Tiny Dancer

It was right around her birthday last year when Peanut started getting interested in dance, ballet specifically. Really to pin-point it, I think the interest was sparked when Paws (aka zztopdog) took Peanut to the Festival of Trees in November. Peanut was able to watch a ballet performance with Grammy that day and has pretended to be a ballerina ever since.

As she showed so much interest in dance, I thought I should get her enrolled in a dance class. Son-of-a-gun, the Ottawa YMCA doesn't offer it. I came to the realization that I was going to have to pay full price for her to participate in an activity (sigh), but still called the 3 dance studios in town. I found that 2 of them ran like the school year meaning they started after Labor Day and ran to Memorial Day--a January start was not possible. The other studio only offered a class for kiddos her age on Thursday afternoons--hi, I work full time. So Peanut was satisfied with swim class and has done quite well in it.



Hallelujah, dance class started today. She's been talking about it for simply weeks and now that her first lesson is over, has asked me no fewer than 6 times when her next one will be. Ms. Patty and her other teachers were very nice and I actually knew a few of the kiddos in her class. My biggest issue: no moms allowed upstairs in class. I was absolutely beside myself for about 10 minutes because there Swanny Jr. and I were with nothing to do for an hour! He and I enjoyed a nice walk downtown Ottawa and visited the Classroom, the Bookmouse and Jeremiah Joe's. We returned to find Peanut, pleased as pie with herself about the first class. She detailed the cartwheels, wheelbarrow walk, somersault and twirls many times for me.

Since I wasn't allowed into class to take any action shots, you'll have to settle for pics of the little diva prior to departure.




Oh, and the best part was that she was so tired due to swim class at 9 this morning and dance at 12:30 that she took a 2 1/2 hour nap--and Swanny Jr. napped for 1 1/2 hours of that too!!