Dear Nutcracker, I love this time of year...

I said I would write a post the other day, but failed to deliver... that just goes to show you the chaos that is my life at the moment. So my daughter Amelia started ballet for the first time in September and immediately loved it. Shortly after she started taking lessons, the owner of the studio decided that he was going to put on the Nutcracker instead of a winter recital. Dancers didn't have to participate but Amelia was loving ballet so much already that we decided to sign her up. I didn't realize how much of a commitment a ballet performance of this nature would be for even a 3 year old, but I am so glad we were a part of the wonderful production. Amelia has had regular lessons on Thursdays and then Nutcracker rehearsal every Saturday for the last couple of months. Usually Saturday rehearsals were about two hours and I got to help a little with costumes and organizing the kids. It was a great experience for both Amelia and myself. This past Friday and Saturday were their performances. The show was held at a local high school's theater and practically sold out both performances (589 seats in the theater). I got to watch the Friday show and then I was backstage for the Saturday one. For a little ballet studio... it was awesome! I was beyond impressed with how everything came together and I am already looking forward to helping out with their next big performance. Here are a few pictures of the time we spent on this.