Welcome to Flashback Friday!

With Bonny Annie recently turning thirteen, it has me feeling all nostalgic and sappy about her in general (except when she rolls her eyes at me, but that’s  another story altogether).  I stumbled upon some pictures of her when she first started dance classes at age three, and I realized that I had not documented her very last dance recital in May.

Yes, Bonny Annie has decided to hang up her toe shoes.  *Sigh*  She had gotten to a level, after ten years of dance  that the commitment level was going to be too much.  One and half hour classes three times a week, plus membership in the dance company which was an extra class once a week and performances, plus student teaching…..it was just going to be a lot for us if she wanted to also continue with TaeKwonDo and drama.  Not to mention her brother’s TKD classes and baseball!  And also not to mention that we have a baby!

I sort of hemmed and hawed about the whole thing.  I liked the whole girly aspect of ballet….the frilly costumes, the make-up, the bobby pins.  Well, maybe not the bobby pins.   ”But Mom, let’s face it.  I don’t want to be a professional dancer, and that would be the only point in continuing at this point,” she said to me.

She’s a sensible girl.

Now, let’s travel all the way back to the year 2000 and see where it all began…

The above photo was taken May 16, 2000, right after her last class of the year.  She was so proud of her first trophy (and it’s still sitting on her bedside table right now).  I’m so sure of the date because the next day I gave birth to her brother.

And a week later, we had her first recital….

I’m trying to look at the bright side in all of this:  there will be less bobby pins on my floor.