Behind the Scenes

Months--yes, MONTHS of preparation. Anyone who has ever been in a play can attest to the rigorous schedule of rehearsals. This was no exception.

Members of the cast--chillin' before their first of 3 performances.

The green room--hangin' with some of the orphans. Annie actually had her hair professionally dyed!
Lilly, Rooster, Grace & Miss Hannigan--3 of which were siblings in real life.
I LOVED the vintage hair styles & clothing. So glam!
The Make-up Ladies, doin' their thang.

This is where I got to work--HAIR.

Chi like the wind, my pretties!

Dancing Diva

Courtney had a jam-packed 2 days.

3 performances of Annie AND a dance recital! Her ballet class danced to "Somewhere Over the Rainbow."
{the ukulele "ooh-hoo" version}
Busy weekend?

Miss Alyssa-- the most AMAZING, talented dance teacher.

Courtney's gonna miss her!

The Last of Legacy

We have had such a fantastic school year!
{minus Courtney's head wound & Xander missing his Pathway friends}
This unique school is going to be one of the things we miss most about AZ. I can't take any credit for these darling teacher gifts. This is one of my new favorite websites. They have the cutest ideas & lots of adorable free downloads.
LOVE the new pretzel M&Ms.
Ohhhhh, Mrs. Mangum! We are gonna miss her! Such a great teacher for this age group--the kids know she cares so much about them. She is set to be the new Vice Principal, and we wish her all the best.
Ms. Wechter is also such a talented teacher. She has a gift. Courtney has learned so much this year--she already knows multiplication, how to tell time, and some complicated parts of speech. All in 1st grade!

California, Here We Come!

One thing I've missed while living in a brand new city is the feeling of nostalgia.
I get a glimpse of it, though, whenever I drive past this marvelous old zephyr.
{Plus, I love the Zephyr Song by the Red Hot Chili Peppers}

I've wanted pictures of it ever since we moved here.
I noticed a few weeks ago that it is a California Zephyr, so then I knew it was just meant to be!

Only in movies? I guess not.

The kids are finally partial to the idea of moving. Hooray!

I think this is supposed to be his gangsta face.

Huge amounts of gratitude to the ever talented and uber-fabulous Miss Karen, our photographer!

Miss Sweden

For school, Courtney had to fill out a family tree, and find out where some of her ancestors are from. Then she was assigned a country to present a report about.

The 1st graders then had a Cultural Fair, sharing some interesting facts they learned about their country. It was fun! The kids toured around, collecting stamps in their passports.On St. Lucia's day, the daughters dress up all in white & wear a wreath with lighted candles atop, delivering warm buns & coffee {hot chocolate:}.

We improvised and shared Swedish fish.

Sox, #5

We love watching you play, Xander Man!

Posting sideways again! Grr!

I Can't Condone This..

...as a piano teacher.
Sitting criss-cross-applesauce at the piano is NOT ok.
But.
1. She was all squeaky clean, fresh from the tub.
2. Those jammies are so cute!
3. She was practicing her piano without being asked.
4. Those little piggies are just precious. Think I'll let it slide... for tonight.

Adios, Ms. Francis.

{Named after the ladybug in A Bug's Life} This car must have been held together by angels.
203,600+ miles.
Darren got a new car with his new job, so it was time to say goodbye.

Mother's Day

I'm leaving the "Happy" out of it for now. I'll tell you why later.
Breakfast in bed {almost}. The kids loved playing with the foam peanut packaging from the box of Silhouette goodies.
Love to all you Mommas, Grandmas, Aunties, and Girls out there!

Take One for the Team

The White Sox were beating the undefeated Dodgers, 7-3. {We were elated!}
The Dodgers had a secret weapon.
All of a sudden, this huge kid came out of the dugout, no uniform, never on their roster before.
He was smoking pitches like crazy at our poor White Sox.
I've never seen a kid throw that fast.
Strikeouts every time.

After a few innings of no hits and no one on base, Alexander got up to bat.
The mystery pitcher threw hard.... and clocked Xander right in the arm.
Man on base!
Way to take one for the team, Xander!

Sorry you got hurt:(

**Update: The Dodgers were disqualified from the playoffs because this "mystery pitcher" is a club player they recruited from up in town. Xander is doing fine.

Arrow of Light

Pack meeting was lots of fun, as usual. Out in the hallway, we heard an ominous drum beating, and in entered this impressive Chief.

There wasn't a sound in the room--he did a great job talking to the boys .
Alexander & our family were then called up {yikes--a little scary!}.
Alexander was then presented the highest award in Cub Scouts, the Arrow of Light. It was a really special ceremony and an experience he won't forget.
Thanks to all who helped get him here!

He loves it! I have to give a huge shout out to the Farabees {especially Molly} for making this wicked cool plaque and taking pics for us at Pack Meeting. You rock!

Boy Scout

New uniform...new adventures!

Do I Need One?

I made this for Courtney's dance teacher, but think I'll make another...

Happy, Happy Birthday!

This is the nicest 11 year old boy you'll ever meet.We love you so much, Xander Man! You have such a warm spirit and kind heart. We love your laughter, your many talents, and the quiet, thoughtful acts you do for others daily. You're the best!
We have a standing lunch date-- Panda Express delivered to school by Momma!

We offered to have his party at a Diamondbacks game, or bowling, or to see a movie with friends. He insisted he just wanted to play kickball & catch with some friends, close to home. Simple & fun.

He requested Star Wars cupcakes from Fry's. When I went to pick them up, the icing was pink and purple!

What in the world?!?

Who has pink Star Wars cupcakes?

Alexander was a good sport about it didn't mind.

We love you, son!

My Muse!

Seriously excited about going to this concert! Muse is the perfect combination of my favorite types of music: Alternative, Classical, Metal & Techno, all rolled into gloriousness! Don't make fun. I had to make Sheri & I bling Muse tees! People were asking where we got them, ha! It was even better than I anticipated... I had no idea what range of talent Matthew Bellamy has! Not only does he have a spectacular voice, but he is the BEST lead guitarist, concert pianist & showman.
The British accent is just icing on the cake!
We got drinks @ Hard Rock cafe afterward {Mormon-legal, of course} and then packed in the lightrail to get back to the car.
I {heart} MUSE!!!

Sand and Sea

The Best Part

Did you like the beach? Yeah.
Did you enjoy Disneyland? Yeah.
What was your favorite part of our trip? Room service!
Each morning the hotel would set a table up in our room and bring us a feast.
Apparently that was the winner.

Disneyland Magic

The perfect day!

Toontown with Pluto

That scared the HECK out of me! Xander pulled the door handle and it was rigged to a loud noise & flashing lights.

The LONGEST line we stood in was @ Pixie Hollow to meet Tinkerbell. Courtney wanted to meet Tink instead of the princesses!

We had such a great time. Miss Courtney is tall enough for all the rides now, so we rode like crazy! Fastpass rocks!

New Move

So... Darren got a new job. And it's here.

We're trying not to be excited.

The kids aren't so sure about it.

Darren's new company brought us out and spoiled us rotten to try to change our minds.

Big changes.

We're looking at places to live. So far, Huntington Beach, Irvine & Newport Beach are the top contenders.

It will be fun being near the ocean again!