My Great Love for a Soldier and an Angel

Our decision to do Nutcracker was very last minute this year. Then when we decided to let Hanna do it, the tryouts took place during the death of my Papa. The ballet studio was so gracious to still give Hanna a part. The girl really lucked out . . . she got 2 parts.

A sweet angel. . .

And. . . a soldier

Now the practices are every.single.Saturday from anywhere to 1-3 hours. . . YIKES! especially when your other child plays soccer every Saturday.

And. . . you are only allowed to miss 2 practices. In fact, when I ran my marathon, my mom was so sweet to come and take Hanna to practice for me.

The Nutcracker requires a lot of dedication from both the parents and the children, but . . .

When you see your sweet, precious child on stage, all dressed up in costume. . .

it is just absolutely P-R-I-C-E-L-E-S-S!!!

The first time I saw Hanna all dressed up as a solider, I thought I would melt like butter. . .

She was literally one of the most precious things my eyes had ever beheld. . .

She, of course, was a bundle of nerves . . .

But she did an excellent job. By the end of the 4th performance, she was an old pro. . .

Because Hanna is so extremely introverted, ballet is so good for her because it allows her to express herself without having to verbally say anything. . .

She loves it!!! And we LOVE that she loves it!

She got to make new friends while practicing every Saturday. . .

And hang out with them backstage. . .

The weird thing is is this little girl she is pictured with . . . her daddy and Jon were friends growing up. They don't keep in touch anymore. . . but I just thought it was weird how Hanna and this little girl were drawn to one another . . . amongst all of the other girls they could have chosen to be friends with. . .

This lovely lady here is one of Hanna's favorite ballerinas . . . her old ballet teacher, Ms. Jena.

If Hanna is ever the center of attention, she DOES NOT like it (just like her Daddy). The night of her first performance we all prayed together has a family. She wouldn't even stay in the same room with us. She was lying down on the stairs.

After her first performance she asked her for her Daddy. . . these 2 totally get one another, and I think their relationship and silliness that only they can understand is precious.

I'm so thankful God has given us the means to be able to afford to do things like this.

I'm so grateful for all of the love and support Hanna had from our family and friends.

Both of my sisters and brother-in-laws made it and my parents, and my niece and nephew. Jon's parents were there, and we had several dear friends come out to support her. One friend who didn't make it was even so thoughtful to text me to wish Hanna good luck. I so very much appreciate all of you who were thinking of her and praying for her.

We had an awesome time. Now, I will say this, by the Sunday afternoon performance. . . we were all beat. When Hanna and I got home we both sat on the couch and crashed. It was all very much worth the time and money it required. I can't wait until next year!