{two dancing girls}

Emma loves ballet.  She loves to point her toes and curve her arms just right, and her little face is the picture of concentration both in class and performances.  She listens carefully to the teacher, and tries to mimic her exactly. One of her favorite things is her pink ballet skirt, which she would wear everyday if I let her.

Kate has a slightly different approach. She has tried to quit at least 5 times, but every time I say okay (after the end of the year, when our commitment is fulfilled), she changes her mind.  She loves the part of ballet where they get to take scarves and leap and jump twirl around the floor, or when they get to grab a hula hoop and roll them as fast as possible across the floor move it gracefully through the air.  She really lives for the performance...for the makeup, dressing up, and getting in front of an audience.

They both love the recital, and Saturday was the big day.  It's the one day a year they get to wear makeup, and it is definitely one of the highlights of the weekend. They pick out their colors, then stand perfectly (and unusually) still while I put their mascara on. They ask me questions like "can I wear mascara when I'm 10?", and "why do moms get to wear makeup?", and we talk about what kind of flowers Dad might bring them. It's one of my favorite moments, and I usually have to repress my urge to squish them as hard as I can--at least until the performance is done.

Who knows how long either of them will go in their ballet career, but I love to watch the journey.