Dance Specialists?

We were approached one Sunday by a sister who happened to be at the Halloween dance where RJ and I cut a rug. She asked us to be dance specialists for a stake youth dance festival. I'm not one to say "no" but I didn't feel 100% adequate either. We told her we would do it if she was desperate. Of course, she took that as a yes and we started putting together a routine of sorts. We chose the Cowboy Cha Cha which took us back to the dance class that we met in. Instead of swaying to "Neon Moon" by Brooks 'N Dunn, we chose a pop song by Kelly Clarkson called "Stronger." I wanted the youth to be able to enjoy the music they were groovin' to. We made up some fighter type dance moves for the chorus and decided to wrap the kids hands like boxers. We got to teach the Laurels and Priests. We had a great bunch of kids and had so much fun. Everything took place in one day and our stomachs were churning with nervousness when our kids were up. They looked awesome!

I was so into their dance that I forgot to take a picture. This is a picture of all of the youth (minus the ones that didn't fit in the frame of my camera). Most of the kids in our group are in the back towards the right.
Hunter and McKenna and Reagan were there too. They did an amazing job being patient and cheering. They walked around singing the songs from the different numbers for days afterward.

Reagan's Bangs

When Reagan's helmet was on, her bangs would hang in her eyes and I would constantly wipe them to the side. I was determined not to cut them because it would call for more up keep. I figured I could use bows and headbands to hold them back and she wouldn't mind since she was use to having something on her head. The clips and bands lasted a few minutes and I reclipped constantly. One morning I got brave and pulled out the scissors. It's not easy cutting a 16 month old baby's hair while they're sitting on your lap.

Before bangs
After

The headband didn't last long but at least she can still see with it off.

Dance Recital

We enrolled McKenna in a ballet, tap, and jazz dance class through the community center. Her last class was a recital and they got to use the auditorium at the middle school. I'm not sure that we have found her nitch but it was sure cute to watch. Look closely at some of the girls dancing next to McKenna. How can a parent not smile? Half way through the program, one of the girls announced that she had to "go potty." She had a great following and the recital was put on pause.

I told her to look forward so that I could get a good picture of her curls but she couldn't help but look at the camera.


Ballet

She was a lot more focused than I imagined she would be.

Tap was her favorite.

Jazz number

We had fun supporting McKenna. She did a great job. She says that she would like to try her hand at gymnastics again.