The Nutcracker in a Nutshell

I surprised Leah with a little girl time this Saturday and took her to the National Theatre for a free performance of "The Nutcracker in a Nutshell."  It was the perfect length for little ones and Leah was totally in her element.  

We bundled up and waited for the bus to head downtown.  Luke offered to drop us off, but Leah really wanted the public transit experience.  She sang, "We're on the bus!  We're on the bus!" over and over again.  About half of our fellow travelers thought it was cute.

It was a half hour performance by a high school ballet troupe and they encouraged all the kids to come up afterward and take pictures.  And I was so thankful that I made the unusual move of remembering to bring the camera!

This is Leah with the Fairy Queen and her "sparkly stick."

Leah with the Sugar Plum Fairy.  

And Leah striking a pose with the angels.  You may have noticed that Leah made her own costume change.  She reasoned that since she wasn't going to get to dance herself (this was a tough concept to swallow,) she should still get to wear her ballerina costume.  So she changed right before the performance to the envious ooohs and ahhhs of fellow kids.  Though I'm definitely not one of those creatively-plan-ahead-so-that-it-all-works-out moms, I totally came across as one that day.  Point for Mel!  

More importantly I was so thankful that we had some much needed mommy-daughter bonding time.  I love my Leah!