"Cause for Applause"

Had a very early day and headed for downtown Little Rock. Now the traffic in these parts is nowhere near what we’re used to, but being out of traffic for the past year…it was a pain! Not sure what the problem was, but it took a little while to get there! Of course, it helped that EVERYONE was running late because of the same problem!

This is the second year that I’ve volunteered to be with the “girls” backstage. This year I had (6) 5 year olds. No parents are supposed to be backstage. This means I get them into their costumes, keep them entertained, get them on stage in time, fix hair, make-up, etc., etc.! The morning is the dress rehearsal, then there’s just enough time to get back “home”, eat lunch, do hair, etc. and head back for the recital! This year we had Ashleigh’s hair done “up”. Last year her curls were gone before she even hit the stage! An added plus, the stylist was a professional ballet dancer in the past, and is going back in Jan. of 2007! We had just enough time for a nap (Ashleigh said to me “that was a short nap”), ate and drove back into Little Rock. The girls numbers were 4th and 37th plus Ashleigh, Taylor and Grace were in a gymnastics routine and all were in the finale! It is a LONG day for everyone but worth every minute! I enjoy spending the time with Ashleigh and get to see the recital from a totally different perspective! Thank goodness that they have a DVD of the entire recital so I do get to see it from the front! J One of my favorite moments is just before they go onstage I tell the girls “big smiles” and look forward! I then hurry behnd the curtains from one side to the other. This year Ashleigh was second from the end. She looked over to me at one point, I smiled and pointed forward, she put on the biggest, brightest smile and faced the audience! You could see the pride in her face! Another priceless moment, is their second number is from Lion King. Much older girls danced first, then our girls went on, did their number and sit in the middle of the stage when their done. The older girls come back out, dance around the little ones, one girl is lifted over their heads and carried around the little girls. The little girls are just AWED by this and you can see it on their faces! I am amazed at the difference in just a years time and thought that Ashleigh did an awesome job! She loves to dance and does a great job! The recital was over about 10:00 pm. You’d think a five-year old would have fallen asleep on the way home, but she was still wide awake when we got home!

Had an added bonus at the recital! Our daughter, Kimberleigh was also a part of it! Although she did take a tap class this year, she didn’t dance. One of the numbers was from the Wizard of Oz and they needed volunteers to play the characters! Since Kim had been “Dorothy” for Halloween a few years ago, she was a natural! She wore a horrible “Dorothy” wig though instead of braiding her own hair! She said she didn’t want anyone to recognize her! I wasn’t able to see her “perform” but I did get to see pictures! J