Much like Sophie’s post last week, here are some of my favorite recent moments and memories with our favorite biggest girl!
This has been a hard year for Ella, but man has she thrived. The transition from elementary school to middle school has been pretty seamless — her grades are still fantastic and she amazes me with her determination and grit. It is different, though, and we are still learning to navigate all of big emotions, tight deadlines, and pure exhaustion.
We knew when competition season started that it might be our last one that looks like this. Now that she’s getting more involved at school, we’re trying to figure out how to balance dance and cheer and a really full social calendar and it’s just plain hard. We’re still not quite sure what next year will look like, but we know it won’t look like six dance classes and four days in the studio. We’re trying to hold it together as the season ends and give her the time she needs to make some very grown up decisions.
These two girls might be the brightest part of her dance season. She has an amazing team that we’ve both grown up with and these two, especially, are almost permanent fixtures in our lives. If they aren’t at our house, then she’s at one of theirs, and the conversation has shifted from Can I spend the night with the girls? to Hey mom, I’m riding home with the girls after dance, pick me up tomorrow? It’s weird, this transition from little girl to independent teenager, but we’re figuring it out as we go.
And as good as those dance friends have been to her, she’s been blessed to make some wonderful friendships at school this year, too. She and Campbell have shared classes together since preschool, but their friendship has developed so much this year and we are both so grateful for their relationship.
They had a spring formal at school last month and she came over to take pictures before they left. It’s weird that Ella goes to dances and wears strapless dresses and heels now — wasn’t she just three years old? I didn’t actually know about the dance until a few weeks before it happened, but every weekend was too full to allow for dress shopping. Just imagine me buying all the dresses that Macy’s has to offer and making her try them all on at home. This is what having dance every day and a month of full weekends will do to you!
Middle school field trips are something else completely different about this year, but I’m going to go ahead and tell you that Ella is here for them. Her entire class spent Good Friday in Dollywood and, despite the rain and chill in the air, they had the best time! I couldn’t take off that day, so Gran was our chaperone and she sent me photos and videos of the girls the whole day. I knew doing Disney from an early age was beneficial, because these girls rode allthethings.
I’ll admit to being less than enthusiastic when Ella signed up for the beginner band this year. During middle school, our students have to take chorus or band every year, as an elective. I voted chorus, because it’s free, but I got outvoted and bought a $1200 clarinet instead. Let’s just not talk about that part.
We laughed when she tried all of the instruments before the season started, because — of course — she scored really high on everything she tried. Ella is just that kid that can do everything she tries and playing an instrument doesn’t seem to be any different. She introduced their selection at the spring concert and we were all a little thrilled to hear songs from Star Wars.
I don’t get to take as many pictures of her as I used to, because twelve year old girls care what they look like. They want to approve every post and you’ll retake the photo a hundred times because their hair wasn’t laying just right (it was). It’s weird to be the parent in these situations and we’re having tons of conversations about how your body and your face aren’t the same thing as your person and who the heck cares about how pretty you are, but it’s hard. I’m being respectful and only sharing things that she’s okay with and letting her figure this teenager thing out on her own. Yes, she’s still three months away from thirteen, but that might as well be thirteen seconds for how fast time flies these days.
She’s the best big sister and an amazing helper and she might have the sassiest mouth in the state, but she also has the best sense of humor and is one of the kindest people I know.
