Gracie Dances

Last night's trip to the Wal-Mart wasn't a total loss. Gracie got her first pink dance leotard. No she isn't enrolled in the ballet academy---they were on clearance for a dollar! They had two so I got them both, one 6x, one 9/10.

I have always wanted to be a dancer. [This is the part where I go into my guilt-filled spill about how I never got ballet shoes.] You see (sad music starts here), every Christmas I would ask Santa Claus for a pair of ballet slippers, but year after year was filled with disappointment. I read about dancers, I watched them on TV, I was in love with the idea of dancing. But, alas my feet were apparently too big and "Santa Claus" had a hard time finding my size in the middle of December, or so I have been told. And, not many families in my day could afford dance class, and even if we could the costumes and fees and carpooling and practices would have been completely impractical.

Meanwhile here in reality-land, I love watching Gracie's face light up when she watches an Angelina Ballerina episode or dancers on TV. Its a "girl thing" I am sure. But, while I always desired to be a dancer, I won't force that on Gracie. She can be anything she wants--and we will not pressure her in to things she doesn't want to do. But, that doesn't keep me from playing "dress up!"

This afternoon, I put Gracie's white tights on her, and the new pink leotard, and her almost too small ballet slippers (that mom and dad bought last summer, to be "smart.") She thought dressing up was fun, but when I made her a ribbon to dance with-- she transformed us both to the stage at Carnegie Hall. We turned the TV to a classic music channel and danced and twirled and leaped with all of our might. Good thing the neighbors under us weren't home yet!

We had such a good time I couldn't help but take tons of pictures and this precious video. I can't live vicariously through my child--but we can both day dream can't we?! ;)

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