The Nutcracker 2014

So way back in September when I enrolled Clara in ballet, I started getting to know the owner of the ballet studio, Rachel, who is a member of our ward here in Dublin.  Her studio actually has three locations and for the past five years her dancers have put on a full performance of "The Nutcracker" for free to the public at the Oakland LDS temple.  I had heard about it last year and wasn't able to get tickets because they were gone within about 5 minutes of being made available online.  But we try to go see a performance every year (see here - Clara was so little last year! - and here - when we did a triple date to see it in our pre-kid years).  So when Rachel asked me if there was any chance Paul and I would be willing to participate in the show this year, I sort of jumped at the chance to be involved.  Paul joked that I "voluntold" him for this part (a phrase coined by a friend from a previous ward).

 

As adults, we only participated in the party scene (Act I, Scene I) which is where a number of families attend a party at the Stahlbaum's (Clara's family) house.  We were assigned 3 girls and 2 boys to be our children and it was a lot of play acting.  There were a couple of Saturday rehearsals and a Wednesday evening dress rehearsal that we had to attend but since our parts were tiny and just supportive to the real dancers, it wasn't too intense.  We did have two little dance sequences though where the "parents" dance together in stately, 18th century dances though and I must say it was sort of a dream come true to perform on stage again after such a long time (since 11th grade for me).  I had forgotten how much I love performing.  There is just something magical about the lights and waiting in the wings for the curtains to rise and paying attention to cues and chatting with the other performers backstage that is so much fun.  Add to that the elements of Christmastime and date night with Paul (since the girls obviously had to stay with a sitter a couple of times) and it was even better than I thought it might be. 

The production itself was amazing.  For a non-professional group, I was blown away by the costumes and sets and talent of the dancers.  I cannot believe that this quality of a performance is put on for free every year (Rachel isn't sure how long she will keep doing it because it is soooo much time and work to do it).  There is even a live orchestra, which really adds a lot to a performance.  There were some places where the orchestra struggled but they all volunteer and there is a ton of music to learn and rehearse together so its not like you can expect perfection from them.  And everybody said that they have been getting better each year.

Here is a picture of the adult couples from our scene, minus Ms. Bambi who played the part of Clara's mother and teaches at one of the studios.  We really enjoyed getting to know each of them and were surprised to learn that of the five couples, three of us had adopted our children and we are all in the same ward.  The couple on the far left in green (the wife is also one of Clara's nursery leaders), the woman in light blue, and Paul and I each have two children who were adopted.  And the grandparent couple (literally, that is their role - there is a part called the "grandfather's dance") used to host birthmothers who didn't have a place to stay during their pregnancy and so they also have a close connection with adoption.  So many interesting stories and such fun making new friends. 

I snapped a quick photo from backstage one night to try to show the size of the auditorium and couldn't capture how large it really is.  There is a balcony and pit area and everything.

I adored all of the costumes.  There are so many different roles and many of them are played by the same dancers in different scenes so there were lots of costume changes.  I don't know how everybody kept it all straight!

For the record, Paul DID wear blush and lipstick on the second night after being shamed into it by the other men and me.  What a good sport he is.  Also, he is the most fun person to be on stage with ever.  He hammed up everything and I was constantly amused by his expressions and eyebrow waggles.  He was tasked with carrying one of the "dolls" (dancers that behave like wind-up dolls brought to the party by Godfather Drosselmeyer) off the stage at the end of her dance by flipping her upside down and carrying her off that way while she holds a stiff, doll-like pose and it got one of the biggest laughs of the night (because of the choreography, but still...).  Clara came to watch the performance on Friday night and said that her favorite part was when daddy carried the clown off the stage. 

Clara was fascinated by my "beautiful gown".  I went out at intermission to see her and she kept caressing the black ribbons and pulling out the red skirt to see how long it was.  I twirled for her and could see in her eyes that at that moment I was absolutely, for sure a princess and the most beautiful one in the world.  I was stopped a couple of times by other 3 year old girls who were too shy to speak to me but whose moms explained that they were "dying" to meet a "real ballerina" and that because I was in costume I counted.  It gave me a glimpse of what the people who dress as characters at Disneyland might feel like. 

I even wore false eyelashes for the first time for the Saturday performance.  I forgot them Friday night but remembered that I had a set that Tabby gave me for my birthday and pulled them out on Saturday.  Those things are insanely uncomfortable (at least at first) but I have to admit, they looked pretty cool on.  I mean, for a girl who has hardly any natural lashes to speak of, these things made a massive, insane difference in my appearance (at least to me they did).  I just wish they weren't so dadgum awkward to wear.  I need more occasions to try them out again so I can get more used to them.

After our part was over we just hung out backstage watching the dancers perform from the side, which was a very cool perspective.  I have mad respect for these ballerinas and how much hard work they put into putting on each show.  It was also so fun to watch the littlest performers (the angels and sheep) as they were squired around by their instructors.  They were so darling and I hope that Clara gets to participate one day!

And when we got bored we took ridiculous selfies.  It was definitely a time commitment to do the show but we had so much fun that we definitely would consider doing it again in future years if given the chance. 

