Busy busy!!

Who ever said summers were for relaxing was never a mother...

I don't remember if I mentioned this, but back in June, Emma auditioned for her first theatrical performance!! Flint Community Players is kicking off their season with "The King and I" and Emma auditioned to be one of the Children of Siam! :) Here she is, singing for the director...ALL. BY. HERSELF. :) She did awesome!!!

A week later we got a phone call that Emma made it in the show! She's been going to rehearsals 3-4 times a week since we got back from Disney and has really enjoyed it! She's learning her songs and her "choreography" and practices at home all the time...so much so, that Bradlee knows her parts, too!! Here she is in rehearsal:

One day, about two weeks ago, we told Emma to get her shoes and socks on (they have to wear shoes and socks to each rehearsal, no sandals!), these are the socks she put on...we just let it go! :)

So, unfortunately, this past week, both kids, guess what? Developed spots on their tummies...yep, you guessed it.... THE CHICKEN POX STRIKES AGAIN! This time, though, they are definitely chicken pox...and are now in the blistering and crusting phase. Stupid vaccine. I'm thinking, though, that since Bradlee hasn't had the booster for the chicken pox vaccine yet, that this will be it for him. Emma got the booster when she was 4 (I think), so I have no idea what her body's doing to her. Poor kids...they are all over the trunks of their bodies and the upper arms and upper legs...none on the face, head, hands or anywhere else, so it is definitely less than when I had them...but still...it sucks being quarantined when it's summer!! We had a nice family movie night tonight, though, so we're still trying to come up with a few fun things!!

Emma's big concern was the show. I told her that there is a chance the director won't let her be in the show, depending on how many rehearsal she misses. Her response was "But they already measured me for my costume!!!" *sigh* When we told the director about the chicken pox, he said we'll just take it as it comes and see what happens. "She's a smart one and learns quick, so I won't be too quick to count her out" (that's what he said!)!!! :) WHEW.

If you're interested in coming to a show, you can click on the link above for more information! The shows are in September...

In other news, I'm playing with the Saginaw Eddy Concert Band again this summer for the second half of their season. It's a pretty decent gig, rehearsing Tuesday and Thursday, then a concert Sunday night. I get a check each week I play, so that's nice, too! Plus I just get to play music! The kids and Tony love coming to the concerts...and this week we're playing "Selections from The King and I", so Emma's REALLY excited to come! We'll just have to make sure she sits far away from anyone else!!! :) Although I've been playing with this group for several years, this is the first year I've been considered a "regular" (instead of a "substitute") since I was at CMU! To solidify it, they gave me an *official* shirt to wear for concerts! :)

What a slacker...

I wish there were an easier way to update this blog...it seems like I just don't have the chance to sit down at the computer to write!

Lots has happened in the last month, of course! To start, right after that last post I did, BOTH the kids got Chickenpox...seriously. I couldn't make this stuff up! LOL Both recovered very quickly, since they had the vaccine...however, Emma wasn't able to participate in the Relay for Life like she usually does...we're all geared up for next year, though!!

On Thursday, June 30th, we went to the Detroit Symphony concert at Greenfield Village. It's the 7th year we've done this and it is a very important tradition for Tony and myself. We just LOVE LOVE LOVE the concert...which ends with Tchaikovsky's "1812 Overture"...complete with canons and fireworks! It's a fabulous concert and the kids look forward to the "big concert" each summer...

The Saturday following the concert, we packed up and headed to Florida/Disney World for a week! Just got back on Saturday, and it was a great trip!! Both kids had a great time and made some wonderful memories not only for themselves, but for us, too!! For starters, Emma rode her first "water ride" (SPLASH MOUNTAIN) AND her first roller coaster (BIG THUNDER MOUNTAIN RAILROAD)!!!!! She hated them both...but wanted to try them again in the daylight (we rode them the first night we got there) to make sure she hated them. Unfortunately, we weren't able to ride them again...but she's already talking about the next time we go!

Since we were in Disney for the 4th of July, we saw some awesome fireworks! Bradlee was scared out of his mind of them, so I took him back to the hotel while everyone else stayed to watch...he was out before I got him to the bus...

On Wednesday, while waiting to meet "Phineas" and "Ferb" at Hollywood Studios, BOTH of Emma's front teeth fell out!! :) The tooth fairy visited that night and brought Emma two new charms for her new charm bracelet...she looks even cuter now!! :)

On Thursday, Emma was treated to a "Princess makeover" by Aunt Lynne (it was actually her Christmas present!!)...she was *magically* transformed into Princess Tiana from "The Princess and the Frog"! She had a WONDERFUL time being pampered...and left her hair in the bun for three days following it! While Princess Tiana doesn't have pink hair, I think Emma's looks fantastic! :)

I think one of my favorite parts of the week was getting to see my grandma (mom's mom) who lives about an hour north of Orlando. Tony and I went to pick her up Thursday morning and then took her back home Friday morning. It was the first time Bradlee had met her, and they were immediate buds...especially when Doodoo (that's what we call her) got her dessert (ice cream) for lunch!! :)

We had a really great trip...I'm sure I could go on and on about it, but these are some of the highlights! :)