This is what our Thursday nights have looked like for the last few months.

Tuck has a class about five minutes away and meets us at rehearsal so we can all go home together. Every Thursday night we look at the variety of restaurants on the block and say one night we will stay to eat — but so far we’ve always been too tired.

This is where Claudia is happiest. Beyond doubt, Omo Kuku Mele has changed her life.

But both kids need a rest from the stress of preparing for imminent performances, and so far, their school year has been shadowed — almost eclipsed — by them. Claudia wants different singing opportunities like musical theater, but they really both need a break — and it’ll come just in time for Béla’s state testing, which will not be a cakewalk for him this year, and for Claude’s National Mythology and Exploratory Latin Exams. Their stamina for actual sitting and studying is improving — and it needs to.

We are incredibly excited and honored to be part of this show. It will be performed on November 30, marking three years of homeschooling.

We will always remember these Thursday night rehearsals, I think. Walking out, and looking at the city at night, talking about what it would be like to live in different neighborhoods, different countries. Talking about everything that’s coming.