you must have been a beautiful baby...

Because baby, look at you now!

Alice LaRose - 7.5 months - 6/7/14

Violet Mae - 35 months - 6/7/14

Alice Alice Puddin Pie

Alice continues to be so sweet that I sometimes want to pinch myself to make sure I'm not just dreaming her up.   She is sitting now, eating some simple steamed solid veggies and fresh fruits.  She is babbling up a storm and playing with toys. She adores her sister so much and loves to give her kisses.  She is an affectionate and darling little baby who loves to nap, snuggle with her lovie (which does, actually, have a binky attached to it - but she only uses it for sleeping).

Here is me and my girls for Mother's Day 2014:

Alice is just 6 months and Violet is 34 months!

This is her "Tabby" who she snuggles and sucks to help sleep all through the night and for two remarkably long naps most days.

Here are a few recent pictures of "Numnums," the sweetest baby in the world (or at least in my world!)

Alice and her babysitter Mari on Mari's last day (6/12/14)

Alice's first sushi eating experience!  She tried, and LOVED, avocado rolls and tofu! 
 A baby after her own sisters' heart!

June 7, 2014 at a BBQ at Copy and Tata's house! 

goodness

It has been quite a while.  Alice is now 7.5 months old, and about to start part time at Kids On Campus and Violet is almost three years old!  George has been on his quarter of paternity leave.  I have been "back to work" teaching Theatre History III and directing for the department.  I have rehearsed, opened and closed a show that was to date my best directing work yet, and certainly the most enjoyable process for which I could have hoped!  I'm feeling a little sentimental tonight because I watched half of my cast march across the stage today to receive their degrees and move forward to the next step of their lives.

 George and I at SCU's

 Commencement Ceremony 2014

"Goodness" by Michael Redhill is too much to possibly sum up in a short blog.  This particular experience of directing taught me so much about collaboration, working with designers, adapting blocking to serve a dynamic script, feeling and thinking about a script and helping undergraduates "get" into all of the wonderful details of the story and meanings... 

 But I also learned how much I can simultaneously enjoy the creative responsibilities of my "real" job of directing actors and helping to produce a meaningful show, and yet miss my babies every night (4 nights a week for 6 weeks!)  It was a challenging process for me, for Violet and George.  (Alice didn't really know what was going on because I put her to bed each night before I left for my 7pm rehearsal).

The show was extremely well acted, staged in an inspired way, full of energy, and spiritually/intellectually gratifying for me as it asked some very important questions about morality, goodness, forgiveness, justice, and social action.  It pushed the boundaries of what SCU normally does, and I think it became my best work yet.

Here is my incredible cast and I on May 16, 2014, who I will never forget:

 Clockwise. Tennyson Jones (Todd), Liz Connelley (Young Althea), Lindsey Brown (Julia), Laurel Bettis (Althea), Nicholas Manfreddi (Michael), Gavin Mueller (Stephen) and me.