Ballet, Snow, and Shopping

We had our first snow of the season.  A lot of snow.  Too much snow.  I don't like driving in snow.  We had expensive tickets to the Nutcracker.  Non-refundable tickets.  We had to go.

I white-knuckled it up the hill from our house and through our neighborhood slipping and sliding.  Rachel commented that maybe Kathryn's mom should drive because she likes driving in the snow.  I laughed and asked why she thought that.  She responded that she heard Kathryn's mom say that she likes driving in the snow.  Rachel doesn't understand sarcasm.  A few days ago poor Kathryn's mom was talking about having an accident in the snow the day of Rachel's birthday party last year.  I told Rachel that Kathryn's mom wasn't going with us to the Nutcracker so she had better hang on tight and say her prayers that we would make it there safely and back again.

We were fine after we got on a main road.  By the time we got just outside of town, there was NO snow.  Weird.  From 4-6 inches to zero by the time we traveled 40 miles west.  That's what I love about the Northwest....it is unpredictable.

We went shopping before the show because we needed groceries and I didn't want to be any later on the roads than I had to.  Since I had my camera with me for the Nutcracker, I video taped my girls in action at the store.  This is why I don't enjoy shopping with my kids:

No pictures allowed during the performance, but they did allow the kids to wander around the orchestra pit during intermission.  The really nice harpist let my girls play the harp.  Now Rachel can't decide if she wants to be a Ballerina or a harpist when she grows up.

The girls behaved themselves as well as could be expected.  They seemed to enjoy the show as much as I did.  In fact, I was pleasantly surprised by their behavior.  We were sitting in front of a row of nice old ladies and I apologized before the show started...just in case.  The girls were wiggly and Rachel kept asking questions.  At one point, Erin Joy said rather loudly, "I can see their underwear" as the ballerinas were twirling around in their tutus.  After the show, several of the nice ladies sitting behind us commented about how well behaved my daughters were.  Phew!  Glad they thought so...

We refrained from buying anything, but I took a picture in front of all the stuff they had for sale just to prove we were really there.