Sacagawea Play

Sacagawea Play from katiehale on Vimeo.

This was a play I directed for home school last year.  Here's the cast credits:

Sacagawea:  Malan Wilson
Toussaint Charbonneau:  Lucy Hale
Meriwether Lewis: Jane Wilson
William Clark:  Luke Hale
Thomas Jefferson / Cameahwait:  Caleb Johnson
Lewis's dog "Seaman": Maryanne Hale
Buffalo / Stage helper: Emme Wilson
Expedition member / stage helper: Olivia Wilson

Such a fun memory.  This was a blast and I thought the kids did such a great job.

Maryanne turns 6!

All four grandparents!!  We are so glad to have M&D Hale home.  So glad.  

On Maryanne's birthday eve we had root beer floats and some early present opening with grandparents.

Love these people.

The next morning about 5:00 - I woke up to lights on and noises and got up to see Maryanne wandering the house.  "I can't sleep mom!  I'm too excited."   I had decorated the house after she went to bed and guess she was up checking it all out. :)   Well, don't worry because even without much sleep the night before - she was still excited to wake up for her birthday. 

on her way to school with her birthday crown and her giant packs of donuts in her backpack. 

And then after school was her long-awaited Moana party.   (and yes, I used things like paper plates and washcloths to decorate.)  :)

ocean in a bottle craft

Moana tattoos 

 Pin the Heart on the Te Fiti

Pizza! Pizza!

THE PLAY

Ok, this was super funny.   Some intense personalities all trying to direct this Moana play.  I finally had to pull rank and be the director... the boss of all bosses.   

This picture was the scene when toddler Moana (Eliza) is listening to the story her grandmother (Siri) is telling about monsters, darkness and death.  We have some fainters, screamers and then there's little Moana super interested and smiley. 

This is the scene where teenage Moana (Maryanne) is teaching hula lessons and that funny little kid (Lucy) joins the class and does some saucy dancy moves and a kissy face.

 Moana play cast included:  Arta Burton as Hei Hei the chicken(she was funny), Mara Lowe as Pua the pig (self cast),  Haven Zeleznick as Te Fiti, Joey Hale was double-cast as the father and Maui (superb acting skills), Lucy Hale as Tamatoa the crab, Siri Georgi as Gramma Tala, Gunner as our only audience member (self cast), Eliza Harris as toddler Moana and Maryanne Hale as Moana.  It was quite the show.  :)

Next: CAKE!

Our beautiful blonde Moana making her 6-year-old wish

She was crazy spoiled by her sweet friends.  I can't believe the quality of gifts they brought.  It made me feel a little sheepish.  After everyone went home, Joey set up a Moana-themed treasure hunt for her.  The last one was to seek the wisdom of her grandmother and she had to go upstairs and get the clue from Grandma, it was cute.   She finally got enough clues to open the suitcase and get our gifts. She was now drowning in happiness (ya know, costumes and toys) and didn't seem to mind one bit. 

 Maryanne is Shimmer!   Lucy wanted to gather all new and old Shimmer and Shine stuff to see it all together... she has a lot. :)

Well, Maryanne - we sure love you.  Another year of you being your joyful self.  This has been a fun and bonding year for you and me.  You've learned so much and it's exciting for me to watch you slowly begin to read... for reals.  And to write.  Your teacher calls you a brave speller.  You write anything and everything down and aren't afraid to write words you don't know.  We have so much fun trying to figure out what all your notes and art projects say.  And I love having you as my half-day buddy.  You bounding in every day at 12:05 and barely making it to the bathroom. :)  And then spending the afternoon reading, playing, singing - it's a joy to watch your imagination.  You never really seemed 5 to me this year.  You seem older than your age somehow.  You just moved downstairs and now are sharing a room with Freddy.  You are a good older sister to him and teach him new things.  He loves you a lot. 

Happy Birthday to my sweet Shimmer, Belle, Lolirock, Moana, Poppy, Barbie, ... and Maryanne. 

Maryanne turns 5

This girl is basically all cupcakes and rainbows so it was very fitting that she wanted a Trolls birthday party when she turned 5.  I had to pull this party together going on what Maryanne told me because I hadn't even seen it.  And there actually wasn't much Trolls stuff out there.  Now there's tons of stuff.

I'm writing this a year later and sadly have lost the pictures of this party.  It was so much fun and I'm so sad there are no pictures to remember it.  And since it's a year later, I don't really remember what we did. 

Now - I have a newly 6 year old Maryanne on my lap and she's going to tell me what she remembers about her 5 year old birthday party so that her memories will at least be documented for her future self.

Maryanne:  "So, I remember that Emme and all the cousins came and Uncle Mike and Charlie were there.  I don't remember that much else or who else came.  I do remember that I got a little bug that was pink in a cage.  And I got a Shimmer and Shine purse I got to color from Aunt Kate.   And I gave tons of little things to everybody.  I got a Shimmer and Shine castle from dad.  I got a Poppy doll and a hug watch.  I remember we had cupcakes instead of cake and they had rainbows and clouds on them.  We had those sticks with tons of fruit on them.  The fruit was in roy g biv like a rainbow.  Everybody got surprise mystery trolls.  We did an escape room hunt to get the trolls.  And then we watched Trolls upstairs.   There was a balloon tied to a chair by the train table.  It was a Poppy balloon.  And I got a Moana doll from Grandma Songer.  And a Moana necklace.  But I gave my Moana doll to Eliza.  So I got another one for my birthday yesterday.  I had sore lips.  My lips really hurt when I was eating the pokey sticks with the fruit on them. They were kinda like frozen and I couldn't move them very much and it hurt to eat."    Thanks Maryanne.  Good memory!

Update:  I found some pictures!!!  The ones I lost were from my Canon (lost the SD card) but I have a few blurry ones from my phone.  It's better than nothing.

the party

oh.. and p.s. I just remembered we had a chef bergen pinata. 

her sore lips.  

I had totally forgotten about this until Maryanne said that.  

Her lips were like this for a month!  I took her to the doctor and she said that maybe her lips could have come in contact with something toxic or she was having an allergic reaction to something.  It was so weird.  We never really figured out what it was. 

A  present in the mail from Grandma Songer...

 

Troll hair. 

(sprayed it and there is a cup in her hair... just a random Saturday)

I love this girl.  This world makes her so happy.  She is passionate and loves so many things. 

At some point in March of 2017 I wrote down "Maryanne thought she lost her little, tiny poppy troll in the park and we went back to look for it in the dark.  No luck.  We got back in the van and she completely broke down.  She said between sobs - 'That troll was the only and greatest thing in my LIFE!'  more crying and then 'Now I have nothing!'  ....  Later we found the troll in the couch, so not all is lost."

On her birthday uncle Mike asked her  "So now you are five huh?  Do you feel different?"
She immediately said, "Yes!  The difference is ... I'm bigger.  And also... in my heart.... I feel... more love. "

We love you Maryannie.  We are so glad we get to share in all that love in your heart.