Frosty the Snowman Ballet

Kate's dance school only has one recital a year and it's in June.

So we haven't really had the chance to sit and watch the girls put on a real show yet.

They do work on a new ballet every month or so to coincide with the season or holiday coming up.

They've been working on the Frosty the Snowman dance for a while and since

tonight was her last class before Christmas, we got to watch it.

Very, very cute. If I wasn't so preoccupied with trying to make sure Ella doesn't

fall off the bench she's climbed on or tear out the plug to the TV in the waiting room

I would have probably sat there and cried my way through the whole show. 

But I did get to capture a few candid moments that make my cheeks hurt from smiling so much.

This is Kate with her new favorite person... Katie.

She loves that they share a name. Kate told Katie that she loved her legwarmers.

Much to my embarrassment, Kate kept rubbing Katie's thigh because she liked the

feel of the tights Katie was wearing. How do I know this?

Well, only because she's done it to me before at church.

Kate and Katie are inseparable during class. It's very sweet.

My shy girl waiting for the snowman to show up...

 

Kate made herself comfy while waiting for the sun to melt Frosty

Sitting in the waiting room, looking at her through the thick glass window with all the other parents

reading their books or texting away on their Blackberries I have to stop myself from crying often.

I'm the crazy parent who takes a zillion photos from every conceivable angle so as to try

to catch her in every light and every position possible. I feel so lucky to have such sweet

little cupcakes to love...  Just at the right second, when she glances over to check if I'm watching

her and she sees that I am and her whole face lights up with pride and I catch the smile and the wave on film? That is just icing on the cake. With sprinkles.

And then I turn and snap even more photos of Ella coloring on the bench instead of

taking the crayon away and telling her not to color the bench

when really I'm just glad she's not standing on it threatening to jump off with her sly little smile.

Ella wants in on the dancing. She wants to be in there twirling with Kate so much

that if she could she'd burst right through that window and proudly take a seat next to her big sister.

She stayed glued to the window for 5 whole minutes watching Miss Jessica read a story to the girls.

When the girls took a water break, Ella saw an opportunity and ran into the dance room.

I thought she would go straight to a mirror and see herself twirl but instead,

much to my delight, she beelined it straight for her sister and crashed into her with

the fiercest hug she could manage. They really love each other. Times like these just

help to reinforce the fact that I'm doing something right here. I did good. I'm DOING good.

The pride I feel for these girls is almost too much to bear.