Freestone's Big Birthday

He may look older in this picture, because of the handlebars, but Freestone is 11.  We all wondered how eleven was going to go down, because Freestone has developed a phobia about the number 11.  He hates it when two or more 1's are together.  Weird, I know.  He freaks out when it's 1:11, not to mention 11:11.  So we weren't sure if he was going to vaporize or melt or what, when his own age hit the dreaded two-ones-side-by-side.

It all went well, except that it started way too early.  We hit McDonald's at 6 for breakfast before violin/piano lessons.

Freestone is notoriously reticent about violin, preferring to feign apathy rather than admit that he enjoys any aspect of practicing.  In actual fact, he's too smart to fail at such a mundane task as mastering an instrument, so despite his best intentions to the contrary, he is doing quite well.  And he secretly likes his lessons, mostly because I make sure he's somewhat prepared for them each week, and because McDonald's is part of the deal.  We need fuel for music.

 Lunch was procured at Papa Murphy's; pizza is Freestone's favorite thing in the world.

 Pizza party at Coco and Bill's!  We needed their oven.  Did you know our double ovens have both been out for oh, six months or more?  Apparently, we don't cook often enough to really be bothered by not having an oven.  We mean to get them replaced, but 1. When?  and 2. Do you realize how many plane tickets you can buy for the price of an oven?  We might become raw foodists...when we get back from whatever trip we go on instead of buying ovens.

 I like to plan; I'm a planner.  Freestone, not so much.  With recital week (you doomed yourself, buddy, by being born early), Free couldn't wrap his head around party plans.  One text from Sarah mid-afternoon, and suddenly, Freestone's birthday included a couldn't-be-more-perfect Cherry Hill "party" with Henry, Josh and a box of crackers.  As you can see, Freestone couldn't have been more pleased.  As for me, it was a relaxing break in between trip to Weber for staging.  I even felt summer in the air!

 Freestone wanted to have fish fingers and custard for dinner, as per an episode of Dr. Who where the doctor ate those things.  We didn't have time to do that, so the birthday kid settled for razzleberry pie from the Pie Pantry.  Already cooked, so that's a bonus!

 Sibling rendition of Happy Birthday, complete with each kid criticizing another kid for their lack of singing ability, tempo, intonation or phrasing.  Sheesh.  These kids are brutal.

 What a way to end your birthday!  Surrounded by 500 girls, singing "Let It Go" with a magician.  Wow, that sounds weirder than it really was.  The dancers are entertained by a magician while they wait for their turn to go onstage.  Is Clytie a genius or what?

 Backstage, waiting for Trio.  I have loved having this boy in my ballet class this year.  He is a great kid, funny and smart and smart-alecky.  There is something precious about this age of boy.  It is such an ephemeral stage, one blink and it's gone, and you have an adolescent.  I'm not quite ready for that, so I try to take in the boyishness of this pre-gangly, post-chubby boy, and lock into my memory all of the wonderfulness that he is.

The First Batch of Recital Pictures

 Ari in her jazz dance, with Ellison, Jenna and Emma

 Gift for Clytie looked better in real life.

 Emily and Madi, playing in a piano trio (Haydn in D) for my class and another.

 My Wednesday-Saturday 4:00 class

 Exit stage left.  I was going to get a picture of Freestone dancing with Savanna at the end, but right then, a member of the bishopric called, and his phone number blocked my camera.  Dangit! (I found out later, it was to ask Golda to give a talk this Sunday in Sacrament meeting.)

 Great bunch!  Having Freestone in my class was a pleasure.  He is a hard worker and he seems to love it.  I always start my class right on time, when the clock tower strikes the hour.  When it gets close, Freestone starts pestering me to start.

 Backstage to watch Xanthe.  Xanthe is an excellent little dancer.  More on that later.

 Golda waiting in the wings

 Ruby in "Eine Kleine."

 Can I tell you how much I love these moments???

 Jennie and Izzy came to see us.  Thank you!

 "Golda, make us look pretty."  "And skinny!"

 She did!  I love my beautiful friends.  I had Jen's daughter Phebe in my class this year.  She is a verrrrry good dancer!  All my dancers were hard-working and obedient this year.  We got a lot done.  Phebe wrote me a note that said, "We were rowdy sometimes but you dealt with us."  Ironic because Phebe was the most quiet and respectful dancer ever.  It's always the good ones who worry about pleasing the teacher, and the slightly less conscientious ones who are oblivious to the reprimands meant for them!

 Golda

My dance, "Trio."

Fathers

 Sandwiched in between Beast Week and Ballet Week (isn't every week ballet week around here?!), there was Fathers Day.  These dads always seem to take a back seat to everything that's happening, even as they toil to make it all possible.  Scott and his hula hoop routine were part of the Kaysville Arts in the Park day last Saturday, when the whole family (except Golda who was taking the dumb ACT) met to enjoy some fresh air, fun vendors and...deep fried OREOS!!  I repeat, DEEP FRIED OREOS.  But enough about clogged arteries.  My point is, Scott is a fantastic dad.  I probably could have predicted that before I married him, had I had the foresight to wonder about such things.  I didn't wonder, though; I blithely assumed such banal matters as kids and a living would work themselves out.  What mattered was that Scott was extremely sexy. :)  Fortunately for me, he also has other positive characteristics, such as being perfect.

