Daddy-Daughter Date is a Smashing Success

Aubrey sports her intermission purchases prior to the second act.

Aubrey immediately had a question as we pulled into the parking lot of Nashville Children's Theatre Sunday afternoon.

"Is this Cinderella's house?" she asked.

Our daddy-daughter date produced a broken dish moments earlier as we visited a nearby coffee shop for dessert. (Who knew the game "Roll the Plate" would end like that?) It wasn't a harbinger of things to come. This day would not be a bust.

"Hurry, we don't want to be late!" Aubrey said as she tugged my hand and ran across the parking lot.

Unlike most any other occasion, including church that morning, I was actually arriving somewhere on time. Ahead of schedule even. That left plenty of time for Aubrey and me to use the photo props inside the theatre. It also allowed her to take advantage of the craft table and color a slipper picture.

Aubrey started a countdown of sorts once we took our seats inside the theatre.

"How much longer?" she asked - repeatedly and in short intervals - from five minutes beforehand until the show started ... late. An impromptu game of I Spy provided a healthy distraction. The game began again unexpectedly in the middle of the first act as Aubrey started calling out "I Spy ...."

We took advantage of some ridiculously well-priced snacks and souvenirs during intermission. Our pick-ups included a magic wand and a crown, which Aubrey later informed me was a tiara.

Nashville Children's Theatre's adaptation of "Cinderella" focuses on the story of the restless prince's search to find a down-to-Earth bride. The princess version of Cinderella spent little time on stage, which left me concerned that Aubrey's expectations may not have been met. After all, she thought we were visiting Cinderella's house. My concerns were alleviated as the house lights came on.

"That was a very nice show," Aubrey said while hopping down from her seat.

After casting spells out the window with her magic wand and singing a bit of "We Wish You a Merry Christmas," Aubrey turned into Sleeping Beauty on the drive home. She dosed off to what I can only assume were dreams of princesses and slippers.

All smiles at the coffee shop (the plate didn't know it would meet its demise soon after this photo)

A selfie outside the coffee shop before heading to the show

Craft time

The finished product

Now Showing!

Our actual Playbills

Silly Selfie

Sleeping Beauty (with her wand at her foot)

The Story of the Man Who Tore Open the Shutters and Threw Up

Decked out in PJs, glasses, and a wide grin, Graham joined his fellow Madison Creek Elementary School first-graders on stage last Thursday for an upbeat Christmas music program.

We heard snippets of the chosen holiday music selections during the weeks leading up to the program as Graham prepared for his performance. He unintentionally tossed me a curveball as he asked questions about "The 12 Days of Christmas" during a recent drive to karate. I assumed the song would be part of the program. It was not. Graham's simply a curious guy (and, as I learned, I have trouble with accuracy once the 12 days of Christmas move toward double digits).

Graham worried a couple of weeks ago that he might lose his speaking role in the performance. His music teacher, Mrs. Barton, had warned members of the class that they would be replaced on the mic if they couldn't remember their lines. No scabs were needed, however, as Graham rose to the occasion in rehearsal. He (almost) nailed his line come showtime. It wasn't a memory issue; rather, as you can watch below, he walked away from the microphone too soon. In this version of "Twas The Night Before Christmas," the man didn't throw up the sash. He simply threw up.

Family photo after the performance

Graham and Mrs. Barnette, his first-grade teacher

Graham and Mrs. Barton, his music teacher

Spar Wars

Aubrey has earned her white belt and is now officially a Little Dragon. She'll be taking lessons twice a week at the same karate studio as Graham. We're hoping to hear more "Yes sir" and "Yes ma'am" around the house and to experience better discipline from our kiddos. We know it's more likely that we'll simply witness better sibling fights.

Aubrey gets her white belt from Mr. Blasier.

First Grade, First Grade!

To this day, the song from Emily's kindergarten graduation remains stuck in my head: "I want to be a part of it ... First Grade! First Grade!" The catchy take on Frank Sinatra's "New York, New York" received a much lesser treatment this morning as I provided the dad version for Graham at the kitchen table. Thankfully, my rendition didn't dampen his obvious enthusiasm for the first day of school.

School days, and their 7:15 a.m. start time, provide for plenty of early morning chaos throughout the year. That chaos was absent this morning as Graham was in full cooperation mode from the jump. Aubrey slept until the last possible moment but allowed me to carry her downstairs and then, after a quick round of family photos, out to the car. (You'll note that she's still sporting PJs in the photos below.)

