My little Orphan in "Annie!"

 Last weekend, my parents flew into town to see Ashlyn in the musical "Annie!" Ashlyn and her 2 best friends were in the Orphan Chorus, so it's been a good introduction to drama, without being too much of a time commitment. The past 3 weeks they've had rehearsal every day after school until late, so it has been busier. We were looking forward to seeing it all come together and I'm so glad my parents could share in our excitement! 

Ashlyn had performances Wednesday afternoon, Thursday and Friday nights and 2 performances on Saturday. My parents came to visit on Friday morning, so we chose to see the Friday night show. Our 9-year-old friend Lauren played the part of Annie, and I was so nervous for her that I had tears rolling down my face during the first 2 scenes. Lauren's in my Primary class at church and I just adore her! It was such a huge role and she was absolutely incredible! We thought that the orphans just lit up the stage every time they were on. I couldn't believe my Ashlyn, up on that stage, singing and dancing with such confidence! It was so much fun to see!

The "orphans" had a great time together.....

I was so grateful that we could carpool to rehearsals and shows with our friends! It made the whole experience a lot less hectic. (ABOVE): Rachel, Ashlyn and Kaylee after the show.

My Mom and Dad got Ashlyn a bouquet of flowers. She was thrilled!

Claire made it all the way through the 2 3/4 hour play... Until the last 5 minutes! My parents got lots of cuddles (a.k.a. they got smothered) all weekend!

One of my favorite memories from the weekend was Friday night after we all got home from the play. We put Corey and Claire to sleep, then ate leftover pie (from when I hosted Book Club the night before)! Ashlyn, my Mom and I stayed up late and watched "The Last Song." What a great night! I snapped this silly picture with my cell phone (above)...

On Saturday, Ashlyn had a call time at Noon, so we dropped her, Rachel and Kaylee off and went to lunch and The Downtown Aquarium. My Mom had been with us last summer, but my Dad had never been before. 

The only problem with the weekend was that it was over way too fast! 2 days just flew by. Thanks Mom & Dad for making it so memorable!