Tuesday, December 16, 2014


12.06.14 - The Nutcracker

  The Great Russian Nutcracker at the Orpheum - Minneapolis, MN

What an amazing day!!!
The morning starts off with the alarm going off at 6am! I lean over to Calli and say "It's Nutcracker Day" and she jumps up and down says, "YES YES YES!!!"

The night before (Friday) was very busy! With Kurt and I at work and Cole at hockey events, Calli was picked up at school by Aubrie she fed her dinner at home off to the studio they went for a rehearsal. When we arrived - the parents were given information about the following day.  I also find out that I am going to help backstage! 
YES YES YES!!!

After the meeting, we headed downtown to stay in a hotel to prepare for the next day. We arrive to our fabulous room and relax before hopping into bed.

relaxing on the couch 


what a great idea to stay the night and relax

After the alarm sounds we jump out of bed and begin the coffee brewing and start 
to curl Calli's hair for pictures.
We enjoyed coffee and snacks as we listened to some jazzy Christmas music 
to start the morning off right!

she wanted to see what her hair looked like

dad and calli

before we left 
before pictures and fitting

calli and a group of girls after pictures
The Show…
waiting to go backstage

 As we waited to go backstage the kids were patient in the skyway.   Once we got backstage (understage) the kids waited again. After the 12pm show was over it was the girls turn to
rehearse with the Cast. AKA- Russian Ballerinas!!!

Let me tell you what… I am still in awe of those dancers! For those that do not know, I LOVE dancing and ballet and everything that goes along with it!!! For these girls, what an amazing experience to be able to have and remember for the rest of their lives! They perfromed with professional dancers! Off my soap box for now and back to it later…

The rehearsal was run by one of the ballerinas that spoke broken english. She would speak with Dana about the cues for our dancers to enter the stage to preform. AMAZING! As rehearsal would continue the ballerinas would "mark" the routines as our dancers would dance "full-out" to be sure they were in the right place at the right time!

As Showtime nears the girls are getting very excited, now "under stage" in costume ready to dance - they wait! and wait until their turn!

We were not allowed to take photos down stairs of the girls in their costumes - but I did get one of the kids waiting.




The 4:00pm show I was "under stage" with the girls and for the 8:00pm show I was able to watch. Both wonderful experiences and yet both very different!!

(SIDE NOTE - I will never forget what it was like to watch from the wings at the 4pm show. I am typing this so that when I am old and I forget things that I will be able to go back and read all about what a wonderful experience it was for us! 
Just before the show begins - we are asked to take the Party Guests upstairs to prepare for the show. They head upstairs with another dance instructor. I sat back with the other kids and teachers. I asked Dana what I should do while I wait for the kids to come back down here and she says "Shouldn't you be keeping an eye on the dancers up stairs?" I pause… "Um…" She then said "Go upstairs and watch your daughter go on a professional stage for the first time!" I almost peeded my pants! 
UPSTAIRS??? With the Russian Dancers??? ME??? WHAT??? OK!!!!
She did not have to tell me twice! I was up the stairs in no time!

The show begins and the dancers take the stage! A couple minutes in the show Calli and the other dancers head out on stage… (we couldn't take photos from the wings) my heart melts and I begin to tear up! My daughter is on stage with profession dancers WHAT!!! oh my gosh!

As I stand on the wings and watch her I am in such a fog but well aware as to what is going on. The thoughts through my head are so clear and again I am typing this all so some day and can reflect on my thoughts and emotions! 
As I watch her everything is in slow motion… I want to cry, laugh, jump up and down, freak out, talk to the other ballerinas in the wings and thank them , dance around but all I can do is stand stand still smile and be teary eyed! I can not believe this is happening and I get to be backstage with her 
OH MY GOSH!!!
Thoughts that are going through my head are… "Kris, you want to take pictures, you can't… stop everything that you are feeling and thinking and just take this all in for the moment that you are in and enjoy - for it may never happen again! So I did just that!!!
Enjoyed watching my daughter do something that I would have never thought would ever happened and dreamed that I would be able to do my entire life! Happier that she was able to do it rather than me! Fortunate that we could provide her with the opportunity!!!)

Back to the day…

The 4pm show ends and we begin to start rehearsals for the 8pm show. I help Nina get settled in to her duties and I head upstairs to find our family.

Grandma, Grandpa, Mom, Dad, Cole and Molly get settled into our seats. The show begins and here comes Calli and the other Synergy Dancers.








The show continues and it is wonderful! We have never seen the Nutcracker and all of us enjoyed the show very much! It was that much more spectacular that we knew some of the dancers in the show.












