December Daily® 2014 | Day Nineteen

Welcome to  December Daily® 2014 | Day Nineteen. 

Just want to give you a heads up that the schedule for posting my pages the next couple of days will be a little more sporadic than it has been up to this point as I get ready to celebrate with my family.

Last night I surprised Anna by taking her to see The Nutcracker. Here's the story that I printed on out onto 4, 3 inch x 4 inch cards: 

One of the things that Anna asked for this year was the chance to get to see the Nutcracker Ballet again. I took her a few years ago and she brings it up regularly - specifically the black dress she wore and the snacks in the Lobby and the pink Nutcracker I bought for her whose head had to be glued back on last year. I love going and decided to take her again so we picked up a new dress at H&M and then I surprised her but letting her know on Friday morning before school. She was excited and I was excited as I went about my work day. By the time she got home from school and activities she was tired and grouchy, the kind that’s a little hard to recover from and often happens on a Friday night after a week of school and activities and the holiday season. She did the best she could after getting into her dress and having dinner. Ideally she would have gotten a nap or at least more of a rest in the afternoon but that just didn’t happen. She was still excited, but touchy (I so know how that feels) and worried that we were going to be late. We got there plenty early (started at 7:30pm), bought her a new Nutcracker for her collection, picked up a couple snacks and found our seats. She was pretty much ready to go home towards the beginning of the first of the first act when she remembered that it was only dancing and no talking. She’s five, almost six. I understand sweet girl. 

During intermission she danced up behind the seats and asked my to sing her a song while she danced. We visited the bathroom. I asked her if she wanted to leave and she still said no so we took our seats for the second act. Within two minutes she was in my lap and in the process of falling asleep. Within five minutes she was asleep and slept through the rest of the performance. I so get it. While she slept I watched and remembered going to the Nutcracker when I was a child with my Mom. I remember it as a magical event and while I was watching this performance I could remember the feelings of excitement and wonder I had felt during the mix of dance and music. I wonder if I was tired and grouchy when we went but today I have a glossed over memory? I wonder what Anna will remember of this adventure? Her beautiful pink dress? The new purple Nutcracker? Falling asleep in my lap? I woke her up as the last bows were being taken, a little afraid I was going to need to carry her in my high heels. She woke up just fine and then remembered that she had wanted to get her photo taken with the Sugar Plum Fairy. We walked out of the theater and headed right over to get her photo taken with her and then headed towards the car. This morning I asked her, “Anna, what will you remember about the Nutcracker?” “Taking a picture with the Sugar Plum Fairy.” she said. That sounds pretty great to me. NOTE TO SELF | Attend a matinée next time.  

Here's a look at the pages in my album: 

I had more content that I wanted to include compared to some of my past days so I ended up adding an "insert" to hold the story in the form of a page protector cut in half. 

I cut the page protector using my paper trimmer and then broke my story into 4 parts to fit on 4, 3x4 inch cards and slipped them into the pockets. 

Along the outside edge I added a  2-inch plastic label and stamped "the story of today" in pink on the white paper insert. 

The photos (with the exception of the Sugar Plum Fairy) were taken with my iPhone. Definitely grainy but really the simplest option when it's just me and her and my bag and her stuff. 

Here's a look at each of the pages outside the album: 

Glitter star + embossed #19. 

In the pocket next to the photo of Anna and me I layered one of the gold glitter hearts + a red plastic heart + a red puffy heart. 

SUPPLIES

SHARE YOUR DAY 19

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19 thoughts

  1. littlelamm says…
    12/20/2014

    This is my favorite of your pages yet! Beautiful!

    Reply 0 Replies
  2. YolandaL says…
    12/20/2014

    I love the story so much. I have taken My daughter (age 7) to the Nutcracker 3 times and she has fallen asleep each and every time. We tried matinees and even a youth ballet performance to see if that would be more engaging. No. Luck. The classical music and dark is just too soothing. The second act in the palace is so exciting. I know she will love it...some day.

