::an expedition

As we get older, time fills up and you suddenly don't have as much extra time anymore! For as long as I can remember, every second of free time was spent outside with the cousins, mainly us four, playing poor kids and Indians and fighting wars, surviving on animal food and bugs, with nothing but our Jeannie bags and "poor girl supplies." We've escaped from countless mean orphan keepers, fought endless battles, cooked more beetle and stolen-from-Alyssa's-chicken-coop egg stew. I guess most kids grow out of that sort of thing when they're about 11 or 12.
But we still call each other up to play poor girls. We pack up our Jeannie bags and poor kid supplies and go survive on beetles. We still run away from orphan keepers. It's the kind of thing I can't ever imagine growing out of.
Our days are busier now and we don't get every spare moment to pet the cows and have adventures. (some days I really wish I could go back to those days!) I know my fall is going to be pretty packed with rehearsals, lessons, school, ACT, and all that growing up stuff that is good, but does make a day full.

Yesterday morning, I woke up and realized I actually had a light day ahead of me. Nowhere to go, just to finish school. I called the girls up and planned our meeting place. We gathered our Jeannie bags, poor kid stuff, bows and arrows, and headed out for an adventure.

It was great time together and such a fun afternoon. About the time we were done shooting, who should run down the hill, but Josh! He came home from college for the night, and we all played on the swings until supper time.

After supper we had hot cocoa and watched Little Bear with the kids.

I call that a wonderful day. Life is incredible. When we were out there shooting in the wide open field, we just stopped and looked at each other. How cool. We're a clan of ragamuffins here on this farm. Maybe cliche, but it's true..we'll all grow up, some of us are away at college and some are married...but we're always cousins. We're forever the clan. We'll still get together and have our wild adventures, and always have the memories. What a gift.
Thank you God, for an extraordinary day. Well, for extraordinary life.

::happenings

::Monday brings the first of October! School is picking up, lessons, practices, cousins, family movie nights, sweatshirts...fall is here! I think that stunning lightning storm we had last night brought all the colors in. Driving up the back dirt roads, the woods on either side are suddenly covered in bright red, yellow, orange, and green, totally vivid against the wet-black trees - it's incredible.

I thought it was about time I break from the busyness and give you a bit of an update on lateliness around here. . . .

And about the above picture - I think that might be the greatest family photo, maybe ever. I'm thinking Christmas card material? Missing Ashley, Joel, and Evs! ...and hey, I just noticed Larry Boy in the background..

With Cordell and Jorin at an RHAA volleyball game!

Jen made cookies..and I decorated a few.

Friends at church!

(photo by Alyssa McCluskey during last year's A Tale of Two Cities rehearsal) 
The play season is in full swing! The Little Women read through went really well...what a fun, goofy, talented cast. The read through is the time for the cast to familiarize themselves with the script, story, and each other..to get a visual. Because there isn't really pressure to give your best performance, everyone can have fun with it, try different things, and act our little hearts out. I really think this rehearsal should be on film - SO many of the show's inside jokes are formed then, just because of the cold reading. :-)
I cannot wait to get on stage and see it come together. Music rehearsals are busy this week, and the tight harmonies are going to be fantastic...or, in Jason (our director)'s words: "Lush." I'll try to give you some pictures of practices soon, and introduce you to the cast.
Every production is such a gift. I'm thankful for the opportunity to perform, to make people smile and laugh while doing what I love with such great people. It is - it's a gift from our Father, and each show presents the opportunity to give it back to Him! To perform it the best I can, to glorify Him in stage performance. Not only on stage, though..so many weeks to bless Him with the time rehearsing, interacting with the cast - to let the whole process be His and watch Him move. That's when things get really exciting, and I cannot wait to see what He'll do in Little Women!

Enjoy this beautiful Wednesday evening, everyone - I'm headed out to spend it with the chuzzies at the bottom of the hill. Pulling the canoe out on the Duck Pond to watch the sun set. {God is good, very good.}

Johnnyisms

This child. I think a majority of the posts on this site are of him. He's most definitely the exclamation point on our family. If only we could film his every move...you'd never be bored. 

And now, I dedicate yet another post, to John boy.

