2016 Ballet Recital

It was a full day today, one that started out at KidPak of course.  Part three of our spy series continued, this time with a king that was bugged, along with a prophet who had God-vision and a license to chill.  Our skit featured a lot of "Get Smart" gags in it, and the service overall was really fun with spy action from Perry the Platypus to "Spy Kids" to "Cats and Dogs" to the guinea pigs from "G-Force."  

We got home after that, and it was time to rest for just a bit.  Because tonight was the ballet recital, and everyone wanted to be rested and ready to go.  Of course, getting ready to go is a longer process with make-up and hair and so forth.  Mommy did really well in that regard, just as she's done all along.  We left at about 4:00, and went over to Brenau, one hour early as we were supposed to.  And soon it was time to watch the production!

They request that you not take pictures during the recital, and of course that's a good idea.  It's best to take the photos during the rehearsal, where you can sit wherever you want and take as much as you want under the same lighting conditions.  Even further, we purchased the Blu-Ray recording of the event, so we'll get to watch the ballet recital again and again later on.  This was a time to just soak it in. And it was wonderful!

These two pictures are of Madison after the recital.  Mommy got her a beanie baby - a tradition that goes back a few recitals now.  She has a beanie from each recital.  And of course, she also has flowers. Na-na bought her flowers, but then so did a few other unexpected guests:

Pastor Lance and his wife Kate came by to enjoy the production, and they had a good time too.  They sat with us during the dance, watching for Madison, and watching for a few of the other girls that were from KidPak.

Here they are, some of Madison's friends from church and ballet.  They were all so good tonight, so focused on doing the best they could, and simply wonderful.  They had a great time!

And of course, so did we.  Afterwards, we complimented our little ballerina as much as we could.  Daddy wrote on the card on her flowers:

"What a wonderful performance!  Full of grace and beauty.  You are a lovely ballerina.  We love you!  Mommy, Daddy, Na-Na and Ba-Ba."

Afterwards, we posed for some pictures outside, and these just came out so well.  It's astounding that the ballet season is now over once again.  No classes on Monday, or for a few weeks now.  We're waiting to see how she did with her auditions for "The Nutcracker," as that may determine our summer plans somewhat - there's a camp she'll have to go to then.  But otherwise she's going next season once again, and yes, this time for longer amounts of time.  She really enjoys it and really wants to go back, as she's told us again and again.  This makes Daddy glad, because he knows Mommy is living through her in some ways.  But Daddy enjoys it too - it's hard to describe the joy of seeing your daughter dance in a ballet.  I guess it's best described by looking at the parents' faces, in near tears of joy, as they proudly watch their daughter gracefully move across the stage.