the Nutcracker has come and gone, and our little Bella Ballerina proved to us that we might just be in this for the long run!
she absolutely loved every second of it, was so excited to be on stage, and cried through the entire 2nd Act as we watched the other dancers because she wanted to “be dancin’ on the stage!”
here are some sweet moments that we captured throughout the day that i thought you might enjoy. and if you keep reading, there is a little treat at the end that you might enjoy too!
it is quite difficult to be the makeup artist for a 3 year old who never sits still, but we worked it out, and the Bug thought she was big time, getting to wear Mommy’s makeup:
i think she looked pretty darn cute, although its not a look that she will don again until next year’s Nutcracker!
we were able to capture a few photos before leaving the house:
The Boy was a very proud big brother:
Bella’s part in the Nutcracker was a “Baby Angel.” when we first got her costume, she was 100% convinced that once she put on her wings, she would really be able to fly like Tinkerbell. i had to talk her out of trying…
this is Bella’s version of an arabesque….i think we might have a little work to do in the coming years, but for now, it couldn’t be cuter!!
this is as she was lining up to go on stage. she was beaming the whole time, jumping up and down with excitement, and kept waving to me, blowing me kisses, and saying, “i’ll see you after mommy!!”
the following pics were taken during her performance. so glad my dad was able to capture some shots, even without being allowed to use a flash!
blowing kisses:
one last wave before going off stage…too cute!!!
Bella Bug’s fan club:
we went to get frozen yogurt afterwards, and i just love this shot of her and her smudged makeup!
we gave her a special Ballerina necklace to commemorate the day:
she loved it!
it was such a fun night, and i look forward to many many more years of nights like that!
and in case you are interested, my brother in law sent me a link for the video to embed on the blog so you all can see it!! (thanks pete!)
so in case you do watch, here are two things to note:
1) she’s the 3rd one out
2) i have to mention one part that wasn’t really captured on the video, (except with chuckles from the audience), but that was absolutely priceless to me! at one point, bella stopped mid-dance, and ran to the back of the stage and began playing with the projected snowflakes on the screen. they had rehearshed a few times on stage, but never with the full lights and projections, so she was totally in awe, and at that moment, those snowflakes trumped every dance move that she had practiced!! it was priceless!!
well….enjoy!
i’ve been baking like a mad man, so i’ll be back soon with some Christmasy recipes.
ps: thought you all might get a kick out of this. i was putting the date on this blog post, and suddenly got confused. i thought it was the 22nd. in fact, i was walking out the door to an appointment that i have scheduled for Wed, Dec. 22nd. that is, until i asked jake to confirm the date for me, and i found out that mentally i had skipped an entire day!! i’ve literally been cooking all morning for Christmas, thinking i was really falling behind. much to my surprise, i am actually a whole day ahead!! good thing too…cause i still have LOTS to do!! but you all might just get some extra posts, now that i have a whole 24 more hours than i thought i had!! what is wrong with me and my brain these days??!!!
here are some step by steps:
in a saucepan, bring to boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally:
remove from heat and stir in 1 tsp vanilla and toasted pecans.
Bake in 350 degree oven for 10-11 minutes, or until bubbly.
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