Fun Times

 The streak of fun started Saturday evening with Renee's birthday party on the beach. We all enjoyed being with cousins and family. Isaiah was in the water the whole time. He was thrilled that Ezra was willing to be in the water too. Since we were in Chincoteague, we, of course, had to get Island Creamery on the way home. 

Sunday afternoon was Aliza's choir concert.

This is my current favorite picture of Aliza with her dear friend, Alena.

This group of kids, teenagers and young adults is such a gift to our family. After choir, they decided to have a game night which led to Jeremy and I offering to bring pizza, which led to an evening of us hanging out at the Morgan's house too.

And that evening of games and pizza, led to planning a beach afternoon/evening for Monday.

Can't pass up a picture of a pony!

It was sunny and clear on the beach. It was also a little breezy and cool! The kids played games. I got to take a walk.

While the normal ones, were ready to warm up by the fire...

...Isaiah was still in the water. Isaiah was in the water for hours. He didn't stop to eat or rest. A couple of the boys would play with him for a while and then Isaiah would be happy to play alone. It was just a really quiet, relaxing afternoon for me.

Meanwhile, an epic hole was dug.

That led to some laughs and entertainment for the moms.

And when the hole was half filled, Isaiah was (finally) allowed in it and he want to be buried in the sand.

The sun was setting as we left the beach.

I like the beach in the afternoon/evening when there is more space and less people. With our schedule this summer, I think we will have many more late-in-the-day beach trips.
 

There Is No Greater Joy...

 ...than to know that your children have chosen to walk in truth. 

When I tuck Isaiah in at night, he usually asks what we are doing the next day. On a Wednesday night he asked what the next day held and I told him that we were planning to go to a Franklin Graham crusade. He asked what a crusade is. I told him that it was a special event that gave people the opportunity to accept Jesus as their Savior. Isaiah said, "I don't think I've done that. Am I old enough?" I told him he was definitely old enough and we talked about what it means to know that you are a sinner and believe that Jesus came to earth to be the sacrifice for sin and that when we believe Jesus we want to make choices that honor God. Isaiah prayed and made the choice to follow Jesus! 

The next evening to did go to the Franklin Graham crusade. Honestly, we were more excited to hear the Newsboys though. The event was well attended and there were no protests in town.

I really enjoyed the outside venue and being in a large group of Christians in such a public place.

And we did really really enjoy the Newsboys.

We got to sit with our group of people.

It's become a bit of a habit when we are with this group of friends to hang around and talk until most normal people have headed home. As we were leisurely walking out, Isaiah decided he was ready to tell everyone about his prayer. I helped him get Taylor's attention and the group naturally circled around. Isaiah said, "Last night I prayed to God to be my Savior." Everyone cheered and told him how proud they were of him and gave him hugs. It was a really sweet moment for Isaiah.
 

Two Weekends of Shows

 *Photos by Theater Academy of Delmarva*

Wow! Eight public shows and one school show over two weekends. I watched 4 of those shows and previewed the video that they showed the cast. Somehow it never got old watching my girl!

Aliza was confident in dancing, singing and acting. Her smile lit up the stage (there was a reason the yellow costume was chosen for her) and her inner beauty was shining right through her outer beauty.

So many friends and family came to watch Aladdin. Aliza's Aunt Linda even made a quick trip from Indiana to be at a show.

I thought intermission was a little long, but Aliza informed me that she needed every minute of that intermission to take off the blue genie makeup and re-apply regular makeup.

Aliza only auditioned to be part of the featured dancers. In January she added the role of hand maiden which she shared with another girl. That role included a quartet singing Palace Walls. Aliza was one of two featured dancers that had a microphone for the whole performance. She sang all of the numbers--while she was dancing.

 

Being a homeschooling mom, I always have, in the back of my mind, the little question of how my kiddos will do in the "real" world. Aliza did this thing all on her own and she flew. She was a friend and made friends. She thrived...and struggled...and persevered...and ultimately loved the experience.

