Sweetness Amidst Chaos

It's May.  Spring is blooming, the hills are alive and all that jazz.

And this mama is exhausted.

This time of year is for the (baby) birds.  Every Sunday I sit down and look at the week ahead.  I can't really think about life in terms longer than one week.  And lately, every Sunday I've had to write about a bajillion things on my to-do list.

Kindergarten performances, Field Day, Mother's Day Tea, awards ceremonies, swim team meetings.

My head is spinning just thinking about all of the upcoming activities.  (Seriously, how do working parents manage this??)  To say that I have been busy is a bit of an understatement.  But we can check one year-end rite of passage off of the list- the dance recital.

I've written before about how much Charlotte loves to dance.  When she was still just a baby, she would lay on the floor outside the dance studio to try and get a peek at the dancers beneath the crack at the bottom of the door.  She was thrilled when it was finally her turn to enter the studio.  Since she was such a super fan, they let her begin when she was still two, even though she didn't quite meet the age requirement.  She hasn't looked back since.

But this year was her first recital year.  Patience is a virtue, and not one that preschoolers possess. She was measured for her costume in October.  It arrived in January, and she had to look at it hang in my closet for months before she was finally allowed to wear it.  She practiced her routine in class for weeks and weeks leading up to the big day.  And this past weekend it finally arrived.

Dress rehearsal was on Friday.  As much as she loves class each week, I honestly wasn't sure what to expect of her once she was on the big stage in front of a crowd.  But true to form, Charlotte took her dance very seriously.  She was the first person of the day to walk on to that stage.  She found her spot, stood in position, and smiled a big smile.  When I waved to her, she wouldn't even wave back- she's a professional!

Since hers was the first group of the day onto the stage, it took a few minutes before they could begin their dance.  There was lighting and sound to adjust, and tape on the stage to be corrected.  She stood there with her sweet smile the whole time, and charmed every single person in that auditorium.  People kept asking me if mine was the one in front, and telling me how adorable she was.

I didn't hate it.

She did as well as a first timer could possibly do in her performance, and couldn't wait until the next day for the real deal.

She woke up the next morning ready to get into her costume immediately.  Imagine her disappointment when I told her that her recital wasn't until 2:00, and that she should probably just put on some play clothes before then.

She managed to make it all the way to show time without losing her sweet mind.  The performance was just as adorable as it could be.  She came back out at the end for the finale with the biggest smiles- the joy on my tiny dancer's face was truly contagious.

It was true love.

Since the recital, I can count on two things every day.  She's going to ask for a bun with her costume hairpiece, and she's going to ask how long until her next recital.  She's a dancer, through and through.