Maestin's Talent Show Play

Well we have only one more day of school and it couldn't come soon enough for ALL of us. However, this last week has been fun for the boys. One high light every year is the talent show that Mrs. Ward so wonderfully puts on. Maestin has tried out each year, with no success of making it. He has been talking about doing a play, and I have honestly just let him do it not getting too involved. I used to put together plays all the time as a kid, and I have seen some of them and they well are very kiddish for a lack of better words, dumb. So, when he came home telling about the boys he was involving and the practices going on I just gave him my support as he needed it. Well he made it and it has been a big deal. Between a few conflicts with some of the other kids, one boy wanting to take over the whole thing and Maestin trying to keep everyone happy he has learned a lot.

So off to the talent show I went today. I am going to try and explain the short more of a skit.

Cast:
Three pick-up cowboys with ropes
One Bull (in full costume)
One cowboy doctor
One wife

Scene one:
Wild bull bucking making a ruckus the bull goes after a cowboy (Dillon) and knocks him to the ground.
Other two cowboys Meastin and Bryant rope the bull (for real!) and drag the bull out.

Maestin and Bryant run to the cowboy roll him over and Maestin says with the best stage voice...
"Doesn't look too good. Better call the Doctor!"
In enters the Doctor at a slow true cowboy shuffle kneels over the hurt cowboy for a full second stand up takes off his cowboy hat puts it over his heart and says...
"It doesn't look good, he is going to die in a few days."
Maestin: "We better take him to his wife."
The two cowboys carry the injured cowboy to his wife in the corner who is busy cooking
Maestin says.."Mum...smells like his wife is backing chocolate chip cookies."
Two cowboys exit
injured cowboy starts to get up: "Uh... I smell chocolate chip cookies I feel better already." He reaches for a cookie and asks, "Can I have one?"
Wife: Slaps his hand and says, "No, those are for the funeral."

It was definitely a crowd pleaser. However, I was pleasantly surprised. When I heard Maestin say the line about the wife baking cookies I knew instantly what he had been up to. We need to go back to my Grandpa Woodbury's 80th birthday party last fall. We went to Mackay to celebrate. After the celebration, we went into Mackay to a cowboy poetry that my grandma and grandpa put on. My Grandpa is a very talented cowboy poet. And among other guest cowboy poets there that night, my grandpa entertained us with his humor. Maestin loved it, he sat enthralled the entire time. He talked about it for days after. Well this little skit is very close to one of the jokes/stories my grandpa told that night. It was Maestin's favorite one! I had no idea that this is what he was doing.

It turned out so good, and I am proud of him. He was kind to the kids he worked with. They put in a lot of practice and team work. All the kids waited very anxiously the day they tried out to see if they made it. I was fortunate enough to be there the day they found out and I saw them run down the hall to read the list. It was priceless to see the smiles on their faces as they ran back with the good news. The wife in the play was very excited to be included, and her parents expressed their appreciation to Maestin for including her. There was another boy who was involved whose family is going through a very difficult time financially right now. They are without a home at the worst. Maestin was very sensitive to his needs, and was concerned for him when he asked to do something else in the play. Maestin thought hard about it all weekend a way to please him without hurting his feelings. He even had to deal with a difficult boy that wanted to be in charge and tell everyone none to friendly how to do and what to do. Maestin was a great leader and I saw qualities grow as we talked through the issues for the weeks leading up to the final skit. He had a lot of fun, and his little brothers couldn't wait to watch the "play" and were not disappointed...well ya they were they wanted to be in it too!

Sorry a bit long, I couldn't let this one go without it being recorded for life.
Maestin nine years old
Third grade Ms. Taylor
Friends in play:
Maestin
Carson Ellis
Bryant Cotter
Darren Tapp
Dillon Hunt
Lisa Crump