 

Clara Begins Ballet

 

Clara had her first ballet class at Rachel's Ballet in Dublin this past week.  She was so excited for it and talked about it for days in advance.  I really wasn't sure how she would do and was worried that she wouldn't do what Miss Ashley (the instructor) asked or would get clingy but she marched right in with the other girls and was assuming first position and intently imitating movements within minutes.  I can watch her through a window and she had a huge smile across her face the entire time.  She is definitely hooked. 

 

Before class started I asked her to do some ballet poses for me so I could take her picture and boy did she ever give me a performance.  Here are just a handful of the shots I took:

 

I asked around when I was trying to determine which ballet school to send her too and got quite a few recommendations for Rachel's studio.  She is actually a member of our ward and puts on a full performance of "The Nutcracker" every year at the Oakland Temple auditorium for free.  Tickets are gone within 5 minutes of being made available every season and we didn't get them last year but are definitely going to try to get some this year even though Clara won't be old enough to perform in it until she is 5 or 6.  I may have mentioned this before but one of the reasons we love Clara's name so much is because of Clara from the Nutcracker and we have a number of Nutcracker books that we read to Clara and she adores the story because of the name association.  Last Christmas she loved watching the ballet for the first time and we are looking forward to taking her again this year since it is one of our favorite Christmas traditions.

Rachel's studio is the only one around that follows RAD standards (Royal Academy of Dance) and examines their students every year to determine eligibility for moving up levels (including preschool levels).  It is definitely the most intensively and exclusively ballet-focused school in our area compared to other dance studios that also offer tap, contemporary, jazz, etc.  So I don't know if that is going to be a good thing or a bad thing for Clara but for now I think it is great.  Plus it is practically just around the corner from us which makes it super convenient.

I have to admit that my heart aches a little seeing her growing up so fast with her hair pulled into a perfect bun and her sweet pink leotard, skirt, tights, and slippers walking in to her dance class confident and proud.  A part of me wonders: is it too much?  Is it okay for her to be doing gymnastics on Monday and ballet on Tuesday and starting preschool this fall?  I honestly know it is fine - I'm not really concerned and although we obviously are giving her the opportunities at this stage we would pull her from the activities if Clara was not enjoying them or wasn't ready but she talks about ballet and gymnastics all the time and so obviously loves them that we know it is the right thing for her right now.  But Paul and I decided soccer is too much to add to the mix this year so we are nixing that even though we had been thinking about getting her started in that too. 

She is such a little lady and we just love our little ballerina so much. 

December Happenings Thus Far

How is it December 10th already?  Are we seriously just 2 weeks away from Christmas Day?  Jeepers - please tell me I am not the only one who feels like it was just Halloween. 

 

We have really been loving the Christmas season around our house this year.  The advent calendar that I posted about a couple of weeks ago has been a big hit as far as getting us organized and having some Christmasy fun every day.  I have even been listening to the Christmas station on the radio (not normal for me - I typically like it quiet while I drive or I will listen to an audiobook but background music just isn't my thing) and Clara has been LOVING it.  She can sing Jingle Bells, Santa Claus is Coming to Town, and Silent Night.  Except she refuses to let me video her doing any of it.  Seriously, I keep trying and she keeps stopping mid-song to say "no take a photo, mom" and I can't convince her that is not what I am doing.  Or she gets really silly and starts singing nonsense words and doing jibber-jabber to thwart my efforts at documenting how adorable her version of Silent Night is.  I will keep at it. 

 

We were really happy with how our Christmas cards turned out this year.  I thought I was getting a deal ordering them the week before Thanksgiving when they were 25% off plus free shipping but turns out a few days after Thanksgiving they went to 30% off, then a few days after that they went to 35% off.  So I should hold out longer next year.  I took our photo while we were in Yosemite using a tripod and the self-timer.  I just arranged Paul and Clara on the quilt in a field in Yosemite valley, then I would run back and forth until we got something we liked.  I posted some of the runner-ups back here, but honestly this was probably the 2nd or 3rd shot we took. 

 

The day before Thanksgiving, we always take Clara to the mall to meet Santa Claus.  It is so much less crowded than after Thanksgiving so we don't have to wait in line or anything.  Clara has been DYING to wear her "pretty, sparkly gold Christmas dress" for weeks and weeks now and was so excited that she finally got to don her finery to go meet St. Nick. 

I took a little video while we were off to the side waiting our turn.  Clara loves bike rides and we have a few friends who have balance bikes for their kids to help them figure out coasting and balancing before introducing pedals, so we thought it would be a good idea for her for Christmas.  When we casually mentioned that maybe she could get a bike for Christmas, she latched onto the idea and elaborated, explaining that Santa would bring her a purple bike.  She has stuck true to that color for the most part (gold was thrown in the mix a couple of times), so Paul found a used Stryder balance bike on Craigslist for less than half the price of a new one and he sanded it down, primered it, and painted it purple just for Clara since there were no purple balance bikes that we could find.  We are hoping she will be pleased.

Clara goes to meet Santa Claus from Amy Nash on Vimeo.

