Tiny Dancer

Apparently preschool, gymnastics and horseback riding lessons aren't enough... Eden has been begging to take ballet.

I blame Bubble Guppies.

One day, out of the blue, she told me she wanted to be a ballerina.

"Do you know what a ballerina is?", I asked her.
"Yep!  They go like this!", she said, and she started twirling around the kitchen.
"How do you know that?"
"Bubble Guppies!"

I went and looked on the DVR, and sure enough, there's an episode devoted to the bubble guppies learning how to dance ballet.

That was months ago, and she has not stopped talking about ballet and being a ballerina since.  About a month and a half ago, the local studio opened up fall registration.  I enrolled Eden and let her know that she was all signed up for "ballerina lessons".  Then she had to wait a month a half.  Torture for a little girl desperate to be a ballerina!  She passed the time by putting on her new ballet slippers and twirling and leaping around for us.

But finally, FINALLY, her first ballet class was today!  And behold!  Adorableness:

The leotard, the tights, the tutu, the shoes, the teeny-tiny bun.  I LOVE the teeny-tiny bun.  So much preciousness!

Eden had so much fun during the warm-up.  They whirled and they twirled and they hopped and they walked around on tippy-toes.

Then they got to the actual class part.  All Eden wanted to do was put her arms over her head and spin around.  Because that's what she thinks ballerinas do.  But TODAY, on the very first day, they, of course, started out learning FIRST position.

She kept putting her arms up above her head, and the instructor kept coming and putting her arms out in front of her.  Just watching through the window, I could tell Eden was not pleased.  After class, I asked her, "Did you like it?  Did you like your teacher?"  She replied in a voice dripping with attitude, "Her did NOT teach me how to be a ballerina!"

I laughed so hard.

"Well, do you want to keep going or not?"
"Yep!"

Okay, then!

She's got a long way to go before she gets to do fifth position.  But she'll get there.

*****
I feel like my life is nothing but chauffeuring Eden around to her various activities!  I really didn't plan for her to have so many at only three!  But she loves each and every one of them, and I'm glad that she's trying so many things now - so she can figure out what she really loves.  As she gets older and classes and lessons become longer and more frequent, she'll have to make some choices.  But for now, as long as she's happy and loves doing all of these things, we'll make it work!