Give Her Regards to Broadway

Saturday, Teresa performed in her second annual dance recital. Last year, her class did a ballet performance; this year, they did tap. She ROCKED. I am not just saying this because I gave birth to her - I mean it! There were only 5 girls, including Teresa, in this number, and she is the youngest. And she got out there on stage with a huge smile and a ton of confidence and hit it out of the park. Their routine was adorable.

The funniest thing was, during the dress rehearsal the week before, when we watched a group of the 3- to 4-year-olds (the class Teresa had been in last year) practice, and as they waddled out on stage in their tutus, looking around the stage nervously, Teresa chucked, looked at me with this sophisticated grin, and said, "Awww, mom, look how cute they are!" It's crazy - she has these moments where I'd swear she's 13.

She also has my perfectionism, unfortunately. When I went to get her from the green room after the performance, the backstage moms told me she'd been a little "difficult" when she first came offstage. They told the girls what a great job they'd done, and Teresa said, a bit rudely, "Not me. I messed up at the end. I was supposed to wave as we left the stage, and I forgot to." And she got a slight attitude with anyone who disagreed with her or told her it didn't matter.

She cheered up when we told her were going to On The Border - Teresa's and my favorite restaurant - to celebrate. Their margaritas are AMAZING. My mother and grandmother came to the recital, and out to dinner with us, and we had a great time, althought it felt so strange that Dad wasn't there. It felt like he was out parking the car, or in the men's room, and was going to come in and sit down at our table any minute.

Anyway, I have to say that I continue to be absolutely thrilled with her dance school. I decided not to take Teresa somewhere else even after we moved, since they are just fantastic. They are wonderful with the kids, and they stress having fun and being creative, but they are also very disciplined and professional. Their performances are truly outstanding - the choreography of the older kids' and teenagers' routines were quite impressive (and their company and performance troupes win awards all the time).

Unfortunately, dance camp, which Teresa loved last year, was canceled this summer because of staffing problems. She can't wait to go back in September - and Maddy is starting then too, at long last! She is so happy that, as she said, "I don't have to sit with the babies and wait! It's my turn too now - I've been waiting for 48 days!" She's actually been asking to dance for a lot longer than that, but right now, "48 days" is Teresa's and Maddy's idea of the longest time one could imagine. Would that it were....

Anyway, I have some lovely photos from the recital, and the past couple of months, but alas, they are trapped in my digital camera. Somehow, the cable that connects my camera to my PC has gone MIA. Steve and I have searched everywhere, and it has apparently disappeared into thin air when we disconnected the computer equipment to empty the basement for the carpet installation last month. So as soon as it turns up, you'll have your fill of adorable Klugewicz kid photos - hang in there.