Oliver!

Nic as the Artful Dodger, Anna as a street urchin and orphan, and Greta as a rich girl.

Last week, we lived our days and nights for the Oliver! musical. The kids had full dress rehearsals from 5 to 9:30pm 3 days in a row and then 3 performances back to back. They performed the full Broadway version, which for an elementary school, is a tall order.

The kids were excellent! Nic had several solos and some dance moves. Anna sang and danced with the other orphans and Greta came on stage for the Who Will Buy? scene. I was so proud of her getting up in front of an audience 3 times and singing with the cast.

On the final evening of the performance, Greta was brave enough to go up with Nic to take a bow.

Never far behind, John Michael was hoping to get in on the action, too.

Getting ready for Oliver!

The Artful Dodger and an unsuspecting Street Urchin

Practicing the art of pickpocketing...

My two older kids have to stay home this week due to a student at their school contracting the Swine Flu!

So to make the most of their time at home, we headed to our newest Goodwill store and scored some great pieces for the school musical, Oliver! Nick is playing the Artful Dodger and loving every minute of it. If you're not familiar with the story of Oliver Twist, Dodger is a young, skilled pickpocket. He was testing his newfound skills on his sister, Anna, an unsuspecting Street Urchin. John Michael and I were having fun watching them get in their roles.
On another note, John Michael has a terrible cold. His nose won't stop running and he absolutely HATES having his nose wiped or sucked out (I would, too). He's also coughing, fussy and isn't sleeping well at night. The doctor confirmed it's "just a cold," but I'd rather be safe than sorry with the Swine Flu here in the area. Here's hoping for a better night!