Starstruck Kiddo

Over the weekend, we were thrilled to attend a production of Annie, starring the Kiddo's very own amazing cousin, Isabelle Moon in the title role.  To fully convey to you the level of excitement that this event inspired in the Kiddo, I will have to give you a little background:

I spent the ages of four through six living and breathing everything Annie.  I saw the 1982 movie version in the theater, and I owned the original cast recording on vinyl, which I think I listened to approximately four million times while creating my own choreography to go along with it in the middle of the living room.  Last year I stumbled upon the 25th anniversary special edition DVD of the movie and decided to snap it up for old times sake, and the thought also occurred to me that the Kiddo might enjoy watching it.  

Well, did he ever.  I guess the Annie obsession is genetic, because at the Kiddo's request we have watched that DVD about four million times in the last year.  We also downloaded the soundtrack from iTunes and we have to listen to it at least once a day.

So, imagine our mutual fever pitch excitement and anticipation when we learned that our beloved Isabelle would be starring in a community theatre version of the musical.  We have been looking sooooo forward to it, and yesterday was the big day!  And we had the best time.  Isabelle's performance was phenomenal, the entire production was entertaining, fun, and touching, and the Kiddo was glued to his seat, eyes fixated on the stage, the entire time.  Here he is cheering for his beloved cousin/favorite fictional character (thanks to Riki for the photos):

And here is the leading lady herself, post show, as she greets her adoring fans:

Here we have her numero uno biggest fan ever, so thrilled to be meeting his icon:

And here we have the Kiddo being carried around by Isabelle while she continues to greet her fans.  Note the look of serious devotion emanating from his eyes, coupled with the death grip on her shoulder.  The one time that Isabelle passed him back to me so that she could give someone else a hug and accept another bouquet, the Kiddo met me with sudden, violent, and tearful shrieks of "BELLE!!!!" while he attempted to leap from my grasp, back into Isabelle's arms:

And here we have one of the more adorable photos ever, taken at the after party, at Isabelle's house when all her siblings and friends were piled in the bed watching cartoons.  Note the devoted Kiddo cuddled to Isabelle's side in the middle of the bed.  Heart-melting cuteness!

It was a wonderful day -- one for the ages, and we are so proud of our Isabelle Moon!

I have to take this opportunity to share the exciting news that Isabelle will soon be making her film debut, with a role in the upcoming Away We Go, written by Dave Eggers and Directed by Sam Mendes.  Have you seen the trailer yet?  It looks like such a wonderful movie, and of course everyone in the family is bursting with excitement and pride for Isabelle.  Here's the preview: