Church and State Christmas Pageants

It wouldn't be the Holidays without a ridiculous amount of photographic evidence detailing how our kids participated in a Christmas pageant.

We had two this year:  a traditional, Nativity-ish program at Kris' new church, First United Methodist Church, which both girls participated in, and Alayna's 2nd Grade Christmas play at Chestnut Elementary.  Both took place this week, and both were heavily (and obnoxiously) documented with cameras, thanks to Yours Truly.

Santa's New Look (Alayna's school program.)

As you'll see in the pictures below, Alayna's school footage/pictures turned out much better than the earlier church-y program.  We were stuck pretty far back for the latter, and I neglected to bring my telephoto lens for the SLR.  Consequently, the pictures came out blurry, the video was pixelated, and, from our vantage point, you could barely see Alayna at all.  I've neglected to show you much from that program, as just looking back on that night (and the shitty pictorial evidence I amassed at the time) fills me with unbridled rage.

Now, having learned my lesson from the church's pageant (always bring a telephoto lens, and always fight your way to the front of the audience), I made sure to grab some awesome video and pictures from Alayna's school play.  As you can see in the pics below, I believe I accomplished just that.

Check it out:

The Nativity Story at First United Methodist

Look at that ass. . .

(Abby's the angel in the pink pants)

(. . . and you can barely make out Alayna's face behind the left shoulder of the male angel in the front, fourth from the left.  Alayna was a shepherd.)

These pictures suck.  Alayna's the blue shepherd, having somehow wriggled her way into the front row.

Days later, chowing down on some spaghetti real quick before heading back to school for her Christmas play. . .

Suiting up in Mrs. Larson's class.

Alayna was an elf in this year's play.

Posing with programs (she and another student were selected to handout programs at the gym doors.)

What the hell is that kid at the left doing to that girl's head?  Kids are weird. . .

Ushering in grandparents

Mrs. Larson's second grade class (Alayna is the short one, sixth from the right)

She had a speaking part in the program (maybe a paragraph of dialogue in total), which was cool.  I never had lines in any of my school plays growing up.

Alayna has really come out of her shell this year: a year or two ago she would have just stood there like a deer in headlights, but she - like the rest of her class - was really into these songs. 

 

Fidgeting with her tights.  The kid's a big fan of fidgeting.

Santa gets in trouble with the five-o.

(I forget what was happening here. . .) 

 

Alayna stands by for another speaking role 

"Santa" was considerate enough to lower the mic for our Hobbit of a child. . .

During one of the closing songs, the whole class rushed into the audience to deliver handmade Christmas presents, which, I believe, caused Kris to well up (unsurprisingly.)

Closing number

Mrs. Larson and her crew.

Time for some photo ops. . .

Hamming it up (Alayna's the weird one.)

Our Christmas present from Alayna

A festive candle holder (you drop a votive in it and the light shines through those patterned holes in the metal.)

- Brian

Cannonball's Christmas Concert

Hey familiars,

Free Blue Moon.  Can't complain.

So today was a crazy day, rest assured.  I went to work, then afterward sat through an excruciatingly painful department meeting, then had to drive all the way out to f***in' St. Cloud for a book study (which wasn't all that bad, since it was at a Chili's and our facilitator bought me my first two beers). 

Following a few beers and a discussion on the effect of booze on world history (if you haven't already done so, I highly recommend picking up a copy of The History of the World in Six Glasses - awesome book), I had to speed back over to Hunter's Creek in order to catch Alayna's Christmas Concert at the Peace United Methodist Church.

As many of you may already know, I tend to be one of those people who enjoys documenting every, waking moment with a camera or camcorder.  My wife hates it, but, thanks to me, we have documentation of everything.  For future enjoyment, if you will.  Alas, as the date of Alayna's concert rapidly approached, such attention to detail was lacking as Kris and I realized we were out of DV tapes for the video camera.  I didn't think too much of it, seeing how one can generally find these pretty cheap in the store.  So we put it off.

