Anna Claire and Mallory's First Dance Recital ~ June 29, 2013

I was finally able to upload the video from Anna Claire and Mallory's first dance recital! The last few days have been a bit hectic {mommy ran into the parking garage wall with the minivan just before the recital Saturday, and we've had painters at the house for several days now ~ crazy town!!}; I am SO excited to finally share the video because I am SO proud of them!

They had a great year and worked really hard in dance class {which wasn't always easy on Friday afternoons!}. I think you can see in the video how proud they are of themselves. They had a very long night ~ their tap dance was at the very beginning and their ballet number was near the very end of the program. That was a lot of waiting around in a green room packed with about 30 five~year~olds and no air conditioning. Anna Claire ended up having a mini~meltdown early in the evening...which might account for her missing hair bow?? They were both so excited on stage, though, and did such a great job with their dance!

Hang in there for the full video {3:33} if you can because there's some classic Anna Claire sweetness at the end!

Tiny Dancers - Recital Costumes are Here!

Anna Claire and Mallory got to try on their dance costumes for the first time during Friday's class. Don't they look so sweet? They love their costumes. {They are much better that last years' costumes!}

They were the first ones out of the dressing room, so I was able to get some video before any other little ballerinas came out. They were soooooo excited!

Mallory was all about posing for the camera, but Anna Claire was getting fussy because her costume was itchy.

 

Their recital is June 29th...let me know if you need a ticket!

 



Scarecrow Ballerinas

Friday after dance class, Anna Claire and Mallory wanted to see the scarecrows on the square. They had so much fun running around acting silly...

Another video from dance class. The quality is horrible...sorry. I promise I won't post anymore until I get a better phone or a smaller video camera that fits in my purse!

Line Dancing

Anna Claire and Mallory put on a little show in dance class yesterday. I did my best to record it but, of course, they were standing at opposite ends of the line. They were pretty tired by this time in class, but they did great!!

Tiny Dancers

Friday was Anna Claire and Mallory's first dance class at a new studio. We tried out a summer~session class a few weeks ago and the girl's loved it! They were so excited for class...new leotards, shoes, tights, and their hair in buns with bobby pins! I don't know what it was about the bobby pins, but they were so excited to wear them in their hair!

This year class is at 4:15 on Fridays...not the best time, but our only other option was 5:45 on Wednesday nights. We're all tired by Friday, but that's the only day of the week the girls don't have playschool, so paired with the earlier class time I thought it was the best option. Granny has to get the girls dressed and meet me at the studio since I can't leave work in time to pick them up and get them to class.

This Friday it was pouring down rain when we got to class ~ and I had forgotten my camera ~ so this is the only pic I was able to get with my phone. Once class started, the teacher's music wasn't working. Dance class with no music?? That got old pretty fast. Thankfully Anna Claire and Mallory weren't the only little girls hanging on the barre and yawning. Then as the girls were changing into tap shoes Anna Claire got her finger stepped on. Ouch! She never recovered, and I had to take her outside she got so upset.

Needless to say, the girls were grouchy by the time class was over, and I am seriously  hoping things go better this week!

It's Finally Friday!

Anna Claire and Mallory are pretty much recovered from bronchitis...just a couple more days of prednisone. They went back to playschool yesterday and dance class Wednesday night ~ and weren't we so excited that the recital costumes are in!? They're brown!! Yay!! They are dancing to The Lion Sleeps Tonight/I Just Can't Wait to be King and that means they must be dressed as little lion cubs. Cute!

I'm not sure if my sarcasm is translating through my writing, but all that matters is that the girls really are excited. Anna Claire ran around the studio roaring and Mallory wouldn't stop smiling. Nevertheless, every Wednesday we look at the big poster in the waiting room with the pictures of all the recital costumes and the ones they ooh and ahhh over every time are the costumes that look like princesses and brides, and those really are beautiful costumes. But, they seem to be happy with their brown lion costumes {thank goodness} and that's enough to make me happy, too.

Halloween Here We Come

The girls could have worn their Halloween costumes to dance class Wednesday afternoon, but I was a little concerned about what condition their costumes would be in by Monday if they wore them Wednesday afternoon and then again to school on Thursday. Not to mention, their costumes are fleece, so I thought they might be hot.

Solution: They wore their sassy little Halloween skirts Grandmom just bought them and could not have been happier about it. They wore witches' hats and danced to Ghost Busters, The Monster Mash, and Flying Purple People Eaters.

We didn't get word until late Tuesday the girls could wear their costumes. Come to find out, they were the only ones dressed even remotely Halloweenish {maybe some didn't get the message at all?}. Here I was worried they'd be the only ones whose mommy didn't let them wear their actual costumes, but now I'm really glad they didn't go to class decked out in their costumes from head to toe!

They did wear their costumes to playschool yesterday and looked too cute. Pictures coming soon. We are all ready for Halloween and Trick~or~Treating...are you?

Dance Class Darlings

Anna Claire and Mallory are loving dance class and they adore their teacher. I love watching them through the window and would give anything to be able to get into the studio with a hidden camera and get some pictures...they are cute and funny and a little uncoordinated ~ but they are learning!

Mallory is so funny because when she is practicing a step she's always got her tongue sticking out to the side of her mouth ~ thinking hard about how to get her toe to point and tap at the same time while her arms are doing what they're supposed to do while trying to watch herself in the mirror instead of the teacher!

Anna Claire is often somewhere in la-la land and has to be brought back to reality a few times each dance class, but she gets right back on track and is usually able to learn the steps just fine. She loves the class and has so much fun; I just think she gets tired about half~way through.

So, until I figure out a way to rig up my hidden camera inside the studio, pictures of the girls dressed and ready to go to dance class is the best I've got...but aren't they adorable?

Prima Ballerinas

Can there be two prima ballerinas? Yes, I think there can!

Anna Claire and Mallory started taking their first dance class last week. As you can probably tell, they are very excited!

 Don't let Anna Claire's expression fool you.

I went back and forth all summer trying to decide if I thought we were all ready to get involved in extra~curricular activities {I actually considered soccer. I know nothing about soccer}. I had pretty much decided we were not ready, but as soon as school started {and after a couple of friends got me really excited about the idea} I began to regret my decision. At the last minute, I found out dance classes had not started yet, so we talked to the girls about it and made the decision to get them signed up ~ best decision ever! They've only had one class so far, and they absolutely love it.

Their class is called expressive dance and is a multi~age class {2~4 year~olds}. They go once a week for an hour and learn ballet and tap through imaginative play. It is wonderful. I wish I could take pictures during class.

I was glued to the two~way mirror last week watching. All the little girls did very well. Anna Claire and Mallory were so excited to get started, they both walked right in to the studio without looking back {I won't lie; I was a little worried about Anna Claire}. They participated in every activity and seemed to listen and follow direction very well. The best part is they are constantly asking when they get to go back to dance class!

 Well lookey there...Mommy made it into a picture! {Thanks, Grandmom!}

 Remember our recent trip to People, Places, and Quilts? I decided to make the girls' ballet bags...

 ...with my new embroidery machine! {Thank you, Granny and Papa!!}.

 The finished products...

I appliqued ballet shoes on one side and embroidered the girls' monogram on the other side.

I am still learning the ins and outs of machine embroidery and applique, but so far, it hasn't been too frustrating, and I've got tons of ideas for projects for the girls!