Day 91: Curtain

It was the last night of our performances, and at the cast party we started cleaning and packing up. After I closed the curtain for the last time, I had a quiet moment backstage with only the only things we left out- the light trees, a few set pieces, and the flats that are still hanging. (I wish I had more pictures with the kids, but I was too busy "working" and didn't really get anything good, and I wouldn't post them anyway.)

Since I'm feeling very reflective tonight, here I go...I often ask myself why I do Drama Club when all I do is worry about how much time it takes and how I don't have time for work or family or much else, really. Then I find little moments that remind me why. Like sitting in the audience and noticing the hilariously improvised moments onstage when someone forgot a line. Or the way I can't help grinning when the actors finally get something right that we struggled with in rehearsal. Or curtain call-- I just simply feel so proud. Or the countless parents who have thanked me for giving their children a life-changing experience that they'll never forget. Or seeing the growth in some of the kids in just three months, going from shy, tentative little 9- and 10-year-olds to confident kids who are now actors.

I know that a lot of my own students, even though they'll spend 180 days with me, will eventually forget everything about second grade (maybe they'll even forget me), but I hope Drama Club is different. I hope that when these fourth and fifth graders look back on elementary school one day, that Drama Club stands out in their minds as a time when they felt as happy and proud as I feel right now.

Day 90: Relax

Time to relax and start catching up on my week's worth of DVR'd shows after a long day of work and another performance tonight. Maybe I'll even get to sleep in tomorrow. Till 6:30. Maybe even 7.

Day 89: Opening Night

Opening night of Looking Glass Land! This was the final costume check before the show. The kids did a spectacular job, and we heard a lot of good things from the people who came to see the performance.

This was the second play I saw today; the first one was a field trip to my old elementary school to see their musical. It was good timing, actually, because being there reminded me of how it felt to be 10 years old and a part of a show like this. It makes all the hours of rehearsals, planning, painting, etc. all worth it, and hopefully the kids in Drama Club will always remember this experience.

Day 88: Temper Tantrum

That's all I've got today.
Owen is going through the terrible twos a little early. He is usually nice and pleasant and agreeable, but he has episodes during which everything is "NO!" This was one of several meltdowns today, I think due to the fact that he wanted to help Daddy outside on the grill, but I said no because it was wet and he didn't have shoes on. *Sigh*

Day 87: Sydney's Toys

Owen came home this afternoon and he really wanted to play with Sydney. First he tried to get her to "shake." Then he brought all her toys into the kitchen and piled them up for her. Sydney was more interested in finding crumbs on the floor than playing with toys, but it was a pretty sweet thing for Owen to do. To top it off, when he was done he put all the toys back in Sydney's toy basket.

Day 86: Tulip

I didn't know that anyone had planted tulip bulbs out in the garden behind my classroom, so it was a bold and colorful surprise when I peeked out my back window and saw them in full bloom. They were all deep, rich colors like this one, which was shades of red and yellow.

Day 85: Guess What?

Owen: "Guess what?"
Jeremy: "What?"
Owen: "I love you."
...or something like that :)

Day 84: The Set

This is it! I spent this afternoon painting some finishing touches on the set for the play. I could still do much more, but time is up-- this will have to do. I think this is my favorite set we've done. It's based on an original Tenniel illustration from Through the Looking Glass, and knowing that it goes along with the book makes me love it more. It's supposed to be Looking Glass Land, and the backdrop is a chess board that stretches across the field. The tiger lilies, daisies, and roses go along with the flower characters in one of the scenes, and the brick wall will be home to Humpty Dumpty before he falls. The door in the tree exists simply because of fire code-- it has to look like a door. Opening day is on Thursday. It's hard to believe that a week from now this will be all over!

Day 83: Garlic

This is what happens to garlic when you wait too long and don't use it.

This picture is what happens when Diana waits too long to take a picture-of-the-day and becomes desperate.

Day 82: Cowboy

This is a sculpture that used to belong to Jeremy's great-uncle Chet, and now lives in Jeremy's studio.

Day 81: Yum

It's been months! A #2, no onions, with a lemonade. Yum.

Day 80: Counting Trucks

We stopped at FedEx Office to pick up the posters I ordered for the play, and Owen was fascinated by the cars and trucks on the freeway right next to us. He counted the big rigs and told me all the colors he saw. We just sat there talking about everything we saw for a few minutes before getting into the car to finally go home.

Day 79: Spidey

Owen played with Spiderman (while wearing a Spiderman shirt, prior to putting on his Spiderman pjs) and then he told me he was changing Spiderman's diaper.

Day 78: Popcorn Trees

Every March in downtown Dublin, the trees bloom and they look like they're made of popcorn. It only lasts a few weeks and then they grow their leaves, but I look forward to that short span of time when they are all white. A few of my favorite streets are tree-lined on both sides, and the trees in our neighborhood look like they're snowing when the wind blows. These trees were in the Civic Center, and you can see a few green leaves starting to sprout. We were there for the Dublin St. Patrick's Day Celebration. I took this photo while watching Irish dancers and listening to "Danny Boy" played on bagpipes.

Day 77: St. Patrick's Day

I got this headband for Owen to wear on St. Patrick's Day, but he found it early and broke it. I should have known that he'd want to snuggle it (it's got fuzz!) rather than wear it, and all that snuggling made the other shamrock fall off.

Day 76: Umbrella-ella-ella

I got a new umbrella, and it's the most beautiful umbrella in the whole wide world. Poor Owen, who had been stuck inside all week, was desperate to go outside, so I let him play outside with my "umblella." He LOVED it! He kept poking me with the umbrella and getting me wet, and we played peek-a-boo as he hid under it.

Day 75: Funny Faces

Not technically the best picture, but it captured a moment. Owen was playing with our teapot, which he found when he was exploring the kitchen cupboard he is allowed to play with. He dragged the teapot into the living room, put it on the couch, and suddenly realized he could see his reflection in it. He started making funny faces and laughing at himself.

Day 74: Rainy Afternoon

I like the rain, really, I do. But not right now-- I'm ready for spring weather! Where was the rain in January and February when it was supposed to be gloomy?

This is my pretty back road spot up on the top of the Dublin grade on my drive home.

Day 73: Splat

Short version: This is how my brain felt today.

Long version: Rained all day. Inside morning recess. Inside lunch recess. Inside afternoon recess. Working on report cards during all inside recesses. All-day headache that I'd had since the middle of the night. Oh yeah, and the kids did Jackson Pollock style paintings during F.A.M.E., and this is one of their creations.

P.S. Jeremy said I should have my very own Hunger Games in my classroom.

Day 72: Puppy

We were about to go on a walk to take Sydney to the dog park, and Owen wanted to take "Puppy" (which he recently named his toy) with us. Puppy had to poop, so Owen stopped to let him do his business.