Creating memories

My sister J (a.k.a. Sis) got home from college for a few days today, and my mom and sisters stopped by on their way home from the airport. It was great to see Sis after several months living on opposite sides of the country.

The girls climbed all over Grandma and Aunties with abandon, of course. Baby E was happy in Sis' arms for the first few minutes, then suddenly went into a screaming panic fit. I think the similarity threw her for a loop--we do look similar and have very similar voices. Realizing that the person holding her was NOT Mommy must have been quite a shock. Once I finally got her calmed down, she smiled at everyone again from the safety of my arms.

My sister Amy and my mom won 4 tickets to Disney on Ice--Finding Nemo last week. Since none of their household could go to the show tonight, we inherited the tickets. DH had a music rehearsal, so my friend Elementary Schoolteacher (ES) went with the girls and me.



We had a fabulous time. All three girls (even the baby!) were agog. They soaked in every moment with their eyes wide and mouths hanging open, leaning forward and dancing in their chairs.

The show was, as all things Disney tend to be, a masterpiece of showmanship--a big, bright, colorful, well-choreographed, fun and thoroughly impressive staged production. ES and I had as much fun watching the kids enjoy the show as we did the show itself, but we loved the show too. The costumes and the set were just perfect. I really regretted forgetting to bring the camera. (You can see some photos and an article about the show here, though.)

Flickering lights helped create the effect of water, and a combination of costumed people, large creatures pushed around the ice by multiple hidden skaters, and fish on sticks created a beautiful and ever-changing ocean scene.

For the scenes with Nemo in the fish tank, the whole stage became the tank, complete with bubbles rising from a treasure chest and giant fake plants unfurling gracefully from the roof.

There were several big musical numbers with twirling and dancing groups of fish. So much fun to watch on the ice. The girls' favorite song was one they sang at the beginning in the "school" scene and again at the end--"Three Little Fishies". "Boop boop dit-tem dat-tem what-tem Chu! . . . And they swam and they swam all over the dam!" They sang it off and on all the way home, and sang it for Daddy again when we got here.

One of the most memorable parts was the hauntingly beautiful jellyfish scene. There were big silk jellyfish lit with blue lights, floating and dancing all over the ice. In the center was a graceful gymnast dancing in the air with a long, flowing silk scarf hanging from one of the larger jellyfish. She twisted and turned, wrapping herself in and around the scarf in feats that made me catch my breath as the ends flickered and flowed beneath her. The luminescent blue ballet wove a spell that lasted long after the scene ended.

The sharks were impressively scary, but not too frightening for little girls. The "impressionistic" school of fish were great fun, and the turtles were absolutely adorable. Dory was cute and funny, Marlin convincing, and Nemo played to the audience wonderfully.

At the end, Mickey, Minnie, Donald Duck and Goofy came out with the characters for a finale. They waved at the audience, and my girls thought they were waving just to them. I wish I had a photograph of the way their faces lit up as they waved back.

When we got home the girls were spilling over with excitement, telling Daddy exactly how Minnie and Mickey each waved differently, and how AJ and MM waved back at them (AJ to Mickey and MM to Minnie). They told him all about the story, sang the songs for him, and demonstrated some of the dance moves.

Now they want to learn how to ice skate. Happily, they have two aunts who can teach them. My sisters took skating lessons for several years, even getting to the level of competing in programs, jumps, etc. and helping teach beginning classes. My girls have a lot of fun to look forward to.

Tomorrow we'll take the apple pie I made today, a brown sugar cake and some cranberry sauce as our contribution to the family dinner at my parents' house. My grandparents, sisters and parents will be there for the dinner, exchange of gifts and long afternoon of relaxing and enjoying each other's company.

Then on Friday my friend A (same name as my oldest daughter) the pediatrician will be arriving for several days' visit. I've seen her only a few times since we were in college together--mostly centered around occasions like my wedding and her graduation. It will be fun to have a relaxed visit with no major event taking place for once. :)

Life is good, and I am thankful for dear friends and family.