    Reply 0 Replies
  3. tinawo says…
    12/20/2014

    Just simply beautiful. Not having any girls of my own I truly love this. Not that I'd give away my two little men but there is something to be said about a mother/daughter relationship and I can just feel yours through this. Magical. Thank you for sharing this. It has Christmas Spirit oozing from those pages.

    Reply 0 Replies
  4. Raylene says…
    12/20/2014

    I think she was just so excited she was in overdrive and two acts were just too much to sustain the energy! She will never forget nonetheless! WOW! Love the photo with the dancer! Lovely Christmas memory. xxxooo

    Reply 0 Replies
  5. bookemper says…
    12/20/2014

    This is my favorite!!

    Reply 0 Replies
  6. karenika says…
    12/20/2014

    Sounds pretty magical to me, too.

    Reply 0 Replies
  7. KarenC says…
    12/20/2014

    So sweet! I took my nieces to the full performance years ago when they were Anna's age and they still talk about it now as adults. I'm sure she'll have fond memories too! When my son was little the Ritz Carlton had a nutcracker tea with an abbreviated version of the ballet and each child got a nutcracker to take home. He was in it for the nutcracker! Perhaps there's something like that in your area for next year with Anna. But her asleep in your lap sounds pretty good too!

    Reply 0 Replies
  8. ScrappinMyHeartOut says…
    12/20/2014

    Precious!!!

    Reply 0 Replies
  9. mtercha says…
    12/20/2014

    I love the introspective turn you took with the journaling. By looking back and remembering, it makes it so much more. And IPhone or not, your photos are lovely, they truly are. Michelle t

    Reply 0 Replies
  10. Hoguec says…
    12/20/2014

    We took our now 18 year old son when he was 6. He asked when they would start talking. After I told him they told the story with dance and music I noticed he was talking to himself. When I leaned down to listen I realized he was whispering the story to himself as they danced. And the no words? That's what he remembers today.

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  11. aussiehostie says…
    12/21/2014

    This is such a precious story, I love it. Thank you for sharing everything you've done so far on a daily basis. I hope you and your loved ones enjoy a peaceful and loving Christmas. Anita

    Reply 0 Replies
  12. pirate63 says…
    12/21/2014

    Love this page. The surprise. The story. The photos. Just lovely.

    Reply 0 Replies
  13. Laura_Steingiser says…
    12/21/2014

    You are so thoughtful to have understood how Anna was feeling. That is what your children will remember about their childhood and carry into their own parenthood one day.

    Reply 0 Replies
  14. christyj says…
    12/21/2014

    She looks so precious!

    Reply 0 Replies
  15. Jeannew says…
    12/21/2014

    The picture of her walking up the stairs in the beautiful pink dress is precious! Wonderful memories. My girls have loved going to the nutcracker over the years and remember it as so special.

    Reply 0 Replies
  16. tinka323 says…
    12/21/2014

    I took my oldest niece and nephew to see The Nutcracker when she was 5 and he was almost 8. We made a weekend of it and stayed at a hotel across the street from the theater. They got new outfits, including the Nutcracker tie David wanted to go with his suit. We had a nice dinner in the hotel restaurant before walking over to see the ballet. They were really good for most of the performance but got restless toward the end and we left so they could go swimming in the hotel's pool! They are in their 20s now and the pool is their favorite memory of that weekend!

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  17. Raylene says…
    12/21/2014

    Ali. I was hunting for the Dec Daily logo, the little one that slips into the metal holder on the Album spline; (there was one for Week in the Life), are you making one available for Dec Daily?

    Reply 0 Replies
  18. CasieGutierrez says…
    12/21/2014

    Ali,
    This is my FAVORITE day of your DD so far. Christmas special event + real honest story of life with little ones :)
    I love seeing your posts about Anna as my son is 1 year younger. I can so relate! Especially to this story because as an adult I have fallen asleep in the nutcracker!
    Cheers,
    Casie

    Reply 0 Replies
  19. Ruly says…
    12/22/2014

    Such a way to telling simple stories so they really show their magic. Thanks Ali

    Reply 0 Replies

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