"Play"ing is SO MUCH WORK!!!

But all that work is finally paying off! Last weekend we SO ENJOYED Emily and Anna's "Honk!" production at Curtin Middle school. It was a delightful, FUN production. Emily made a DARLING DUCKLING and Anna was a GORGEOUSLY GRACEFUL QUEEN SWAN! They were WONDERFUL!!! ALONG with the rest of the cast! A very fun and clever play, SO well done!! Even the littlest girls stayed interested (more like glued) both nights! Thanks to our friends who came and supported Emily and Anna in the fun!!

Last night was opening night for Isaac's high school production of "Sound of Music". I must admit I was AMAZED at the professional EXCELLENCE of EVERYTHING from the expert musician's in the live orchestra to the awesome stage set to the GREAT acting and beautiful singing of ALL the students!!! It was REALLY, REALLY GOOD!!! (And I would say that just as amazed if I wasn't the mother! :)) Of course, Isaac was PHENOMENAL!!!! FANTASATIC!!! WONDERFUL!!! THE BEST!!!! And Maria's acting was really, really WONDERFUL - they made a perfect combination on stage (one would never know Maria was a senior and Isaac a freshman!) so the play really drew us in!!!

Emily and Anna and Mikela and Katey and Esther and Zoie were all SOOOOO PROUD of their brother!!!! (Clara just said, "Icic" pointing on stage and proceeded to be a challenge for Mom to keep busy and quiet!) Emily even FORGOT that sharp looking, grown up, buff, strong, in-control, righteous Captain on stage was her brother and had to proclaim, just like the fanatical, overreacting teenager girls in front of us "I'm in love!" THAT made us smile nearly as much as seeing seven sisters attack their brother with hugs and squeals of delight after the play. A very fun night of pay off. We were especially glad Grandpa and Grandma Hoffman could come last night and that there are TWO MORE NIGHTS TO GO and lots more family and friends coming!!!!

Great rewards for the hard work and sacrifice of so many in the past few months.

Hoppy Easter!

One of my favorite parts of Easter this year (there were many!) was the GREATEST Easter egg hunt!!!! Our friend Kimberly put it together with a few families nearby. We went to the nearby park on a quiet, absolutely gorgeous Sat. morning before Easter. The little children hit the playground while the teenagers hit the park-grounds and started hiding eggs. It was such a glorious morning filled with fresh green life and sunshine we couldn't help but feel giddy. Watching the little ones searching ecstatically for well hidden eggs only added to that! No pushing, shoving, rushing, panic - only plenty of space, plenty of eggs, all hidden just challengingly enough to make the hunt last for MORE than 10 minutes even! It was wonderful! Thanks again to our wonderful friends who were there and made it sooo fun! It brought back great memories of 950 S. Easter hunts. LOVE TO YOU ALL!!!

Happy Ninth Birthday Katie!!!

Kate turned NINE!!! this week. REMARKABLE! Here's a few pics of her 5 day long birthday party, beginning with her friends on Thursday afternoon, Hoopla's on Saturday between conference sessions and another birthday cake, song, and the last few presents from Mom and Grandma C. Sunday after Easter dinner with our dear friends The Crocketts and new friend Bill Lee and our missionaries too. (Elder Black and Elder Green pictured here.) One last party Monday as Grandpa and Grandma Hoffman arrived for a second Easter dinner and 4th or 5th Katey birthday party. They of course brought her presents from cousins and themselves! As her mother I can vouch that Kate's worth that much celebration!!! ;)

I wish I had the picture of Kate decked out in her darling ruffled butterfly T, knee and elbow pads and new roller blades - the ultimate at NINE! (Hey, Kari, we'll move into that house just in time for Kate to live it up on wheels with music blasting in that unfinished basement of ours! Those were the days!)

late night choices-

I'm SO TIRED!! And Mike and I were just trying to plan another crammed weekend. I thought I was so wise to postpone the temple trip. Rather than Emily and Anna and Mike or myself going to do baptisms this Saturday with the youth in the ward, we'd all go as a family soon - when things slow down (from this view of the calendar, it is hard to see when that might be). There was simply too much going on for a day's trip to the temple. I had decided.

Mike left to pick up Isaac from his 10:30 pm rehearsal and I was left to myself. Luckily I decided to pray about all the demands of this week and weekend. The first thoughts that came to my mind upon praying were "easily entreated" in reference to how I should be to my daughters' pleas to go to the temple this weekend. I sat there a minute pondering about it and felt a tug to pick up the book on my nightstand, it was upside down. I thought it was the new one my Mom had given me for Easter but found a surprise as I picked it up and read "The Temple" by Truman Madsen. I wondered where it had come from (Mike's pile on the other side of the bed?). I opened and read a great chapter about the power and blessings of the temple beginning, "Where does one find a balance staff? The balance staff is the temple." The end read, "I pray that in the moments of anguish and stress and burdens that will come to all of us, we will recognize that God has given us a balance staff, which, as the Prophet Joseph once said, "holds the storm." That is the temple. It is the Lord's house. He is there through His Spirit, and He has promised to manifest Himself in mercy unto His children throughout their lives."

O.K., we'll be heading to the temple this weekend.

Do you think this looks clean enough to sell?

It's not. The mess is in the hall right behind me as I took the pictures. Despite my worst fears that we'd never be able to show this place for selling, we did show it, four times last week (one a complete surprise showing). The sign is officially in the yard as of Thursday. There is one buyer interested, though he's out of state and will come to see it in person soon - too bad our house won't hold still long enough to stay clean (like these pics!). Here's PRAYING this house sells quickly!