Back in September, our friend and Brownies troop leader, asked if Reece and I would like to join her family for the Nutcracker.  We said yes of course because I love going and I adored taking my girls last year!  There weren’t enough tickets available for Morgan to go this time…so sorry Morgan!  She might have been secretly relieved since she fell asleep last year in her cozy warm theater seat.  😉

At first, Reece had expressed her disappointment to me that we weren’t going just the 3 of us (which actually melted my heart), but once we slipped her into this gorgeous dress and strolled into that ballroom…she was good to go!
Isn’t she gorgeous!?  She would’ve been flawless had she not acquired a rug burn on her chin on stairs the day before courtesy of daddy  😉  Just kidding, Reecie, you’re gorgeous with your skinned up chin!

This event is actually a giant tea party where we enjoyed food and drinks before a shorter rendition of the nutcracker is performed by a junior ballet company.Before it starts, all the characters come around through the tables and you can get pictures with them.  It’s basically like meeting the Disney characters at Disney World.  Except this event doesn’t require months of planning, drain your bank account, stress you out to the max, and it’s over before you have a chance to have a mental breakdown if your child doesn’t get Cinderella’s autograph.  I’m making Disney seem very magical right now aren’t I!?  It is very magical for some people, just not as magical as relaxing on the beach with a strawberry daquiri!

Reece, to my surprise, was thrilled to see all these characters and wanted her picture taken with all of them.  We were in and out of our seats A LOT!  Most kids are scared of the mice, but we were actually chasing them around to get a picture!

 

About every third person was mesmerized by her gown and I’m so proud of myself for finding it!  It’s actually a Monique Lhuillier Fairy costume I picked up the day after Halloween at Pottery Barn Kids and it’s truly gorgeous.  I would certainly never pay the original price tag of $129, but $37 I can swing!  We need someone to get married or get invited to a fancy ball so she can wear it again!

On the way out of the event, they gave her a gold star ornament which is wonderfully placed front and center on our Christmas tree now.

I saved myself about $40 and a lot of pouting by warning her up front that we wouldn’t be buying anything at the show BUT I had a surprise for her at home…

 

I bet I stared at the Hobby Lobby Nutcracker display for 30 minutes trying to decide which one was the least scary looking.  Let’s just call it like it is…nutcrackers are not cute…they’re scary!  right? 

I went with the one that looked like a fairy and she appropriately named her “Sugar.”  Honestly, I was wondering why I was even spending $10 on it but Reece is very proud to be the owner of our first nutcracker.  She loves her!  Apparently so does our elf, Sparkles…

The performance was very well done and we had an absolute blast together!  I hope we can go again in the future…and take Morgan too!

I love you to pieces Reecie, thank you for making this memory with me!

Before I close this entry out, I want to share this beautiful letter I found in Reece’s backpack to me last week…I adore her honesty and although she challenges us in ways I never knew possible, she surprises me every day with her intellect and wit.  Reece, you are simply awesome!

Here are a few other notes I’ve found around the house lately that she is hoping will get to the North Pole quickly…