Back in January, we received a flier in the mail from the Minnesota Orchestra. When I looked inside, I got super excited because I saw that the Orchestra was going to be doing a concert with the Okee Dokee Brothers, Nolan's favorite music group! (Our whole family loves them!) They are a family-friendly, Grammy Award winning bluegrass music duo who sings about their many outdoor adventures. Auntie Brigid gave Nolan his first CD when he was a young baby, and we've been hooked ever since. We ordered tickets that very day, and excitedly awaited this awesome experience for our special boy.
We left Olivia with Grandpa Jim and Grandma Marcia for her first special day of one-on-one grandparent time and headed off to the Twin Cities, stopping for lunch in Woodbury. You could tell he felt so special, having Mommy and Daddy's complete undivided attention. He was smiley, charming, and so excited for the many cool things he was going to do and see!
After lunch, we took him to Nadia's Cakes, winner of the Food Network show Cupcake Wars, to pick out a very special dessert for later that day. We picked an assortment of amazingly delicious cupcakes (He picked Funfetti with rainbow sprinkles) and were on our way downtown to Orchestra Hall.
I hadn't been to Orchestra Hall since I was pregnant with Nolan. It was really fun to have the opportunity to show him around this cool place. He was amazed by the huge Skyscrapers, and rode the escalators over and over because he just couldn't get enough.
The Friends of the MN Orchestra set up learning and interactive stations all around the lobby. He drew a turtle as part of the huge wall mural, and made his own paper canoe and paddles. We got to see many of the instruments close up, as well as their Grammy awards and many other cool sights.
His mouth practically dropped open when we finally got into the performance hall. We had nosebleed seats, in the highest balcony and the view (and sound) was amazing. We spent the week prior learning about all the instruments of the orchestra and it was so fun listening to him identify the different instruments as they were warming up "Look, Mommy! It's a baffsoon! (bassoon)"
The Orchestra began the concert with an impeccable performance of a Copland piece. He was momentarily unsure about the "loudness" when the orchestra swelled, but after some reassurance, settled right in. Then the Okee Dokee Brothers came out and our boy just lit up like a Christmas tree. He was so polite about clapping at all the right times, and sang along with all his favorite songs. He did actions if they asked him to, and even used his paper canoe and paddle as a little instrument to play along.
The orchestra complimented the music beautifully and it was so effortlessly arranged. I was so very impressed. (as I always am when I get to go to Orchestra Hall!) They even had a projector up behind the orchestra to project the music video images of some of their songs while they were performing One of my favorite moments of the concert was during "A Thousand Star Hotel." It started with Justin just playing his banjo and singing the first verse. When the first refrain came up and the orchestra joined, the lights went dark in the hall, and a disco ball lit up room with a thousand sparkly stars. Nolan's face will be forever etched in my mind at that moment. It was just so cool.
I couldn't get enough of watching my little boy. These songs are near and dear to my heart, because they remind me so much of Nolan's babyhood...those precious days when it was just the two of us home together while Daddy was at work. He didn't like to get out of his crib right away in the morning and always wanted to read books himself and listen to his music before he would be ready to get out. So nearly every morning we listened to those sweet songs, and he would bounce and dance and smile in his crib. As I looked at the beautiful four and a half year old sitting next to me, I could catch a glimpse of that smiley, dimply baby boy who stole my heart years ago, and it honestly choked me up a little. I am so lucky to be his mom.
After the concert, we had one more special thing planned. Since Luke and Annalyse moved into their new house on Friday, we were going to visit them for dinner. Being that they just moved back from California a few months ago, we haven't seen a lot of them yet, and most of the time it's been at a larger family gathering. It was so nice to be able to relax with them, make dinner together (yummy authentic Thai soup) and see their new place. Nolan had a blast playing with Annalyse's medical supplies and "helping" Lexie try to catch squirrels. We are so glad they are closer now, and that we can have more days like this.
Nolan fell asleep about 10 minutes in on our trip back to Eau Claire. It was such a special time to share with our amazing son. We love you, Nolan!
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