today was a very busy day. i'm not even sure how we did everything we did, in just one day. but we did.
i like to make a big saturday breakfast for the kids, kind of a reward for eating all the oatmeal and cracked wheat i feed them during the weekdays.
after a good saturday morning house cleaning (which used to be a strict tradition for me growing up), we drove downtown in the madison drizzle.
as i rushed into the memorial union on campus, sam caught this sweet shot. it was only 1 in the afternoon, but it looks more like dusk.
there were several very convenient parking spots located right outside the building...but seeing as they required quarters, and we never seem to remember to bring our quarters along with us, we fought for a spot in the parking garage and walked back.
another imaginative shot.
the view from our front row aisle seats. perfect.
waiting.
yep, even mims tagged along.
we were extremely prepared in the baby feeding and entertaining department. she sat very still as long as her bottle was handy.
reading up on, "the nutcracker." the kids were quite confused about what we were actually watching since there were several inappropriate jokes made about the ballet and it's name...courtesy of sam. lucky for isaiah, who could read, researched the back story as he waited (which included, "morbid, and originally not intended for children").
the ballet. i hadn't been to a ballet in years. years. i have to admit, i was pretty excited about this. makayah was awestruck as she watched the ballerinas in pointe shoes tip toeing across the stage in their glitter and puffs of tutus. isaiah really loved the jack in the box number where a kid his age was doing these crazy impossible backflips and break dancing moves. samiyah gasped as she saw the 6 foot teddy bear who looked like just another prop in the background - until it began to move - start dancing and picking up children, swinging them through the air. i think that was her most favorite. sam was sam, and made fun of everything he possibly could.
this was sam's favorite part. the dessert after the ballet.
in the chill air, everyone else, was in the mood for some hot cocoa.
mmmm, caramel hot cocoa, complete with whipped cream. super yummy. super rich. and now, i'm gonna need to do a super workout this week.
more yum.
i just happened to read an email as we packed back up in the car, about a christmas light show. all we needed now was a tree tied up to the car roof, and a flat tire to complete the "ralphie's christmas story" image, as we broke out into christmas carol singing.
no. the fun didn't stop there. we hadn't dressed up in our snazzy clothes simply for the ballet. we stopped off at another christmas tree light spot, and attempted another go at family pictures. the worst thing about being a photographer, is taking your own family photos. it's like herding a wild bunch of circus animals gone wild. yelling instructions over roaring lions, trumpeting elephants, and screeching monkeys. all the while there is some psychotic clown pounding on our heads with hammers. it is that much fun. tell me why we need to send out christmas cards and chisel out this crazy moment in photographic stone forever? i'm sure someday we will look back and laugh. that is our only incentive and motivation at this point...well, that and despite struggling to keep our circus animals in one spot, we managed to get a few gems. yeah, i suppose it was worth the battle. gems to be published soon.
on the drive home, we had to tell the kids we ran out of time to watch our christmas movie because they did not behave like the statues we told them to be.
isaiah replied, "mom, we're not good at being statues."
obviously.
***
here are a few quotes from the day as the kids played together this morning while i made breakfast:
isaiah and mak were playing battleship. if you can't trust your opponent, the game is NOT worth playing. every move i was asked, "mom is she lying?" "mom, is HE lying?"
isaiah also felt it necessary to give mak a few rules of conduct, "this is what you say when you get hit, 'you sunk my battleship!'" he was pretty optimistic about the whole thing.
later on, they invented some other game i happened to walk into.
mak: 'im a monster and i'm looking for isaiah to eat him up!"
z: "sorry, he's gone to whole foods."
****
today i am grateful for:
*sam, who was a great daddy and kept the day running smoothly. i know it was no easy feat, but he made this day an amazing one.
*for the talented, musical genius of Tchaikovsky. it was so soothing and relaxing, i almost fell asleep during some parts. loved it.
*hot cocoa on a chilly december evening after watching the ballet. could that combination be any more splendid?
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