Only a Year or So Late . . .

Look what I finally scanned in and got on my computer!  Annie's dance recital pictures from May 2010! 
Marvel at my efficiency . . . and freakishly cute progeny . . .

Spring Dance Recital

Annie had her last Dance Recital for the season. She's really enjoyed doing dance, and loved her beautiful costume (and it only cost us $25 for her costume for this recital -- how freaking adorable is it for 25 bucks!) Annie did really well (as in she got up on stage and loved being up there, and followed whatever steps the little girl next to her was attempting) and she was beyond adorable up there. Ellie also did very well, staying very happy and content the vast majority of the time, despite the fact we didn't get home 'til almost 10:30 that night.
Wanna hear the part that makes me a horrible person? :-) I had printed invitations for the event, with a beautiful photo of Annie in her dance costume on it, and given them to all her grandparents, aunts & uncles, and all the great grandmas. Then I realized a week or two later I had the wrong recital time on there, so I sent out an email to everyone about the time change. No problem, right? Well, except apparently my Grandma had decided to come to it (she's never been to anything like this before with us, and she never mentioned coming, despite us seeing her a few times in the last little while), and I hadn't called all the great grandparents about the time change ('cause I honestly hadn't even suspected any of them had even thought about coming!) So my 85 year old Grandma got there for the 5PM show. And spent the next two hours freaking out that I'd like gone into labor or something and that's why we weren't there. She was very relieved when we all showed up at almost 7PM. And then she sat there through another entire dance recital, meaning she was outdoors through five and a half hours of dancing and intermissions. Um, oops! I felt horrible. Good one, Hilary! (She seemed to enjoy herself though!)

Anyway, at least she did get to be there to see Annie dance in not one, but two adorable numbers. Here's Annie before the dance recital started.

Annie on stage during her first dance number.

Check out those moves!

Our little ballerina!

Awwww, for cute!

Coming on stage for the finale . . . she loved all the bowing and kissing!

Good job Annie! We were all so proud of you!

Annie's First Dance Recital

I had been a bit worried about Annie's first dance recital all week. And I wasn't feeling much better about it this morning. She'd just had surgery two days before the big day, and it was anyone's guess how she'd be feeling by showtime. And the way she whined and cried all morning the day of her performance had me pretty convinced I was going to have a sobbing elf on my hands when it was her group's turn to dance. And the all-morning-long weepiness was making it hard to keep the mascara cleaned up off her face. But, we had our own little Christmas miracle. Her class was scheduled to dance last, which meant she got to just sit on Mom's lap and watch the other kids, slowly cheering up throughout the show, 'til it was finally her turn and she excitedly took the stage. Yay. It was adorable, she did so well, and as always, watching three and four year olds try to all follow the same dance steps at the same time is hilariously heartwarming.

Here she is before the show, the first time I'd gotten her to stop crying long enough to clean up her eye make up. She was so cute.

About 2/3rds of the way through the show, she'd finally cheered up, and started mugging for the camera while we were sitting out in the audience.

Here she is during the actual dance . . . I can't wait to see my father-in-law's pictures, since his camera kicks my camera's butt.

Annie's the short one there in the middle :-)

Annie had quite the supportive entourage, with 13 people cheering for her from the audience. Grandmas, Grandpas, Aunts & Uncles, Mom & Dad, Ellie, and my awesome friends Jessi and Dalan. Afterwards, a bunch of us went out for ice cream to Leatherby's, and afterwards Annie's Aunt Talina and Uncle David took her to go see the new Disney Princess movie. It was a very, very good day.