Tuesday March 18 2008 - AVA'S PLAY AND OTHER FUN...

We've had a busy...yet fun week this past week. Ava performed in the Ei-Ei-Ooops play here this past weekend (and also Monday morning for the school kids). It was a sweet little story of some pretty cute little animals on Old Mac's Farm. She was casted as "Piggly". I find it especially fitting that she was a pig in this play because when she was little she had an OBSESSION with pigs. She had a little collection and names for each one. I had to look back in her journal to remember some of their names. These names consisted of "pigger", "piggy little", "pinky", "curly", "oinker", "spotty pig", and the water bottle pig on her lap in this picture was named "piggy friend" and of course what collection of pigs wouldn't be complete without a "wilbur". There were more but you get the point!!! Anyway, so here's what her collection looked like. When she was 18 months and entered nursery, she was a little clingy so we'd have to stay with her. Finally she latched on to this little tikes pig from the farm yard that was in there. The one sitting in a mud puddle. She'd search the boxes to find it and as long as that pig was found, I could quietly sneak away to my class and know that she'd be quite content. Heaven forbid that someone ever mix that pig up with the other wards toys!!!! Anyway, it was a silly little faddish but she LOVED them. She'd even hold those teeny tiny pigs on the right in this picture, and sleep with them in her hand. In the night, she'd obviously release it and wake up bawling until we found it. I remember wanting desperately for her to get attached to a toy that was large enough to be found in the middle of the night instead of spending time on my hands and knees searching for those tiny pigs!

So in this play, she was piggly pig (one of 4 other pigs who were the "jokesters" of the farm. I was so impressed with how good they were with the kids. Here's a shot of Ava after we crimped her hair in the dressing room before the show.

She did a great job with her parts and all the songs! Brooklyn sang right along when she came to watch on Saturday night (she could have been up there with Ava....having listened to the CD so many times here at home while Ava practiced!).

Here is a shot of Mya and Ava after Friday's performance. Mya LOVED watching Ava perform and especially loved it when the school took turns shuttling each class down to the theatre on Monday (Ava was sad to miss all her morning classes) to watch the play again.

We video taped the show and it will be fun to watch again as the years go by. She'll have lots of fun memories from this for sure! Here's a shot of the leprechaun traps our girls made. So here's the thing....I was debating taking Ava aside this year and telling her the truth about the Easter bunny. I just thought I'd prefer that I tell her in a gentle way than some other kid at school. Well, they've been learning a bit about Leprechauns of course. Ava and Mya both worked hard one day last week after school building these traps to catch one (though they'd prefer that we call it a home....complete with chairs inside or feather beds and even tiny dishes). Mya made a mini book for the leprechaun to read as well as a swing set (and tire swing....cause that's HER favorite at the park).

I thought it was silly and cute and well......it sure kept them busy. So the next day Ava was telling me how they went on a walk out in the field at school to search for a Leprechaun. She told me about how one of her friends found one. Here is how the conversation went..... ******************************************************************************** Me: " Really, she found one.... what did it look like?" Ava: "Well, like a real leprechaun with a hat and wearing green. But, I didn't see it cause she said that the Leprechaun told her not to tell anyone. She just told me what he looked like!". "The leprechaun told her not to tell?" "Yes, he really did mom!". "Do you really think so Ava?" "Yes, I know she talked to one!" "Ok, so what about the gold? Did your friend by chance find out where his pot of gold is?" "Well, she told him that he didn't have to show her his pot of gold cause then our whole class would want some too....so she told him he could run away and she'd make sure that no one else in the class found him". ************************************************************************************ Uh huh! So I put Ava through this mini sort of interrogation over this episode....and clearly she believed her friend and wasn't the least bit bothered by my many questions. She'd say "Man, (so and so) is the luckiest ever cause she got to actually see a real leprechaun". Yikes. She and Mya even attended a Community Easter Egg hunt and had their pictures taken with the Easter Bunny (and no questions asked whatsoever). I suppose I should just let her continue to believe until she comes to me one day and honestly asks? Any advise when/what the best thing to do here? And we had the best FHE last night! I had read the message in the Friend this month of Christ teaching his Apostles to "Feed my Lambs", and since Tanis is neighbors with a family who own sheep and have new baby lambs on their farm, I called Tanis and begged her to set something up. It was so much fun. Thanks Tanis and John getting us in there! Our girls had so much fun trying to feed them and hold them. Brooklyn got a little scared when a group of them started running in her direction (much like one of the pictures taken below). She now will tell you "Sheep try to eat me" or "sheep no like me". Oh and way to go Tanis for being so quick to catch them!!! Who knew the smallest adult there could be so tough!!!! It was an awesome activity to back up the lesson we had. There's seriously something about farm animals that I love and wish we had a farm full of animals for our girls to play with! I loved playing on my grandparents farm. Some of my favorite memories are playing with bunnies in the back of an old grain truck, riding horses, swinging on the rope swing in the barn, and building forts etc! (Tanis, would you mind asking them if we could just hang out on their farm ANYTIME. And I didn't see if they had any horses? Could you ask them if they could get horses too? I wonder if they'd have a problem if we planted a pussy willow tree????). ha ha. Joking!

We've had a great week....and it's only getting better. We will be seeing cousins this weekend and having a fun Easter Egg hunt and enjoying time with them!! What a blessing Easter season is. So much fun and excitement but we are especially grateful for our Savior and for his atoning sacrifice. I LOVE the Ensign this month. It is AMAZING with all the articles about Jesus Christ. I've even tried to buy a couple more to give away to friends (but they are on back order....everywhere so that tells ya how awesome this issue is!!!!). I'll just have to wait till they arrive. Truly...."God be thanked for the matchless gift of his divine Son". (The Living Christ)