Dreaming Big

For those who don't know, Lauren is quite passionate about being on stage.  I cannot believe that it has been a year since she blew our minds playing "Annie" in the beloved musical.  (Click here to read about it).

Since then, she has been itching to do more.

It doesn't help that the little girl who played the orphan "Molly" in last year's play has since hired a talent agent, moved to Hollywood and has been cast in multiple commercials.  She even just finished filming the role of a young Victoria in the popular Nick television show of the same name.  Wow.

Since we can't exactly move to Hollywood, but knowing how much she loves it and how much she comes alive when she is performing, we have encouraged her to participate in a few plays at a local, well-renowned theater.  In November, she was able to play a "Who" in Seussical the Musical.  And just this past weekend, she finished performances in the play "Wind in the Willows."

She did a great job and she even had a solo dance in one scene.  (Hello.  I think it might be time to do a DNA test to make sure that she is actually mine?)

She did a beautiful job and I was so proud of her.  It took tremendous courage and I was blown away by her confidence and poise.

Greeting the crowd after the performance

Romney's parents were able to see one of her performances.

Intermission

The musical "Wicked" is in Denver for a few weeks, so we couldn't resist the chance to take her to see it and be exposed the real deal.

The play was last night.  Lauren and I made a date out of it and had an amazing time.

It was AMAZING!!  We both loved it and were on the edge of our seats the whole time.  At the intermission, Lauren said, "Mom, that was only the first act and I had chills the whole time!"

She was beaming and the whole drive home, she perfectly recited the lines and songs.  She wants it for herself and I have no doubt that one day she'll get it.  Who knows, maybe one day she'll be the one in green?

Dream big La!!

Getting Old and Life Lessons

I have injured my back.  I am not sure how it happened, but I am in pain...a lot of pain.  It started about 10 days ago.  I moan.  I wobble.  I feel old.

Alecia at 38 years old.

I went to a chiropractor for the first time ever.  That was interesting.  The best thing was getting samples for this Bengay type stuff.  I learned that the heating pads and long baths were not the right approach.  So now I am glued to my ice pack and I smell like Mentholatum. Am I going to be one of those ladies who takes a pillow with me wherever I go?

Between Romney's aching knees and my bad back, we now make a lovely, going to bed early, propped up with pillows kind of couple.  WHO WOULD HAVE GUESSED??

Except for my back, things are going well in the Williams' household.  The kids are getting settled into their routines and homework at night is getting less painful.  (Thank the good heavens above for Romney and his patience and ability to do math with the kids).

Lauren tried out for another musical.  A local theater company is putting on the play Seussical.  I have no idea what it is about, but she wanted to be a part of it, so she tried out and got the part of a "Who."  The cast and most of the speaking parts went to high school aged kids.  She was a little disappointed, but I guess after "Annie," anything will be a let down.  She is having fun.  The performances are in November.

The same week at school, she also tried out for a group at school called Percussions.  It is a really impressive musical group that plays all different kinds of drums.  We went to a couple of their performances last year.  I was blown away.  She has wanted to be a part of it for over a year.

She tried out.  She did not make it.

She was so sad.  I felt so bad for her.  No matter what I said, I couldn't help her feel okay.  I tried to help her focus on the positive, but she just looked at me like I don't get it.  Maybe I don't.

As her mom, I just wanted her to realize how talented she is and to focus on all that she has going for her. She couldn't see it.  It kind of broke my heart for her to experience a "real life, grown-up" disappointment.  Disappointments are a part of life, but focusing on the disappointment can be devastating.

She is finally over the pain and now actually feels happy for her friends that got in.  Valuable life lessons, but we both still agree that getting older can suck sometimes.

I hope it's okay to brag about this one....

At the end of last November, Lauren brought home a flier announcing district-wide auditions for the play Annie.  Lauren said that she wanted to try out and I figured why not.  Several weeks later, we showed up and were clearly novices surrounded by 90+ girls, many who had been professionally trained, all clamoring for a part in the beloved musical. (The only thing we did to prepare for Lauren's first acting experience was to watch the 1981 movie "Annie" a few days earlier...)

