Lainey finished her first year of ballet this spring. Her class, for 3 year olds, is appropriately called "Dance To Your Own Tune" as most kids her age do just that. She loved her class, loved her teacher and the assistant, came to really enjoy meeting a few new friends and REALLY loved her sparkly pink costume for the recital.
I was a little nervous all year about how Lainey would handle the chaos of the end of the year recital. Even though she ADORES dancing and dances all of the house all of the time, I just wasn't sure but I was hopeful. It's one thing to dance in the confines of a studio with a mirror and your teacher right in front of you but for recital, there's a huge stage and a huge auditorium and bright lights! I remember the butterflies of performing so well. Thankfully, there was a dress rehearsal so we could try it all out and get comfortable before the big day.
I'm not even that good at doing my own make up, let alone attempting to modestly apply make up to my wiggly 3 year old. Mascara was the hardest (girl has some serious lashes!) and I didn't even attempt eye liner. She thought it was so fun and I thought it was so weird (and also pretty adorable in a way).
These are a few of the little darlings Lainey danced with. It was fun to meet and get to know a few new moms. We had good conversations every Monday for 30 minutes while the girls danced!
The girls were "Carnations" and looked sooooooo tiny on that big big stage!
The big day finally arrived!
Papa drove down and stayed one night, came to the recital and then left right from the show to head back to Minnesota for my cousin's wedding. What a sweet Papa he is! Lainey loved having him there.
There is no doubt. She is a Daddy's girl.
I have yet another new appreciation for my mom as I began to learn the ropes as a dance mom this year. When I was young, I never really took the time to consider what a sacrifice dance was for my mom or our family. The time commitment each and every week (multiple times a week as I got older), the gas to drive to and from, the tuition, the shoes, the tights and costumes... all for 2 minutes on stage at the end of the year. Was it worth it? I think my mom would say yes... dance was a huge part of my life growing up and into adulthood. I have no way of knowing if it will be that way for Lainey, or Tiegan, in the future, but I am starting to understand that as a mom, I will gladly spend some of my time and energy on activities they enjoy and learn and grow from. It's been something so special to watch Lainey do something independent from me and to begin to navigate that in her own way.
You can see, she really was excited! I was so thankful for that smile and that there were no tears (for her, but there maybe were for me!).
We reluctantly brought the whole clan but it went pretty well!
If I remember correctly, we often would go out for treats after a recital or performance, usually Baker's Square for pie if my memory serves correct. We took the kids to Smokey Row for ice cream.
She felt pretty special waltzing around in that get up all over the place.
Wyatt will do just about anything for ice cream so it worked out pretty well to use that as some motivation.
Overall, the first year of ballet and the recital were both a huge success. We have Lainey signed up to dance again this year and we are looking forward to watching her learn and grow even more!
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