xoxo, the chapmans: December 2013- so much Nutcrackin.

my favorite Christmas tradition: the Nutcracker by the San Francisco Ballet Company in SF! we went with our friends the Heymans (Kate, Macy & Jenny) this year and the girls had so much fun. they especially loved riding BART into the city. they were giggling and smiling the whole way in. so cute!

one of the best parts of going to the family performances of the Nutcracker is that they get little stuffed animals to keep/cuddle during the performances! the perfect little souvenir for a fun holiday night.

the other awesome part of going to the family performance is that they get to meet some of the ballerinas before the show! last year Alice was pretty freaked out of the Mouse soldier guy, but this year, she cuddled right up to the creepy dude! they love that they get to talk and be with real ballerinas-- and seriously talk about it for weeks after.

the actual performance felt pretty dang long this year. i think it may have had to do with the fact that Alice kept leaning over during the second act asking "how much longa??? is it ovah yet??? dis is tooooo lonnnggg"

until finally she zonked out...and i wondered....how the heck am i gonna carry this bag of flour to the BART station and on the way home???? it was a struggle, but we came out on top. and it was worth it. love the Nutcracker in the city with my girls and girlfriends!

a couple of nights later, the girls got to participate in one of my favorite little dance productions, "Nutcracker in a Day" put on by Heather Simmons and Jennie Smith. my girls love getting to wear all different costumes from the Ballet and learning parts to each of the routines. it is such a cute, fun little night!