My favorite tradition

Last week I took the girls to The Nutcracker! We went out to dinner with some of our favorite friends; Maggie, Ellie, and Sophie...or Fophie as Simone loving calls her. Then we were off to the performance. We got great seats and the girls were so well behaved. We just happened to be there the same night as our dance teacher, Elaine. She is my teacher, Natalia's, and Ellie's. It was a serendipitous meeting. Before the show she sat with the girls and told them about the ballet, then characters, how to behave during a performance, and that it is okay to clap and even the occasional laugh is fine. Simone kept saying, "Blue turtian (curtain) UP! Move this turtain!"

Then the show began. Simone was on my lap and she loved every minute. Except the mice and the mouse king. She took my hands and covered her eyes with them. When I took them down after I thought it was safe...she grabbed them and said, "Your hands....cover my eyes!"

She laughed, she clapped, and when Mother Ginger came out she could see the little feet under her skirt and she said, "they hidin". Simone watched every minute. Now Natalia chose to sit by her little friend and was very far from me. I would peek over every once and a while and she was absolutely smitten! Her eyes never left the stage. I loved looking at my little girl, her face illuminated from the stage lights, thoroughly enjoying one of my favorite holiday traditions.

Afterward our dance teacher took us backstage. The older two girls had picked out a paperback copy of The Nutcracker as a souvenir and they had the dancers autograph the first page. It was a magical moment and such a fantastic way to end our evening.



This is a link to Maggie's blog. She just posted about it too, and she is such a talented writer. (And she brought her camera to the ballet!)