Play practice and practice and practice...

The other half of our summer... rehearsals!!! Every night... 7 to 10, plus Saturday mornings... we are at the auditorium... practice, practice, practice!! Opening night is about 2 weeks away and this is CRUNCH time! After 20 years of being a Drama teacher, I am used to being on the director side of things... me being ON stage is a very different feeling! Usually my stress gets less as the show gets closer because the performers take over... this time, the closer August 21st looms, the bigger the knot in my gut gets! (That's Kaila hanging on Gaston's leg...)

We've got 4 kids plus Mom and Dad in the show. (Sierra isn't playing with us because she is too swamped with high school drill team.) Here we are getting notes from the director.

Steve is cracking up the cast constantly with his portrayal of Gaston. (Kaila at the very top of the chair.)


Kaila is one of the "Silly Girls" who idolizes Gaston. (This is funny to watch because she can't quite hide the fact that it's really just her DAD... ick) I was SO glad to snap this pic! All the SGs take their turn squeezing the biceps, for just a breif second and I was able to get Kaila's squeeze! Nice Guns DAD!

Mom, Jada, Necia & Erika are all playing enchanted objects in the Beast's castle. Jada is the dancing rug... and when she put on her old magic carpet costume and did her dance AS a rug, all the members of the cast and crew actually cheered. She's VERY good at making the rug look like it's alive.

Necia gets to be a plate, (notice Lumiere next to her...)

And doing the plate dance...

Erika is a sugar spoon! (pink shirt, standing) She knows every word to every song! (Wish I did... I have a 4 line solo and I'm still screwing up the words!!) Look at her just singing away!

As of today, we are STILL waiting for our costumes...scary because we have no idea how it's going to be to move in these things. At least I get to wear this ADORABLE viking helmet! (What a flattering photo, eh?)

I'm supposed to be wearing a big box, to make me look like a Wardrobe, and I'm pretty nervous about getting up and down the castle stairs in it. Hopefully someone will get good video footage of the inevitable tumble! (Just kidding, just kidding... knock on wood!) I'm going to have to bribe Natalie to come get some GOOD pics of everyone in costume at our final dress rehearsal in a couple of weeks... then I can post the final results! In the meantime... some of my personal favorites from rehearsals...

Gee Kaila, how do you REALLY feel about Gaston?


Dig the reactions of the guys around the bar... hee hee!


Now those are a couple of cute kids! Must have great genetics! (Hey Necia... Look at the camera!)

Wordless Wednesday

Swimmin' Summer

We've spent half our summer at play rehearsal, and the other half at the pool.

Mom, Kaila & Sierra have been teaching swim lessons, Kaila & Sierra are lifeguards almost EVERY day, and three of the girls, Kaila, Jada and Necia are on the Spanish Fork swim team. This video shows highlights of one of the meets. This was held at our local pool, so those of you in distant parts can see where we have spent the past 2 months. (Be patient through the narration part at the beginning... it eventually gets to the swimming.)



Play I-Spy-A-Poulsen at the following points:

:52 - Jada is the left face/Necia is the right face

:54 - Necia is the girl on the far left walking to the lanes

1:48 - Jada ending her race and checking her time

2:03 - Far swimmer is Necia, adjusting her pink goggles

2:25 - Jada cruising to the turn on her freestyle

2:35 - Jada in her cool striped cap on the block about to dive

3:20 - (Our favorite... ) Necia's super strong butterfly race...she got 3rd! Have you ever tried to swim butterfly? It's the toughest stroke!

Looks fun, huh? So why do we all collapse into muscle-quivering heaps at the end of a meet?

IT'S EXHAUSTING!