The play is officially over and this is what I'm dealing with over here.

Mia busted this song out last night in front of about 30 college students that were at the house:

She held her best friend hostage for over an hour yesterday forcing her to act out Annie scenes over and over again.  She spends hours in her room every night acting out every scene from every act.  She is recording her own Annie album in Bob's studio, and she makes poor Bode scrub the floors while she yells out insults and commands (ok, maybe that has nothing to do with the play, but still).

It's detox week at the Lashley house.  So far, it's not going well.

Nerd Alert

Despite his unfortunate attire, Bode is now in to all things Star Wars.  He can think of nothing except Star Wars.  He dreams about it, sings about it, prays about it and sits on the toilet for hours and talks about it.

He is officially a four-year-old boy.

How awesome is my Grandma?

What on earth do you get all the cast members of an Annie play for Christmas?  Why, little orphan and annie peg doll tree ornaments, of course!

And how on earth do you do that when you can't paint and are spending every waking moment at said Annie play?  You call your Grandma, that's how.

My sweet Ahmo whipped these babies out in no time.  They are even personalized to each cast members hair color - how adorable is that?

All I had to do was add a little bow and ornament hook to the top and they are the perfect keepsakes.  I hope that they will remember this awesome experience each year as they add them to their tree.  I know we will.

Tonight is Mia's second-to-last time to be Molly.  The end is near.  I thought I would be so happy for it to be over, but you know what?  I'm actually kind of sad, and I'm pretty sure Mia is too.

If you ever come over and see 23 orphans and 23 Annies on my Christmas tree then you will know I got a little too sad....(and I may need a recovery program).

A late fall afternoon

Mia reading a book that she wrote on the water cycle (sounds like a page-turner) and Bode playing with his star wars legos.

The spaghetti sauce in simmering and my coffee cup is full.  I feel content and so, so thankful.

Thanksgiving: A prequel to the real holiday, Black Friday

How sad is that?  And I will shamefully admit that I was suckered into the allure of $10 blenders myself, so I'm not pointing any fingers.

However, our wonderful tradition of spending our day at Thanksgiving Day in the City continues.  And as the kids have gotten older, they have also gotten more and more helpful.  Case in point:  The Pie Princesses.

My favorite quotes from these two include, "Wow, my arms are tired." and "If we weren't doing this it would never get done."
To which I reply, "Welcome to the rest of your lives, future mothers."

And then there was the less-than-helpful little brothers popping out of cardboard boxes.  We all were less-than-surprised.

The mission: deliver meals to over 1,750 people.  The kids were completely on board until they got hungry and couldn't understand why they couldn't eat one of the meals in the car (Bode).

Overall, the day was a success and I would will do it all over again next year, except maybe that $10 blender...

Unless you want me to continue to drone on about the Annie play, then I really have nothing to blog about.

And I'm happy to do that, of course.  As that is really the only thing going on in our lives.  Mia is missing pictures with Santa at OC, Ice Skating Night, and multiple holiday parties.  She.  Does.  Not.  Care.  She is now officially a theater rat and is proud of it.

In other news, you haven't lived until you've eaten Thanksgiving Lunch in a school cafeteria (or gym, as the case may be).  Notice the center piece...

972 pictures later and we got nothin'

I enjoy a photo session with my children like I enjoy a hole in the head.  And considering I haven't printed a picture of my children in three years, I don't know why I bother.  

But, Boppy (Andy's Dad) turning 60 meant one thing: all four grandchildren in their OC gear for an updated office photo.  

The only thing that would have made this session tolerable is if they made Xanax in those little tic-tac containers.  

In the end, it was far from a perfect picture, but it was perfectly them.

Opening Night

 I can't believe I waited three days to blog about opening night. 

 That is so not like me.

 But I am quickly learning that Mia's plays also become my plays, which means that Mia's rehearsals become my rehearsals and Mia's tech week becomes my tech week, and, well, you get the point.

The hugging and sheer giddiness of Mia's entourage may or may not have been a tad bit

 obnoxious.  We make no apologies.

 Every single girl in this play has been a blessing to Mia.  

