Hannah was in a musical! At the California Arts Academy they do musicals year round for different age groups. Hannah was just old enough to join the 5-10 year olds. She had a great time. During some of the first practices they were learning one of the songs/dances for the show. Then one day he asked them one by one to do it by themselves, they could pass if they wanted. Hannah did it! I was so proud that she had the courage. I thought for sure she would have passed.
It was so fun watching her with all the other kids cause she was so small but still did everything they did. She was part of the ensemble which means she didn't have a speaking role but she came out for several different songs and parts of the play. Sometimes she was a dog and most of the time she was a cat.
The time commitment was pretty large. She went Fridays from 4-6 and Saturdays from 11-1 for about 8 weeks. I started to question the decision to sign her up, especially when we'd be driving there and she'd say, "Mommy, why am I in so much stuff? I always have to do something." Having dress rehearsal made all the difference. She was so excited to have a costume and I think it helped her see what it was all for. She especially liked having to hide behind the curtains until her turn and even sneak to the other side.
The show was of course, the best part of it all. At the end of a song or of her part on stage she would squint her eyes and try to look for us in the audience. She would always smile at Jared and I. All of the grandpas and relatives would get the embarrassed smile, it was so cute. We are so proud of her. It was overall a great experience. We bought the DVD so we could watch it at home and maybe show clips of it at her wedding!
