Astrid's 1st dance class

This morning was Astrid's first "Into to Dance" class. The first 30 minutes is ballet, and the last 15 minutes is tap dancing. I had wanted to sign Astrid up for dance class for some time now, but every studio and dance class only accepts kids 3 and over. With her turning 3 in two months, she's just now eligible. What a cutie she is in her pink leotard, pink tights, and pink ballet slippers.

She was so excited about dance class, that when I got up this morning, she had already laid out her outfit and shoes on her bedroom rug, ready for mom to put them on her. Amazing how she remembered all the separate pieces, as I purchased them a week ago and quickly put them away. When I told U. about it he commented, "Organized just like her mother." =) It was hard to get a clear shot with all the jumping around in excitement (on Astrid's part - not mine).

Each class is color coordinated. The youngest class (Astrid's) is all pink. I saw another class dressed entirely in blue.

In addition to the dress code, they're also strict about the girls having their hair up in a bun, and no skirts. Astrid's hair is too layered to pull back into a single bun, (and I didn't want to use hairspray - she's too young for that), so I just hoped the double bun would be okay. But I still got yelled at (or rather chastised) by the owner for not tucking the strings of her ballet shoes in. I took ballet classes as an adult, but we never had those drawstrings so I just thought you tied them into a bow.Getting up early on a Saturday morning to get to dance class by 9 AM was well worth it. I'm preferential of course but I thought Astrid was the cutest girl there and I had a smile on my face the entire time watching her.Adorable!

This was a substitute teacher. Her regular dance instructor will be back next week.

One thing that's not ideal: there's only a small window high up to watch the girls, so you have to stand the entire time in a narrow hallway, crowded by other parents, to watch them. And the window is covered with some film, which makes taking photographs nearly impossible. (I think it's there so the dancers aren't distracted.) So I had to take these photos through a small hole where the flim was pulled off. Not ideal like I said, but still a lot of fun to watch and Astrid loved it.After 30 minutes they let the girls out to change into their tap shoes. Or more precisely, for their mother's to change them into their tap shoes.When class is over the girls line up and curtsy when it's their turn and say "thank you" like perfect ballerinas.

Astrid cried when class was over exclaiming, "More dance class mom!" When I explained that class was over she asked, "Why?!" She just didn't want it to be over. It was new and exciting, and fun. I'm glad that I was so determined to get her enrolled in a dance class now, rather than waiting until she turned 3. She's ready now and already asking me about when she can go back to dance class (because like she tells me "I have to bance mom.")

Astrid acts in her first production

The LA Zoo has a performance theater for kids. Twice daily they have volunteering kids dress up and perform roles in a production. Today's productions comes from a children's book called, "The Mitten."Astrid played the part of the "Grandmother". It was really sweet to see. I was excited for her!

I peeked in the back and got a pic of her getting dressed in a gray shawl and old apron, and saw her playing with the other kids. By the time she got on stage though she was really shy. Not surprising because she went on first, and was isolated from the other kids on that chair off to the side of the stage. She had no idea what she was doing, or what to expect. The story starts off with a grandmother knitting mittens for her grandson.The MC feeding Astrid her lines. He was great with the kids.Here you can see the entire stage, complete with a fake Christmas tree, and winter landscape background.The story continues that the grandson drops one mitten and it gets blown into the forest where the other animals find it and climb into it one by one. It was really cute to see all the kids dressed up in their costumes.The grandson finds the mitten and it's all stretched out and HUGE.The kids taking a bow (to the roaring applause of family members).Afterwards when I approached Astrid on the stage, she looked like she was about to cry. Many of the other kids had performed in this production before, but it was Astrid's first time. It was the perfect role for her because all she had to do was sit there, but it might have been more fun for her to play an animal and hide behind the mock glove with the other kids.

(We went back a week later for the zoo's Chinese New Year celebration, and U. had the opportunity to watch the theater performance, but Astrid had a major case of stage fright and did not want to volunteer. She just buried her face in Papa's shoulder and when we asked her if she wanted to be the "mouse" she just shook her head "no" and was on the verge of tears. I hope she gets over her fear because she was so darn cute up there on stage.)

Chinese New Year arts & crafts at the Cypress Park Branch Library

Astrid and I participated in the Cypress Park Branch - Los Angeles Library arts and crafts class today in celebration of Chinese New Year.First they read a children's book about Chinese New Year.
Then it was time for arts and crafts.

Astrid's not old enough to use scissors yet (that skill set is pretty difficult to master), so I had her use glue to stick on pieces of colored tissue paper as I made a Chinese paper lantern out of cardboard toilet paper rolls, some gold leaf paper, and construction paper.Having fun drawing with markers.
You can see my finished lantern that I made for Astrid, decorated with purple glitter glue.
Afterwards, each child was given a Chinese yoyo.

Arts & crafts are always fun, and it's great that our local library does nice things like this for the community.

Visiting Watts Towers (day after Christmas)

Over the holidays U. wanted to show Astrid something of cultural relevance so we visited the Watts Towers, in the Watts district of Los Angeles, California. Sitting next to the statue in front of the museum.
The Towers were built by Italian immigrant construction worker Sabato ("Sam" or "Simon") Rodia in his spare time over a period of 33 years, from 1921 to 1954.
The sculptures are constructed from steel pipes and rods, wrapped with wire mesh, coated with mortar. Rodia called the towers Nuestro Pueblo, meaning "our town." Rodia built them with no special equipment or (so far as is known) predetermined design, working alone with hand tools and window-washer's equipment. Two of the structures reach heights of over 99 feet (30 m).

