E's 15th Birthday

Evan is generally a low maintenance kiddo. He doesn't ask for much. But we urged him to call the shots on his birthday. Here are some of the things he asked for:

Shirley Temple fixins': Sprite & grenadine

Pad Thai

Sushi

We went to see Wicked in the theater with Nana and Lolo. Evan said he didn't recall asking to do that. I reminded him that he mentioned that all his friends from The Little Mermaid mentioned going, and he expressed some interest. It was fabulous! Afterward, he said something like, he wished he could see it again for the first time, which I thought was sweet. Also, I agree with that sentiment. 

Cheesecake, by request

The next weekend, we were able to celebrate with Grammy & Grampy.

Evan requested German chocolate frosting.

Evan's needed a new bike for a few years now. He's patiently used Ryan's or mine in the meantime. Burke and I finally made it happen for his 15th birthday. It's not currently prime bike riding season, but hopefully, he be able to use this one for years and years.

It's hard to believe that Evan is 15, and the whole driver's ed thing begins next month! I recently let him get behind the wheel in an empty parking lot, and he did quite well. I had to apologize to Ryan for being so anxious when he was doing the same, because I was much more chill with Evan. Ryan suggested, "my  skills were now refined." 

Evan keeps us on our toes. He is somehow both emotionally expressive, and quite even tempered. Not sure how he pulls that off, but I appreciate his balance. He is a renaissance kiddo, with interests and talent ranging from baseball to performing on stage, with cool things in between like cross country, math club, and science olympiad. He is quite social, and is often out and about having fun with his friends. 

We greatly appreciate that Evan is always a happy helper around the house. How many people can say that about their teenage son?! We've also noticed that he is a sort of a screen junky, often sitting in front of the TV while playing a game on his phone/iPad. We're working on bringing his awareness to the addictive nature of screens, and how it's exceedingly important to PAY ATTENTION to actual real things in the world. Unfortunately, we all have this affliction to some degree. We'll see how that all turns out. 

Overall, Evan is a cool kid, and we feel very fortunate to be his parents. Happy birthday, babe! 💙

The Little Mermaid

It was a two month family affair. First, Evan auditioned for his first high school musical, and landed the role of Chef Louis in the Little Mermaid. He was also a few ensembles. Then, Ryan played the drum set in the pit orchestra that Burke conducted. I just drove Evan around, volunteered as an usher and at concessions, taught Evan a mini-lesson in tap dancing, and cheered everyone on.

The show turned out great, and sold tons of tickets. Grammy & Grampy AND Nana & Lolo came to see it. So this was a big deal for our little family.

As part of the program, the musical boosters had these headshots taken. I am in love with these pictures of my boys, and got them in frames right away.

Ryan

Evan

Ryan's in the way back, sitting at a drum set.
Burke is conducting.

This is the "ad" we put in the program, celebrating the three musicals Evan's been in so far.  
Since Chef Louis is French, we wrote the text in French, with a little inside joke for Evan about pepper.

One of his ensembles - "Fathoms Below"
He's the sailor all the way to the right.

Shipwreck

Second ensemble - He's a sea creature for "Under the Sea."
He's in blue, toward the right, his arms are up, he's between mersisters.

After intermission, the pit orchestra walks in to much applause.
Ryan's in the top picture, just about to head down the steps.
Burke is in the bottom picture.

Another ensemble - He's a seagull for "Posituvity."
This song is not in the movie, but it was super fun. 
Evan learned some tap dancing for this one.

kickline

tap dancing

This was Evan's main role, his time to shine - "Les Poissons."
He got rave reviews for his Chef Louis.
His confidence, voice, and comedic timing were notable.

Sebastian is terrified, hiding under the table.

...hee-hee-hee, ho-ho-ho...

I love little fishes, don't you

au revoir

"Les Poissons" reprise - serving dinner

Sabastian escaped!

chasing Sabastian

The chase music was called "Mayhem.".

His final ensemble - "Kiss the Girl"
He's a tree on the right hand side of the pic.

"Kiss the Girl"
Evan is just to the right of Prince Eric.

The Wedding

taking a bow

fun cast pic in the lobby after the show

Ryan and his friends on stage while the cast and crew strike the set.

Official cast, crew, musicians picture
Little Mermaid 2024

super proud parents

Fall Fun

Our aging computer is slowing down, so it's taking more time for me to accomplish tasks that I would have been quickly completed in the past. We need to replace the computer, or I need to evolve my system for blogging, but until then, my posting is less frequent and less timely. Nevertheless, I'll keep at it, though I've begun pondering how much longer I'll keep it up. I suppose I'll continue until Evan graduates in 2028. That'll make it 20 years of this blog. Time is mind boggling. I have some unexpected free time today, since we all have a snow day off from school/work!

Our fall has been busy and fun. We continue to savor the moments, watching our young humans grow into their own. More and more I envision them launching, and feel reassured that, as adults, they will positively contribute and bring kindness and joy to all they endeavor.

Brothers after the first orchestra concert of the year. Now they both (actually, all three if you count Burke) perform in high school concerts.

Ryan's Quiz Bowl team takes 3rd place at a local invite, and qualifies for the state competition.

Artie in festive fall foliage

Picking out pumpkins

Ryan reaching toward Evan in the background. 

These silly boys...

Scraping is still kind of gross...

Ryan couldn't settle on a design, and as he was carving, found out he got a B+ on a recent Calc B/C exam, so he randomly carved a B+. (I think this is an excellent grade, but he says he needs to "lock in" so he can get an A for the semester. He really enjoys his calc learning, the teacher, and his classmates.)

Evan's wonky pumpkin

Ryan was sick, and did not go trick-or-treating.

Evan went trick-or-treating with some friends.

Burke and I were proud to vote. Though very concerned about the outcome, we will continue to do what we can to empower those who do not have as easy access to opportunity, and we will continue to vote for those who are forward-thinking and hopeful. 

My one and only picture of our Thanksgiving feast. Burke was the head chef. We were grateful to have Grammy & Grampy AND Nana & Lolo at our house to celebrate. 

Fun fact: If you care about historical accuracy, Thanksgiving is really more of an outgrowth of the Civil War, and less about Pilgrims and Native Americans. Thanks, Lincoln, for declaring this national day of Thanksgiving.

We took a Thanksgiving walk in the cold, windy weather to check out Lake Michigan.