We ventured into the unknown and decided to take our family's living-room and car-based on the road with just the two of us...and we wound up at the Fair Park Music Hall for a young professionals.
I guess it wasn't exactly a 'bad fit'...because you are young... and I'm a professional!
We had so much fun on our little evening together.
.. and we kinda crushed it on stage!
Or to put it this way: A fellow attendee, who just so happened to work at Broadway Dallas, told us later that when he saw us ask someone else to record our first duet said that he "knew we were gonna see. a. show!"
First we sang our go-to duet that we belt in the car and in the living room all the time: Suddenly Seymour!
Then, you sang "Think of Me" from Phantom...and had a surprise visit from the same attendee who sprinted down to his office for what was, as it turns out, a very valid "Cloak Emergency!"
These are the two main lessons from Seussical and man are the whoppers that hit me right in the feels when I look back on your spring 2026 performance.
This is the play that we hadn’t really heard of and definitely hadn’t listened to any of the music from and then it quickly became some of our favorite music of all, with the most feels and chill inducing lines of all… Solla Sollew!! Anything’s possible! A person’s a person no matter how small!
This is the play that you, Julia, got call backs for nearly every role and you had to stay up late learning a million different songs on the night that our London family left for home…and you were convinced that you didn’t do well on any of them!
This is the play that mom taught you both the dance call back before auditions.
This is the play Aidan that had an opening for a big juicy role mid- production and you busted your butt on to learn and choreograph and audition for.
And… anything’s possible!
Julia, you got cast as the Cat in the Hat! The mercurial emcee; the nutty narrator; the impersonator. You channeled your Louis Armstrong, your zany Looney Too spirit, and you commanded the stage whether you were singing a solo, a duet with Jojo, holding down harmonies, or singing off stage. You also really got to do a lot of cool dancing and ‘magic tricks’ and you really just … sparkled! You were an amazing Cat in the Hat, and an amazing lead for this musical! Mrs Bonnie Jean came to see you and she was SOOO proud! Singing, dancing, acting… it’s no wonder that you won the ‘EVERYTHING’s possible’ award!
Aidan… you GOT THE PART! Your most substantive role to date with lines, monologues, and your first singing solo! You were General Genghis Kahn Schmitz… and you scare children out of their wits! You practiced so hard, taking lessons with Mr Coffin, taking your role so seriously even amongst a heavy classes at school. And you nailed it! You were so serious that you were funny! And seriously talented. Everyone was raving about how good and how funny you were! You channeled this silly drill Sergeant so well that you even won the ‘committed to the bit’ award! And don’t forget, you pulled double duty… working the curtains behind the scenes and also having a cameo as ‘Vlad Vladikoff’ the evil black bottomed eagle… you had one line as him and got huge laughs there too! Which just goes to show you… a person’s a person no matter how small! But I’ll never forget how after your song you held your hands high above your head and soaked in your victorious applause. THAT is a young man who can do anything!
You also made a lot of new friends with this one; since this play included a younger cast that joined you for the last week, you got to work with the littlest littles and … Julia… you even volunteered to help with them at rehearsal for one session. you gained some groupies with this play… all the little boys especially followed you around and looked up to you! And at the end of one of the shows a little young lady came up to you and said that you were her favorite part!
Aidan, you commanded your cadets with an iron fist and an open heart, and some of them became big fans of yours earning you lots of hugs and new stature as a senior statesman of EDA.
We are all so proud of both of you, and watching you shine and grow with each play makes me excited to see (oh) the places you’ll go!
Julia, I LOVE singing in the car with you! One time when you were feeling blue, I suggested that we go drive around white rock lake and just sing Broadway together. You agreed. And we sang and sang and sang. We stopped singing when we came across the bald eagle hatching ground. And then we sang some more. And you said it was just what you needed! No one was feeling blue after that!
Other times, we've been singing and gotten thumbs up from other motorists with their windows down.
We sing as a whole family too, of course! Les Mis! Hercules! Something Rotten!
I really cherish singing with you :) One of our go-to's is Suddenly Seymour from Little Shop of Horrors.