Rodia decorated his structures using found objects: bed frames, bottles, ceramic tiles, scrap metal, sea shells, and damaged pieces from the Malibu Pottery, where he worked for many years. Green glass includes recognizable soft drink bottles, some still bearing the logos of 7 Up, Squirt, Bubble-Up, and Canada Dry; blue glass appears to be from milk of magnesia bottles.
There's not a lot known about Simon Rodia, but a lot of speculation on why he started the towers and then abandoned them after working on them for 33 years. He was severely depressed after the death of his daughter. Rumor has it that he became an alcoholic and this was the reason his wife took their remaining 2 sons and left him, and he never saw him family again. Maybe he was manic? Maybe it was cathartic? He worked on his towers after work and on the weekends for 33 years and never finished. Some think that his intention was to live there. (There is a bathtub.)

But whatever the case, he had a vision and his work is beautiful and inspirational. Today it's an oasis in a harsh inner city where you see more barbed wire than beauty.

Simon Rodia is quoted as saying, "I wanted to do something...something big...and I did it."

According to Wikipedia, Rodia reportedly did not get along with his neighbors, some of whom allowed their children to vandalize his work. Rumors that the towers were antennae for communicating with enemy Japanese forces, or contained buried treasure, caused suspicion and further vandalism.

In 1955, Rodia gave the property away and left, reportedly tired of the abuse he had received. He retired to Martinez, California, and never came back. He died a decade later.
Here Astrid is standing in front of some African instruments in the adjacent museum.
The curator of the museum was nice enough to explain and show us a 15 minute video about the Watts Towers and Simon Rodia (pronounced incorrectly by the documentary narrator as Rodilla, the name that was given to him by Simon Rodia's Spanish speaking neighbors, but incorrectly pronouncing the silent "L").More art work inside the museum.The outside wall of the building is decorated with tiles. Astrid is pointing out the car.The apple doesn't fall far from the tree.Astrid striking a pose.

She's so used to having her photo taken that now when she does something cute she says, "Mom, take a picture!"Astrid wanted to sit on each colored rock.Going to sit on the green rock.Sitting on the red rock.

I've been to Watts Towers and the museum before, but it was the first time for U. and Astrid.

If you're planning on visiting the towers for the first time, I would recommend you go on a weekend, or call ahead of time to schedule a tour. Otherwise, you will not be allowed to walk inside, and can only see the structures from the outside parameter.

Christmas Eve - Dorothy Chandler Pavilion (48th Annual LA County Holiday Celebration)

Since 1959, the city of Los Angeles has put on a "Holiday Celebration" production on Christmas Eve which is free to the public.

U. and I used to go each year and it became something of a Christmas Eve tradition, but this is the first time we've been back since Astrid was born. Last year we felt she was still too young to sit for long (and too much work for us) to appreciate it, but this year now that she's 2 and a 1/2, we thought she'd enjoy the children's choir and hearing Christmas songs like Jingle Bells (a song she knows and loves to sing along to).Location: Dorothy Chandler Pavilion at the Music Center
Date: December 24th
Time: 3:00 to 9:00 PM
Admission: Free
Parking: Free
http://www.holidaycelebration.org/

Sponsored by the LA County Board of Supervisors.
Produced by the LA County Arts Commission.
Broadcast live on TV by KCET.Burbank Chorale

This was our view from the 4th floor. It seemed more packed than usual, but it might have been the time. In the past we always went in the afternoon, but this time we came in the evening. Tonight there was a line outside the theater doors all the way to the fountain, but the line moved pretty quickly and we were soon inside. They instructed us to go up to the 4th floor (which was also different from the past when we were able to seat ourselves in the orchestra section). But with a kid it turned out to be just fine since there was room to get in and out easily and the restrooms were right outside.Astrid clapping.
Tribaljazz

This band was formed by John Densmore, the former drummer of The Doors.
A better shot of John Densmore in white, on the drums.
Astrid enjoying the show.
More clapping. She clapped after every song, and every performance.
OLL Children's Choir

These kids recently sung for the Pope.Holding onto Papa.

For some reason Astrid asked me if they were all girls. I shook my head and said no, the choir had boys and girls. But Astrid kept saying, "No, just girls." Maybe because all of their voices were so high.

LA Contemporary Dance Company

I enjoyed this performance. It was beautiful to watch and the music they used was the modern music by Sigur Ros (song: Saeglopur).

Snow"I love it Mommy!"

For the most part she was good, but a couple times she wanted something and when she didn't get her way she made it known. For example, she did not want to share the arm rest with U. Instead she wanted it all to herself and for Papa to take his arm away. When this didn't happen she threw a fit. We were ready to get up and leave, but seeing this, she quickly calmed down saying "Okay okay okay" and went back to quietly watching the show again. So we decided to stay for one last performance (for a total of 5) before heading home and calling it a night.Valleyaires Barbershop Chorus

The Dorothy Chandler Pavilion was all decked out for Christmas and we couldn't resist taking one last photo.