Finished!

 It was a long process, but we have officially completed the staining of the house.  Can you hear our big sigh of relief?

Marina Gets Braces

Getting braces is like having a broken arm in a cast.  Excruciatingly painful and yet so amazingly cool to everyone in school!  "Isn't Marina lucky?"  I heard someone say.  "Yea, right!" think the parents, "How many thousand dollars later?" 

Why does Marina get braces and these other kids do not?  Well, Marina was born with a tiny mouth (apparently, although this is not proven by the anecdotal record.)  Her teeth do not fit into this tiny mouth.  Everything is being squished together and as the months go by we are seeing more and more crooked twisted teeth. 

Everything went great...the application of the appliance was smooth.  The discomfort minimal.  Everything was great until I heard the nurse tell me, "28 turns twice a day." 

That next morning I turned the seperator 14 times before Vince stopped the screaming and crying as he was sure there was a mistake. 

Yep!  Sure enough we were only supposed to turn the device 28 times total doing one in the morning and one at bed time. 

I felt (and still feel) terrible about putting my beloved daughter through a medieval torture process.

Fortunately, she is forgiving. and the one click a day we have to do is like nothing, she barely feels it. 

Willie thinks she looks more beautiful than ever with her braces.  She thinks it is fun to pretend she has super hero abilities by showing her gaskets and aiming at offending objects. 

Braces...my baby is growing up.

Willie Graduates!

Look at our baby!  It is hard to imagine that this is the same boy who stood in my classroom door all those years ago and could not make eye contact with me.  It is a bitter pill to swallow, the passage of time and the evolution of a child into a man.  Willie, we could not be more proud!

Mema threw a party for Willie similar to the one we threw when DeeJay graduated.  She ironed his gown and got  him ready and made food for us all.  Willie forgot to tell Mema to iron his gold scarf.  I knew I would not be able to stand looking at that lump so Maygen took my picture ironing.   Don't I look like my Grandma Alice?

 Lucy and Manuel could not come for this graduation.  They did send Yapese leis for him and Kaylene. 

Mema is the most wonderful grandmother ever to host us and take care of all of us like she does.  Vince drove down from Soldotna after a snafu with the scheduling.  He could not miss this day! 

It is interesting, as parents, how we can simultaneously be proud and agitated with our children.  Worry occasionally overshadows the happiness.  We are so proud of this boy.  He has faced obstacles that children in the states can not imagine.  Now look at him, a high school graduate and a person who has a chance to have a successful life.  

We love you Willie and we are very proud of you!

Andy

Sitting off stage watching the show through the screen is my favorite part of the past four days.  I sit there and watch and listen to the audience and yet I can still get up and help with costume changes or nose blowing or whatever needs to happen.  Sitting behind that screen gives me a minute to reflect on what has been happening the past few weeks. The kids have been rehearsing and singing and playing around with each other, the adults have been taking on their roles and going through their process.  I have been around keeping young performers from 'getting lost' and extinguishing minor interpersonal fires. 

Marina is doing a glorious job as an orphan.  She is dirty and keeps her hair messy and has a rough and tumble quality that makes her seem, I don't know, like it is natural.

Falcom is belting out these songs night after night and he sounds wonderful.  The show has been sold out every night.

I like being in the back of the theater.  I like being a help.  I like watching the kids turn from the kids I know into little performers.  I love watching all the blonde hair girls tease their hair into knots.  I like the look of them all with their stage make up self put on.  I like watching them put on their 'orphan faces'.  It really has been quite a good experience for everyone and what a great show!  We just can not thank the HCOA, Brenda and Julianne and the rest of the cast for the hard work they have put into giving the kids, especially mine, this opportunity.

Four more days...  What a blast!

As The Hair Dyes...

This is off topic but I have seen bootleg footage of the Andy show, and I will tell you, it is going to be fun.  Get your tickets!

 I've been trying to blog for weeks, but now, sitting in my room, hair full of dye, has been the only opportunity I've had.  Willie is graduating and he has been out to lunch to say the least.  It was Mother's day and he forgot.  By the time he got to Safeway to get me a card and some flowers this was the only bouquet the store had left.  This made him feel doubly lame.  I told him it was like a Charlie Brown Christmas tree, and that I love it in it's own way.  One more week and Willie is a graduate.  Wow!

Meanwhile, Vince came home with this dozen roses and my mother gave me a sunflower.  Next to Willie's it really makes the table complete.

We have been spending all of our after-school time here at the beautiful rustic Pier One Theater, where Andy begins performances this week.  Falcom likes to go in early to get his thoughts together before everyone else arrives.  The director, Brenda, joins him and he works through things with her.  Marina and the rest of the orphans have a 430 call.  I am enjoying this so much more than I enjoy them coming home from school and clamoring to get on the computer.

