The Adventures of Tom Sawyer & Easter

I just want to start out by seriously complaining about blogger. Seriously, it's like it has a mind of it's own. I carefully post all my pictures in a particular order, and using the blogger guidelines (like please post all pictures backwards, upside down and standing on one foot) and they still end up a mess and completely out of order. And yes, I have figured out a very complicated way of reworking them back into the correct order- but seriously, I am already defying the odds of homeschooling four kids and blogging too, like who has time to do that?

And I am pretty sure blogger is run by ex-KGB and they are hearing everything I am ranting about and probably in the middle of this post I will not be able to keep my text from being blue and underlined (does that happen to anyone else?) but I am at my breaking point! Does blogger not know that the majority of it's users are not highly trained professional computer people but mom's who are usually blogging in the wee hours of the night with half opened eyelids? Would it really be so hard to make their system a little more user-friendly?! I know. It's free. I am obviously dealing with reprecussions of having been born in the Entitlement Generation.

So moving on...

Todd and Lisa came for Easter weekend. This picture was supposed to be about five down, but whatever, right? I can go with the flow. I'm a calm cat. Can't get to me KGB-people! Okay, I'm done. So Todd brought a basket full of items such as his own cooking knives, his Kitchen Aid, a scale to measure ingredients in ounces instead of with measuring cups, and fine spices. He cooked for us all weekend. This is a picture of him making incredible, I mean incredible pancakes. He actually drove all over town looking for whole buttermilk, because 1% apparently doesn't do the trick. And he lost all confidence in me when I suggested he simply add some vinegar to whole milk and let it set a few minutes. I have never seen such a look of disappointment in my older brother's face.

Todd and Lisa at my mom's Easter Egg Hunt.

An Easter Tradition... Hot Cross Buns on Good Friday. The vision of these little beauties is what got Savannah through her fourty days without sugar for Lent. Way to go, Savannah!

Easter Morning...

The Easter Egg Hunt at Grandma Rosie's...



Yes, her hair started out all cute and frilly and bowish. I don't want to talk about it.

This picture takes the cake.

Grandma Nita Easter Morning.

The problem with Clara and an Easter Egg Hunt is that she does not understand why you would not stop to open up the egg and eat the candy inside before finding the next one. Thank goodness her siblings were in a sharing mood or this may have been her single claim to an egg.

And ...

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer!!

After two months of daily practice - it was showtime for Tom Sawyer! I know I am the mother & wife of these fine actors, but seriously, this show was sooooooooooo cute!!! I wish I could have taken pictures of them on stage but it's against the rules, so these backstage pictures will have to do...

And these are science club pictures in the middle of my play pictures because of, well perhaps I have whined enough?

This week they were split into two teams and with a box of random supplies, and competed to see which team could create the fastest paper airplane, the best contraption to keep and egg dropped from 10 feet to keep from cracking, a bridge that would hold the most weight, and a way to carry a cup of water without spilling it holding only a metal hanger.

Oh! And look, another Easter picture. Jake wanted to make sure he didn't miss any eggs during the hunt.

Savannah and her beloved Grandma Rosie. They look quite a bit alike, wouldn't you say?

Now back to the play. This picture might betray some true emotions for Jake and Nick after a week of midnight dress rehearsals.

And Science club again. This is their bridges which ended up being exactly the same. Great minds think alike!

This was my favorite. It's the paper airplane contest and Jake's team decided that if they attached a balloon to their plane and then popped it as the race started it would surely jet propel the plane to an unheard of distance. Unfortunately the plane made a dive after being in flight for about two nano-seconds.

This is our adorable Savannah as Lucy Harper, with a whopping five lines (that she delivered with unsurpassed grace and emotion)

Nick's cousins and friends came to see the play opening night, and he gave them a personal tour of the auditiorium. He was feeling quite popular.

Okay, I know I am his mother, but Nick was a show-stopper. The boy is born to be on stage.

Savannah with friends Morgan Clinkscale and Jessie Walker who came to see the play...

Nick practicing his sword fighting.

Jake was incredible in this play. He was even able to withhold acknowledging my cousins, Jennifer and Stacey, who sat on the third row and waved at him through an entire performance.

This was Jake's best friend during the show, Holden. Coincidentally he was also Savannah's dance partner and his parents reported to us that he fell heartwrenchingly in love with his leading lady.

Chad getting into character as the cruel schoolteacher.

Savannah on closing night (their where eight performances) with friend Nicole Purdy and neigbors Ari and Riley.

Nick on closing night with his "Aunt Polly's sugar cookie" (psuedo flowers) throwing out an "I love you" sign to his adoring fans :)

And that's that... we have a whopping 6 month break until Annie starts in the fall... just the right amount of time to forget the incredibly long practices and weekends minus a husband and my near nervous breakdown that always happens round about opening night. But I must say, this is play #4 and it's always worth it in the end. Showbiz ala' Nampa!