On the way home we did not get very far and Calli was sleeping!!!


The End!






Thursday, November 6, 2014

February in November… Just playing catch up! 11.06.14

February in November - 11.06.14

So the catch up begins! A busy spring lead to an even busier summer and then school started just like that! Now for a little catch up…


Daddy's Birthday! - 02.25.14 Turning "42"

We had the typical birthday - very low key hanging around the house with the homemade cards and an Ice Cream Sundae.

Calli wanted to get Dad "Stuffz" a hamburger making item. She was excited for weeks to give that to him!

Cole's gift for Dad was on its way and arrived shortly after his actual birthday. A Russia hockey t-shirt that Dad was excited for!

A couple shots from the day are below!  We love you so much Daddy! You are the BEST!!!







Tuesday, April 8, 2014

February… came and went extremely fast!

February… came and went extremely fast! 

Daddy/Daughter Dance 02.21.14

Daddy/Daughter Dance was one of the two dances that month. They went with a group of people in a limo from Grace LaBeau's house. Made a stop at McDonalds for dinner and off to the dance they went.  It was pretty cold so we were unable to get a group photo. However they had a great time and excited for next year!



Visitation Dance 02.22.14

The next night was a big night for Cole and his friends.  The Convent of Visitation had a formal dance. Cole's friend Molly attends the school and they will be attend the dance together.  They met in Mendota Heights for photos, had some snacks and dinner and the off to the dance near Bloomington. Cole had a great night with his friends! 








Friday, January 31, 2014

January… 01.31.14 - what a month!

January… 01.31.14 - what a month!

Happy New Year - 2014!!!  Here's to the cold! 

We started the month with our typically New Years Eve party.  Hanging out at home watch the NYE party in NYC.
   


Winter Break is over and back to school… or so we thought!  After about 2 weeks off of school Calli and the rest of RVES went back to school Thursday and Friday - January 2nd & 3rd.  Cole wasn't scheduled to go back until Monday, January 6th. 

However, with the extremely cold weather we have been having lately the Governor decided to close all public schools on Monday, January 6th.  The private schools did the same.  Again on Tuesday schools were closed - not by the Governor but by each school individually.   The schools were able to get a full week of classes in the second week of January before yet again another "Cold Day" and closing of the schools on Thursday, January 23rd.  The kids wend back to school on Friday, enjoyed the weekend and AGAIN 2 more "Cold Days" on Monday, January 27 & Tuesday, January 28th.  This is history in the making! It is only January and schools have closed 5 times due to extreme cold & winds!  

With today being the last day of January -- hopefully this cold weather will go out with the month… I do not think we will be that lucky!

 

Here is a quick recap in photos to jog your 
memory years from now just how cold it was…  



Calendar with all the "Cold Days"

What the roads looked like on Sunday, January 26, 2014

Typical Text Messages in the evenings!

"Normal" temperatures for January 2014


Calli, Dad and I decided to get outside and enjoy "the not so cold day" and shovel the driveway and sidewalk.  It was nice to finally be outside enjoying the weather - rather than running from car to building and building to car in hopes not to get frost bite!

Even enjoyed some skating with Dad!!!
Sunday, January 26,  2014 - before the deep freeze!



Skating with Emily  for 3 hours! 



Even in the middle of winter there is still warmth and water to be found! Swimming lessons started for Calli!  We both love this place… for different reasons!  She loves to swim and be in the pool, I on the other hand enjoy the warmth and "sunshine" and for a half hour I feel like I am somewhere tropical!  Here's to Wise Swim School!!!

 




Cole's Hockey Season….

This has been an interesting hockey year to say the least!  Cole is playing with an entirely new team, at a new school and now he can drive himself to and from hockey games practices and events… we miss him!  We miss spending that time in the car before and after games, chatting and just hangin' out together as a family!
Here is just a glimpse of what his season has been like so far




Well, as the sun sets on this beautiful day…

I wish you all a warm and wonderful February!!!








Saturday, January 25, 2014

Tuesday, December 3, 2013

Sick & Snow Days…12.03.13

Sick & Snow Days... 12.03.13

The last couple days have been pretty mellow around The Holmes household… Calli has been a little under the weather I have had the privilege of spending the last two days at home with her.  Games, coloring, making Christmas gifts, wrapping them, laundry and work have occupied our days.  She was so excited to see the huge snowflakes she was jumping for joy!!! Then, "Mom, can we go outside and play?" as she realized that was not going to happen.  Here's to healthier day to come!