One day after thrifting and comic book shopping we decided to record ourselves :) Not too bad!
Seymour may be Audrey's man suddenly.... but I'm always and forever your Dad and your biggest fan!
Julia! Today you are 13!!!!! You are a happy, clever, SINGING, Broadway nerdy, Montessori, whip smart, artistic, writerly, dedicated, loving, funny, fashionable, foodie, 80s-loving, and FABULOUS DIVA!
We ARE AS IN LOVE with you today as we were 13 years ago!
We started your birthday like we start most birthday!
Pancakes! Balloons! Presents! (a Great Gatsby Graphic Novel!)
You knew EXACTLY what you wanted to do today!
1. Muffulettas from Jimmy's Food Store
2. A trip to the Museum of Illusions
3. And then dinner at Simply Fondue!
4. And then a week-ish later, you had a great party with your friends!
Okay, okay, so... as you have gotten older and have busier lives, these birthday updates have gotten more and more delayed. In fact, I took these pictures when you were 12.5 years old, and I'm literally posting it like 5 days from your thirteenth birthday, but I think that still counts!
Julia, you are an amazing young woman. You are brilliant, extremely self motivated to explore whatever creative passion you are in to at the time (taylor swift bracelets, scrapbooking, rearranging your room), you are generous of spirit and kindhearted, you work incredibly hard, you have a beautiful singing voice and sing ALL. THE. TIME. As of this writing you're in your Newsies era and you and I have been practicing the National Anthem in two part harmony. You love your lessons with Miss Bonnie. You have a tight group of friends, and you have big dreams to be on broadway some day.
You are a delight and you have the brightest future ahead of you.
When you turned 12 you were at the beginning of your last year of Upper Elementary School, on the precipice of adolescence... you have always been mature, but you still giggle like crazy when your funny bone is tickled or when your brother (and I) burp on command.
We are in awe of you daily!
Here's the FULL birthday photo shoot, and - I'm no fool- I only posted the pictures that you said you approved of! Except for one that I loved that you didn't...can you guess which one it is?
Second star to the right and straight on till morning.
For the spring musicale, EDA put on Peter Pan Jr.!
We are SO proud of darling Julia as Peter Pan and amazing Aidan as Noodler the pirate/Toodles the Lost Boy!
Julia, since you've been taking lessons with Ms. Bonnie, your voice has matured and grown so much. You were an excellent Peter Pan...the stuff dreams are made of!
Aidan, you do such a good job with the stunts, and your lines, and your emoting- you even had your first vocal solo- and it was wonderful! You have grown so much!
A play about children and growing up is enough to make me cry as I'm typing this, so I'll let others tell you both how great this production and play was!
Mr Tom said to Julia:
‘Here’s something I love about you Julia: some plays your the star, some plays youre soldier number 2, but whether you’re the star or soldier number 2 you give it your all, you are a professional, and humble and kind. You went from Annie to soldier number 2 for a few shows and now you’re Peter Pan… and you’ll be soldier number 2 again- but you’re always the same humble, wonderful, kind you and you always inhabit your role and give it all you’ve got - and that is an amazing skill to have for someone so young.’
Ms Amy said to Aidan:
‘This guy… Aidan… he has become our responsible, reliable leader. If someone’s lost, Aidan knows where they need to be and he can help them. And he shows so much emotion in his acting - so much range. He feels everything! He has grown so much on stage and off, and we are so proud of him’
Julia: ‘me and my friends prayed to Taylor Swift backstage before the show that our sets would be in the right place, that we’d hit our marks and know our lines and sing well… And we did! Guys…. I nailed it!’
Aidan: I did so good! And we did so good! I asked all the girls and some of the boys for hugs backstage!
Julia: I don’t want it to be over
Just think of happy thoughts as you watch these videos and remember how much fun you had this spring...singing, dancing, working hard, learning new lines and new songs, and making new friends.
Mom and I are so happy you had such a wonderful adventure...and we're even more glad that you chose to come back home from Neverland after all!
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