We arrived at Madison Creek Elementary on time despite a considerable back-up on the road leading to the school. Backpack and lunch in tow, Graham leapt out the back passenger side door of the minivan and announced to all within ear shot, "First day of kindergarten!" It appears my song was not particularly memorable for him.

Momentary confusion aside, Graham enjoyed a fun first day in Mrs. Barnette's first-grade class. His enthusiasm level was the same after school as it had been beforehand. Erica and I took our not-as-little man to Baskin Robbins for TWO scoops of cookie dough and then over to Game Stop for a fun first day gift. He now has his own copy of the Wipeout video game that he enjoyed playing with his cousins on the Wii this summer. 

So it's official, Graham is now part of it. First grade, first grade. 

Pup Pup Boogieing in Nashville

You wouldn't know it from the picture, where Aubrey is picking her nose and Graham looks like he'd rather be anywhere else, but the kids and I had a great time at Paw Patrol Live on Saturday night. We just couldn't get a good photo that reflected as much.

With Erica out-and-about celebrating her birthday with Melanie, the three of us headed to the Tennessee Performing Arts Center (TPAC) to catch Ryder, Marshall, Rocky, Skye, Rubble, Chase, Zuma, and Everest in action. They didn't disappoint.

My dad tells the story of when we saw "The King and I" in London and I skipped down the street singing "Shall We Dance" afterward. It was a sure sign I enjoyed the show. Well, fast forward some 30-plus years and there was Aubrey, sitting atop my shoulders as we waited for our car outside the theater, singing Paw Patrol songs ("Pup Pup Boogie" was a favorite) and having her Marshall stuffed animal dance on my head. Eat your heart out, Yul Brynner.

One of my favorite moments during the show was watching Aubrey spin in circles with her arms spread wide mimicking Skye, who was flying about the stage at the moment. Graham, meanwhile, cheered enthusiastically during the show. His attitude went from grumpy six-year-old to happy-go-lucky child the moment the curtain went up.

All told, the kids got in bed late, they had Sour Patch Kids and buttered popcorn for dinner, and we paid way too much for parking. And it was all worth it.

Do You Want to Build a Snowman?

Aubrey and I used some of our snuggle time on the couch this evening to record a video. The Taylor girls introduced us to the Musical.ly app, and we had fun using it before Aubrey got sick a little while later. We both know the lyrics to the song well as we listen to it during Aubrey's bedtime routine most nights.

Here's our version of "Do You Want to Build a Snowman?" from "Frozen."

Mirror, Mirror, On the Wall

Graham discovered a full-length mirror after church today. I spied him eyeing his reflection. I think he was imitating his favorite video game characters, but he may have been practicing his dance moves. Either way, we have the Wii to thank rather than any sense of vanity. It was a joy to capture such an innocent moment.

Christmas Memories 2017: Train Gardens

Posing with Pop-Pop at the Kenilworth Train Garden

We visited two train gardens during the holidays, first at Kenilworth Mall in Towson on Dec. 29 and then at the Ellicott City Fire Station on New Year's Day. It was fun to see the kids excited about pushing buttons to see what happens in the garden rather than having them push our buttons to see what happens. (I kid, I kid ... not really, they push our buttons a lot.)

It was our first visit to Kenilworth, which didn't disappoint. The kids circled the train garden multiple times, with Pop-Pop keeping an eye on Aubrey while I followed Graham. They probably would've stayed much longer had the enticement of lunch at Red Robin not been offered.

We've visited the Ellicott City train garden in the past. This was the first time, however, that we accepted their challenge to try and locate items throughout the display. It was no easy task. Erica had already taken Aubrey to the car by the time Graham and I completed the list ... with some help.

For the young and the young at heart

One item escaped us despite our determined efforts to track down everything on the list. "Too Close to Call" was the clue, which left me looking for tiny figurines that were racing each other. Sleds, perhaps. No such luck.

As it turns out, "Too Close to Call" was the tiny headline inscribed on a newspaper held up by a newsboy figurine. The firefighter who guided us to its location assured us that it was the item everyone struggled with.

Graham was deservedly proud to have located the "three hens laying eggs," who were inside the window of one of the train garden buildings. As Graham describes it, he thought they were turkeys but then took a step back and saw that the word "egg nog" was written on the outside of the building. That tipped him off to the fact that these were in fact the much sought after hens, and they were laying eggs. It was an impressive find at any age, much less at age five.

Graham surveys the sports scene in the train garden

As you can see in the picture of Pop-Pop and Aubrey, the train gardens were enjoyable not only for the actual kids, but for us big kids as well as they offered a reminder of the magic of Christmas time.