THE Christmas Program

The night of the long anticipated school Christmas program has come and gone with much fuss, fanfare, and fun. I wish I had an actual picture from the concert, but this will have to do. This pic is actually from Google, but it is of my church. If you see where the people are standing, behind the altar, that is where the 3rd graders stood, with the orchestra (Girl included) behind them. The second graders were on the steps in front of the altar, and the toothless first graders on the floor in front of them.

What a sight it was to behold. Mom managed to get there before we did and was fortunate enough to not only get rockstar parking, but rockstar seating in the first pew that wasn't reserved (6 pews back). When we arrived, the room was abuzz with the excited energy of the children waiting "patiently" in the pews with their parents until the music teacher called them to assemble.

The program began with the orchestra playing a piece by Mozart called "Sleigh Ride", no not the one we all know, but a great piece nonetheless. They did another number and then the children sang together as a group before doing their "own grade" songs. SmallBoy was SO excited he could hardly contain himself, but he did very well. He sang loud and strong and was very animated (DUH). In some cases, Asperger's shows itself in speech patterns, enunciation, etc....Well, SmallBoy was clearly enunciating (which, in singing is fantastic).

After the kids sang, the orchestra played another piece and then sent forth some ensembles. Girl, and her two friends Rai & Chop (did I get that right?) performed on viola, violin, and cello, "Angels We Have Heard On High". They blew everyone else right out of the water...including the orchestra as a whole. I was SO proud! If it wouldn't have caused her severe embarrassment, I would have stood up in my seat and applauded and yelled, "Hey...that's MY daughter!" She was fantastic!

We looked up, after Girl's ensemble and noticed that SmallBoy was missing from his spot, only to see him coming back from a hot date with the restroom...shirt totally untucked, but he was comfortable, so who was I to complain. He was getting a bit restless at this point and it showed. He sat back down on the stairs, in his place, put his head between his knees and started to rock. He doesn't do that very often, so when he does, I know he's wearing out. BUT, then it was time to sing again. The kids performed a song that I had done in grade school or jr. high called "Pat-a-pan". The refrain includes a line that goes, "Tu ra lu ra luuuuuu...." Well I just about lost it. I looked up and SmallBoy was making the same face that the Peanuts kids did during the "Loo Loo loo" part at the end when they're singing "Hark the Herald Angels" around the Charlie Brown Christmas Tree. I had tears not streaming, but RUNNING down my face and I was shaking because I was trying not to laugh out loud. People thought I was totally choked up.

The kids did a Mexican Christmas Carol, "Vamos Todos A Belen", of which SmallBoy was particularly fond, probably because he got to sing in Spanish. Remember, now, that SmallBoy is in the last row of ALL the children in the church. When the song finished, he threw his hands up into the air in a victory shake. If I was falling over with laughter and pride before, I was totally on the floor at this point. He was just SO DAMN CUTE, I couldn't stand it. Most parents would have been mortified. To me, however, it was SmallBoy expressing how much he absolutely loved what he was doing. After another song, he took a bow. During the Pat-a-Pan song, he was immitating one of the parts and playing "air flute."

It was a bittersweet concert, as it was his last. Only the first through third graders sing in the show. Girl will have one more year, however, as the orchestra plays every year. She has been in the show every year since first grade, overlapping singing and playing in the orchestra in 3rd grade.

After that, we FLEW to Girl's basketball game (see how insane this is?). We played our own 8th grade team at another school (yes, terribly confusing, it has something to do with all of the leagues we play in). Our girls held their own, Girl did NOT foul out, but they lost in the end. It was a close game, which was great. If it weren't for the school's new rule of squading the girls, we might have won (or if the coach knew how to properly rotate within the squad).
,br>All in all, it was a wonderful night. Mom, Meem, & FIL all came out. It was wonderful to have everyone together. Missed my Chica though (feel better Cheeks. I "heart" you).