Well, as I already mentioned here, after hours of auditions and a call back a few days later, Lauren was offered the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to play the leading role of Annie.  The practices have been long and hard, 3-hours a day M-F since last January, but her attitude has been remarkable.  She has never made one complaint about the demanding schedule.

The "Annie" production was last week and it was incredible.   I could not be prouder of my little girl who was given the chance to bloom in a way that blew my mind.  She was amazing and I am still in awe of her confidence and ability.

Sorry to appear boastful, but it was an extremely proud moment for me.  Here are a few highlights of the show.

 

 

 

Lauren with the director Rene Dill.  Rene played "Annie" at this same high school when she was 11 years old.  Lauren got to wear the same red dress she wore when Rene played the part.

It was an amazing experience for all of us.  She was great and won the hearts of her audiences...standing ovations, autographs and countless photos and not to mention the front page of a local paper.

Congratulations to my darling Lauren!!  Now...if we can somehow get these songs out of our heads!!!

A Glimpse at Tomorrow...

Lauren's musical is just about 3 weeks away.  Her attitude about the very demanding schedule has been remarkable.  She absolutely loves it and has not complained once about the daily 3-hour practices M-F.  Every once in a while, there are signs of her beginning to buckle, but this only happens at home and quite frankly, is very understandable.

The high school where she will be performing had a huge student assembly today in their gym.  The assistant principal had peeked in on the "Annie" rehearsal last week and he said that he wanted Lauren and Daddy Warbucks to perform a couple of numbers in the assembly.

So this morning, we got to see a small glimpse of what is ahead for the show. 

Red wig,
red dress,
shiny shoes and a huge smile. 

Lauren sang "Together at Last" with Daddy Warbucks and then she sang a solo of "Tomorrow" to close out the assembly.  There were over 2,000 people there.  I still don't know how she found the courage to do that.  She did an amazing job.  We are so proud of her!!

The director of the show played "Annie" when she was a child at this same high school.  Lauren gets to wear the same red dress.  How sweet is that?

We got Annie!

You only have to watch that show called, "Toddler and Tiaras" on Discovery one time know that those families...namely the mothers who put their kids in those beauty pageants are slightly unstable.

I love the website's description of the show: "On any given weekend, on stages across the country, little girls and boys parade around wearing makeup, false eyelashes, spray tans and fake hair to be judged on their beauty, personality and costumes. Toddlers and Tiaras follows families on their quest for sparkly crowns, big titles, and lots of cash."

Um....sick.

I have watched portions of the show with Romney and he can barely contain his nausea.  The moms who are putting dentures in their babies' mouths and doing the jazz hands and winks from the audience are just plain scary.

So, you can imagine that given my feelings about that show, why I would have some reluctance in sharing some exciting news about Lauren.....

A local high school and community theater program are putting on a production of the musical "Annie."  They opened the auditions to several neighboring communities for the parts of the orphans including "Annie."

Well, those of you who know Lauren, know that she is incredibly animated, funny and let's be honest, entertaining.  She has always wanted to be in plays and is constantly asking me if she can be in movies, (but I only have to watch the news and see Lindsay Lohan to remind me that I am not interested in that path!!) There has never been a time when a play made sense, but when the flier for "Annie" came home in her backpack from school, I figured now is as good a time as any.

So, for the past several weeks, Annie songs have been heard around our home.  She tried out last week along with at least 90 girls.  The tryouts were intense and very competitive.  She had to sing a solo, a group song, act out a scene from the show and perform a dance on stage in front of 4 judges.

To make a long story short, she made the first cut and then after a grueling 4-hour 2nd casting call on Friday, we received a call on Saturday morning from the director that they would like to offer the leading role of "Annie" to Lauren.

What?  We got Annie??

We are all freaking out a little...(including me because the part involves 3-hour rehearsals every day except weekends until April.)  But all that said, we are thrilled.  This is an amazing opportunity for a girl who has found her passion and will now be given a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to bloom.

