Alice in Wonderland Jr.

And that's a wrap. 

It's been a busy few months for Lucky with rehearsals for the play, Alice in Wonderland Jr.

He's worked hard and it's paid off. Last week was the busiest with set work, dress rehearsals, and performances. Monday night this week was closing night.

We missed a few holidays and observed others. I didn't even take pictures of the waffles we had on a day other than International Waffle Day, March 25. 

 

Last year, Lucky was able to play Michael in Mary Poppins Jr. This year, he played a Cheshire Cat. There were two casts so the other nights he was in the ensemble. He had another good experience.

Jeremy took most of the kids to watch him on Saturday and I took Jet to watch him on Monday. 

 

I also got to watch him Saturday evening in the ensemble. I like to see both. 

Monday night, we had friends sit with us, which added to the enjoyment. Jet did well and enjoyed the show.

Stephanie was sweet and got the following pictures with her camera. Thanks for sharing them, Stephanie.

 

I'm proud of our boy and glad he is enjoying pursuing his interests. It doesn't hurt that as a theatre kid myself growing up, I know how fun putting on a production can be.

And a fun thing I found out that I didn't have on my calendar but I do now... opening night was World Theatre Day, March 27. Woohoo.

Here's a little treat Jeremy put together for Lucky to say congratulations. 

Hodge Podge Halloween

The last few days of October kind of became a hodge podge of Halloween and other holiday celebrating. Some things were celebrated on their day and some were celebrated "observed." So here we go.

I asked Jet a while back what he wanted to be for Halloween. He told me, "Batty." I definitely went with a joke in there but also decided I could make him bat wings so he could be "Batty." Jeremy made bat ears for him.

He loved his bat wings so much, he wore them a lot. One day when they were all finished, he asked to watch an episode of Wild Kratts about bats. He wore his wings and watched the episode then told us things he knew about bats. "They sleep upside down." He said that as he was lying on his back trying to get his feet all the way up into the air. Have I mentioned I love that kid so much?

That day was October 29, National Cat Day (not to be confused with National Black Cat Day two days earlier). I took a picture of the neighbor's cat skeleton decoration again.

It was also National Oatmeal Day but we were too busy to celebrate that day. Jeremy and Lucky volunteered to make balloon animals at the Primary Carnival the Young Women put on. Jet got to test run his bat wings and ears. He enjoyed playing games and getting prizes and treats. He also decorated a sugar cookie. 

The Young Women really put on a good event. Besides the things Jet wanted to do, they also had face painting and freeze dance contests and musical chairs and crafts. I was impressed.

We celebrated Oatmeal Day the next day, October 30, which was actually Haunted Refrigerator Night. So Lucky and I made oatmeal muffins and I fried up some eggs (from the refrigerator- Boo!) for dinner.

Lucky: It looks like a duck face.

 

Earlier that day, our friend Stephanie came over to watch a spooky movie with Nichole and me while we drank hot chocolate and ate toast. Mmmmm. The movie was Something Wicked This Way Comes. I watched that movie when I was a kid and it was creepy. It's still creepy now that I'm an adult. I won't recommend it to my sensitive child.

October 31 was Halloween, National Breadstick Day, Frankenstein Friday, and National Knock Knock Joke Day. Jet and I did knock knock jokes a few days before when we were talking about that holiday coming up.

Jeremy got us donuts as a special treat for Halloween breakfast.

Jet did a really good job going in to school that day (he doesn't always). I think he was excited about Halloween and his costume. I watched Jet and Lucky in the elementary school Halloween parade. 

At home after Nichole got back from classes, she helped me make dinner. That was really helpful because besides working on the food, I was also running around picking kids up after school. 

Jet got fangs at school (which he calls a jaw- it makes sense), so a few times he told people he was a vampire bat. 

Because of Nichole's help, we were able to eat before trick or treating. Spaghetti Monsters to celebrate Halloween, National Breadstick Day, and Frankenstein Friday. 

The three youngest went trick or treating with me around the neighborhood then the whole family loaded up in the van and went trick or treating at my sister's house then went in to visit for a little bit. It's tradition. Every year, Jet talks about trick or treating at his aunt's house.

While we were out trick or treating, Jr. Jr., dressed as a jester, showed people juggling tricks and they gave him treats.  

Jet as you know was a bat (Batty).

Lucky dressed as Quirrel from Hollow Knight, the video game. Jeremy made his costume.

Hodge Podge Halloween celebrating. It's fun.

Other October Holidays

October 24 was National Food Day. We ate leftovers. It was also World Kangaroo Day. Jet and I hopped like kangaroos.

October 25 was Greasy Food Day. It was also World Pasta Day. We ate kind of greasy pasta.

October 26 was Mother-in-Law Day. I wished several people Happy Mother-in-Law Day including my mother-in-law. I love her. It was also National Pumpkin Day. I know several people who carved pumpkins that day.

October 27 was National Black Cat Day. I often see black cats running around our neighborhood. Murphy's Law says on Black Cat Day, I wouldn't see one. At the end of the day, Jeremy reminded me that the neighbors had a glow in the dark black cat skeleton decoration. That worked for celebrating.

October 28 was the Anniversary of when the Statue of Liberty was dedicated and it was also Matt Smith's birthday so I really wanted to watch The Angels Take Manhattan (which has both the Statue of Liberty and Matt Smith) while working on a Halloween costume but that's an episode of Doctor Who we don't have. So I watched Daleks in Manhattan which also has the Statue of Liberty in it. For dinner we had fish sticks and vanilla pudding in honor of Matt Smith's Doctor. We didn't have enough fish sticks so I pulled some curry chicken from the freezer and cooked up some rice. #shelfcooking

It was also National Chocolate Day so Lucky made woo-woo for us. 

 

Salad and Donuts and Lasagna, Oh My

June 17 was National Eat Your Vegetables Day. Salad time! Yumm.

June 18 was National Splurge Day. We weren't going to celebrate this one but Jeremy had to pick up something from the store and found donuts on sale at a reasonable price so he splurged on those... you know... to celebrate.

June 19 was Garfield the Cat Day. Of course I'd want to make lasagna. I didn't have everything I needed so I made some adjustments and made lasagna pasta casserole. It was still so yummy. Nichole and Jr. helped and both also thought it was yummy.

Kids, Get Out of the Yard

What would you tell the kids if you saw this in the yard?

"Get out of the yard.  Stay on the deck."

In a place where seeing deer and even moose in your yard are not uncommon, it wasn't a surprise when one of the kids said, "There's a raccoon in the yard."  We visited my cousin and his family in Wyoming recently and I was very impressed when the oldest child explained how he thought through and figured out that this was a raccoon.

"Oh, wow.  Yeah.  O.K.  Kids, get out of the yard.  Stay on the deck.  There's a raccoon over there by the shed.  It is a wild animal so we don't want to mess with it."

The kids did a really good job of listening and staying out of the yard.  A little while later my cousin's wife, Annie, came back from shopping and her son told her about the raccoon.  She came to the yard to see it.
"Is that a raccoon?"
When I looked back at the raccoon, this is what I saw.

Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha.  Some cat trying to fool us into thinking it was a raccoon.  But c'mon, if you saw that, the shape of the body, coloring, ring tail, wouldn't you have deduced it was a raccoon?  Heh Heh Heh.