December 19

'Twas another day of performance-viewing for me. This evening, we headed over to the elementary school for the first grade World Program to see Brady in action as part of the chorus. That was nine hours after I went to the middle school to catch the eighth grade drama classes' Christmas program this morning. I'd heard reports that it was something of a mess, but the kids somehow pulled it all together and it was pretty darn cute. Here's Abby during the "Mean Girls"-inspired finale routine:

She'd told me that she was in the front row, but I was surprised when she took her spot between Buddy and Elf and Santa Claus. She totally held her own with them, and as I sat there, a sense of pride surged through me. Abby is not an extroverted person. In fact, if she's totally honest, she'd probably even admit that she suffers from fairly significant social anxiety. So every time she gets up on a stage, smiles, and performs to the best of her ability, it feels like a huge win. (And the past half hour of listening to her watch and re-watch and giggle over the video I took like the 13-year old girl she is? Completely and utterly priceless.)