It's showtime

Tonight is opening night for the Passion Play! Anya Rashi and I watched the first act in rehearsal on Tuesday, and was so much fun to see Aaron and Nathan in their costumes, getting ready for their first stage roles. It's a good thing I didn't take Anya Rashi to an actual performance -- when Peter first came onstage, she squealed "Daddy!!! Daddy!," and Peter almost burst out laughing.

Anya Rashi was a little upset by the scene when Jesus clears out the temple -- she's not used to seeing Daddy yell and tip over tables, apparently! She said, "Let's go get the boys now! Why was Daddy doing all that stuff?" After many times hearing the same reassurances, she seems to be satisfied with the idea that Daddy is just pretending. She has heard the same answer enough times that she can say it herself: "People forgot dat dey were 'posed to be praying in God's house."

A few people have asked about DVDs or recordings of the show. Their web site is http://www.newpassionplay.org/. I don't know how they do sales, but Peter's first year was 2009, if you're interested.

I'm so proud of all my men for helping tell the story of God's great love for each of us. Break a leg, guys!

Beauty parlor, hospital & more!

Wow -- it's been two weeks since I posted, and I don't know how to sum up the time! I'll let the pictures do most of the talking. :o)

A smattering of events from our house these past two weeks:

• Anya Rashi has discovered the joys of playing beauty parlor! Between our two heads, we used every barette in her collection.
• Anya Rashi started playing doll hospital (another favorite game), and Nathan disappeared for a few minutes. He came back with a shirt and tie, and had drawn paper money, and asked to play along. When I asked him what he was going to be, he said, "The hospital's lawyer. That's why I have all this money." I tried hard not to burst out laughing, and he added, "I make sure that everyone has enough money to pay for their treatment." That is certainly a much kinder view than many people have about lawyers . . . and I have no idea where he picked up any of his ideas!
• We had a great time one evening shoveling and taking a walk around the block in the dark. The snowbanks on either side of the sidewalk allowed the kids to lean back and make vertical snow angels. It was fun to see a trail of 3 different-sized angels the next day.
• We had some fun with a few simple science experiments last weekend. All of the kids loved it!
• My mom comes over almost every Tuesday night, just to hang out. When my dad doesn't have choir practice, he comes too -- but this week Grandma was solo. She's such a fun lady, with so much energy. The game she's playing is called Balancing Moon, and has been a favorite "first" game for all our kids.
• Not pictured (mercifully) is the inevitable stomach flu bug that seems to come with each winter. Nathan is fully recovered now.
• Not pictured is my cousin Mike's heart surgery. He's doing well, but still in the hospital. They fixed a problem that was diagnosed when he was 14, and finally was starting to create some complications. He's one of those quieter, steady, good guys, with a great sense of humor, a love of history, and is an avid bicyclist and motorcyclist. He also keeps track of our family's history, and has traveled to the Netherlands to meet relatives. I'm so grateful that he's recovering well. He's also our neighbor -- he lives 2 blocks away.
• Also not pictured is Peter and I doing paperwork for several adoption grants. We didn't apply for any with our first adoption, but are finding it necessary this time around. Please pray that we have some great surprises in store through these grant applications, or from other sources.

Peter is growing his beard -- because he's playing the role of Jesus in the passion play again this year! After investing the time and memorization last year, it's nice to have him be able to do it again. Yesterday, we listened to a recording of one of his songs from the show, and it gave me chills.

Aaron and Nathan are joining the cast this year -- they're singing about four "crowd" songs, and Nathan is playing the (silent) role of Pharoah's son. (At the beginning of the show, there's a montage explaining Passover to give context to Easter. Nathan will be carried onstage by Pharoah, when Pharoah has finally been affected by the consequences of the last plague.)

Anya Rashi, in her current beauty parlor mode, could leave no hair untouched -- so Peter's beard was home to a half-dozen butterfly clips. What a good Daddy -- willing to be photographed in such an undignified state!