A Dancing Queen & A Singing Mamma

Yes, I am lagging on this blog lately, but in my defense, there really has been a lot going on!

Most recently, the touring Broadway play of Mamma Mia! came to town. Well, Liliana absolutely LOVES the movie and music. She knows all the songs, and acts out the play whenever she sees it... props and all. So, with the arrival of the touring production, Trav and I decided to surprise the Ladybug a family outing to watch the musical. Needless to say, she was so surprised, and totally excited to see the show in person. She sang through each song, enjoying every moment. Toward the end of the show, the couple next to us commented, "It is just wonderful to see such a young child so interested in musical theater." Yup, you don't even know the half of it!
(The Ladybug dancing in front of the Mamma Mia! touring truck.)

At the beginning of August, I was asked to be a part of a local production of the musical Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. With Trav's approval, I jumped a the chance to be back on stage. After weeks of rehearsals, we started performing for the local community on September 18. We are down to our last five performances this week and the show will be over. This has been such a wonderful production, and I feel blessed to be a part of it. I am playing the part of Joseph's mother, and am on stage most of the play. With a few costume changes, and LOTS of singing, I am having a blast! I will be sad to see this production end, but it will be nice to spend more quality time with the Ladybug. She, by the way, LOVES the play, and now knows all of the songs! Do you see a pattern starting here? We sure do. It will only be time before she is on stage, singing and dancing... hopefully with mommy!
(My "Land of Canaan" headdress.)

(My Egyptian headdress.)

Aside from all of the musical theater that has hit our home, the Ladybug has continued with being a 3 1/2 year old. She loves to play, especially if dirt or mud is involved:

She still totally loves visiting Mt. Rushmore, especially now that we can treasure hunt for some cool animals and plants that can be found around the monument:

(The Bug's drawing of a cat... see the whiskers, eyes, and mouth?)

Her thirst for science was piqued recently when she and daddy tried the Mentos/Coke experiment:

Of course, she is just me little girl. I adore her to bits and pieces, and I love experiencing life together with her. Who knows what tomorrow will bring!

Aloha!

Our Big Announcement!

Yes, I know, I have been totally lagging on my posts recently. School started a couple weeks ago, and I also started rehearsals for another musical, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, where I am playing Joseph's mom. So, needless to say, life for the last month has been really busy.

But, now time for the announcement. I have hinted at this here and there, just waiting for the right time to make our official announcement. As of today, Friday, September 11, 2009, we are DTC for a sister for the Ladybug! For those who don't know, DTC stands for Documents To China, and this is a huge dossier of lots of paperwork that our agency sends to China for our adoption. We are all really excited for this first big step in our process, and now we will begin the wait for referral.

Our little Bug is so excited about becoming a big sister. She practices playing mommy all the time, and often instists on pushing her own stroller. She has already gone through a bunch of names, some of which we are glad are no longer on her list. Her first two choices were Tinkerbell and Liliana. Fortunately, she now understands why those names are not appropriate.

So, now with this announcement, when we receive any new information on our adoption, we will post those updates for you all to share in our joy (and, boy are we excited!!!). We know that we still have a lot ahead of us in this long process, but this new adventure is very exciting.

Here is our Ladybug telling me, "See mommy, I am ready to be a 'BIG' sister!"

Aloha to all!!!