Once upon a time there was a cute little 4-year-old girl.
All she wanted to do was dance.
Her mom and dad put her in a dance class.
And she was happy!
Fast forward 24 years to another (even cuter!) little 4-year-old girl.
She too wanted to dance.
So her mom and dad put her in a dance class.
And she was happy!
Yes, that first picture is little old me, all dolled up for my very first dance recital.
And of course, that next picture is little Brinlee.
I pulled that old costume out a while back and added it to the girls dress-ups. For quite a while it sat untouched. Things like Peter Pan and TinkerBell were just way more fun! But one day Brinlee decided to pull it out. I had found a little pair of ballet shoes at a thrift store that I had bought and tucked away for just such an occasion. So I pulled them out, and once she had it all on, she was hooked! She danced around the whole rest of the day, and she talked about taking a dance class every day after that.
That was back in September.
I finally got around to looking into it and found a little $20 six week spring class through the rec center here. I figured it was perfect. If she loved it, great! We'd go for something bigger next time. If she hated it, oh well then. At least we weren't out much time or money, right? I was kind of excited about it though, and really kind of secretly hoped she would love it. And in the end, she totally did!!!
She started back in April, and her first class was darling. It was everything I expected, and hoped for really. She tried so hard, and had so much fun, and of course, she was SO cute! And the other classes were all about the same. She came out frustrated a few times, she does have a good chunk of Borup grace in her... and "Some of dance is just really hard!" But every Saturday morning, she was excited.
I hadn't expected any kind of performance or anything, but it turned out, she had one! The teacher she had runs year-long classes that have a Spring recital. And of course, Brinlee was not about to miss a chance to be on stage!
I couldn't help but catch this little moment. Her dress rehearsal was from 5:30 to 8:00 on a Friday night, and it was a 20 minute drive across town to get there. Daddy stayed home to put McKenna to bed, so Brinlee and I ventured out. I can't tell you how many peanut butter sandwiches I ate in the car while my mom or dad shuttled me to and from classes, rehearsals, performances... oh man. This little moment in my rearview mirror was like a blast from the past and just warmed my little heart.
Once she was all dolled up she let me take a few quick pictures. I of course went overboard. I couldn't help myself, she was just so stinking cute! And she was SO excited!
Her recital was everything a first recital should be - darling, slightly comical, and just the right amount of surprisingly impressive. With 3 and 4-year-olds, you always at least wonder if they'll get on stage and freeze. Or just do their own thing. Or cry. But she was a natural! I was pleasantly surprised, and extremely proud! I may have (read: I definitely) cried a little.
This was the dress rehearsal. Her recital video is on a different camera, but is just as perfectly heart-warming!
When she was all done, I went backstage to find one beaming little dancer. She was so excited, and SO proud of herself! She told me "Mom, my friends forgot to do the part where we go around in a big circle together... but it's ok, because we looked awesome!" And they really did! They looked awesome! Man. Does life get any better than watching your little one in her first dance recital? Because it was pretty amazing.
Sigh...
Pure happiness.
So proud of this sweet ballerina!
And where was McKenna? She sat with daddy and loved (that's a huge understatement) the whole show! We worried she would be a disaster - staying up past bedtime, having to sit still, no food in the auditorium... but she was mesmerized, and did awesome! Even on the drive home, she was as happy (and goofy) as could be!
Clearly, we have the best, cutest, most awesome little kids ever!
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