Dancing Queen!

Yesterday was Emmalee's dance recital. This is the 4th recital she has been in ; she has now completed 4 years of dance lessons. This year she took a combination ballet/tap/jazz class. That means they performed 3 dances in the recital. Classes were 45 minutes long and there were like 15 5-7 year old girls in the class. Which means they got 15 minutes of lessons for each genre of dance. Basically, what I'm saying is that none of the 3 dances they did were really that good, and I don't blame the girls; how can that many girls that young perfectly learn a complete song of dance movement when they are only able to learn and practice it for 15 minutes a week? In any case, the recital was quite good, although 3 hours long, and I was very proud of Emmalee for remembering most of the routines. She did the best in ballet. Therefore, she will be taking only a ballet class in September. She really enjoys dance lessons, and she is good at it! Every year she has been invited to audition for the elite Dance Corp, a travelling competition team. We don't audition - it is a HUGE committment (and expensive!), but it is nice that her instructors have picked her out as one they would like to have on the team.

Today Micah had his first dentist appointment. Well, his first cleaning, anyway. His real first visit to the dentist, unfortunately, was when he had to go have his tooth extracted because he knocked it loose by pulling a side table over onto himself when he was 1! But today he went for a cleaning and checkup. He was excited to go, because he knows Emmalee always comes home with a prize. He was so excited, in fact, that he peed all over himself once we got there! We arrived and checked in and I had just settled in to fill out his paperwork when he said he had to go to the bathroom. He REALLY had to go. We made it to the bathroom, and even onto the potty, and then I don't know what happened, but when he was done, the back of his shorts were SOAKING WET! He has NEVER had an accident outside of the home, so I don't carry any extra clothes for him. I didn't know what to do. We went back into the waiting room, and they were ready for him. I just stood there, kind of in shock, saying "he just peed all over himself - I don't know what to do". Ultimately, we decided he would have his checkup in just his underpants! Didn't bother him at all - Micah prefers to run around in just his underpants anyway! And I know the hygienist/assistant who worked on him, so everyone was comfortable. And his teeth are just fine! No cavities, no bite issues, maybe we'll luck out with him and he won't need any orthodontia!

Little Orphan Emmalee?

Last night I brought Emmalee to an audition for Simsbury Theatre Guild's fall production of Annie. Last week I bought her the soundtrack and she had been practicing "Maybe" all week! I did not see any audition notices posted anywhere - I am on an email list and am sent all the auditions being held in the state on a weekly basis. So I was thinking, how many people will actually know about this and be there? Auditions started at 7:30pm - we arrived at 7:15 and there was a line of girls across the parking lot!!! My heart sank. And I quickly began preparing Emmalee for the chance that she might not get a part. Up until then, I had been thinking she would be a shoo-in for an orphan part - then again, I bet all the other moms were thinking that too. All 106 other moms. Yep - there were 106 girls auditioning. Emmalee, 15 minutes early, was #72! I'm thinking we should have gotten there earlier! Anyway, we waited in line for over an hour - they were taking girls in 10 at a time. By the time we got to the front of the line, they were taking them in 20 at a time due to how late it was getting! They gave us the music for both "Maybe" and "Tomorrow", the songs the girls were going to have to sing for the audition. By the way, I never want to hear either of those songs again! Every little girl in line was singing them over and over.
Once we got in the door, we then had to wait in a hallway for Em's group of numbers to be called. When that finally happened (at 9:15pm), the audition was held American Idol-style - no parents allowed in the audition room. While we sat in the hallway waiting, we saw girls coming out in tears; "I didn't get a monolog so I know I won't be Annie!" one wailed. Some of these girls were taking this very very seriously. Em's group was called and in she went. And when she came out at 9:40pm, she was smiling and happy and said she had had fun! She said "Even if I don't get a part, I'm glad I tried out. That was fun!" What a kid - great attitude!
So, now we wait, not holding our breath for a phone call this week that will tell us whether or not she was cast. In any case, it was a great experience for her, and she had fun! And got to stay up 3 hours past her bedtime!

A Very Wet Brownie

Tonight was Emmalee's last Brownie meeting. Instead of a typical meeting, they had a ceremony and a picnic, which the families were invited to. The picnic was held at the home of one of the leaders - a HUGE, beautiful house. When we walked into their backyard (which I had never seen before), the first thing I noticed was the inground pool. "Oh no", I thought, "Micah's gonna end up in the pool before the night is over". It was a beautiful night, but there was to be no swimming. So - a group of the girls was on the patio at the deep end of the pool eating when suddenly we all heard a SPLASH! "Someone's gone in!" someone yelled, and immediately a bunch of people were running over there. I glanced briefly - Micah and Lily were both in my sight, so initially I thought nothing of it. Then as I glanced toward the end of the pool, I realized Emmalee was no longer over there. "Is that my daughter?" I asked. And wouldn't you know it - there was Emmalee, being pulled out of the pool, sopping wet in her jeans, shirt & Brownie vest. She was crying, but she was okay. Kareina, the owner of the house, immediately came running with a towel. Everyone was asking Emmalee if she was alright. I led Emmalee over to the steps to sit down and be sure she was okay. She kept telling everyone she didn't know how she fell in. Since she has still been a little "punky" feeling, I wondered if maybe she had gotten dizzy or something. I was starting to get a little worried because she kept saying she didn't know what had happened. Once they realized she was okay, everyone went back to doing what they had been. So I aked Emmalee what she had been doing and the truth came out: "I was balancing sideways on the edge of the pool, and I tried to turn, and my feet slipped and I fell in". A-ha! At that point, Kareina came with some dry clothes for Emmalee to wear; Emmalee changed and everything was fine. I was slightly disappointed I hadn't gotten a picture of her in her wet clothes, but at the time, I wasn't thinking about that! The night went on; the ceremony was great; Emmalee received the rest of her badges and a certificate. And Micah did NOT end up falling into the pool!