What a week...

This past week had us a bit overwhelmed. On Friday evening, Brynn was in her room and started screaming hysterically. Now, Brynn is quite a drama queen, so screaming hysterically no longer alarms me. I went into her room and found that her ceiling was leaking. There was a washbasket full of clean clothes and stuffed animals that was now completely waterlogged. Tim was still at work, so I called my dad to see what I should do. Temporarily I have a tarp on the attic insulation (there is no floor up there yet) with a couple of towels on it. This weekend we have to crawl up there and lay down some new shingles. Not looking forward to that...I am afraid of heights!
Saturday was Brynn's ACT classes and her first audition. This was for an agency out of Los Angeles. She was a total wreck until about 10 minutes before her turn. After she came back out of the audition, she said,"wow, that was really easy". If the company is interested in her we will hear from them in about two weeks.
Sunday Mara got stung by a wasp. Her hand and arm were swollen to about twice its normal size. It was really red and itchy and she just couldn't stop scratching.
Sunday night we started to get the effects of Hurricane Ike. The electricity flashed on and off several times (during the Steeler game no less). It finally went off completely around midnight.
Monday morning, still no electricity. We had a meeting with Brynn's gifted teacher at 8:30, so we loaded up the kids and went to school. We met with the teacher and we talked about the storms and no electricity and things like that. About 40 minutes into our meeting, Tim and I found out there was actually a two hour delay for school that day! Thank goodness we had that meeting or I would have been frantic waiting for the bus.
The electricity came back on later that afternoon at our house. But, we still didnt have water... I called Tim (again) and he came home to check it out. We ended up calling a plumber who gave us a name of a well guy. We took showers at the YMCA that night and the well guy came out to the house Tuesday afternoon.
We now have water, electricity, a healed wasp bite and 1 slightly less hysterical kid in the house. We'll see what happens with the roof this weekend!

Our Anniversary Weekend

This past weekend, Tim and I celebrated our 12th wedding anniversary. I cant believe it has been that long! I think it is making me start to sound a little old...



On saturday, Tim surprised me with tickets to go see Wicked on stage at the Benedum Center downtown. We both read the book years ago and we both heard that the show was great. well, great doesnt begin to describe it. It was unbelievable! The scenery was the best i have ever seen. The music just sticks in your head. The cast was from the traveling production and they were great. The girl that played Elphaba (the wicked witch of the west) was so awesome. She played the part so well and what a great voice. I am ready to go see it again. brynn was annoyed she couldnt go, and next time i will definitely take her. She will just fall in love with it!

On Sunday I surprised Tim and the girls with a trip to the Pittsburgh Renaissance Faire. Tim and i went to the PA Ren Faire lots of times when we were in high school but the girls have never been to one and didnt really know what to expect. brynn donned her knight costume but wasnt sure if she would wear it or not. When we first got there, Tim and I were really disappointed. The initial entry really left a lot to be desired. A lot of open space with not many shops or stages and several people who dressed up for the day but werent actual actors at the show. just people in garb loitering around the front gates. Ok, so I apologized to Tim but said, lets go explore.


We first got a bite to eat and the food? Not so good. Tim had beef stew in a bread bowl and the girls and I had really bad pizza. then we watched an elf spin goats wool on a spinning wheel, interesting to see the spinning, but not a lot of draw going on. Then we watched a glass blower. This guy was really neat and he did a good show. Every hour he would do a demonstration and he did it well. He explained each step while he was doing it and explaining it so we could understand what he was talking about. He made a tankard while we were there. Really cool.
Next we walked down the hill and saw several shops and then probably the coolest thing i have ever seen in my entire life...a Carillon. A carillon is a musical instrument composed of bells. if you can imagine a huge pipe organ, replace the pipes with bells and that is a carillon.


The name of the group was "Cast in Bronze" The music played by the mysterious Spirit of the Bells. From the pictures below, you can kind of get a feel for the show. It was haunting and beautiful. I recommend you check out his music.


Finally it was starting to get good. At the end of the day, we were all sad to leave and had a lot of fun.

Brynn was knighted by King Henry VIII and proclaimed Dame Brynn to the realm. The girls also rode a barrel ride.

BRYNN'S HEADSHOTS


Here are some headshots of Brynn. Her first audition is on September 13!!

LEHMAN FAMILY PHOTOS


Here is the whole clan!

Just the four of us

Beautiful girls

TOOTHLESS


Mara finally lost her first tooth August 6

MARA'S BIRTHDAY PARTY AT TRINITY GYMNASTICS


Birthday girls Mara and Rachel

Best Friends Mara, Rachel and Ellie

Brynn on the uneven bars....do I smell a gold medal??

MARA'S BIRTHDAY AT MEMMY'S HOUSE


Mara with Brynn and Mackenzie

The Leshers

more the Leshers

Penny and Gatlyn

SUMMERTIME FUN


Brynn and Mom on the rockwall at Carnegie Science Center

Brynn on the rockwall at Carnegie Science Center


MARA'S LAST DAY AT MONTESSORI


Mara, Rachel and Ellie with their autograph books

Mara and Rachel at circle time

Mara and Kindergarten teacher Mrs. Shanks

Mara and Head of School Mrs. Miskell

Whats new

Here's what is new around the Lesher household. Mara graduated from kindergarten May 30th. Our final year at WPMS, it was a sad day. More so for Tim and I than it was for the girls... Brynn finished school on June 6. Both girls will be going to the same school next year (yea!!) Brynn into 3rd grade and Mara into 1st. Brynn tested for the gifted program at school and made it with flying colors. She will now be in both an advanced reading program (CAP) and the gifted program (GOAL). Lucky kid, she will be missing a lot of regular class time.

