Winding Down
Last night was our final show for the 2013-2014 American Rhythm year (that's our dance troupe). It was a friends and family recital, and some friends did, in fact, come. My hands are so busy in rehearsals and during the show that I have no pictures at all. My husband says he filmed most of the numbers our kids are in (22 of them!) with his phone, so we'll see how they came out when he gets a chance to upload them to the computer.
The kids are sleeping in. Yesterday was long with rehearsals all through the middle of the day and then the show set up, show itself, and show clean up in the evening.
I'm tired, too. I'm glad for a break, but I can honestly say that I look forward to signing up for another year. I'm so very nervous about it because it's a lot, a lot, a lot of work, but the rewards are good. Really good.
At one point H4 tripped and fell. She fell hard, and it really hurt. I picked her up to comfort her, rocking her and crooning to her, but also reminding her that we were backstage and had to cry softly. Bless her little heart, she really tried to be quiet!
I set her down when she seemed to feel better, but just as she was lining up with her class for their next number (Toot, Toot, Tootsie) the tears she'd been trying to control escaped. Poor little thing! Just 4 years old--over-tired, over-excited, over-wrought--and trying to hard to put on a great show. I knelt beside her, took her sweet face in my hands, looked into her tear-filled blue eyes, and helped her breathe in and out, in and out. All of her little friends were holding their breath as they watched us, their eyes filled with compassion and concern for my girl.
The breathing helped. I felt everyone sigh in relief--not for fear of ruining the show, but genuine relief that little H4 actually felt better. I'm so thankful for their sweet compassion.
In the car on the way home the girls laughed and laughed over E14's mishap. During the Mary Poppins medley E14's hair got caught on her umbrella. As she flipped the umbrella from behind her head to the front of her, her head jerked forward, too! She recovered quickly, smiling hugely for the audience, and the dance went on smoothly, so it was not an incident that caused tears or embarrassment--just a funny story to remember.
Daddy made popcorn for everyone while I oversaw costume tidy-ups and the putting on of pajamas. We sat around the family room munching and talking until we were too tired to munch or talk any more.
We will miss singing and dancing this summer . . . at least formally. I'm sure that singing and dancing will always go on.
The kids are sleeping in. Yesterday was long with rehearsals all through the middle of the day and then the show set up, show itself, and show clean up in the evening.
I'm tired, too. I'm glad for a break, but I can honestly say that I look forward to signing up for another year. I'm so very nervous about it because it's a lot, a lot, a lot of work, but the rewards are good. Really good.
At one point H4 tripped and fell. She fell hard, and it really hurt. I picked her up to comfort her, rocking her and crooning to her, but also reminding her that we were backstage and had to cry softly. Bless her little heart, she really tried to be quiet!
I set her down when she seemed to feel better, but just as she was lining up with her class for their next number (Toot, Toot, Tootsie) the tears she'd been trying to control escaped. Poor little thing! Just 4 years old--over-tired, over-excited, over-wrought--and trying to hard to put on a great show. I knelt beside her, took her sweet face in my hands, looked into her tear-filled blue eyes, and helped her breathe in and out, in and out. All of her little friends were holding their breath as they watched us, their eyes filled with compassion and concern for my girl.
The breathing helped. I felt everyone sigh in relief--not for fear of ruining the show, but genuine relief that little H4 actually felt better. I'm so thankful for their sweet compassion.
In the car on the way home the girls laughed and laughed over E14's mishap. During the Mary Poppins medley E14's hair got caught on her umbrella. As she flipped the umbrella from behind her head to the front of her, her head jerked forward, too! She recovered quickly, smiling hugely for the audience, and the dance went on smoothly, so it was not an incident that caused tears or embarrassment--just a funny story to remember.
Daddy made popcorn for everyone while I oversaw costume tidy-ups and the putting on of pajamas. We sat around the family room munching and talking until we were too tired to munch or talk any more.
We will miss singing and dancing this summer . . . at least formally. I'm sure that singing and dancing will always go on.
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