Curty the Shooting Star

Shooting Stars Cast

Curtis also tried out for The Sound of Music -- unfortunately he is a little small in stature to be considered a 10 year old Kurt. He did join the singing and dancing group Shooting Stars that performed pre-show. They sang "Honey Bun" from  South Pacific and "The Wells Fargo Wagon" from The Music Man. Being the only boy in the group, Curtis got to be in the spotlight with a solo in Wells Fargo. Being the only boy also had its drawbacks. Curt was mortified to have to wear a purple sparkly shirt. He also felt that dancing was okay, but he might have to draw the line at being in a kick line. In the end, he did both and had a blast. He'll be trying out for the part of Winthrop...judging by how his performance was received, he just might get the part in the next play. Here's a few pictures...

The House is Alive...with the Sound of Music



The cast of Sound of Music -- Copperstar Repertory Theater Company

 "If I have to hear the yodeling of the lonely goat herd one more time I might have to kick the dog!" ~ Me during two months of show rehearsals.

Things were quite melodious this fall when Jonah was cast as Friedrich in the community production of  "The Sound of Music". I truly LOVE this musical, but discovered that a sure-fire way to begin to loathe something I previously adored is to have someone practicing, practicing and PRACTICING the music for 2 months straight! Of course, my 5 boys all turned into Von Trapp Family singers, so the effect multiplied exponentially.

When the show finally premiered it was worth all the moments of near-insanity. Jonah had a blast and sang his high G with seemingly no effort. The other actors were excellent and entertaining. The sets were amazing (they better have been, I joined MANY other volunteers and spent hours with a nail gun, paintbrush, and sandpaper building them.) It turned out to be so much better than any other local production I have ever seen. It was quite professional in its production value and well worth the $15 ticket price! (A bargain actually).

To appease the grandparents and my pathetically neglected blog, here are oodles of pictures. The next production is going to be Music Man -- I have three kids planning to audition. Oh help, I used to adore that musical too. :D

The Whistle

Do re mi fa so la ti...

"You must learn to sing."

Friedrich waltzes with Louisa

"Good byyyyyyyyyyyyye."

So long, farewell.

"Have you been climbing trees today?"

Singing Lonely Goat Herd to feel happy during a thunderstorm.

"Maria's back from the abbey!"

"Tea with jam and bread."

Friedrich sings: "Yodel ayee, yodel ayee, yodel ai hee hoo."

At the festival.

The Von Trapp Family Singers





'Tis that time of year again...Shakespeare is in the Air

The 2010/2011 Shakespeare Conquest class at their parent night.

 I guess you can't really call it an annual tradititon when this is only the second year, but my kids are immersed in Shakespeare again as part of our homeschool co-op. This year Guildswoman Hannah joins Don Moth (Cody) of Spain and King Jonah the Lunatic. They've spent the last 3 months reading 17 Shakespeare plays, writing papers on "Romeo and Juliet" and learning acting techniques in preparation for next semester's production of "Much Ado About Nothing". My favorite part of this process is how my little guys begin quoting their older siblings, yelling: "Hark slave!" at whoever will listen.

Don Cody, King Jonah (wearing his Costard the Swain costume from last year's play)  and Guildswoman Hannah

 Hannah does find it a little disconcerting to be in a class with her not-so-little-anymore brothers. But they seem to be doing fine together...

Hannah will definitely be keeping the upper hand in this trio!

...most of the time. Stay tuned for the spring play, it will be an experience!

Not So Little Anymore

Don't try this at home folks. Cody learned the hard way that it's much easier to get yourself into something than to get out of it. I told him he'd have to get out on his own and much hilarity ensued. :) I certainly enjoy my teenagers, but sometimes I forget just how much they've grown. Thanks Cody for such a funny visual reminder.

A Day at the Beach

I went a little photo crazy during our love trip, especially on the day we walked around the beach and the surrounding neighborhoods. Laguna Beach is just so cute! The best/worst moment was when I was trying to take an "art" shot of my red toenails in the sand with a wave swirling around them. I told Ren to watch for big waves while I had my eyes down...apparently the boogie boarders in the distance were more interesting! Next thing I knew a big one got me, splashing my whole lower body and the right side of me all the way up to my ear, including my camera! Luckily, the camera is still working and no worse for the dunking it took.

After the camera splashing incident, I decided to climb some of the big rocks. Just as I was on top of a BIG one and peeking over to let Ren take my picture, a very young lifeguard boy sheepishly made his

way over and mutters, "You can't climb the rocks." "Well, I've already climbed up here, so can't I take a look around before I come down?" I asked, just slightly miffed at my fun being ruined. He looked over his shoulder and said, "Well, two of my supervisors are here observing me so you really have to come down." Sheesh! It was all I could do to be obedient to the nice young man and climb down...I hate rules sometimes! Still, I adore the beach and we had fun regardless!

Me just after the wave hit me

Our Laguna Love Trip

Two weeks ago Ren and I stole away for a "love trip" in California. Aside from the fact that Ren was sick and his eardrum ruptured three days before, requiring us to cancel our flight and drive there, it was lovely to get away from it all. (And everyone knows that my "all" is a LOT of people!) We stayed at a gorgeous Bed and Breakfast with an ocean view called Casa Laguna. One morning while we were waiting for our gourmet breakfast to arrive on the patio, I decided to snap a bunch of pictures. I just had to show everyone this little piece of heaven! There were courtyards and bricked walkways and oodles of flowers everywhere!

Our only complaint...it was COLD! Now, I'm the last to complain about  being cold...especially coming from triple-digits in AZ, but I've  never seen the beach like this in late July. The clouds and mist  didn't burn off until very late afternoon, if at all, and I soon  discovered that I had not packed well for temps in the high 60's.  Luckily, I did pack warm, fuzzy socks and wore them whenever the  occasion permitted. :D It was a perfect way to spend my birthday!  Thanks for the wonderful trip sweetie. I love you!