I Hate Waiting

No news on a move date yet.  I hate waiting.  I also know that this is normal when it comes to military or military sponsored moves.  So what can you do?

Well in the meantime, you can potty train William.  I have to admit, it's going a lot better this time than the last two times!!  We've gone cold turkey and cut out the diapers.  Every time we brought it up he would ask for diapers and so I told him that #1 -- there are no diapers in Germany (side note -- I did this in Megan and Abby's hearing range and they wanted to know what babies in Germany wear so I had to clarify specifically for them), and #2 -- when the diapers run out, they're all gone.

Never underestimate the power of something being all gone and a child not yet understanding that you can just go to the store and get more.  I don't know why he doesn't get that honestly but I'll take it!!!  

So the good news is that #1 (in potty speak now) is going really well.  I still mostly prompt him but he does well with it and has stayed dry all night every night since we've started!

#2 we haven't mastered yet.  But I'll take what I can get.  And this time around I have been less stressed about it which is good.

Also in the meantime I've been sewing costumes for Chavez Elementary's production of The Lion King!!  This is the fourth year that they've done a musical.  The art teacher, music teacher, and librarian are the directors and they utilize the Lion King Jr. scripts and do a fantastic job.  Last year as I had gotten to know the art teacher better, she asked me to do some hemming on some fabric backdrops for their production of Aladdin.  This year she and the librarian sucked me in with animal ears, Rafiki collars, hats, and belts (and there were 5!), Zaza's wings and tail, Pumba and Timon, and a bunch of hemming of tunics and dresses.  It was a lot of work but fun to come up with ideas especially and I was proud of my work but seeing it on stage last night and with the kids all put together and with the makeup to complete the look was AMAZING!!  I felt the same as finishing a race after training for weeks.  Euphoric!!  The kids have been effusive in how much they liked the costumes and I have to say that I now really want to do costumes for theater!! 

Abby is modeling a pair of hyena ears for me.  Kids at Chavez can't do the musical theater until 3rd grade and I think that she would love it and do well.  I do know that the elementary school the girls will go to does do musical theater as well -- in fact, this year they also did the Lion King!

I am actually very proud of these 5 Rafikis.  Yes FIVE!!  Seems odd but the way the part is written is very good for the five.  Mrs. Woolsey, the librarian, is mainly in charge of costume and she is a marvel with thrifting.  She found so many tunics and dresses and we had four that were all earthy reds and the one black.  To make them cohesive, I made them headbands, wide belts (in gold cheetah print!!!) and these really fabulous African collars!  It was a matter of fleece and yarn and beads and they turned out so magnificently!  I really should get one and take a close up picture.  

This one was also fun to make.  They needed costumes for Pumba and Timon of course and Mrs. Woolsey had found one online that is the face and back of Pumba worn like this.  There's a company that makes them actually but they're something like $500.  Instead, we used craft foam, poster board, spray paint, and a LOT of hot glue and sewing and managed to pull this off.  It was lightweight and fabulous!  Timon was a simpler costume but also very cute.

I think this is the entire cast.  It's a picture that Mrs. Sutherland sent me.  They were so fabulous!!!

Last weekend a friend and I were able to go see Wicked!!  I've been wanting to see this musical for years because so many people rave about it but have never had the chance.  It really was supposed to be a date with Chopper but William's potty-training was having a rough time and our babysitter backed out so he stayed behind and Bronwyn and I had a great time.  It was a really good musical and I did drool over the costumes.

The stage before the beginning.  A giant map of Oz and I thought Megan would love the dragon stretched out over the top.  The one complaint that I have about the play is that in parts it felt like a play adapted from a book - like there are some missing parts and details.  One of those was a frequent mention of the dragon clock without any real clarity as to what it was for or the role that it played in Oz.  I haven't heard great things about the book so I probably won't read it though.

Waiting for the start

Because I was just excited!!

Other than that, we continue to get the house ready and are gearing up for summer in just a little over 2 weeks!!  Lately the girls have been at each other all the time so I'm not sure how I'm going to manage that over the summer so that it doesn't drive me crazy but I am also very much looking forward to an end to the get up and out the door for school madness and an end to homework!!!  It's no fun as a student, but kind've torture as an adult.