Prom pictures

Here are pictures of Isaac and his girlfriend, Mykayla before their prom. Mykayla's family is friends with a local woman, Sharna Wilkerson, who takes these FABULOUS pictures. She worked with Isaac and Mykayla during Mykayla's senior picture shoot and wanted to work with them again. Prom night was the perfect time and she made is especially memorable for them. Sharna is phenomenally creative, and I think some of these photos belong in a magazine. Of course, she had some pretty great "raw material" to work with, if I do say so myself;)

This is only a sampling of the 100+ pictures she took:

They also won Senior Court (only juniors are chosen for Prom King and Queen). Here's a pic from that:

Catching my breath

Wow, has it been 2 weeks since I posted? It has been an incredibly busy 2 weeks and I have pictures and information to share, but life is still moving along at a frantic pace, so I think the postings will trickle in slowly. Here is a sneak preview of what has been going on around here:

• I had a lovely Mother's Day
• We welcomed college girl home! yay!
• We celebrated a special anniversary
• baseball games
• Isaac went to his prom (pictures galore!!)
• soccer games
• we put a deck on the back of the house
• more baseball

In addition, we are trying to wrap up the school year, prepare financial aid forms for TWO college students next year (assuming Isaac finally finishes up his school work!), and prepare Sammy for his First Holy Communion on June 6, which includes getting the basement organized, so there is a place for kids to play at his after-party.

We have also had a little guy come into our life! A friend, who is unfortunately experiencing a crisis situation in her life, called in need of a baby-sitter for her 21 month old son. This little guy is a peach! He is so good and my kids are enjoying having him around very much. It is fun to watch Miss Annie with him. She is the baby of our family and there have been no other little ones around for her to interact with. It's strange to think that she hasn't had any contact with babies, since it seems we've always had babies, but it appears she is our last...the baby boat seems to have sailed on to other shores....sigh...So, having little Johnny in the house has been a treat. He is the type of baby (I only had one of these) who, when you lay him down for a nap....just. falls. asleep! He's a dream! Even my big teenage boy likes to play with him.

Last, but certainly not least, we have two big pieces of news:

1. College girl arrived home on May 5, and promptly GOT ENGAGED five days later!
2. Big changes are in store for us for next year. That's all I will say here. I will have a fairly lengthy post about this soon...very soon.

In the meantime, would you please offer up a prayer for Sarah and Andrew, and again, for the Savage family?

Be back soon.

Hall of Fame

While we were busy with plays and First Holy Communions here at home, our oldest son had an amazing experience in Cooperstown, NY. A local rival team invited the Stevens varsity baseball team to play a game at the Hall of Fame field in Cooperstown! Stevens won 6-1. They had a great time touring the Hall of Fame, also.
One poignant moment Isaac described to me was when he saw his coach's father, Ralph Silva, standing before the Carlton Fisk display. Ralph coached "Pudge" Fisk in high school in Charlestown, NH. I can only imagine the feelings he was experiencing looking at the Hall of Fame display of a "kid" he coached in high school. I'm sure it wasn't the first time he saw it, of course. He was probably there for the induction ceremony. But still, what a moment, and what a picture that would've been (if Isaac had thought to take one, that is!)
Isaac is having a great baseball season. His bat is on fire and he has hit 3 homeruns so far. All of which I have missed! I'm trying not to take it personally. I did get to see him hit a triple the other day, though. Baseball has always been his favorite, and I am glad he is finishing his high school years with a great baseball season, and this unforgettable experience.

Isaac is the 3rd from the right in the front row, kneeling, in the picture above. He's the blond #10.

Aftermath

I've run out of adjectives to describe the performances of "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" that Ethan and Sam acted in this weekend. The set was stunning: real trees, blue lighting and SNOW"!! It was magic! I actually got to see the show from the "house" today. After watching from my stage manager's perch backstage for the past week, I knew the show was good, but seeing it from the audience perspective with the lights, makeup, etc...Wow, I will say it again...MAGIC!! It was not only well acted and well directed, it was a feast for the eyes. It was gorgeous!
The cast of children was superb! Yup, they hesitated or even forgot a line or two, but they pulled it off beautifully. We even had poor Edmund fall off a ramp as he was being attacked by the White Witch AND he choked on the Turkish Delight he had to eat (because he shoved too much of it into his mouth). It got a laugh, anyway:)
One member of the audience came up to the director at intermission and was nearly speechless with praise for the show. She kept repeating the word "amazing." There was a lot of positive feedback.
The local Opera House is a beautiful place with a very helpful staff. The "tech" guy was incredible to work with. My director had never worked with a more helpful tech guy. Thanks, Andy! Even more incredible was the fact that Andy asked to talk to the kids after the final show. He told them that he was so impressed with their behavior and professionalism, that they were such a pleasure to work with, that he had arranged to have his paycheck for working with us DONATED to the school's drama program!!! Wow! What a gesture!
It was an incredible experience, all around. Sam discovered a love (and talent) for theatre; Ethan developed greater self-confidence and strength to overcome his shyness.
Now, the "grieving" period starts. The director warned us about the post-show letdown. Narnia has been a huge part of our lives for the past 2 months, we will miss it very much, along with the other actors.
We tend to think of "drama" as something fake or not having much to do with reality, but I have discovered exactly the opposite. Drama teaches so many life lessons to our children: responsibility, commitment, self-confidence, public speaking, cooperation, and even, in a sense, dealing with loss after the show is over. Drama helps prepare our children to be healthy, well-rounded individuals.
I can't say why Hollywood actors tend to go off-track in their lives. I think it may have more to do with ego and celebrity status than the actual process of acting itself. I am thankful that my children have access to this drama program and director. It has been, and God willing, will continue to be, a blessing in our lives.

"Long Live the Kings and Queens of Narnia!"

Thanks, Heidi!

The Kiss of Jesus

Congratulations to my dear niece, Victoria. She received Jesus for the first time today. What a special time, what a happy day! Here are St. Therese's words about her First Holy Communion:

"I would not tell you everything, even if I could, for there are certain things which lose their fragrance in the open air, certain thoughts so intimate that they cannot be translated into earthly language without losing at once their deep and heavenly meaning. How lovely it was, that first kiss of Jesus in my heart -- it was truly a kiss of love. I knew that I was loved and said, "I love You, and I give myself to You forever."

Blessings to you, Tori!

The Bear and the Fox

Since the pictures of my own two actors didn't come out well yesterday, I took a couple today with my phone. The quality isn't great, but aren't they cute anyway???

Can you guess which one has been bitten *hardest* by the acting bug?

"The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" pictures

Here are some pictures I took at rehearsal tonight. It is coming together! We are so excited!