Mendonite Welkers: Spring TaVaci Performance

Wow! I can't believe how fast time flies when life becomes crazy! The last couple of weeks have been such a whirlwind and we're thankful to have survived and hopefully we've got our feet back on the ground.

A lot has been going on in our household so please bare with me as I start posting from the first event and work my way forward. This is going to turn into a few posts that will probably come a day at a time since I can't sit down to type until after 9 p.m.

On Saturday, May 9, Hannah had her Spring TaVaci concert. In order to prepare there was a long practice on Wednesday, a rehearsal Friday night, dress rehearsal Saturday morning and then the final performance Saturday night.

During the week I also spent an hour plus at the DI searching for the "perfect" orphan outfit. Hannah's age group did two songs from the movie Annie, thus the orphan outfit. I thought it was going to be so easy to run to the DI and purchase an oversized pair of overalls. Boy, was I ever wrong! Who knew that the day I chose to hit the DI would be the day I would be able to find a total of two, yes only two pair of overalls. I even searched the boys section and came up empty handed. There was one pair of levi overalls and one pair of kaki overalls. The levi ones were going to have to work even though they are a size 16 and Hannah is only a size 8! I was able to score a cute button up long sleeved shirt and an adorable orphan looking hat. Yes, I had to use my sewing ability, which is slim to none, to cut off 11 1/2 inches from the legs of the overalls and make the appropriate adjustments to make it work. Overall, I thought she was the cutest orphan on the stage. I may be a bit bias being her mom and all.

One of the highlights of the TaVaci performance was the Annie song "I Don't Need Anything but You" that Hannah got to perform with her Dad. It was probably the end of March when the TaVaci instructor contacted me to see if Dave would be willing to dance in an Annie song with Hannah. After a couple of days of having the message, I finally asked Dave if he was going to do it or not. He reluctanly agreed. Deep down I think he was hoping that Hannah would back out but she never did.

Anyway, after practice the first Wednesday in April, the instructor chatted with me after class saying that the girls and their dads would be practicing the following week and that Dave's part to the song was on Hannah's CD. Yea, the message she left didn't say anything about Dave singing with Hannah. It only mentioned "dancing" with Hannah. Oh you should have seen Dave's face when I came home and informed him that his part was on Hannah's CD and they needed to practice. I remember the words vividly....."I DON'T have to sing do I?!?!?!" Priceless is all that comes to mind. Dave and Hannah had probably four extra practices and then they also practiced the Friday and Saturday morning prior to the final performance. I give Dave credit. He's a trooper!

Thanks to Uncle Glade for coming and sitting with Nicole so I was able to video all of Hannah's songs and Dave was able to take still shots. It was hard enough keeping Ashley entertained for the entire performance. I can't imagine if we'd had Nicole too!

I do have to mention that as the performance started, Ashley glared into my eyes and said, "WHEN DO I GET TO DO TAVACI?" She was a bit upset that Hannah got to be on stage and she didn't. Oh Heaven help us next year when she is old enough!!!

I have to say that the song Hannah and Dave did was the highlight of the performance. It was so dang cute! They both did a great job and I was really proud of them. Dave's comment....."Why when you do something like this do you have to know so many in the audience?" Everyone that spoke to us was impressed that he would do this with Hannah. What a Dad won't do for his girls!

Here's our performers.....