Post Musical Adventures

I know that I promised more details about the musical but have been busy, but a promise is a promise.
This musical was unique in that three of us were involved.  James was directing, as usual.  He had a great team which made producing this musical a much more manageable experience.  There were ups and downs as usual, but in the end it was great.  Michael, played the narrator/child of the baker and his wife, did an amazing job.  My quiet, reserved child came to life on stage.  He didn't just learn his lines to repeat but learned to read the other characters and interact with them while on stage.  Anyone from church who saw him couldn't believe he was the same child they see every Sunday at church.  Michael loved the experience and learned to memorize better.  That is a skill that will help him throughout his life.  For me being in the pit was challenging but fun.  I really had to practice as it has been 10+ years since I have played anything other than church music.  But in the end I did pretty well and had fun being a part of the show.  My only regret was not getting to watch Michael on stage (though I may have watched a little during rehearsal).  In the end it was a great show, and I am sad that everyone couldn't come watch.

After the musical we all wanted to just sleep and relax which we did!  The very next weekend, though, James and I took off for a "weekend away" and had a great time!  It would have been more fun without a baby, but we embraced the challenge and did some fun things.  Hyrum didn't like flying, but you do what you have to do.



He did like the comfy fluffy bed to play on, though.



We enjoyed some Argentinian BBQ for dinner one night and southern BBQ at one of those little hidden gems of a restaurant.  The food was amazing at both places!  We also did a little sight seeing and made a stop at the Houston Temple.  The last time we were there was when my brother got married.  It was fun to reminisce.



We also had some fun visiting family and friends.  My same brother still lives there and we got to spend some time with him and his family.  We were also able to stop in and see an old college friend.  It was fun to see people we haven't seen in such a long time.

 Once we returned home we enjoyed a little normalcy in our lives with family dinners, school time, and date nights.  Hyrum still joins us sometimes but he has become much more fun.

 We also had fun at a homeschool roller skating party.  Hyrum even made it out on the rink!

And since we can't just sit around and relax, we moved onto our next adventure by having my brother's wife and their kids come visit for a week.  My brother was on a business trip for three weeks, so they thought it would be fun to take a road trip.

They have five children Joshua's age and younger, so it was crazy, but it was great to see the cousins get together, play and enjoy getting to know each other better.   They homeschool as well, so we shared some of our homeschool curriculum with each other.  It was fun and interesting doing school with 9 children running around!

With the cold we had to be creative, so they spent a day in Nauvoo, and we spent some time at the library and the local children's museum.  The children had a great time together!  After they left I could tell that my kids missed having others around to play with.
 

In the short time since our cousins left, Hyrum has decided to become an efficient crawler and has entered the world of climbing. He has tried climbing up the stairs, my dresser, and my legs, of course.  We finally took the plunge and had our railing replaced which was a little crazy because we had it done while all of the cousins were here.  But now I only have to worry about Hyrum falling down the top of the stairs and not from the side.  It isn't perfect, but it is better.  But now we need to figure out how to deal with a Christmas tree.  Hmmm. . .   But he is super cute, so we will make it work.  

All of our children love to bake.  I mean really, with James as their father how could they not?  Joshua got in some extra practice this week.  He and his cousin baked a cake for family home evening treat all by themselves.  Then, tonight he baked cupcakes and frosted them.  They were from a kit, but he still did it all by himself and had a blast!  It is fun to watch my kids grow up, branch out and try new things.

 Life is good here at the Hutchings home.  We are enjoying life, working hard and playing hard!