They are non-bratty, non-high maintenance, non-all-things-that-terrify-me-about-tweens.
Instead, they are grounded, mature, talented, unique, intelligent, and comfortable in their own skin.

Just the kind of young lady I hope Mia becomes someday.

And the directors are wonderful women who have taught, shaped, and changed Mia in a completely unique way.

 This experience will be forever etched in her memory.

 And someday when she thinks back she will get that fluttery, excited, nostalgic, I-would-do-it-all-over-again-in-a-heartbeat feeling.

And that brings me such joy.

So maybe she's a tad bit demented. So what?

The biggest first grade project of the year:  Create a turkey out of anything you want.

My thought:  Pinecone, construction paper, little feathers with things you are thankful for written on it.

Her thought:  A vampire turkey, sitting inside a coffin, complete with blood dripping off of it's fangs.

 So vampire turkey it was.

Did it look a thing like a turkey?  Nope. 

Did she give a rip?  Nope. 

Was her father bursting with pride that his daughter didn't want a pinecone, construction paper or princess turkey?  

You betcha.

I'm lovin' me some orphans right now.

I have every intention of becoming completely obnoxious about this play.  

Don't say you weren't warned.

Cousin lovin'

Recently Bode has a new found interest in his little cousins.  It has finally dawned on him that he can boss them around - and he likes it.

He doesn't have the slightest chance of being in charge if Mia is around so he has to take advantage of every opportunity he gets. 

I can't say that I blame him.

Dear Husband off working in exotic land,

Here is a quick re-cap of the Halloween festivities in case you get a break from the beach and remember you have a family:

There are no words...

 Spidey and Princess Leia 

 The Tealridge stop has become a tradition, and I love watching my kids interact with all of these wonderful people.

 Well, there may not have been as much interacting with people as there was with the candy, but whatever.

 Mia was precious, as usual.

 And here is where things get a little weird.  

Mia decided that it was waaaaayyyyy too embarrassing to dress as Princess Leia for the actual Halloween night festivities.  

However, it wasn't embarrassing at all to go as this:

Baffling, I know.

 And here they are flagging down trick-or-treaters.  

 Mia was fine with giving all of her candy away.  

We struck a deal with Bode that he could keep 20 pieces.  

He insisted on 40. 

I ate 20 of them after he fell asleep.

I win.

Simple Math

These two people 

plus this 

plus this

equals this:

Andy is leaving tomorrow for a "work" trip to Cost Rica {insert my eyes rolling back in my head here}.  That poor man, slaving away to provide for his family in such a desolate and barren wasteland.  I just can't even imagine what that must be like for him.  

Oh wait, actually I can.

And Mia is headed in to the infamous "tech week" of Annie rehearsals.  From now until opening night she must sell her soul to the theater.  This past week she had over 20 hours of rehearsals and somehow it is only going to get worse (or better, according to Mia).

Thankfully, she is loving every second of this experience.  She told us that her EIGHT HOUR rehearsal Saturday "actually only felt like three."  

Thank goodness, because it felt like 80 to me.  

So I am single-mommin' it this week.  The only part of that I am looking forward to is passing off apple slices and cheese as dinner (with a side of halloween candy, of course).

It looks like someone has a bad case of the Wednesdays.

Which, in my opinion, are worse than the Mondays. 

Twelve Years

This weekend Andy and I celebrated our 12-year anniversary.  Twelve blessed years that I would do all over again in a heartbeat.  

And nothing could be more representative of our twelfth year of marriage then two little blonde-haired children devouring the very fancy, expensive piece of chocolate cake I brought home from our anniversary dinner. 

I had planned to enjoy it with my husband tonight after the neanderthals were in bed.  But those two can sniff a treat hiding in the house from a mile away.

And you know what?  I didn't even care.  In fact, we got more joy out of watching them eat it than we ever could have eating it ourselves.

And that's just the season of life we are in right now.  I don't get too many nights alone with my husband eating a fancy piece of cake.  But I do get nights full of a giggly seven-year-old, a half-naked four-year-old and a faithful, loving husband standing at the sink washing the dishes.

And I wouldn't have it any other way.