Congratulations to my darling Lauren!!!

(Don't worry, you won't find me prompting winks and jazz hands from the audience!)

To meddle...or not to meddle

Being the second of eight kids, it goes without saying that we had our share of adventures in the Thompson household.  Growing up there was the usual for a large family: broken arms, one broken back, two brain surgeries, handfuls of stitches and one or two late night adventures that our parents still know nothing about....(shhh)...the list goes on and on.

Christian, McSean, Kara, Alecia & Marisa

Our parents were very close to us and supported us in nearly every aspect of our lives.  They knew the names of all of our friends and came to every recital, ball game and believe it or not, every poetry reading at Carden Memorial School.  They were always there for us and we knew it.

Earlier this morning, I was thinking back on a weekend when my mom was for some reason out of town and my dad was home holding down the fort.  My mom was not gone a lot, but we loved my dad's attempts to dress and feed us--hard boiled eggs and Ding Dongs for breakfast.  This particular weekend, my two brothers McSean and Christian were at an age where wrestling was the only form of communication they used.  They loved to wrestle.  One night, things were a little rougher than usual and McSean ended up really hurting his arm.  He was crying a lot and went to my dad in tears.  My dad did the usual "Parent Broken Bone Diagnosis"...which means,..."Can you move your fingers?"    Fortunately, he could move his fingers just fine so my dad told him that everything was fine and that he would be okay.  But as the weekend progressed, the swelling was significant and he continued to complain of the pain.  Well, a few days later my mom returned home, took one look at his arm and immediately took him to the doctor.  Needless to say...McSean came home in a cast.

My sweet dad thought he had taken care of the problem.  He listened to his son's concerns, addressed them and then tried to help McSean cope and move on, but obviously McSean needed more help.

I bring this up because Lauren is struggling in school and I am trying to decide if her frustrations and my attempts to address the situation have merely been a "Can you move your fingers?" fix.  She has been complaining about how much she hates school, how she can tell that her teacher doesn't like her and how mean some of the kids are to her....but let's be honest, this is a cycle that is repeating itself again.   Sometimes I wonder is she really in trouble? Or is she a typical 9-year-old who enjoys a pity party?  But I have tried to give her the benefit of the doubt.  I listen to her concerns and have tried to give her the skills she needs to be confident and a friend to her peers.

She continues to cry about her situation and mean boys calling her a "platypus" or the teasing she gets at recess.  She came home in tears the other day complaining that one of the boys actually punched her in the stomach.  I decided it was time to do more than simply send another email to her teacher, so I called and said that I wanted to know how the school handles this type of situation.

Ms. K called me back yesterday and told me that they had taken the boy to the principal's office and the boy had said that it was an "accident" and "not intentional."  She went on to say that she thinks I need to help Lauren interpret the actions of others and determine when someone is being malicious or just careless.  She did say however, that she has told Lauren to always come and tell her immediately if something else happens.  Ms. K went on to say that there was another mishap yesterday afternoon.  Lauren told Ms. K that a boy had spit in her face.  Ms K said that she asked the boy and he said it was an accident.  She said, "I told Lauren, this is what I am talking about.  You need to learn the difference between an accident and intentional behavior." 

So when Lauren got home yesterday, I asked her about the spitting.  She immediately started crying and said that the boy at her table was frustrated because he wanted Lauren to stop talking so that he could have a turn answering the question, so he stuck his tongue out and blubbered his tongue in her face.  She said that it was so sick and she had spit all over her.  Accident? Lauren trusted her teacher, went and told her about the spitting incident and was made to feel stupid and that somehow this was her fault.


So, I am struggling to know what to do.  Do I meddle?  Do I turn into that barracuda mom?  There is a line I am trying to find in my role as a mom.  The line between teaching self sufficiency and protecting my kids from the pain in their world.  I am trying to decide if, "Can you move your fingers?" is enough.

But one thought is constant in my mind...I am Lauren's mom and sometimes it's okay to be her voice.