Annie.

it was very very good and very very bad.

bad news first:

Lydia is not allowed to go to the theatre....FOR A VERY LONG TIME.

And the quirky part about it, she's it totally ok with it.

It's just not her thing.

And this is where we part ways and I have to really stretch (well, not too much...keep reading) to relate with her here.

I LOVE theatre.

I've dabbled in it most of my life.

I crave it when it's gone.

In my dreams I'm doing something in front of people saying something OR I'm doing stage makeup OR I'm singing Opera (just kidding) OR etc...

But Lydia, not so much.

While she was staring holes through me with this face, most of the night:

or when she wasn't holding back tears because she just wanted to LEAVE, I had the thought that I could either force this/myself on her, or I could just let it be and let her focus on something she is really really into.

Like painting, or drawing or .... painting or drawing.

I mentioned to her this morning, after our very very long long talk about last nights behavior that she wouldn't be going to the theatre for a long time but we would go to places to paint and draw - I thought her eye balls and heart were going to jump out of her body.

ok then. I don't have to stretch too far. I'm not great and it's not a passion, but I can paint and I can sorta draw (thanks to my mom and Jake who are both a.maz.ing artists....hmmm...I feel a post idea coming on) oh. and I can drive her there!

this little girl, on the other hand......

sat on. the. edge. of. her. seat. the. entire. time.

she was IN. TO. IT.

Loved it and I was in tears (the kind when you're kids are just so cute all you can do it swell up and cry) every time I looked at her!

No booster for her.

She was singing the songs, clapping at every appropriate moment and pining for when the next character was going to be introduced.

She and I will be headed back to the theatre very very soon.

Just she and me!

the stage:

(it is a beautiful theatre but I am soooo looking forward to a different quality of performances when we are in D.C.!)

here we are before the melt downS and 1,000 potty breaks because L was bored!

(my camera was still at the gym...these are all from my IPhone and it's very dark in there! oh well, they have an old fashioned feel to them!)