Prima Ballerina.

Babe has been taking tap and ballet this year as part of her Pre-K experience.  A sweet little dance company comes in once a week right after Hadley's school day is over (but before I pick her up in the afternoons) and provides tap and ballet lessons to anyone enrolled in the program.  Hadley LOVES tap and ballet and her dance teacher, Miss Lane.  I love the fact that Babe gets to experience tap and ballet but that we don't have to give up any family time in the evenings to take her to lessons.  It's been nothing but a win-win situation.

Her dance recital was last week. It, too, was absolutely perfect.  It was nothing fancy (or expensive) but was special enough for Had to feel famous.  The recital was held in a classroom at Primrose, the costumes were provided by the dance company (we simply gave them back once the performance was over), and the five little girls in her tap and ballet class were precious.

And while Hadley may not be the best dancer in the world quite yet, the girl was born to be in front of a crowd.

Hadley, Thatch and I arrived a little early so that she get ready, have her picture taken, and so that we could grab a few good seats for the performance.  The rest of the family trickled in, and I had to laugh because over half of the audience was there to cheer on Babe.  I love my big family.  The Bravermans don't have anything on us. :)

Each performer was introduced individually and given the opportunity to walk to the "stage" on their own.  Here's a shot of Hadley saying, "ta-da!" once she arrived at the front of the room.

The girl stole the show.  She smiled, she danced, she sang, she made eye contact...and she loved every single second spent as the center of attention.  It was so much fun (and so funny!) to watch.

 The girls performed for about thirty minutes before receiving their flowers and certificates from Miss Lane.

 Again, an absolute perfect fit for our girl.

After the show, I tried to get some pics of Hadley with various family members (and a random girl from her class).  Granti, Mo, Auntie, Raven, Sam, Kendall, me, Ben, Harris, Emmy, Thatcher, and James were all there to cheer her on.

We finished the night with dinner at Chick-fil-a.  (The recital was on a Tuesday night...what'd you expect?!?!?)

While I don't think that ballet is necessarily Hadley's "niche," I can't wait to see her discover her passion.  I often tell people that Hadley is blessed with every single one of my negative traits (and she is!) but that girl also managed to get more than her fair share of personality, charisma, and charm.

And I was blessed with the opportunity to be her mom.

Man, I love that little girl. :)