ask him to pray about it though, because we want him to get some practice deciding between two good choices, not just right and wrong.

Since I am not a sports photographer with an awesome lens, there are no actual good pictures of his first game, but Roland did well, his team did a good job, and his coach seems great.  Roland even scored 3 touch downs, and grabbed tons of flags.  If he can just keep the daydreaming to a minimum while the coach is talking, he'll probably become unstoppable.

We had a good time on a very hot day, turning out to support our favorite little athlete.