Monday, September 15, 2008

We're just a bunch of Munchkins!

Well, The Culture House posted the Cast List for the Wizard of Oz yesterday afternoon. We'd been having a lazy day, had to catch up on our playing and resting after our whirlwind Friday and Saturday.

Both Katy and Mackenzie have been cast as Munchkins! We are thrilled because the girls will have the same songs and dances to learn together and will be on stage together. Katy was happy to be called back to be an Oznian, but it really required more Tap Dancing than she was comfortable doing, so I am glad they decided to cast her as a Munchkin instead.

Madyson did not get a part, which I kind of figured. The Director spoke to me about it, I think she may have thought I would be mad if she didn't cast all of my girls. But I have no problem with her choices at all. Madyson really isn't ready yet, but she is only 4, and we will try again in the Spring when they do Peter Pan. The girls were talking about how they will have rehearsal now every Friday Night. And Madyson asked me where will she be, I told her she will be with Ava and I, and she said "Oh Goody!" So she isn't dissappointed either! She is such a good girl!

Katy's good friend Megan also was cast as a Featured Munchkin in the Lullabye League. I think this will be the best show ever! We are such Wizard of Oz fans!

Now I must turn my sights to next Monday, that is Mackenzie's official adoption day! My Mother and Aunt are flying out here for the big day! We go to court in the morning and then she is officially a Werner! Of course, I believe she has been my daughter since the day she arrived which was July 20, 2005. She was just 2 1/2 years old, freckle faced and talking a mile a minute! We were told that she would only be with us for 1 or 2 months, but I felt differently, I just knew in my heart that she was meant to be in our family. And while I followed all the rules and tried to be helpful to her birth family, it never felt right. Mackenzie says she knew I was her Mommy from the first time I kissed her...isn't that just so sweet?

One of my favorite things about adoption are those moments...when you feel like you are living in a Hallmark Card...and you just can't fathom how God knew you would be the perfect fit for this child even when no one else seemed to think it would work out! Thank you Lord for these moments! I am so awed by His power in my life! Thank you for these beautiful girls! My little Munchkins!

Saturday, September 13, 2008

Life Imitates Art!

Last night was a wild night! The girls had their auditions at the Culture House for The Wizard of Oz. I picked them up from school early so everyone could have a little quiet time and rehearse their songs before we went over to the auditions.

Auditions started at 4pm and we were in line by 3:30pm. Katy got number 34, Mackenzie #35 and Madyson #36. Everyone was in a great mood and I kept thinking that Madyson seemed excited about trying out. This is her first time and anyone who knows her knows that she is actually very shy. Because she is in this particular family, surrounded by extroverts, we kind of draw her out and really don't give her a chance to be shy! So auditioning in front of a room of strangers is really out of her element, but...she actually did it!

But wait, I am skipping the most exciting part! After registering and getting our numbers and getting the kids re-measured for costuming (I just don't get that one!) We went into the red studio to watch the auditions and wait for our turn. I was just sitting there watching a cute little girl, #9 sing and thinking how fun this is and how much my girls get from being a part of all of this. It was raining outside and it had started to rain pretty hard, we'd had storms all day. And then the Tornado Sirens went off!

How appropriate! A Tornado in the middle of The Wizard of Oz! As we all like to say out here...It can only happen in Kansas! They stopped the auditions and then herded all 200 of us into assorted interior rooms. We all ended up in the ladies restroom with about 35 others. It got real hot in there, real fast! We stayed in there for about an hour and a half and the line of storms kept on moving up hitting us with one warning after another. I called Randy who had heard the sirens also from our home, he rushed over to the daycare to pick up the baby, he said it poured and he could barely see out the car window, but they arrived safely home and I felt better knowing Ava was with him and that they could stay in our basement and be safe.

Finally the staff at the Culture House started up the auditions again. We were still under a Tornado Watch, so you aren't supposed to leave your safe place, so they took 10 kids at a time, let them sing and then took the next 10. While we were in the audition studio it began to rain again really hard. The directors had to have the kids stand directly in front of them, within about 1 foot in order to hear them over the rain. It was so wild!

We finished around 7:30pm and picked up some hamburgers and headed home to see Randy and Ava. We were all safely tucked into our cozy home by 8pm and though it is still raining, the threat of Tornados has subsided by now. But it made for an exciting evening!

