Aunt Sue and Maddie surprised her with bringing some family support!
Sue waited until we were alone in the parking garage to clobber the Bit with squeezes and kisses. Those two have such a precious connection!
This is the first weekend competition of the season. It's definitely the hardest one for all of us. For starters it's in the downtown heart of a big city so traffic and parking is tricky. The pace is intense. The kids are required to take multiple classes of all different styles which is an awesome opportunity and they learn so much from professionals. The hard part is just the kids get so tired after all those hours of intensity then competing afterwards late into the night. It's a crazy full weekend but luckily this year we had some help. Brian was able to come with us that made such a big difference with a chaperone to make us feel safer and and extra set of hands to keep up with the crazy events. And my dear best friend from my childhood Amanda was willing to keep Chloe for us on our late competition night so she wasn't stuck in Abigail-land all weekend long. Abigail did amazing and had some great experiences in her classes. It recharged and refreshed her when her Aunt and cousin showed up and surprised her for competition time. Once she got a break in her numbers we snuck away for a hearty cheeseburger dinner with Sue and Maddie and it was heavenly. Watching the Bit and Maddie together was so cute. They have such a sweet friendship. It was also fun to show my sister a taste of the crazy world we live in now. You can try to explain to people what a dance competition is like but until you see it in action it's hard to grasp.
Brian and I had no idea how she would do to be pushed so hard. This year has been so much harder for her compared to last year. When they moved her up it has been a challenge to keep up with these older kids. She is so young to ask that much of her. We held our breath and hoped for the best to keep her going so strong for so long and then expect her to take the stage at 11:30 at night. If she were to ever break down and fall apart I don't know what we'd do to help get her through. When she's the only 7 year old on a team from 7-17 year old's the other kids are counting on one another to keep it together and perform at their best. The seniors are wanting top scores as they end their dance education years so it's a lot of unspoken pressure. I squeezed Brian's hand hard when finally saw the kids in the wings for the performance. The dancers all brought so much energy and especially the little one's that he and I both were wiping tears away after they were done. It's such a great feeling when you watch your children surprise you.
We had a great family weekend supporting Abigail again and hanging out together and with our dance family buddies. Chloe had a blast with my friend's daughter and all the dancers did so wonderful with their numbers. We wrapped up Sunday afternoon with a real rock concert style party for the awards ceremony. I can't even imagine how fun these experiences are for Abigail and these other young kids. With the room pumping with music and the lights then add the performances from all the professional teachers it really gave all the kids a taste of the performance world. It was thrilling to watch. They all sat wide eyed in awe of the talented teachers showcasing insane amounts of skill and choreography on stage. It was such a special family time together. Strange to be at an event like that with a 4 yr old and 7 yr old, you hold on tight to them in the crowds and have back up meeting places if we get separated but we had a blast. Never a dull moment together. Abigail walked away with her head held high pleased with all she had accomplished and learned in the long hard weekend. We were equally proud of her. She is something else that one! Looking forward to the next one!
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