Real tree please

Ah the pleasures of a natural tree. This year we followed tradition and bought ours at the same lot on Camp Horne road as previous years. They even held prices. Twenty-seven dollars buys any tree.

As you can see this one has all the characteristic asymmetrical charm of a live tree. It even has an abandoned bird's nest in it.

But as always there is the challenge of keeping the tree up. Two years ago we bought yet another tree stand. It is a great idea. The tree goes into a gimbal-like mount that fits into a stand at any angle.

Once you have the tree right, simply lock the mount into the base and there you have it.

There's only one thing they got wrong- securing the tree into the mount. Here they use four old-fashioned bolts that have a lot of play in them. As a result the mount is secure in the base, but the tree shifts in the mount and veers menacingly.

This year it happened within the first 24 hours and we got it fixed fairly well. Last year it happened when Santa came to the circle. I watched the tree as it toddled to the side. So I left the crowd and came in right away. As Bobbie came in the door she asked what happened to me and finding me on the floor with my head under the tree, had her answer in a glance.

Perhaps the tree falling over is now a Christmas tradition as well.

This year's big gift...

...was the Snuggie! All three got one and as you can see, they love them.

Christmas was subdued this year because a stomach virus was going through the household. Hence we had chicken broth and noodles for Christmas dinner instead of the traditional roast beef and yorkshire pudding. I think the kids appreciated the Snuggies even more to fend off the chill.

We are now all recovered and working our way back into eating what we want again. One can eat just BRAT (Bananas, Rice, Applesauce, Toast) for only so long.

Sledding

John really loves amusement parks and roller coasters in particular. Here he is narrating his own ride in our backyard. Monday afternoon John, Janine and several kids in the neighborhood had a great time sledding.

Christmas Pageant

The church Christmas Pageant was this past Sunday. Janine was a last minute addition as an angel. She couldn't make most of the rehearsals because of ballet, but she helped the younger kids along anyway. In the top photo she is trying to stay on pointe.

After the performance we had to remind her that it was bad form to ham it up too much, especially in church. Nonetheless everyone else didn't seem to mind. She received many compliments on her composure. Surely the Nutcracker performance was good training.

Santa in the circle

Every year Santa Claus comes to the circle riding a fire truck to pass out gifts to the neighborhood kids. When we first moved in we had no children and viewed it as a nice diversion. When our kids were infants they did not participate or sat in the stroller until we went back inside. During the toddler years Santa was a big event. Bobbie and I couldn't let on that Santa was coming lest the kids would burst from excitement.


Last night when Santa arrived, I looked around and realized that we had the oldest child participating. And there she was sharing it with little Julia from two doors down.

I shouldn't say this, but I will anyway. I find it so encouraging that Sarah, John and Janine are passing on the excitement and wonder to the younger kids in the neighborhood. Yesterday afternoon our backyard was swarming with kids riding sleds down the hill.

I know that every parent of growing children thinks the same thing. What happened? Time passes so quickly, so you have to savor the times like these. I am thankful that I able.

Take a bow!

At the end of the Nutcracker there is a lengthy piece that concludes the ballet and allows the dancers from the second act to perform a short dance in character and get a round of applause. As you can hear, this is the crescendo and conclusion.

Dance with the Nutcracker

Well the big performance came and went, but we now have video to share! This is the dance in the party scene where Clara receives the Nutcracker as a gift. (Please note that this is a Victorian Variation on the Nutcracker. The music for Act One was particular to the 1890s, while Act Two was all Tchaikovsky.)

Janine did a fine job Sunday afternoon. She was on stage for almost the entire performance, dancing in five scenes.

Her only complaint was that she had only one performance. In fact throughout the past few days she continues to dance her part in the kitchen and around the house. She has been dealing quite well with the usual post-performance moods varying from "I'm glad that it's done" to "I miss all the attention."

Let's not forget everyone else. Sarah ran the lights. John helped with the sound and Mommy was one of the maids in the party scene.

Sunday night to celebrate the fine job everyone did, we had dinner at LuLu's Noodles in Oakland. Nothing like a bowl of Hot and Sour soup to warm you up on a cold evening. Besides, it's one of the kids' favorite places. Sarah likes the college scene and the spicy food, John likes the twice cooked pork and Janine is always up for a bowl of good soup.

Sunday Nutcracker

Yesterday Sarah got Janine's hair ready for the performance. This morning she did the same thing, only it goes much faster the second time.

Janine was a very good party girl last night and is looking forward to her role as Clara this afternoon.

Sarah ran the lights last night and will do the same this afternoon. Sarah's friend Joey was a big help too. He was fearless climbing the scaffolding to hang back drops and refill the tarp that drops snow.

John was to run the sound, but the process is so simple, just starting and stopping the music, the job moved backstage.

Mommy plays her maid role well adding a little of her own to the role.

This morning we had a scare with icy roads. In fact, much of the entire freeway system was shut down until 11 AM. The roads were filled with accidents on the slick roads. Thankfully that is all behind us, so it's on with the show!

Nutcracker Preformance Prep

This is the big weekend for the Nutcracker. Here she is in arabesque at last night's rehearsal.

Janine will dance a secondary role tonight, and the main role of Clara tomorrow afternoon. There is still a lot to prepare. The dancers will rehearse again this afternoon and warm up after that for a 7 PM performance.

In the meantime there are a lot of support things that need to happen. Everything from folding the programs to paint and lighting. Kudos to Kaitlin and Jim who were at the auditorium until the wee hours of this morning making sure the sound and lighting were not only workable, but just right.

Right now Sarah is setting Janine's hair. Today's tasks are underway! Now if the camera batteries would just charge up faster.

Light up night - 2009

Last night was Light-Up Night in Sewickley. All the shops in the village were open and there was music all around. At the shop in the old post office we found one of the kids' friend Olivia. She was there with her mother. Even though Mrs. B is a professional singer she asked for John's help with Jingle Bells. I think John enjoyed the attention.

We got there later than we wanted so we had to park a few blocks from the activity, but the walk did us good. If you recall from this post, I really enjoyed last year's event because it was in the 20s and reminded me of Minnesota.

This year it was warmer. As a result it was the place to be seen if you are a teen. Sarah caught up with Olivia and some other friends. John and I got coffee at Crazy Mocha and Mom enjoyed the shops. Janine has been under the weather, so she stayed at home to recouperate by watching TV.