Passion of the King

 Shaun and the girls had the privilege of being a part of our church's production Passion of the King.  Rehearsals started in February and they worked hard.  The three of them loved being a part of it and truly have a heart for this ministry.  What a blessing to see!

Avery did the kid's scene last year and did great and both she and Amanda just expected that since Amanda was four this year, she'd be a part also.  Shaun and I weren't so sure, after her Nutcracker episode.  She did more than ok, though.  She did great and touched many, many lives, both in the cast and in the audience.  We think of her as nearly equal to Avery in age around here and expect a lot of her, but up on stage she seemed like such a little girl.

Avery stepped out of her comfort zone, too and did a few extra parts.  By the end, she was all warmed up! :)

We had several discussions about the play and how it was "pretend".  It took the girls a while to sort out what and who was real and what was just part of the play.

Shaun took them to nearly all the rehearsals and performances and so the three of them had established a routine.  On the last night, Shaun had to stay extra late to pack up the sound equipment so I took the kids.  When we got in the shuttle bus to retrieve the car, Amanda was talking to the driver and said, May I please have the song?  He smiled, said yes and quickly adjusted his ipod to a kid's song, which he and the kids sang together.  It was pretty funny.  Amanda also informed me that Daddy always take them to Dunkin Donuts for munchkins.  Wow, Aiden and I missed out on so much! :)

Also, since I wasn't there and Shaun was tied up with his responsibilities, two teenage girls each took one of my girls under their wing and made sure they were in their costume and got signed in to the right classroom.  Again, they established routines, one of Amanda's was going to see the lamb.  Wish I had pictures of that!

 She had the honor of being carried in by Jesus.  I have no idea where she learned it, but she had the Miss America wave down pretty good.

 Shaun's mom was in the ensemble...

 ...as were four cousins (Maddie is in green).

 They were thrilled to get flowers from their brother at the final performance.

They made many friends along the way (cousin Trevor).  These next two I took from facebook...thanks Brittany and Corey.

The girls made great memories, touched lives and I'm so thankful they had this experience.

Here's the big kids scene, in case you are interested.  You'll see Avery at the very beginning getting carried in and Amanda at the very end being led away.  Cousin Nathanael is Shepard Boy David.

He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 18:2-4