The girls went to bed at 9pm, they have to get some sleep as callbacks are tomorrow (today Saturday.) and the names of those with a callback will be posted around 7am. I was up at 5am and wandered down to see if they were posted yet...but no, they were posted at exactly 6:54am.
Katy has a callback for an Oznian which she is thrilled about. Mackenzie has a callback for a Munchkin! Madyson did not get a callback, which does not mean she is not in the show, but I kind of doubt it. While she was very brave and did get up and walk in front of the directors, she barely made a sound when she sang "Happy Birthday" and there were so many cute little ones that really got up and sang their hearts out. I am very proud of Madyson whether she actually gets a part or not! She stretched out fo her little comfort zone and she will have plenty of opportunities to try out for other shows!

Well, time to get the troops out of bed and get some pancakes into them. We have ballet classes at 10am, callbacks at 11am and of course, there is always laundry to do!

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Growing by leaps and bounds!

I woke up yesterday morning to the incredible- fast growing baby! Yes, Ava Marie went to bed on Monday night wearing a size 9 month and woke up needing a size 12 month! How does that happen?! Oh I hear you, ha ha...you feed them...everyday...more than once a day! Yeah, I know that, but really...a whole size in one night?! I don't think any of my other children ever did that!

So...I had to go shopping on Tuesday for clothes for her. ( OK, so I love to shop, but not at the last minute! I like to PLAN it out, that is the best part of shopping for me! Did I mention I am an accountant...planning is my life!!) I had a couple of things, but not enough to finish out the week even. I went over to the Carters Outlet in the Great Mall of the Great Plains and dropped a couple of bucks for some really cute outfits. Now we can get through this week with a couple extra to spare. I also bought a couple of 18 month outfits well, 5 of them. I figure I have at least a week before I will need those!

Sunday, September 7, 2008

Wicked weekend!

I am up in my office writing this post and the girls are all directly below me in the basement. They are working on their audition songs for The Culture House. It is putting on The Wizard of Oz this fall and Katy, Mackenzie and Madyson all want to be in it.

Katy and Mackenzie are going to use "I'm Not That Girl" from the musical Wicked for their audition piece and Madyson is going to sing "Happy Birthday" for hers. (Mackenzie sang this same thing for her first audition and it works great because everyone knows the words to Happy Birthday...even if you are nervous!) The girls and I ran through it a couple of times and then they told me they wanted to sing the whole show of Wicked, so they are down there finishing it up right now! They are so cute! Mackenzie is Galinda, Katy is Elphaba, and Madyson has been told to do "All of the others!"

The baby is napping and so I folded laundry, started dinner, paid some bills online, and now wrote this...I'd say my weekend is now complete!

Friday, September 5, 2008

Illness be gone!

Yuck!! Double Yuck!!! I am finally emerging from the fog of seven days of sickness in this household. It started out last Thursday evening when Mackenzie said her back hurt and she didn't feel well. She stayed home sick on Friday. Madyson and Katy went to school but the phone rang at 10am and off I went to pick up Madyson who had a temperature of 101. Both girls took really long naps on Friday afternoon which allowed me to continue working and as we started our weekend I thought (actually, I ASSUMED, which is a really bad idea!) that everyone would be fine for the weekend of fun activites I had planned.

Saturday morning we got up, ate our wonderful, fluffier-than-ever pancakes and drove off to Ballet class for Mackenzie and Madyson. Madyson only lasted about 15 minutes and then I watched her lay down on the floor and just stay there. Mackenzie really was fine. But we spent the rest of the day at home while Madyson mostly slept.

Sunday we all felt great and had a good day out at Church which met in downtown Kansas City for a special Comm-UNITY Service with another Methodist church in town. And then went to Crown Center for lunch and walked around the Irish Fest. On the way home Katy said her head hurt and by the time we arrived back home she had a temp of 101+.

Monday, the holiday we were just going to stay around home, swim in the pool one last time, and have Ice Cream for Dinner! Katy felt awful and really never came down from her room. By early evening she was feeling better and was up in her room reading to the other children before bed. I went to bed right after the kids as I had a bit of a sore throat and my back was hurting me.

Tuesday I got up still tired but excited to be getting back to our regular schedule. I got all of the kids up and we were sitting at the table for breakfast. Katy said she wasn't sure she really felt better...then she asked if she could go to the bathroom. She made it to the bathroom just in time! I took the others to school and came home feeling like I really needed a nap. I layed down for just a few minutes and realized I was really sick. My neck hurt like crazy and I could barely swallow. So I drove Katy and I to the doctors which is actually only a block away. Yep, we both had strep! Knew it!

I picked up the other kids and took them back too, just to be sure. Madyson had it too, but not Mackenzie or the baby, thank you Lord! We have been on our penicillin for 3 days now and I am finally feeling normal. Last night I actually slept for more than 1/2 hour! Wednesday night I didn' get more than 1 hours sleep the whole night...and that wasn't 1 full hour!

Oh I am so glad to be well again! I hope this is it for our family for this year!