Clara did great meeting Santa Claus.  She held my hand walking up to him, but then told him her name and how old she was when he asked.  Then she willingly sat on his lap for a picture and cheesed it up for the camera.  I was floored when I put her picture with Santa from this year next to her picture with Santa from last year.  She has grown SO much.    I mean, seriously, can you believe these two photos are just one year apart?!  She went from a baby to a big girl overnight, I swear.  Everybody always says how grown-up Clara looks, and it is totally true as much as I hate to believe it.  She is barely 2 1/2 (as of November 19th) but in this picture she looks more like a 4 or 5 year old to me.  I think it is her crazy long hair and the fact that she has always been a thin little thing without as much baby fat as other kids her age that make her appear so much more grown up.

This photo of Clara and Santa having a conversation is my favorite one.  I was back behind the photographer looking at the shots he had already taken of her cheesing it up when we noticed Clara and Santa having a heart-to-heart (presumably about her behavior over the past year and her Christmas wish list) and I am so glad we caught a picture of it before the magical moment was over and he had to move on to the next child in line.

 

On Friday after Thanksgiving, we drove up into the mountains and picked out a tree to cut down, then on Sunday, we decorated it while listening to Christmas music.  Clara was a BIG help.  My mom and sister were there still too and they would hand Clara a red ball or a candy cane and she would load up a branch.  Then we would redistribute. 

 

This past Friday, I took Clara to see the Nutcracker.  It was her first exposure to ballet and she is in love.  I picked out a couple of Nutcracker books ahead of time and spent the week before the ballet reading them to her so she would be familiar with the story line and hopefully be more engaged.  She loved that the main character shares the same name as her.  I really love this version by Alison Jay, which has a good balance of text to pictures (plus, I am just a sucker for Alison Jay's art):

We went to a 10:30 a.m. matinee dress rehearsal performance that is put on each year for school-age children.  It is a full production and they mentioned beforehand that there could be technical difficulties that they might have to stop for, but the only problems I noticed was that the Sugar Plum Fairy came out for the second act with black sweat pants under her tutu over her tights (presumably to keep her legs warm?) and she skipped a bunch of leaps and spins, which was disappointing for me because my favorite part of the whole production is the pas de deux between the Sugar Plum Fairy and her cavalier in the second act and they mostly just walked through that number while spotting all the lifts rather than actually doing them.  But the kids in the audience didn't notice or care.

Clara did AMAZING.  She was tired when we got there because we had left the house early that morning to drive my mom out to the Oakland airport and had already been in the car for 2 1/2 hours, then we waited outside in the cold for about 40 minutes before the theater began seating people (we did duck inside a couple of times to warm up, use the restroom, and purchase an ornament of Clara holding her nutcracker).  But our seats were very good - maybe 13th row, just left of center - and Clara was happy to be back in her pretty Christmas dress.  The only things that were difficult for Clara were sitting in her own seat and staying quiet.  She sat on my lap for basically the entire show and she literally narrated the whole thing.  She was good about narrating quietly and it WAS a production for kids so its not like she was the only kid I heard during the show, but she kept up a nonstop commentary of what was happening.  She pointed out when Clara was sad that her Nutcracker was broken and explained that her godfather had to get his tools to fix him.  She went on and on about the Mouse King having a swordfight with the Nutcracker prince.  Afterwards a grandmother in front of us turned around and said that Clara's play-by-play of the onstage action had really made the production special for her and that Clara had "brought her so much joy." 

 

Every night since we put up the Christmas tree, we have been doing Clara's bedtime routine in the living room.  We turn off all lights except for the ones on the tree, then we sing Christmas carols together before we say prayers and read stories, then tuck her into bed.  I remember doing this with my mom growing up and it is special to me to see Clara so mesmorized by a brightly lit Christmas tree as well.

 

My sister mentioned that one tradition she has started with her girls is giving them a Christmas box at the start of December with little Christmas coloring books, advent calendars, Christmas pajamas, and other fun little things in it so they can enjoy them throughout the weeks leading up to Christmas.  I loved the idea but didn't have a chance to put things together before December started.  But I found this red polka dot nightgown at Pottery Barn Kids and knew it would be perfect for Clara since she is so into dresses these days.  She adores it and I think that the tradition of new pajamas at the start of December in addition to new pajamas on Christmas Eve sounds like a pretty good one that we might keep. 

I found this chalkboard decoration at a boutique store in Los Gatos with my mom.  I wasn't going to buy it until Clara noticed the stick of chalk that was dangling from the ribbon attached to the chalkboard and started chomping down on it (it was in plastic and in her defense, did look like candy).  The shop owner noticed the bad behavior and I felt guilty just putting it back with a noticeably broken piece of chalk (silly, I know, since chalk is so cheap, but you break it, you buy it, right?) so I bought it.  Fortunately, I actually think it is cute idea and looks nice hanging from a knob on Clara's door or in the living room.

I have more photos of other Christmas things we have been doing (and will surely have more in the next week or two) but I didn't want to wait until after Christmas and end up with one massive post, so this is just the start of our holiday fun.  We are feeling very much in the Christmas spirit around here though!