Chellisms

August 4, 2011

Dear Interwebs,

Bailey got her ballet acceptance letter today. She was placed in level III. That is a minimum of 6 hours a week plus an open class of a second form of dance on Saturday or an additional ballet class.

Oh, and the fee went up to a small car payment.

*gulp*

-Chelle

100+ Rehearsal Hours

And all I got were stinky cell phone pics.

 
This one was taken after the 5th show, the one that our family attended. I can actually say that I saw bits and pieces of each and every show (all 9 of them!) but we only attended one entire show.

 

Party girl! Last year she wore green, this year she got red. We are working our way through the available colors.

 
Party girl hair and a look inside my bathroom. It takes about 90 minutes to do a set of party girl curls. Bai has a ton of hair, thick and long. She grabs a book while I spray and curl. The worst part is that on the days with two shows I have to do curls twice as after the party scene she is a soldier (hair in a knot under a hat) and then a bon bon (hair in slick bun) and the curls are completely brushed out by the time we get to the second show.

 

New bon bon costumes this year! They are adorable, she was so excited to get to be a bon bon again. This was probably her last year to be a bon bon as she is almost too tall to fit under Madame Bon Bon's skirt.

No soldier pictures, she starts off the show as a party girl and then ended the show as a bon bon. The soldier was in the middle and was a quick change costume, no chance for pics unless Chris got them

I got professional pics taken by the wonderful roving photographer. I leave my camera at home and rely on him to capture the moment. If he can't capture it then I sure can't. Bai hates having her pic taken, she grumps and this is what I wind up with:

 
No one wants a grumpy bon bon...

Bailey, 8

Happy Birthday, Baileybug!

 

Motto, 2010

Our motto for 2010 is to support each other, no matter what.

Now Tim and I really have no problem supporting each other, after 12+ years of marriage and 15 years together we have a lot of practice. We each have no problem supporting the girls either. Although I have to admit Taylor's new attitude that she knows more at ten years old than I do at thirty makes it hard at times. The new motto is to help encourage the girls to support each other. They need that. Really, you have no idea how much they need that.

On a typical week this is what I hear:

Monday, Bailey: I don't want to sit at soccer. It's cold. It's wet. This is boring.

Tuesday, Taylor: I hate this. I hate sitting here. It's too loud to do homework in here. I can't read with the noise.

Wednesday, Bailey: Ugh, this again. Boring. This is awful. I forgot my apple cider. I need a book. It's cold. I lost my glove.

Thursday, Taylor: I'm tired, I don't want to sit at ballet. Can't you leave me home? Alone? Why not? Please?? Ugh, I forgot my book at home. And my reading glasses so I can't do my homework. This is your fault. I didn't want to come in the first place.

Friday: *blessed silence*

Saturday, both girls: UGH!

Basically, the girls hate the others chosen activity. I won't admit to being in love with sitting outside in the pouring rain while it is 35 degrees but I still do it and it's fun. Okay, I have a case of hand and feet warmers too. I don't love sitting in a noisy lobby for 3 hours a week either especially when I can't see Bailey to watch her practice but I still do it, and it isn't fun. I do it because the girls love it. That's the payoff, I don't get anything out of it besides happy kids. And sometimes I wind up with unhappy kids, one who has blisters on her feet from her new ballet slippers and muscles that hurt or one with a twisted ankle and a bruise the exact size of a cleat on her stomach but they still love it deep down but neither ever wants to quit. They have the same drive, the same spunk but can't see it in each other. They both often opt to stay at nana's house if they can avoid the others scheduled activity of the day.

No more. This is a new year, a new motto but not a resolution. It will just be, it has to be. I am tired of them picking at each other so there can be no failure. They must be supportive of each other. They don't have to like the activity but they will support each other. No camping out at nana's house to get out of attending an early morning away game.

We will support each other and we will like it! Dammit!

The first test is this weekend, soccer tournament Friday through Monday. First game 9:05 AM, check-in 8:20. This should be good...

Worth the Wait

It's almost over! Three Nutcracker performances down and four to go. This is Bailey in her party girl costume, she was originally in a purple dress but they changed it at some point and she is over the moon that she got green. She is also a soldier and a bon-bon but I have not managed to catch her backstage in those costumes.

We have tickets to both the afternoon and evening performances this Saturday. Bai is a party girl in the afternoon shows and a soldier and bon-bon in the evening shows, basically I need to see both. Although I did manage to catch her dancing as a party girl in the dress rehearsal Friday night and it was great!

She is so excited, she loves the 7 hour rehearsals and all of the costume fittings. She hates the mascara and the eyeliner and the removal thereof. But she doesn't bat an eye that it takes me almost 90 minutes to get her hair in ringlets, also half a can of hairspray. I have three burns on my left hand from one performance, ow.

By Sunday things will be back to normal around here, yay! And Tim starts vacation on Thursday, double yay!

Pic via cell phone, all incognito like.