 This was from his head injury last week - he flipped off of the monkey bars while doing some sort of triple flip. The entire head wrap was a necessity.

Look! We made playdoh-afro-thumb people.

 A necklace for Mama.

::Time for a musical, eh?

And here is the full CAST LIST for Ozark Actors Theatre's production of LITTLE WOMEN! Tickets are available online HERE. I'm SO excited for our first rehearsal Monday, and can't wait to get to know this wonderful group! It's going to be a fantastic show, with lots of fun music, dancing, and..well hags and trolls are a plus. Congrats to the cast!

JO MARCH: Hannah Bagnall
AMY MARCH: Megan Riefer
MEG MARCH: Tess Hamacher
BETH MARCH: Rebecca Light
MARMEE MARCH: Amanda Engelke
AUNT MARCH: Susan Holmes
PROFESSOR BHAER: Nathan Czuba
MR. LAURENCE: Lanin Thomasma
LAURIE: John Nisbett

MR. JOHN BROOKE: Josh Riefer
MRS. KIRK/Chorus: Amy Arthur
BRAXTON/Chorus: Alex Goff
KNIGHT/Chorus: Steve Skelton
RODRIGO/Chorus: Steven Pfeifer
HAG/Chorus: Paige Timer
TROLL/Chorus: Maggie Hamacher
RODRIGO 2/Chorus: Gayle Wennlund
CHORUS: Marci Fairbanks, Anna Nisbett, Peter Cook, Cheyene Dalton, Jill Dalton, Lena Howdeshell, Colin McCluskey

AND our incredible Director: Jason Cannon
and Musical Director: Susan Holmes

::the new swingset

The swing set is complete! Daddy and Joel finished building it Monday morning/afternoon. We had a great celebration that evening and all went down to try it out. 

 The kids love it. Lots of adventures shall be had on it..I remember endless swingset hours with Josh and Jenny - riding across the desert, fighting ocean wars, invasions from oncoming pirate ships(our favorite, of course). Ash took this picture of Johnny boy - apparently it's his "going down the slide" face. The ham, you know it!
I stole a few of these first pictures from Ashley's blog. You can see more of hers HERE.

 Uncle John  and his nephew Evan. Four years apart...they have a blast together. Little buddies. It's interesting watching my parent's son and grandson playing on the swingset together..what a neat blessing!

 Swinging with the Aunties

 Jen, Mom, and Ash. I have a feeling we're ALL going to have loads of fun playing on it!!

 The mighty builders.

Jackie boy likes the rocks. And the excitement. And so many children to lick and jump on.

It will be a special play spot for many years to come...I can't wait to watch and see as new little grandkids come and join the crew!

::jovial beggars line dance

PHOTO CREDIT: CALEB ROYER

Oh, Tess!

::it's a saturday

Time for some pictures! 

(because of volleyball games, Gracie and Kels weren't able to make it to Jeannie Night this week)so Jen and I enjoyed the night playing in the big sand box with all the chuzin littles...we used to play so many games in there. Chinese rice makers, building dams(oh, did we build some goood ones when Josh was there..you'd be impressed with our water tunnels), the adventures of Jo Jo Blinkie. Good, good cousin times.

It started to rain after a while, but it really was a beautiful night and I'm thankful we got to have that extra time just with the little ones. Fun to watch them and spend some time getting to know them better....what a gift, the Chuzin Clan.

It was a successful sand box expedition: built some very nice sand castles, buried me up to my neck, and found a long-lost sand toy.

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David's been building lots of lego machines lately...comes to me every other day saying, "Get the camera, Meg! I made a new one!" He is going to be on a magazine one day, so he tells me, and so we need all these pictures saved for just that special day. Go for it, buddy.

 Also, he has been experimenting with his hairdo. Mr. Suave. This self-portrait makes me smile. :-)

 Stephie girl loves painting her nails, and although we've had the same colors for ages, it's always her big, tough decision to pick her favorite. Last night she chose pink toes and orange fingers. :-)

Today we discovered that weeding is surprisingly more enjoyable and exciting when it rains all morning, making the ground gushy, sloppy mud. We cleared a lot of garden while successfully getting covered in mud, getting wet, and finding lots of worms. Fun day. And thank you Lord, for the much needed rain!!!