 So, spring is not here, but I am running around like a spring chicken.  Today is a Girl Scout party, tomorrow is dress rehersal, Friday is my mom's birthday, UG!  OK, more later!

Falcom Becomes a Teenager

Kaylene said something disturbing to me this weekend.  "Just think, next year Falcom will be able to drive."  Up until this point Falcom turning 13 only meant that he would be going to middle school next year voluntarily and that I would be giving him 13 kisses every night instead of 12.  This realization took me to a whole new level of parenting thought.  Falcom with a learners permit?  Really?

 Falcom invited several friends over for a party.  Some had a sleep over, some went home.  I was missing Irene when I was trying to throw together a 6th grade scavenger hunt.  When Falcom turned 4 (or 5) we had a scavenger hunt at Hornaday Park that Irene made treasure maps for.  The kids had such a difficult time mucking through the mud in the cold that the time and effort she put into burning the edges of the map made the experience that much funnier. 

It is interesting to me, the older Falcom gets the less energy I am required to put into these events.  Yes, I made the scavenger hunt but the rest of it was all them:  the trampoline jumping, the mad lawn dancing, the dress up followed by watching horror movies. I have to put less energy into events,  but I have to put more energy into other aspects of development.  For instance, "Alana, why is it that some parents don't allow boys and girls to have sleep overs together when they become older?"   This variety of question takes much more effort to answer than, "Alana, why do we have to go to bed?"  or "Why can't we have 12 people on the trampoline?" 

I didn't have to bake him a cake.  He wanted Vanilla Ice Cream cake from Safeway.  Some loyal blog followers might recall my most widely read search engine generated blog post of all time....  Falcom's Ninth Birthday.  There have been many artistic expressions of my birthday flare which were multihour meditations on my love for this child, this year, was not one...  But it did not matter to anyone at the party that they were eating store bought cake.   They were so busy being social with each other that, I had to do very little to amuse anyone, and because no parents are hanging around, there is no one to impress!  Ha!

 Fortunately for me, I had DT to help chaperone the event.  He is the only adult in the house willing to sit with a bunch of kids while they watch "Bride of Chucky."  He definitely earned his mettle this weekend!

What was everyone else doing?  Marina spent the night at Mema's so that the party could run more smoothly.  Iris got to have some candy on a day other than Saturday so she was stoked.  Willie got to help DT supervise the Chucky watching. 

The best part of the party for me was that Falcom had Andy practice at 10am the next morning and so everyone had to eat their delicious breakfast and go on home. 

We love you very much Falcom, and if you must grow up and do things like learn to drive...  I will participate, just maybe not willingly...

Jubilee, 2012

 For those of you who were wondering and that I neglected to tell, Falcom and Marina got accepted into Jubilee and last night was the show.

Falcom has become an old hat at this kind of thing.  He knows the piece, he knows what he is to do.  Every year he becomes a little more confident and that self assured nature really shows.  He is maturing into an incredible talent.

Marina on the other hand is new to this.  She was nervous and worried and sick of her brother telling her what to do.  She gave me a run for my money at the dress rehearsal the night before.  The shirt is bothering her.  Why does she have to comb her hair?  Why does he have to walk instead of run? This attitude was making veteran Falcom crazy.  That in turn was feeding Marina.  The director wanted them to be like Donny and Marie.  All I could think was, 'Did Donny and Marie ever act homicidal to each other?'  I turned into old Mother Hubbard and we were all asleep by 9:15.

Last night was a completely different experience.  The shirt no longer bothered her.  Dad brought her appropriate shoes.  Falcom was being a darling.  She brought this good luck charm with her to the show.  It is a trinket that Grandpa and Grammy sent her from the Caribbean.

As the show was running the energy in the green room was palpable.  All the kids, excited and nervous, were playing around chatting throwing balls.  Some were watching Harry Potter on a portable DVD player.  Occasionally, I would tell them to quiet down or calm down, but really, it was fun to see these creative kids playing together.

Finally, it was time for Falcom and Marina to go on.  Here is how it went.



They did it! There was no hint of those crabby people that had been around me the night before.  Success!

 Iris sat in the audience with Willie, Kaylene and Moto saying, "There is my family!"

Michael McKinney was the first Homer person Falcom met in the states and was in the hospital waiting room on the night of Marina's birth, and now, Michael is playing Daddy Warbucks in the play Andy next month.  I love it that he is sharing our lives!

I am proud of Falcom and I am proud of Marina.  One performance down, just a few more to go!