A Daddy-Daughter Day at the Ballet

My fellow homeschooling friend, Dee, got a bee in her bonnet and organized a home school group trip to see the Nutcracker Ballet. what a lady! I know from past experience that trying to put together anything with a group of homeschoolers is a little...uhm, intense. Especially if it involves things like deadlines and accurate head counts and submitting money for advance ticket purchase. But she pulled it together, because she's cool like that. Anyway. The Kansas City Ballet puts on several special performances for school groups during the holiday season, at steeply discounted prices. Of course, I wanted my girls to be able to go!

 
Gabba and Eliza - being themselves - with some of our home school friends

Not only would they get to see their friends from our former home school group, but this would their first-ever experience with The Nutcracker (no, Barbie in the Nutcracker doesn't count!)


 
Mark's mom was there - she's part of that home school group, and as a former dancer, she's all over this sort of thing! - with Sarah, Jacob and our niece, Annnie. Here is Jacob, looking both dapper and comfy.

 
Eliza at the edge of the balcony, with the orchestra behind her. Mark said she really didn't get what was going on, and that he held her on his lap and told her what was happening. I was wondering if a four-year-old was old enough for a ballet. That answers that question. Mark said the girls would do much better at an operetta or a musical, where there is at least some dialogue. Guess I'll have to work on that.


The night before the performance - which was at 10:30 in the morning, so we had to leave pretty early to get there and get parked and seated on time - I had them pick out their favorite dress to wear. After all, this is a professional ballet performance at a real theater in the big city. If I had my way, I would have put their hair in curlers and gone way overboard dolling them up, because that's what I like to do.


Gabriella, Miriam, and Lucy, waiting for the curtain call

But the morning of the ballet, it was single-digit-temperature cold. So, I canned my plans and we bundled them up in pants and sensible shoes. Bummer. Mark took them down, because I have this little fashion accessory named George that has to go with me everywhere. And he's not always quiet, and he's not always cooperative. Besides, I take up two seats - George and myself - and if I didn't drive, we could take the car (read: save big $$ on gas) and take the girls' friend and fellow home school student, Miriam.

Here are the girls posing with this rather odd statue they passed on the way from the car to the theater. Of course, I'm no art critic, but I'm pretty sure someone paid way too much for it. But the girls thought it was cool, and Mark obligingly took a picture of them posing with it.