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| Adorable ballerina in the making |
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| Ballerina Elise practicing her final bow |
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| At her very first ballet recital; she did fantastic! |
Elise has been taking dance classes since September, and despite being nervous initially, she's amazed us with her determination and drive to succeed. It was immediately obvious just how much she enjoys dance. Her eyes lit up during the first class, and her body language spoke volumes as if she was freed from routine and meant to find dancing as her outlet; she was able to quickly pick up all the dance steps and at that moment she made me the most proud mom imaginable. She has been so happy after each class and has unwaveringly declared that she intends to become a ballerina when she grows up.
Elise had her very first ballet performance last weekend. Her act was among fifteen others at the dance studio's semi-annual winter recital. In the weeks leading up to her big debut, I had tons of "what if" scenarios running through my mind. At the top of the list, was concern that she may be fearful on stage after seeing everyone in the audience and freeze up, or even worse refuse to go on stage. The main reason I kept replaying this scenario, is because I was the shyest child and certainly could not have gone up there and performed in front of such a crowd. Elise, of course, never ceases to amaze and impress me. She immediately erased any lingering doubts I had, when she bounced out with the rest of the girls and saw me, Alina, grandma and grandpa in the front row, and flashed the biggest and proudest smile ever.
Her performance was fantastic. She followed her cues, smiled and looked completely comfortable on stage. I had to hold back tears, because she genuinely did something I never had the courage to do at her age. Not only that, but she did two performances, so she was there from 2pm-6pm, in the back room with the rest of the girls, patiently waiting among the other acts until her stage time. I'm still in total awe of our little girl. She was so well behaved and she shined on stage. This was truly a special milestone; we knew it, as did she. She road home in the car that evening beaming with pride. I kept looking back at her in the rear view mirror and her face said it all, "I did it", "I succeeded", "I made my family very proud". She did all of that and more. We love you little ballerina!
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| Our proud little star after the show |
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| All dressed up by the tree |
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| Little cuties. Alina says she wants to dance like her big sister |
