It's a Hard Knock Life

November 21, 2014 - Thomas Joseph Martin made his musical debut as an orphan in Annie Jr.  We were lucky to be introduced to the Random Acts of Theater Company (RATCo) when we moved to back to Colorado, and it's been a joy to watch TJ grow more confident and outgoing with his new group of friends.

The kids auditioned for their roles in August, and from that point on, went to weekly rehearsals working very hard to nail their parts.  TJ's group, MouseCo (the minis of RATCo), were part of three numbers -- "Hard Knock Life," "You're Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile," and the finale "Tomorrow."

All three shows sold out at the Main Street Center, and TJ had lots of family and friends show up each performance... even his Junior Kindergarten teacher was there to support our little man!

 Mommy was a little nervous how he would do on stage with a full house, but instead of getting stage fright, our little ham turned it up a few notches for the crowd!  It was amazing to see how much joy is in that little boy.

Mommy, Daddy and Frankie even got in on the act -- sort of.  Daddy volunteered on the tech crew, running the music for the production, and Mommy & Frankie volunteered as ushers helping seat the guests for two of the performances.

Frankie loved watching his brother on stage -- every single show, he sat quietly and watched in amazement. And, for everyone who knows Li'l Frankie, you know how amazing that is in and of itself!  Frankie went to so many rehearsals with his brother and Daddy, he knew all the songs and dances, too!

It was a wonderful experience for the whole family, and we're all so happy to have met the amazing students and volunteers in this organization.  We're looking forward to the next production -- Charlotte's Web!

(I've attached a few videos of TJ's songs, click on the links)

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10154876827540228&l=2307399265878502923

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10154876822065228&l=4253082882001794302

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10154876635940228&l=6059885749755035798

Time Thieves

Where did these last two months go?  All we know, is that they disappeared in a flash.  Between Annie Jr. rehearsals, basketball games, and weekends at Grandma & Grandpa's, we've been busy to say the least!

September was pretty much a blur.  Both TJ and Daddy are pretty involved in preparations for the musical.  TJ is an orphan, and he'll perform three songs in the production -- "Hard Knock Life," "You're Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile," and "Tomorrow."  TJ is going to be the cutest little orphan ever!  He's so excited about his costumes.  Daddy is on the tech crew, so he's been at rehearsals three times a week helping out.  In between our crazy September schedules, we managed to get in some quality family time!  One of our favorite September memories was our drive up to Georgetown to see the aspens.  This was a family favorite of Mommy's, and she hadn't realized even Daddy hadn't done this in all his years in Colorado.  The colors were beautiful, and TJ loved exploring, picking up leaves and climbing rocks.  Baby Franks, on the other hand, was more of a city boy and wasn't too interested in getting down and dirty.  Still, we managed to get a few shots of him running around.  On our drive back down the hill, we came across a perfect little park, with train play structures and castle to play in, so, of course, we stopped and played!

October went by fast and furious, too!  Basketball started up again for TJ.  He has the same coach, but is playing with a different team, rec center and age group.  Turns out, last season he was placed with the 6-year-olds, and while he could hang, it's fun to see his confidence grow since he's playing with kids his own age.  Annie Jr. rehearsals continued, we celebrated Grandpa's and Mommy's birthdays, hosted a visit from our DC cousins, went pumpkin picking and trick-or-treating (twice!), and Daddy went to Orange County to run with and support his friend in a 100 mile race!  My favorite part of Halloween, definitely TJ performing Hard Knock Life in the street with his RATCo friends and Baby Frankie handing out candy and saying "Dank you!"

We're halfway through November, and it doesn't seem things are going to slow down anytime soon!  TJ's performances are next week, then we have Thanksgiving and the countdown to Christmas.  Hopefully we'll be able to catch our breath soon!

Time for a Checkup!

Summertime is over and the new school year is in full swing, so I figured it's time for a checkup!  Here's the latest on our two crazy boys:

TJ:
Our four-year-and-a-half-year-old started his first year at PCK (Parker Core Knowledge).  The charter school is one of the top schools in Douglas County, and we were lucky to get a spot.  He still has to go through a lottery to get into the K-8 program, but his chances are much better being a part of JK.  And, so far, so great -- he loves it there!  The first day of drop-off, there were no tears, and by the end of the first week, he didn't even say goodbye.  The only tears he sheds are when Daddy comes to pick him up from Champions (his after school program he attends three days a week.)  He loves his teachers and curriculum, and he's made a lot of friends. The JK class learns Kindergarten curriculum, and the challenge is really great for TJ.  It's so wonderful to see his confidence grow at such a rapid pace.  He definitely sees himself as a big boy now. 

TJ still enjoys gymnastics.  He's really excelling at it -- he's close to do a backwards roll all by himself, and he masters many other moves, it's crazy.  TJ also finished up his first season of team basketball.  The first day was a little overwhelming and consisted of a major meltdown, but he came back stronger and earned a medal for passing skills the next week.  He loved it so much, he starts up season two next month.

Saturdays, TJ is busy at RATCo (Random Acts of Theater Company), preparing for his first musical, Annie Jr.  He auditioned and got a part as one of the orphans.  (Everyone got a part, but it was so great for him to go through the process).  TJ is having a great time singing, dancing and playing with his RATCo friends.  He's nailed his portion of Hard Knock Life, and we're so excited to see the finished project.

TJ continues to make us laugh everyday.  To say he's silly, is an understatement.  He loves to laugh, he's super smart and he loves his baby brother.  They have their moments, but they're awesome together, and watching their relationship brings tears to my eyes.  He loves Legos, Batman, Transformers, RescueBots, Captain America and really any other super hero around.  He's really sweet, always looking out for others, and giving kisses and "I love yous" out of the blue. He talks, a lot, and comes up with the funniest sayings.  TJ really enjoys drawing, and it's wonderful watching his imagination come to life on paper.  What else is there to say?  We love him!

FRANKIE:
This 17-month-old keeps us on our toes!  We joke TJ is our careful one, and Frankie is our careless one!  He is a one baby demolition team.  He is so full of energy, life and laughter, every moment is unpredictable!

He loves balls -- basketballs, footballs, baseball, you name it!  He is obsessed.  Frankie also loves playing with cars and trucks -- monster trucks and fire trucks top the list.  Oh, and he LOVES to dance!  This kid moves to his own beat, literally.  His teacher, Ms. Ivy, says Frankie will often dance as he gets in line or sits at the table for lunch.  He's very physical... running, jumping, wrestling, he's constantly in motion.  He's starting to develop his own things he likes, and he's really gotten into Paw Patrol.  It's fun to watch him get excited when it comes on the TV.  He, too, loves to make you laugh.  He's always coming up with something silly to get a giggle out of you. Frankie is super ornery, but he has a very sweet side.  He loves to snuggle and give kisses and high fives.  He's so friendly in public, we call him The Mayor.  He walks up to folks and shakes their hands like he's campaigning -- HILARIOUS!  He's quite the helper, too, just like his brother.  He's great at throwing his trash away, and he loves to sweep the floor!

While he's not quite the talker TJ was at this age, still, he talks a lot -- most of it is his own language, though!
Still, here's a list of his words at 17 months:
Mama, Mommy
Dad, Dada
TJ
BoBos (our cat)
PupPup
Nanana (banana)
Apple
No (of course!)
Ball
Batman (wonder where he learned that!)
Pa, Grandpa
Ga, Grandma
G (Aunt Angie)
Go
More
Shoes
NightNight (his blankie)
UhOh
Whoa
Wow
Susie
Brown Bear (his favorite book)
Hello, Hi
ByeBye
Poop
Thank You

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