Dance Nats

On our way to the dance studio boat party on Lake Michigan, and you can;t even tell I have eye patches under my sunglasses

We made Dorothy pose with some street art

We did NOT mean to sit right next to Dorothy and friends, but this was the very BEST part of the boat, and WE WERE HERE FIRST

Such a pretty city

On the way to his parents' house, Ben got FOMO in advance about the boat party and bought a ticket

So we dropped Minnie off and made a night of it.

NATIONALS COMP DAY 1-- this is the day that Dorothy had 5/7 dances, and we had to leave the burbs at 6 am!

Minnie stayed at her grandparents' house, and Ben and I got to hang out together all day

First dance!

Second dance!

And then I stopped taking any pictures!

We went to Ben's parents' and had ice cream

And! Ben and I went for a run at 8:30 pm! I was SO PROUD of us!!!

Day 2 was a PAC ATTACK CALL BACK for day 1's first dance!!! And also awards. (Ben and I did an early AM run and I put my makeup on in the car).

WHERE DOROTHY'S DANCE WON BEST IN SHOW! Meaning it was one of the top 15 routines at the WHOLE ENTIRE COMPETITION!!

And we saw a statue

And had Plato's hotdog 

Nationals day 3-- Dorothy's other 2 dances (a hip hop group and her trio) competed, and Ben and I took an 8:00 am run on Navy Pier

I cooled off with a fountain Diet Coke, like one does after a run.

Loved this dance!

(Meanwhile, Minnie continued to live her best life with her grandparents)

Dorothy and I had brunch between hip hop and trio

And then she got ready for one more trio ride (they are a very cute biker gang in that dance).

And you guys! THE MUSIC CUT OUT WHEN SHE WAS DANCING! And she and her friends JUST KEPT ON DANCING! WITH NO MUSIC! They did not miss a beat, and the audience was on its feet screaming for them. It was actually pretty amazing (and they got to do it again with music). Afterwards, Dorothy went out for ice cream in her costume, and people were coming up to her to say congratulations.

Waiting for awards.

Still waiting for awards.

STILL WAITING.

FINALLY! Nationals day 4: THE BEST OF THE BEST face off!!! Out of 1500 routines, only 15 got to perform ONE MORE TIME.

pre-show ice cream

We wore noise cancelling headphones to watch dances

Quick Starbs run

Fave fan:

 Quick trip to the merry go round

WE HAD THE BEST WEEK!!

5 on a Friday: Dance mom things

 Can you even believe that the regional dance season is behind us? All Dorothy has left is a recital (Minnie too!!) and a week-long trip to Navy Pier in Chicago for nationals at the end of June. A few dance mom things:

1. Everything is better when Dorothy does her own makeup. All I am here for anymore is false eyelash assistance and the some hair help and to tell her she is beautiful.

Thank goodness I signed Minnie up for team auditions this summer because I need to be needed again.

SHE EVEN DOES HER OWN QUICK CHANGE PONYTAIL

I DO still have to help bobby pin her bandana and attach it to her hat ad then PIN HER HAT TO HER HEAD via a hair ball we are supposed to make at the very top of her head. So there's that. (Also this is easy to do if it's the first dance of the day but brutal for a quick change. At one of the competitions this year when the kids only had 2 dances to change costumes and hair, 3 girls lost their hats mid-dance and as the dance captain (a mom who is in charge of any props and of making sure everyone is dressed according to the styling directions and gathering all the kids at the call time) for that dance, I knew it was all my fault.

2. We are going to have to buy a new dance bag because Dorothy's is ripping. It has had 3 hard years, so I guess it's been a good purchase. I might also get a Hulken bag for peripherals and times when I do not want to be lugging the whole huge bag. I have been saying for years that I want to upgrade her garment bags, too, but so far I just keep using the ones the studio sends us home with.

But! This bag has lived a long life, and we have appreciated her.

3.  Dorothy has fun the entire time we are a competition, rom the stage to the dressing room, to the hallways.

Last weekend was her last regional of the season, and we even had fun as a family

4. My favorite dance mom friend moved to another studio, and I haven't found someone I enjoy snarking with in the same way, but! Dane weekends are also really fun for me because it's lovely to spend time with people we have known for years at this point who are all in the same weird boat.

Just imagine Minnie on the mini team next year and all the new friends we'll both meet!

5. Every season, I get so used to the dances and costumes that is heard to imagine what the next year will look like. Dorothy is not trying out for tap this summer (so she says right now...), and I will miss it-- but this is her least favorite costume because it is so tight

My favorite costume is lyrical-- it's just so pretty

Dorothy likes all her hip hop costumes the best because they are so comfy

Next up: recital, followed by nationals in Chicago :)