Brooklyn goes to a Lutheran church/preschool for daycare. Last night they had a Christmas program for the 2 - 4 year olds.
It was H.I.L.A.R.I.O.U.S!
The kids in all 3 classrooms had been practicing their songs for weeks. John and I knew something was up when, come December 1, Brooklyn began singing Jingle Bells even though we hadn't started listening to Christmas music at home yet.
So we get to the auditorium and find PRIME seating right on the middle isle. I couldn't believe no one had taken the seats we found! A perfect spot for stills and video of this very first of, I imagine, many plays/concerts/games/etc that we will attend to support our daughter.
As the program begins out come the 4 year olds dressed as participants in the nativity story. They come down the middle isle and take their places in one long single file line across the stage.
Music starts. It's Silent Night. One half of the line is singing a speed racer version. The other side is singing really slow and the music track is yet at it's own speed. We were cracking up hearing this musical chaos. By the time the kids got it together, the song was over.
Next come the 3 year olds. They sang Feliz Navidad. Bahahahaha! I know the director put that in for comedy because there was nothing funnier than seeing their puzzled little faces and hearing the confused murmer during the "prospero ano y felicidad" part. So many of us parents were cracking up.
Finally, the 2 year olds come out dressed as elves - each child holding onto a long gold ribbon (to keep them focused and together, I imagine) as their teacher lead them up to their places on stage with the other two groups.
We were able to see Brooklyn walking down the isle before she saw us. She did really well in this new environment and from where I was seated could get many good pictures while daddy ran the video next to me. Once she saw me, she smiled soooo big and almost came to me rather than going up on stage.
The kids finally all took their places and started to sing Jingle Bells, shaking their little bells with all the bell-loving passion a two year old can muster. They did great and you could tell they were having fun.
You never know what to expect with a child's first experience in a group performance. I guess some kids could get shy or frightened, but not mine. She's a ham! And it didn't surprise John or me in the slightest. (Lisa, Krissy - I can hear your thoughts right now..."Well, she is YOUR daughter!" Hahaha!)
No, Brooklyn was not shy on stage at all. She would sing, shake her bells, look for us, wave really big, yell "Mommy!" every now and then, pose, cut up with her little friend Savanah. It was so hard not to giggle into the video the entire time.
After the singing was over it was time for each group to leave the stage in an orderly fashion to go back to their classrooms and take off their costumes.
The 2 year olds each took hold of the ribbon and were to follow their teacher. Brooklyn decided to come straight over to me for a big hug, but since she was first in line she took all the other kids with her!
The entire auditorium of parents was cracking up as we had this pile of kids in our row rather than following the teacher.
Good times.
I truly love having a 2 year old. There are moments of I'm-gonna-pull-all-my-own-hair-out, but the antics and hugs and silly faces and hilarious conversation keeps your hair in your head.
