The girls always like to pretend they're ballerinas, but they haven't ever been in a ballet class before. I took ballet for a little while when I was young, long enough to start to love it (or maybe I already did), but not long enough to gain any sort of proficiency. I don't think I ever was destined to become any good, and by junior high I was more interested in (and suited for!) distance running anyway, but I have never lost that interest in and love for watching ballet, at least! Someday in my resurrected body I'm going to become good at it myself. :)
Anyway, I didn't know if we'd be able to ever figure out a ballet class for the girls that would be close by and inexpensive and low-commitment enough to be worth the trouble (I try to be very vigilant against filling our schedule with too many extras!)—but the stars aligned and a darling college student was teaching an 8-week class in between semesters, so Daisy and Junie got to be in it! And Goldie—poor dear little Goldie dressed up in her leotard and ballet slippers every single week, and went with us to the class and sat patiently on the side of the room and watched every move the girls made. She never complained, but she just sat quietly with wide eyes, wishing she was among the dancers. Poor lamb. I probably should have just signed her up too! Maybe another time.
The girls had so much fun dressing in their leotards and going off to class with slippers in hand. I think they felt very important. Then they would come home and dance with Marigold the steps they'd learned. And on the last day of class, they did a little performance. Their older brothers (and Teddy, of course!) came to watch them, which made them feel even MORE important! They got to wear their tutus for the occasion. Goldie, watching raptly from the wings, wore hers too, of course!
Abe is not so sure about this
I think everyone is supposed to be doing the same thing here…
I love these little ballerini!
It was worth taking them to class just for these pics.
ReplyDeleteSomething about light coming through tutus just makes any picture seem extra pretty, doesn't it?
DeleteOh so perfect!! Because there are so many things my kids would love (and who knows -- maybe they'd be child prodigies with some of them given half the chance), but I'm forever sadly saying no because most major commitments just don't fit into a family of nine kids. For example Goldie did gymnastics for quite awhile, but it got to the point, when she was good enough, that there was no once-a-week/just-learn-for-fun option anymore -- only bi-weekly forever practices and competitions all over the place. And we had to tell her it wouldn't work. And I still feel a little sad about not letting them follow every dream when perhaps they could in a smaller family. But we've talked about that and Mike doesn't feel nearly so bad.:) BUT, it's so nice when there can be simple happy things like this that allow them some exposure and fun without such long term commitments!
ReplyDeleteAnd they look so magically perfect! (And little Goldie just keeps getting cuter and cuter by the second!!)
Yes! I feel all those same worries about the kids' involvement (or lack of it) in extracurricular stuff. There just isn't time/money for everything that might be fun or fulfilling for them! But Mike's chilled-out attitude toward it gives me comfort. And I guess we can hope for these little chances to open up and work out every now and then!
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