Dumb move on our part.

A couple days before Alayna's concert, Kris went into four different stores looking for them, and we only found the three packs for $15.  On Amazon, however, a three pack of tapes - we tried and couldn't find anything smaller - was selling for $9 with free shipping (once again, thank you, Amazon Prime).  So we opted to purchase the tapes through Amazon, as they were to be delivered by the night of the concert anyway.

No worries, right?

Well, the day of the concert came, and still no tapes.  By the time I was speeding back from Chili's, I didn't have time to swing by the house and check the mail.  So, screwed without a video camera, we were forced to document the whole evening with my cell phone video camera.

The quality isn't great, but we're in the process of finding a copy from someone who was there that wasn't a complete idiot and remembered to purchase tapes well in advance.

(Just a heads up - a lot of these pics are blurry.  Kris took them, and I don't think she was using the flash.  My apologies.)

 

 

 

 

 (In this last video, you can hear Alayna singing one of the songs from the concert.  I had to videotape it without her knowing, as she gets a little stage shy. . . as you could probably deduce from the other videos.)

 - Brian

Halloween 2011, Pt. III: Trick or Treating Through Southchase

Happy Halloween, Kids!

Today was a horrible, horrible day at work.  My students were bouncing off the walls in anticipation of this evening being Halloween, and they were all sharpening their swords for Trick or Treating later on after school.  Made my job a total blast today.  Love working on holidays.

We had learned out lesson the hard way last year, when we had gone out with the Woloweic clan and hit up the surrounding cul de sacs in Blue Ridge II (our neighborhood).  Remember?  Anyway, we skipped Blue Ridge II all together and cut across Isle of Wright St. to hit up the neighborhood cul de sacs where, last year, there was scores of candy to be had.

Good play on our part, that was.  Every other house, about, had a solid set up, or, at the very least, someone passing out candy.  This is good for exhausted parents who have already put in a full day of work and have to move at a toddler pace through the crowds.  We only had to move up and down one street this year in order to score a bucket load of candy for each kid (most of which will be donated to my 'well-behaved' students tomorrow - I don't want all that sugary crap lying around my house tempting me and rotting my kids' teeth).

Anyway, here's a bunch of pictures from the Hough's Trick or Treating Adventure through Southchase - no video, unfortunately, as I used my Sony video-camera instead of the one on my phone (my phone lacks night vision, which is an essential feature when Trick or Treating).

Enjoy:

Setting off to Trick or Treat

Abby attempted walking for awhile, but that didn't last too long...

The Cannonball is a HUGE fan of taking candy from strangers.  This may or may not pose a serious threat in the future.

Yes, I went in my work clothes.  I figured seeing a teacher out and about trick or treating might scare some kids.

Awaiting plunder.

Attempting to walk (again).  After 45 minutes or so of this, both kids were pretty much spent.  It got to the point where Kris and I were each carrying a kid and their candy.  That sucks for everybody involved.

Leaving a spook house...

Trick or Treating...

Funned out.

This house had some random guy dressed up in a ghoul costume that had been terrifying kids all night.  He'd jump out and scare trick or treaters, who then tore ass across the neighborhood shrieking in fear.  Apparently, according to the guy passing out candy, the only kid brave enough to stand up to his onslaught all night was Abby.  Once that chick has a taste for candy, she's like a blood-crazed shark.

SUGAR!!!!

Once again - classic, vintage Halloween specials from the 1980s following the Trick or Treat venture. 

So... now that Halloween's over and done with, we can pack up the majority of the Fall/Halloween decorations and have a few days before popular culture pressures us into breaking out the Christmas decorations.  Christmas usually starts the day after Halloween nowadays - in some stores down here in Orlando, they had Christmas decor on sale in August.

But seriously - who likes Thanksgiving anyway, right?  Puritans, Native Americans, and fat people - that's who.

(Well, probably not Native Americans anymore...)

- Brian