Joy Dare::April

 10,060. Saturday morning rain and thunderstorm = a copy pajama morning
10,061. Another fascinating book
10,062. Pizza for supper
10,063. Palm Sunday worship
10,064. Sunday afternoon rest
10,065. Planning a new week
10,066. Outside time with Isaiah
10,067. Scrapbooking with Janell
10,068. Friends to encourage Aliza
10,069. Weeding flowerbeds
10,070. Finished standardized testing
10,071. Isaiah driving the lawnmower
10,072. Another gorgeous day
10,073. Mowing grass
10,074. Asking the right question
10,075. Porch time with a friend
10,076. Easter egg hunt before the storm
10,077. Aliza home safely
10,078. Sourdough pizza crust--success!
10,079. Good Friday service
10,080. Another spring ready flowerbed

10,081. Chatting with Mom
10,082. Easter Sunday morning
10,083. Aliza signing a song during worship
10,084. Friends to surround me
10,085. Under pressure, Aliza handled herself with restraint
10,086. A really nice Easter afternoon with my family
10,087. Egg hunt and candy trading
10,088. Having a baby hang out with us today

10,089. Good standardized test scores
10,090. A new-to-me coffee shop
10,091. New daffodils

10,092. Exodus 14:13-14
10,093. Choosing words
10,094. Affirmations
10,095. Loving our girl
10,096. Jeremy beside me
10,097. Chick Fil A for lunch
10,098. My Moms
10,099. Playing outside after supper
10,100. Josiah's heart
10,101. Friday evening unwinding
10,102. Isaiah making a friend
10,103. Sitting around the table talking
10,104. Feeling much more settled
10,105. Choosing Sabbath rest
10,106. Intentional parenting
10,107. All the spring green
10,108. Dogwood blooms
10,109. Janell--our last dance Monday evening for the season
10,110. Josiah helping makes suppers
10,111. Aliza taking a courageous step
10,112. Healthy teeth
10,113. "Aunting"
10,114. Crying through Aliza's dance
10,115. Elizabeth
10,116. Josiah's nighttime conversations
10,117. Working in the yard
10,118. Fries and shakes after dentist appointments
10,119. Just keeping on doing the best I can
10,120. Dress rehearsal excitement
10,121. McDonalds with friends
10,122. Grandma and Grandpa arriving
10,123. All the preparation for dance recital
10,124. Watching my girls dance
10,125. Much needed rain
10,126. Driving time with Aliza
10,127. An evening with Anna
10,128. Laughing over supper with Grandma and Grandad
10,129. Catching a glimpse of Aliza's show
10,130. Isaiah holding baby

 10,131. Aliza blazing her own trail
10,132. Hanging out at Mom and Dad's house
10,133. Fresh air this afternoon
10,134. Enjoying another book by Charles Martin
10,135. Baby Quinn time
10,136. Quiet days before busy evenings
10,137. Missionary stories
10,138. Enough energy for another late night
10,139. Baby sleeping in my arms
10,140. An evening at Grandma and Grandad's house
10,141. The earliest night of the week
10,142. Watching Aliza in Aladdin for the first time
10,143. Grandma and Grandpa arrived safely in the rain
10,144. Late night family silliness
10,145. Watching Aladdin with the whole family
10,146. BBQ chicken supper feels like summer cooking
10,147. Josiah and Anna talking their Dad into ice cream
10,148. Sitting in church as a family
10,149. An encouraging youth led outreach service
10,150. All the Mom feelings

Tech Week

 Our first ever Tech Week and I can say we survived!

Aliza and I had lots of car time together on the drives to and from Pocomoke for practice. Most days I made two trips to and from Pocomoke. I would drop off Aliza at the theater, come home and make supper and then go back to Mom and Dad's house until Aliza texted me that she was finished and ready to be picked up.

Here's how the week went:
Sunday 1:00-7:30
Monday 4:30-10:15
Tuesday 4:45-10:00
Wednesday 5:00-10:30
Thursday 6:30-8:30 (that was such a huge gift!)

And those times are when Aliza texted me that she was ready to be picked up. It was 45 minutes later than that until we got home.

Aliza missed her non-theater friends so much. Alena surprised her on Tuesday. Alena walked up to Aliza's room unannounced with an Island Creamery milkshake. It totally made Aliza's day!

By Wednesday it was getting pretty rough.

She made it through Thursday on sheer will power. She slept 11 hours Thursday night and let school go to be ready for the first show Friday night.

This week I've decided that behind every Hype Girl is a Calm Mama holding all the pieces together.