april 'appenings

It's been a busy, busy month, and it's not even half over yet!

I started April in the Slammer. :) My friend Mandi hosted another wonderful scrapbook retreat there April 1st-3rd. (Unfortunately, I had to come back home on the 2nd because we had to be at church on the 3rd so that Ben could perform with his choir and Emm could perform with her handbell choir.) On the 2nd, Mandi threw herself an "unbirthday party", Alice-in-Wonderland style. :) This picture shows a few of the goodies we had:

Kirsten dressed up as the Queen of Hearts, and Beth was the white rabbit: Mandi was Alice, of course. She had some teenage girls at the retreat to help out with things, and they were the March Hares. I was having a lot of neck problems again, but was so glad I could go and see my friends Mandi and Tammy for a little while! April is also "Phantom" month! After 6 months of practice and set-building, it is finally time for Emm and the rest of the cast to perform Phantom of the Opera. Each of the round windows in Emmalie's school is displaying one of these mask tarps, to help advertise: On opening night, the 7th, I went early to take a few pictures of Emm with her gargoyles. She was solely responsible for their creation, making them out of chicken wire, plaster, and plywood for the wings. She also painted them. Here she is, with the two Graveyard Gargoyles: (This is the one that was at our house for awhile.): And here she shows off the Rooftop Gargoyle: Grandma Fran sent Emm this beautiful bouquet to cheer her on: George, Nick, Ben, and I gave her these flowers: On the 8th, my parents, my sister, and Christine's friend Leah all traveled here to attend the Friday night show. Nick, Ben, and George (not pictured) went to see it, too: Leah and Christine had these flowers sent backstage to Emm that night: Grandma Bev and Grandpa Rick gave Emm these flowers before the Sat. night performance: Phantom Phans... Leah, Christine, me, and Emm: Here Mom is modeling the shirt Leah bought for her brother: The 9th was a beautiful day, and we all decided to go over to the park for awhile. Ben rode his bike: We looked for ducks and geese at the pond, and threw them bread crumbs: Christine and Leah play a little frisbee: Everyone enjoyed the Friday night performance so much that they went to see it again on Saturday night! :) (Except for George, who stayed home with Ben. We didn't think a 5-year-old would sit so quietly through it a second time, LOL.)

I took a few pictures during the show, but could not use my flash (and we sat pretty far back), so they didn't turn out as well as I'd hoped. I'm planning to sit closer tonight and see if I can get some better ones. This is from the Hannibal scene. Emmalie (part of the Ensemble) is 3rd from the left. Raoul and Christine, the dressing room scene: Phantom's Lair: The Il Muto scene. Emm is on the far right: The rooftop scene, starring Emm's gargoyle. (Oh, and Christine and the Phantom, too.) Masquerade! Emmalie is 4th from the left, in the yellow mask. The graveyard scene, with Emm's gargoyles front and center. :) Curtain call. Emm is on the far left: Nick, Leah, Christine, Dad, Emm, and Mom after Saturday's performance. (Incidentally, the left side of that bulletin board shows photos from 2009's Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, and Nick is in a few of them!) After the show on Saturday, there was a cast party, and families were invited, as well. Christine, Leah, Nick, and I joined Emm for awhile. There were two yummy cakes (and lots of other food!): Cool decorations on each table: Emm with her friend Lidia: A silly Nick: When we got home that night, Ben was happy to cuddle up next to one of his favorite people, Leah! :) On the 9th, our company had to leave and return home. We wished they could've stayed longer! Nick and I spent much of that afternoon finishing up his display board for school. Each 6th grader had to pick a country to research. Nick picked Namibia because he found out that it is one of the few countries that specifically states in its Constitution that it will protect its wildlife. :) We've been having some gorgeous weather lately, and my daffodils are in full bloom! :) I *love* daffodils!!