And speaking of perfection, there's my dad.  The caption to this photo is, "There are two kinds of people in the world:  My dad, and everyone else.  I like the first kind better."  Felshaw is and always has been one of a kind.  It's always interesting to see what book my dad has open on his kitchen table.  This week, it was a track from the Jehovah's Witnesses, open and highlighted.  Dad said he had told a friend he would read it.  I hope he doesn't convert; we wouldn't be able to celebrate Fathers Day anymore, and I love having a day to reflect on my dad, my grandfathers, whom I sorely miss, my father-in-law, whom I love, and of course, his son. Thanks, guys.  I love you and I'm aware every day that my happiness wouldn't be possible without you.

Beast Week

 Beast Week has come to a glorious end.  The production was so good, we kept going back!  I was backstage on mics for two of the performances, and saw it from the audience the other two.  Life gets more intense during weeks like this, and I think we all thrive on it at the Dopp house.  It all becomes somewhat of a blur, a slightly more technicolor blur than a regular week.  At the end of it all, there's a lovely buzz of accomplishment, tiredness, fondness and relief, mixed with a letdown that it's all over.  It was a good run.  A very good run.

 Golda was the enchantress at the beginning who offers the prince a rose, then turns him into a beast when he rejects her.  She had a ballet solo, which was beautiful.  Ruby and Hayley also danced during that scene.  One of my favorite scenes of the show!

 Ruby twirling during a break in the scene.

 Two forks.

 Golda, Ruby and Lexie were also wolves in a couple of scenes.  They could not see a thing in those costumes!  It was funny to hear about all the little things that went wrong during these wolf dances, due to the wolves' blindness.  I was just glad none of them fell off the stage!

 "Be Our Guest" napkins/can can girls, Lexie and Ruby (and Golda).  Here, they're facing away from the audience so they get to make funny faces.

 I love the mic job.  I get to be backstage and see the production from both sides.  My favorite part is always right after curtain calls, when the kids come off the stage glowing with pride and happiness, just bursting with the excitement of the audience's applause.

 Golda in the Tavern Scene.

 Golda admiring Gaston.  All the leads were perfectly cast and very, very talented.  I was so impressed with every single person in the show.

 Concurrently with the run of the play was Mack Watkins' viewing and funeral.  It was a poignant time.  The funeral was wonderful, Sarah and her family pulled off a graceful, beautiful program, and it turned out to be a time of friendship and comfort.  Here I am with Tiffany, Michelle, Leslie Bates, and also Christine and Scott, who weren't in the picture, as well as Jennie, Jen, Bruce, and scores of friends and family who, despite living within blocks of each other, only truly connect at these "big moments" in life, weddings, funerals, showers...

 ...and plays.  Even if it's not a "Big" moment, these plays are the small moments that will stand out when the kids look back on their growing-up years.

This moment brought tears to my eyes.  Ari and Ellison have known each other forever.  The past two months have been a bit of a scheduling trick, with three or four play practices thrown in on top of everything else.  But at this moment, I thought, "What else are they going to be doing?  They took their raw time and turned it into something lasting and good, something they had to work hard for, which culminated in tangible results."  I am just glad they had this time to be together.

 Ptolemy went to Kiptyn's birthday party at Build-a-Bear Workshop and came home with this doggie.  His name is Carlos, and he really enjoyed the play!

 Aunt Loretta and Uncle Ken are supportive of everything we do.  It's a good reminder to me that supporting friends is important, and means a lot to them.

 One of my favorite moments of the week was Friday night.  During curtain calls, I looked over at Bruce and Marlene, and they were both absolutely beaming with pride.  I will never forget their faces, and the obvious love and joy that lit them up as they watched their four granddaughters up on the stage.  I knew what they were going to say later.  They were going to rave about how good the play was, and how beautiful their granddaughters are, and what a great job ALL the kids did.  I was right.  (And I do have a good picture of them.  I just can't get it to load right now.)  Thank you for not only coming to see us, but being so enthused about it!

 Our little fork-slash-villager.

  Freestone, the little theater rat, saw it three times.  He couldn't get enough.  I was really wishing he had made the play, he loves the environment so much.  Good thing Henry was there to keep him company for all of the performances!  In true ten-year-old boy style, they ate their programs and wrestled in the halls between performances.  Collin was even there at the matinee to join in on the Kindle fun at intermission.

 Some of my favorite kids, Ari, Free, Hen and Ellison.

 Another batch of fans, Coco and Bill.  They sure get a kick out of these things!  The Beast, Dan Harvey, is the grandson of Bill's best friend, Malcolm.  I bet Bill and Malcolm never dreamed, as young boys on the farm, that they would someday have grandchildren in the same musical!

 Sisters.  *sigh*

This beautiful girl!  We voted her villager costume the best one.  She sure lit up the stage!

Lexie had a little fouette solo in the Napkin dance, and Golda and Ruby had this leg-lift thing, where they twirled in a circle in this pose.  One night, Ruby blanked out and missed the cue for this, so she came late to the center and, well, her head got in the way of Golda's leg.  I wish I had it on video!

 In between the matinee and evening performance Saturday, Sarah ended up with Henry and Freestone at the store, buying flowers for all the girls.  Thank you, Scheullers!!

 Theater rats. :)

 Ari worked hard on this play.  To be honest, it's outside of her comfort zone to sing and act, but she came through.  I was proud of her for stretching.  And I was right about turning the corner from, "I'm never doing this again" to "I wonder what play Jana is doing next year."  In fact, a few of the kids are begging for voice lessons...