The girls just graduated to their next belts in TKD. Brynn is now a blue belt and Mara a camo/black belt. This session they are learning to use the Jahne Bong (Big stick). Mara's is 4 ft tall, Brynn's 5 ft. I can definitely see Brynn coming home with a black eye one night after trying to spin it around.

Brynn has also been accepted into acting and modeling school. She has a 4 hour class once a month for acting and 4 hours for modeling. In September, October and November she will be auditioning in front of casting directors both local as well as countrywide. The final audition will be with 20th Century Fox and Dreamworks. I am very excited, Brynn wavers back and forth. She loved the modeling class, but the acting was a little boring she said.

Tim is working like crazy. Lately we have been seeing him only on the weekends. He leaves in the morning and doesnt get home until after midnight most days. The girls miss him, I miss him, but things are going well at the company, so I dont complain too much.

I am back to working only weekends so I can be home with the girls during the week. We have been doing a lot of swimming and going to the parks. The girls went to Bible School last week for three days. This week the girls FINALLY learned to ride their bikes without training wheels. Brynn does very well, Mara still needs some help, but she is able to ride after a push or two. Now, if she could only learn to use the brakes instead of her feet...

Sunday is Mara's birthday. We will be at memmy's house for a little party so I should have some pictures to post soon.

What is God saying?

I have been having a religious dilemma lately. I started taking the girls to Awana at a local church on Wednesday evenings. The church was recommended by a co-worker who belongs there. The church is considered "non-denominational" but worships in the Anglican tradition. What does that mean exactly? I'm not sure. I do know that the girls really enjoy Awana. I have found the adult education programs to be average in interest.

Our neighbor has also been taking the girls to Thursday night bible study at her church as well as monthly movie nights and a few sunday school and church sessions. Last week I went to Sunday school, as well as a spaghetti dinner hosted by the youth group. The class was very small, only about 7 of us and we did more of a study group than a traditional sunday school that I am familiar with. We read a chapter in the Bible then discussed it in parts and as a whole. It was very informal and open. I did not attend church that day, but I will in the future. Everyone that I met at this church has been very friendly. The church is quite small and doesn't even have a Pastor at this time.

My dilemma is this...The church is a Church of God affiliation. Back home we called them "holy rollers." My impression of the Church of God has been closer to Menonite ways than contemporary. Again, my ignorance of the church liturgy holds me back and my best bet is to learn more. I really liked the Church of God, but I felt like the Anglican church is closer to my Lutheran background, based on nothing other than my opinion of something I had little contact with as a child.
The question is, does God really disappointed in us if we choose one variety of Chrisitanity over another? Is there a right one?
How do I know?

Adventures at Bathtime

What an exciting night we had here on Sunday.  Brynn was in the bathtub around 7 o'clock and Mara wanted to color in the room with her.  Mara was sitting on the bench outside the tub with her coloring book and markers.  She decided to reach over to Brynn, but the tub was wet and she slipped and hit her face off the tub edge.  Brynn screamed, "Mom! Mom! There is blood everywhere!"  

Well, the end result was three bottom teeth that went through her bottom lip - all the way through-...gross!  I took her to the emergency room for six stitches.  But the funniest part was, while they were numbing her lip up and getting ready to stitch her up, I passed out.  poor Mara cried even more, but I woke up a few seconds later.  I was totally embarrassed.  After they stitched her up, they laid her down on the stretcher I was on.  

She stayed home from school Monday but went back to school today.  She made it through most of the day but was hurting  so I picked her up early.

Here she is with the stitches


You can see her bottom lip is a little swollen here. The night before it was twice this size.

April updates

This week Mara told her classmates she was having a dance party at her house.  Much to my surprise parents started calling me to ask what they should bring, was it a birthday party, what time was the party, etc.  Well, I guess the party is on!  Yesterday we had five kids here for the party.  They all had lots of fun, but only danced for about 5 minutes.  We played outside on the swings and sandbox, played songs and sang with the keyboard and microphone.  We even wrestled on Mara's bed.  But Mara definitely has to ASK before planning her next party!

Spring weather is beautiful here.  This week it is in the low 70s but the ground is still pretty wet and mushy.  I started mowing grass and we have all been working on the garden.  Now our next big house project will be putting up steps to the back of the house and a new walkway.  Also this summer I want to paint the first floor of the house.  The peeling paint walls just dont do it for me!

Brynn is anxious for school to be over.  It is getting harder to get her up in the morning.  In school, she was invited to join an accelerated reading group.  It is called CAP communication arts plus.  She seems to like it alot, especially getting out of regular classes to go.  Her health hasnt changed much.  we have dropped her medicine down a half dose for evening but she is still moody, still anxious, still my little Brynn.  We will see the doctor in June and see what this round of bloodwork tells us...

Tim is finally back to normal hours at work.  They made their deadline and we see himm at night again.  Things seem to be going good, but there is a long way to go too.