A Star is Born

Yesterday, Mike, Chase, Oma and I, all went to see Charlie make his on-stage debut at the StoneBridge Preschool Christmas Program. As you all know, Charlie comes from a long line of performers, so I totally expected him to take center stage to show the rest of the two-year-olds how it's done. Regardless, I was beyond excited and couldn't wait to see my little Charlie at his first show.

Come to find out, according to Mrs. Yascur, Charlie has a little bit of stage fright! I couldn't believe it! This child must not be related to me and must have been switched at birth, right? What other explanation could there be?

Seriously though, our little Charlie was a bit nervous yesterday which became more and more obvious when he didn't want to leave our side. It was the first time that he wasn't completely confident and secure. It was the first time he didn't say, "Mama, go." I felt so bad for him. He definitely wasn't himself. Luckily, Charlie has an amazing teacher, Mrs. Yascur, who came over to give him a big hug and lots of encouragement.

We eventually left Charlie with his class and took our seat in the auditorium. Our cameras were charged and ready to capture this big moment on film. Even Chase was excited, as he was dancing to the music and smiling his big, goofy grin.

Finally, Charlie took the stage. You could tell he was scanning the audience looking for us. We waved at him like we were little kids, just trying to get his attention. At one point, he must have found a man who looks like Mike because he got so excited and started waving and saying, "Dada!" So funny! But, eventually he found us in the audience.

What a wonderful show it was! The entire school sang first, then the two-year-old class sang "Away in a Manger" and "Jingle Bells," complete with their own little bells to ring. (Actually, there wasn't much singing coming from the class, but that didn't matter to us. We all loved every minute of it.) Each age group had their own class "solos," and then the program ended with the entire school singing "O Come All Ye Faithful."

After the program, we all headed to the Fellowship Hall for punch and cookies. I think that was Charlie's favorite part! He did such a great job though. He followed instructions and stood onstage proudly and with great confidence. He was a pro! We were SO PROUD!

So, that was Charlie's stage debut... the StoneBridge Preschool Christmas Program.

 * A STAR IS BORN! *

Here are a few pictures from the big day:

Chase can't believe it. "My big brother is on stage! He must be famous!"

Charlie takes the stage for the first time. He's furiously scanning the audience, looking for us.

That's Charlie in the middle with his hands on his head. "Where are my parents?!"

Still looking for us... (Notice how he's the tallest!)

Charlie, doing his own choreography! I'm so proud.

Charlie, smirking.

Still looking to the left at the Mike look-alike.

And he found us! He's looking at us!

And now he's yawning... Oh, well.

It's over now. "Wasn't I awesome?!"

"Charlie want a cookie!!!" 

"This is the best part of the show!"

Chase and Mama, proud of big brother!