The Covert Photoshoot

This year a teacher I taught with 3 years ago returned.  She left to have a baby and now her baby is preschool-aged, so she's back on staff as my partner again!  I love her and it's been one of the best years of teaching getting to work with her again.  Not only is Brittany a great partner, she's also a talented photographer, doing some professional picture taking on the side. (Yep, when she's not raising a 3 year old or teaching!  Seriously, she's awesome.)  Totally without my knowledge, she got my girls' numbers and pulled off this incredible photoshoot surprise as her Christmas gift to me!  I got the gift today and am cracking up at the sneaky pieces I'm just now putting together.  Like the "extra play practice" Ella said had been called after school.  The new black shirt she said she needed to buy "for the Messiah".  The makeup bags that oddly went to school one day so my girls could "give the middle school drama kids a makeup tutorial."  Or my favorite-- the phones that were intentionally left at school, so I couldn't track them!  :)

I will treasure these photos and how perfectly Brittany captured the beauty, joy, and friendship of the girls in this sweet stage of life.  Buuuuut, I will now have an eye on my sneaky daughters who proved to be way too good at disappearing for a few hours!  Haha!

A Fall with Friends

Though you wouldn't know it from the silent blog, life has been full and busy through October and November!  Delia gives me regular reminders to write a new post! :)

I'll start with some small talk about the weather.  Our weather did its usual thing this year-- staying triple-digit hot late into the season, until one day it got dramatically cold for a few days!  I think the drastic drop in temp made our color-changing leaves extra beautiful this year.  Around Thanksgiving time is when we get the best color.  It always feels late, but it's always worth the wait.

Halloween weekend was busy for us, so the costumes were figured out at the last minute.  Delia threw this together and cracked us up!

Lots to be thankful for this year!  We thank God especially for the people he has brought into our lives this year-- for my reunion with an old teaching partner who I love, for the new church staff who have been such a blessing to Dave and our church, for new high school friends for the girls, and...for another who I will write about at a later time. ;)  We felt the Lord bless and keep us as we celebrated his goodness this season.  Thanksgiving in preschool is a sweet time.  One of my mom friends sent me this, showing I made their family's Thankful Pumpkin!  Thanksgiving Day was lovely for our family!  One of our new pastors preached, and then we shared a fabulous feast and a day of fellowship and games with some dear friends.

(When you are so in sync with your co-teachers that you unintentionally dress alike!)

But, mostly fall was full of friends!  Every weekend square on our calendar had some group activity written on it.  Ella learned to shoot rifles and handguns at a Harvest Party in her friend's orchard/barn (above).  She proved to be a good markswoman!  Delia donned pink with her friends for a football game (below).

Both girls hosted parties at our house.  Ella held a "Presentation Party" where everyone came with a Power Point slide show answering a goofy question she handed out in advance.  Topics like "Which of my friends would survive a zombie apocalypse" or "Predicting my friends' futures" or "My friends' arch-nemeses".  Dave and I hung out and enjoyed laughing hard with this creative, hilarious, super smart bunch!

Delia hosted a Friendsgiving Dip Party.  Everyone brought their favorite dip to share, with fondue as the dessert.  They too played silly games and filled my home with laughter.

Bowling dates, birthday sleepovers, a night of praise and worship in the cozy barn of one of Delia's friends, and Ella spending each Sunday through the month of November practicing the Messiah with the friends she decided to sing it with were a few of the other opportunities to connect this month!

Probably my favorite time of the day is after dinner-- when the girls sit down together at the dining room table to work on their homework with a mug of hot chocolate.  I'm washing dinner dishes and making the next day's lunches, we're playing "Crazy DJ" with Alexa, and we're laughing about the day's events, chatting about life, and dreaming about the future.  These sweet, everyday moments are numbered, I know, so I'm trying to take them in and cherish them.

Our biggest news this fall is that our March play is already cast!  It's a favorite: Pride and Prejudice!  When the girls auditioned, they had to fill out an application/contract stating what other commitments they had, etc.  When asked to identify what role they most were interested in, Ella wrote a whole page essay on her love for her all time favorite literary heroine, Elizabeth Bennet.   Annd...she landed the part!  This will be such a phenomenal way for Ella to end her high school drama career!  We're pretty delighted the Delia gets to play her SISTER, Kitty!  The cast is a fun one, and though practices won't start for a while, they are already working on their many lines and group texting about what fun off-stage shenanigans they plan. (A little documentary about the making of?  An in-character appearance on a float in our annual Almond Blossom parade??)  We can't wait to watch this one come together!

