Magic

Okay, first of all, I would have deleted the previous post about getting rid of the cat if I hadn't already received comments, but after all that blubbering and lost energy in mourning about sending her off (sheesh!), Heather changed her mind and we still have the cat.  But we still need to find another home for her.

Heather's comment:  "I know, Mom.  She's a cat.  She wasn't supposed to still be alive.  We weren't supposed to be dealing with this at this point."

That said, we'll move on:
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While we were in the Bahamas,  my friend Leslie posted a request on Facebook for anyone who wanted to join her in attending the Mini Magic Flute concert yesterday at Abravanel Hall, that she'd love company.  I told her I'd be more than happy to go with her, and with that the plans were laid.

Magic Flute, for those of you who are unfamiliar with it, is an opera written by Mozart.  I have a CD of it but it's all in another language and I've had to read the subtitles to even catch a hint of what was going on in the music.  But it lent itself very well to a production for reduction and presentation to people of mini-size.  I have never attended an opera, but I love the symphony, and I've been intrigued by their lollipop series - concerts designed just specifically for small ones.  This was the first one I've actually attended, however.

Makinzee and Maddy agreed to join us, and I talked Bill and Stephanie into letting me bring Kamryn.  They were worried she'd be too young, but I told them it was designed for little ones, and besides, she was free.  If we ended up spending the whole show in the foyer, no big deal.

So yesterday morning, with a cool breeze and the sun out, I started early picking up - Leslie first, then Kamryn, then back to the house to get my jacket (did I say it was cold?), then up to Salt Lake City to get Makinzee and Maddy.    The girls wanted to ride the train, so we parked in Mike's parking lot and waited at the station for the next train.  And rode it one station (yes, we could have walked in half the time it took us to wait, but what fun is that?)

We entered the foyer of the symphony hall and Kamryn spied the tall brightly colored glass sculpture in the middle of everything.  She went to it immediately.  I'm not sure why I just assumed she knew she was supposed to stay on the outside of the rail that was around it.  Where did I forget she is, after all, only two?  Next thing I knew she was under the rail and reaching out to have a hands-on experience.  For a second a vision of the entire thing coming crashing down all over us flashed through my brain.  Fortunately we caught her before that happened, and instead got some pictures of the two cousins together with Makinzee.

There were hands-on things for the girls to do, though.  They had an "Instrument Petting Zoo" set up for the children to try out the different instruments.

Maddy liked the xylophone.  When I asked her if she knew that started with the letter "X" she said, "Yes, of course.  I learned that at preschool in Boise!"







Leslie got to check out the tone of the violins.










And they had a violin just the perfect size for Kamryn to try out.

I think Kamryn's favorite thing was the six foot seagull that was the Symphony mascot.  He frightened Maddy a little, but Kamryn couldn't high five him enough.  (I just missed getting the photo of it each time.)

Too quick it was time to go into the theater.  We found seats still available near the front of the auditorium and waited for the concert to begin.  That was the hardest time for Kamryn who really didn't want to sit down, but Maddy, who is five and a half and very mature, was very patient and seemed excited.

And then the concert-opera began.  Kamryn snuggled onto my lap and, even at two years old, stayed enthralled the entire 50 minutes of the condensed version.  Maddy loved it.  It was just fun.  And I loved it because I could finally understand the words (all in English) and the story line.  I think, judging from the empty seats, that this is a very well kept secret in Utah.  The price was so reasonable - not much more than the cost of a movie ticket - and the exposure to fine arts for young children is priceless.

Thanks to each of you who helped make this such a magically fun day for me!