The Nutcracker: Girls' Night Out! :)

In the vein of celebrating family-style before the holidays are upon us, I thought this year we'd come up with a new tradition.  I thought it might be nice for Ava and I to have an annual girls' night out, where we would attend the Nutcracker (or something else similarly girly) during the Christmas season.  I know she loves ballet and all things that sparkle.  Considering Liam's age and that he's a boy, I didn't think he would appreciate it as much as Ava.  The Nutcracker was playing at the Fox Theater, downtown.  I knew it would be magical for her to see such a show there.  It's such a gorgeous theater! 

So we put on our party dresses, Daddy took a picture of us together and we headed out.  I've never seen the Nutcracker live, so I was looking forward to it! 

Before we headed out to the Fox Theater

We bought the "souvenir" program and found our seats.  One of the ladies ushering mentioned we should probably grab a booster seat for her, before there weren't any available.  That was a good call.  We lucked out, as well, as the two seats directly in front of Ava were empty for the entire show.  We put our coats down and went to find a snack for Ava.  They had a little popcorn, drink and sweet treat deal in a tray for kids, so we opted for that. 

Before the show started, they had an organist up front playing an old-time organ.  Right before the show started, his platform slowly sunk into the floor. 

The show was so great!  There was a first half, intermission and a second half.  Knowing Ava wore herself out at gymnastics earlier in the day, I was curious if she would fall asleep by the end of the show.  She got pretty snuggly and laid her head down on my arm toward the end, but never did fall asleep.  During intermission, we walked up to the front of the theater, so I could show her where the orchestra pit was located.  I also wanted to point out the stars twinkling in the "sky" of the theater.  She loved it.

 

The beginning of the show

The dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy

The snow fairies

The "sky" in Fox Theater

I think my favorite part of the ballet was the oriental "Indian" dancer.  She was very athletic and held the most amazing, graceful poses for what seemed like forever!  When I asked Ava what her favorite part was, she answered "All of it!"  There you go. :-) I think it will be fun to do something like this as a tradition every holiday, to take time out with my sweet girl and have fun.

She fell asleep in the car, on the way home.  Visions of sugarplums danced in her head, I'm sure.  ;-)

Peace, love and sugarplum fairies,
Shelly, Doug, Ava and Liam

This Place is a Zoo!

Ava’s class at school was scheduled for a field trip to the Atlanta Zoo on Thursday, October 20^th.  Fortunately we got a rental van in time, as I had planned on heading there with Ava.  I took a vacation day from work and met Ava and her class at the zoo entrance.  The kids and teachers had taken the school bus, but parents drove to the zoo and met the class at the entrance.  Other parents from class were familiar to me, so I joined up with them while we waited for the kids. 

Everyone was bundled up, since it was such a chilly day!  The cashier in the ticket booth told me the gorillas wouldn’t be out as early as they normally are; it was too chilly for them. 

The silly picture. :)

We stuck together as a class.  There were 21 kids, with 9 parents showing up to accompany their kids.  I was impressed that there were that many parents there!  Mrs. Mckenzie split up the kids, so each of the parents helped with at least one child other than their own.  Ansley White was the little girl that tagged along with Ava and me. 

The parents who attended the class field trip.

We ate an early sack lunch in a little seating area toward the entrance.  After lunch, we saw the gorillas, monkeys and chimpanzees.  We went into the reptile house, and also saw giraffes, hippos.  Ansley seemed particularly interested in the reptiles.  We saw a HUGE Gila monster!  The pandas seemed especially playful and were fun to watch. 

After we were finished visiting the zoo, I left it up to Ava as to whether or not she would ride home with me.  I wasn’t sure if the bus would be “more fun.”  ;-)  She opted to ride home with me.   It was a fun trip!  I’m so glad I went.  It was fun holding hands, walking around the zoo with her. 

Peace, love and chilly chimps!

Shelly, Doug, Ava and Liam

 

A Girls' Saturday Out

Ava and I had a fun afternooon a few Saturdays ago. 


We hit Pinkberry, the car wash and returned printer ink.  We also picked up some fancy schmancy cupcakes from "Gigi's Cupcakes" for our family. 

It was a nice Saturday out.  Just the girls. :-)

Peace, love and just the girls,
Shelly, Doug, Ava and Liam

Tiny Tots and Tunes

Johnson Ferry Baptist Church offers a class one day a week called "Tiny Tots and Tunes."  I thought it would be the perfect excuse to get out of the house and give Ava some extra-special attention.  The kids get to dance and sing to different songs and play with some props, too.  Ava loves it.  She loves singing and dancing!  My Mom was in town, so she was able to keep an eye out for Liam, who actually slept in the stroller through the entire class.  Amy Hoffman and Mekhi met us there, where the kids had a ball. 

Peace, love and Mommy/Ava fun,
Shelly, Doug, Ava and Liam