Theater Memories

I'm determined to make this Senior Season more sweet than bitter!  Yesterday the girls and I loved taking a walk down memory lane, looking back at all the old production pictures and videos.  Here are 14 little highlights of Ella on stage.

 

1.  5th grade

Tom Sawyer

Ella played Cousin Mary

2.  7th grade

Junie B. Jones

Ella learned the joy of being in the ensemble

3.  8th grade

Alice in Wonderland

Ella played Cheshire Cat 1, the narrator

4.  8th grade

Annie Get Your Gun

Ella played Little Nellie, LOVING her first high school production!

5. Freshman

Singin' In the Rain

Ella played Dora Bailey

6.  Freshman

Women In War

Ella played a Donut Gal

7.  Freshman

Meet Me in St. Louis

Ella played the grumpy Mrs. Waughop

8.  Sophomore

Anne of Green Gables

Ella played Anne Shirley!

9.  Sophomore

Aladdin

Ella served as a high school mentor for this middle school show that was lost to Covid

10.  Sophomore

Broadway Showcase

Ella sang and danced in most of the songs, including "Another Day of Sun", "She's in Love", "Sit Down You're Rocking the Boat", "Status Quo", "Loathing", "One Day More" and "Believer".

11.  Junior

Hello Dolly

Ella played the hilarious Ernestina Money (and also danced in the ensemble)

12.  Junior

The Imaginary Invalid

Ella played Toinette and stole the show.  We still all say this was our favorite production!

13.  Junior

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

Ella served as the stage manager and high school mentor for this middle school musical

14.  Senior

The Sound of Music

Ella was a nun/Nazi/partygoer

And....15?!  Our spring drama is Pride & Prejudice, Ella's FAVORITE book and movie!  She's so excited this was the choice for her final appearance on her high school stage.  Stay tuned!

Take a Bow!

After Friday's performance, one friend found us afterward and shared a funny story.  She brought her dad to the show and he said, "I can't believe how well those von Trapp kids move their mouths to the music!"  She said, "No Dad, they are actually singing!"  The vocals were that good.  No actor in this show was weak-- every single one nailed their character and met, even exceeded!, our expectations with the so-well-known songs!  The thunderous applause, and the after show accolades from friends were so well deserved!

  

Delia doing what she was born to do-- bow to an audience screaming for her! ;)

Our sweet von Trapp children, who would have stolen the show if Maria, the Captain, Elsa, the nun chorus, and Mother Abbess weren't also so phenomenal!

The 40+ cast and crew

Our special Seniors.  Their last big musical is the first of many lasts for them this year.  After bows, our director acknowledged them, cried over them, made a little speech about each of them, and blessed them.  In Ella's tribute, our director praised her for being the "Poster Child for Theater" at our school.  Ella was complimented for her onstage gifts (being an amazing character actor who can play both funny and serious) and for her offstage gifts (her eloquent leadership style, often the well-spoken voice for the whole group).  How I've loved watching this group tell stories these past 8 years; what joy it's given me to cheer for each of them shining in their own perfect-for-them part.  They will always be my favorite versions of Sheldon, Dolly, Tootie, Mother Abbess, Maria, and Anne Shirley!

Our dear director, Mrs. M., who has poured so much into my kids in this extra-curricular activity!

Best friends Kate and Tessa

Delia's larger friend group-- including 4 new friends she's "recruited" this year!  Delia loves collecting the new kids and giving them a place to belong in her friend group!

Some of the sister and Nazi friends Delia loved sharing a stage with this season!

Old and young fans!  Our dear friend Megan came in from college to root for the kids she used to mentor in drama.  And Delia's best little church buddy Jade was too cute finding her on the stage afterwards for a hug and picture.

Best friends Marina and Maya

Ruth, one of Ella's oldest and dearest friends, who KILLED it playing Maria!

Silly Senior picture recreations!

Ben

Lots of versions of sisters in this play. Here are the real ones!

I was expecting to weep at Closing Night, but the feeling has been one of JOY and it was my voice screaming cheers, more than my tear ducts, that got put to use!  This play is such a fun one and the cast had the best time together!  The von Trapp children became their own little family.  Delia told me the kids all went to the coffee shop one day after school and before practice and ordered their drinks in their character names, so the barista had to call out "Liesl!  Brigitta!  Louisa!" The final bows always ended with a rousing, whole-cast dance party to "Do a Deer" onstage.  And impromptu worship times around the piano, breakout games of Nitro Ball in the gym during down time, and compliment circles backstage before performances were a regular occurrence.  I love the community that grows as a show comes together!  And this was another special one.