"Dance with Me"

A few months ago, one of the girls I cheered with in high school posted something about a dance class her daughter was taking in town. My cousin Addie commented on the post and it drew my attention as well since it sounded like something my princess lovin' girl would be excited about. Thinking it would make the perfect birthday gift for her, I began doing a little research.

There are not a lot of programs available for three-year-olds in our area for extra curricular activities, but I was excited to see that this particular dance studio did offer a Mommy-and-Me for Hadley's age group called "Dance with Me" on Saturday mornings. Starting bright and early at 8:30, people with older kids might have thought twice about signing up, but we are always up early anyway with the little ones, so it was the perfect time for us to slide in a dance class and still have the rest of our day to enjoy too. 

The first Saturday in March, she was up, ready, and excited to go!

I found her a little leotard with an attached skirt at Target, and Aunt Courtney found her a sparkly skirt that she loved too. Instead of picking just one, Hadley decided to double up and made a pretty cute little outfit.

The weather threw a wrench in our plans though. Icy conditions that frigid morning forced the dance studio to cancel classes to our disappointment. My sunshiny girl didn't get all worked up about it thankfully despite the change in schedule; she just enjoyed wearing her new tutu and dancing about the house.

The following Saturday excitement soared again in anticipation of her first dance class. This time with no complications to our plan, we headed out early to meet the rest of the tiny dancers and Ms. Stephanie.

Having never really done anything like this before, I wasn't sure what to expect. Most, if not all, of the girls had already begun taking the class weeks or months prior, so she was the newby. Hadley is usually pretty easy going and goes with the flow though, so it wasn't surprising that she just jumped right in with the others.

Waiting on the floor were puzzle piece mats with each girl's initial to let them know exactly where to sit. Hadley found her "H" and began stretching with the rest, following her teacher's lead. Though a lot of the girls were a little timid and a few kept wanting their mommies close by, Hadley was so eager to begin that she seemed to forget all about me, every bit of her attention glued to this new experience.

When the stretching was finished, Hadley excitedly joined in as the music began, dancing with zeal.. My mom had dropped by to watch the class with me, and she got so tickled over how much enthusiasm our girl brought with her to the studio. Even the other parents were smiling and commenting about how joyful Hadley was to be there. 

Next came the obstacle course. Hadley-girl was very attentive and followed directions wonderfully.

When the class was finished, I think we were both wishing it lasted longer. She was thrilled with every part of the experience! And, to make it even better, she was ecstatic that NaNa had come to watch her dance.

Afterwards, NaNa even treated her to a yogurt parfait at the coffee shop located in front of the studio.

I am not sure who was more looking forward to dance class each week - her or me! As I soaked in each minute of how precious and beautiful she looked dancing, the joy radiating from her as she tried new things, and the adorable quirks that added a little humor to the whole scene, I found myself wishing it would last a little longer. Every week, it just left me waiting for Saturdays.

We got there extra early one morning; she could hardly wait to get in the studio.

I never had to struggle to get her moving early either; she was always eager to get there. Those little eyes lit up every time we even mentioned dance class. "I'm going to dance class!" she'd say with excitement and disbelief like I'd just told her she was going to Disneyland.

When they pretended to be mermaids, Ms. Stephanie let them pick which color tails they wanted. It wasn't unusual for every single little girl to choose pink. Hadley picked purple a couple times too, but pink was definitely a favorite.

One of the songs involved brushing your teeth. The teacher pretended to put toothpaste on their fingers and the girls always hurried over like she really had something to give them.

Harper is the daughter of my friend from high school. It was nice to see them each week and catch up.

Sometimes if they had enough time, they even got to dance with scarves.

This was such a good opportunity for Hadley to be in an environment with other little girls. Stuck in the middle of two brothers, she doesn't always get the chance to lose herself in the fun of dainty, uniquely feminine endeavors. At least on Saturday mornings for a couple months, we had a chance to put the "rough and tumble" aside for a bit of girl time!

Part of the fun was just getting into a leotard or spinning around in that tutu. 

 

It was also a good opportunity because it is one of the only settings where she's ever had to follow instructions from an adult in a structured setting. Being preschooled at home by Mommy, she wasn't used to classroom etiquette, but you never could have told. She slid right in and tried her best to do just as her teacher directed.

See that little cutie in the white tutu beside Hadley? That's Ella - our cousin. We don't see her and her family much, so this was a great opportunity for the girls to get to know each other better. It was fun to watch both of them.

After "making pancakes," Ms. Stephanie would tell everyone to smell them. Everyone then had to stretch to the side to wipe the crumbs on their knees.

 

As the season progressed, there were a few times when things got a little hairy schedule-wise as Caleb's t-ball started up. On the day for opening ceremonies, I was torn between going to watch my girl dance and being there to cheer on my big boy as he walked on to the field with all the other little leaguers. Staying for part of her class and then booking it over to the park just in time to catch his moment in the sun, Mommy made it for both thankfully, but shew they're too young for these conflicting schedules yet. Right!?!?

While I was getting the opportunity to be watch Hadley ever week, gaining extra quality time with her each time, I felt a bit guilty that Dave was missing out on the joy of seeing his princess participate in something she loved so much.

This skirt came off an Easter basket. She wrapped it around her as a tutu so we just went with it. :)

He, too, wanted to catch a class before the session was over, so on my birthday weekend, we planned to take the whole family and then go out for breakfast. 

As much as I enjoyed watching her that day, I also got a lot of pleasure watching Dave's reactions to the cute things she did. My enjoyment is always magnified when I have him or my mom around to laugh with as our hearts are filled with the priceless things the kids do or say, so as I set across the room or outside the studio looking in the window, I kept looking over to see his expression as he took in our girl in her element.

She wasn't not the most graceful ballerina as she galloped about the room to the music (I even joked with my cousin Addie that I maybe should have signed her up for tap instead), but she sure did have fun and give it her all!

My mom was there to watch pretty much every week too. The one time that she couldn't make it because she was out of town, Hadley cried at the end of her class because NaNa hadn't been there to watch. It was touching to see how important it was to her for her grandma to be there watching her. 

  

I have to say, that of all the programs I've had my kids in so far. This one is one of my very favorites. The teacher was incredible with the girls. She was so gentle and always positive in encouraging them what to do. I think it takes a special person to maintain their patience when giving directions repeatedly to little ones who are easily distracted and to tenderly nudge these sweet peas who didn't always want to cooperate but preferred running for their mommas. Stephanie maintained a smile on her face though and has such a great gift for working with them.

You can do it, Ella.

By the last class, Hadley was still just as excited to be there as she was her first. I hope she is as enthusiastic about everything she does as she was about this.

Pure joy

Flamingo legs!

Bunny hops

We'll miss seeing this girl each week too.

Not only was the last class a bit sad because we'll miss dancing, we'll also miss our friends. Hadley and her new friend Johanna often made it a habit to go for hot chocolate and parfaits afterwards, chatting while their mommies and grandma visited. They even had their own special miniature table.

While it's been nice to lounge around in our pjs a little later Saturday mornings, we've definitely missed being in the studio the past couple weeks and are looking forward to the next class to begin!