RoadShowing

Did you know that Roadshows live on in some parts of the world?! Oh yes, they do. I was invited to direct ours and while it came at an inopportune time (I was in the midst of some debilitating health issues earlier this year) with a ton of support and some last minute inspirations, we pulled off a pretty awesome show if I do say so myself. It was a Battle of the Bands sort of deal between the wards in our stake (congregations from church) and we got to perform twice with multiple casts. Traveling 3 hours to the coast amid vomiting children and winding roads to perform/compete at one of the outlying branches just sealed the bonds in our troupe. :)

rehearsing (Sum lived on the Queen's lap during rehearsals)

a good crowd

Poor Will got a stomach bug one night, but "the show must go on" so he dug down and pulled out a great Master of Fire performance. Even won an honorable mention from the judges :)

little hobbit peeks out at the onstage magic

While a real challenge to get off the ground, we made some great relationships, had a lot of fun and it got me pumped to do some stage productions with my kids again when we get home. They really ate it up. There's just nothing like the bonding atmosphere of performing together.

Proud to say we took home not one but TWO of these bad boys. Well, they live at the church now, but it was nice recognition for all the hours of effort so many donated to a couple of fantastic nights.


Post-Edit:
A friend and parent of a couple girls in our show commented with links to her posts about each performance, including high quality pics (from the audience rather than iphone captures backstage) and plot synopsis. If you'd like more details and with their permission, please feel free to click over and have a look!

Merimbula Show   &   Canberra Show

Birthdays

We've had a string of birthdays. Kenna turned NINE in June...

 Abundantly blessed with gifts and talents, she's our little Renaissance Girl. All she asked for was a heart shaped silver locket with her parents' pics in side. Okay, why don't you just melt our hearts into a puddle right here on the floor. That girl... such a beauty inside and out.

(Being just one year apart in school, Kenna and Will have lots of mutual friends. At times it can be frustrating for one or the other, but I don't think Will minded joining in on the pillow fight...)


Des turned ONE in July...

 Walking at 9 months, this kid has always been on the move. And he's pretty happy about it too. Except when I squelch all his escape artist tendencies and keep every door locked tight.

 (Unfortunately, when you're #5, mom takes advantage of your innocence and concocts some lame healthy "cake" instead of making you a decked out puppy dog cake or something awesome like that.)

Summer turned the magical age of THREE in August...

That was a long time in coming and she was sooo patient.

 Her cuteness and endearing behaviors cannot be put to words. And while she's not the easiest 3 yr old in the world, she makes up for all frustrations by her incredible bottomless affection.

Oh, she's a treasure!!

Her only birthday request was a pink kangaroo cake. Done.

Melbourne Mania

Aaaaand, we're back. Photos retrieved and accessible. Catch up time...

Green, green Australia

While my sister and her family were in town (4 months ago!) we decided to fly off to Melbourne for the weekend sans kids. This never happens, not even for Darren and myself, so it felt extravagant to be traveling with Steve and Mer as well. We cashed in on some favors and thanks to three incredible neighbor/friends who bravely agreed to take all our kids (8 of 'em) we had the most delightful weekend together.

A short trip, but impressively productive (it's astounding how much mileage you can cover without those cute kids hanging onto ya!) We finagled some tix to one of the biggest footy games of the year, enjoyed amazing asian food, sampled from the best chocolatier I've ever visited, hit some museums and took in the awesomely ecclectic architecture, art, and design that Melbourne is famous for.

I reeeeeeally like that city.

 Graffiti Alley was crazy cool. The artists wear gas masks due to the constant stream of everychanging art on every wall.

 Queen Victoria Markets: block upon block of endless boutiques, stalls and market goods. Mind-blowing. A shopper's paradise. (Or, my personal hell.) But it was all so pretty.

 Elder and Sister Maxwell's son, Cory & his wife Karen had arrived two days previous as the new Mission Presidents in Melbourne. If they hadn't been settling in, we would've tried to meet up with our former neighbors. Next time!

(But the offer still stands to all you Maxwell kids for a place to stay if your visit extends to Canberra before May of 2014!)

 We even snuck in a day's drive on the famous Great Ocean Road. A-mazing scenery. With rainbows to boot. But the highlight of the trip for me was finally checking off the #1 on my Australian Bucket List - finding koalas in the wild.

There really aren't many places in Australia that you can just come across wild koalas, but with a little research, we found a spot. We stopped counting at around 30, but as the others will tell you, I was beside myself excited. They were so incredibly cute and active and endearing and awesome. I can't tell you how cool it was to keep spotting so many right above our heads.

To spend such quality time with family after so long being a part was priceless. I cherished the indulgences of uninterrupted adult conversation, constant new explorations, eating out almost every meal... 'Twas a special trip to be remembered. Thanks for making it happen, guys!

 Can you believe these floors and tea rooms!? Some serious shopping experiences to be had here.

I found this $10 note unclaimed at Haigh's and the owner let me use it for my chocolate splurge :)