On her toes

 For a few years now Lainey has been in awe of my old pointe shoes,
and would try them on at home.  (her dance teacher would not approve of this!)
She would bring my old Capezio shoes to her dance studio and show all her friends. 

 My shoes were way too big, but that didn't stop her.

 Lainey age 9

She must have been playing with my makeup that day

Note little Izzy in the background

You can imagine Lainey's excitement to receive a letter that she was ready to dance on her toes!
 Lainey had her first pointe shoe fitting in August and we had fun sewing her ribbons on.
It's a rite of passage to sew your first shoe ribbons. 

This was the first dance shop we visited.  It was a beautiful place! 

Lainey first tried a pair of  Russian Pointe shoes and loved the fit.
She had a wonderful experience with her first fitting and felt like a princess! 

Isabelle watching big sister 


The only concern I had was there were only two
brands of pointe shoes to choose from, and it seemed like Lainey struggled a bit
to get all the way over. 

 

    For a first fitting it's important to try many different styles, so we headed to a store (2 hours away) that her teacher had highly recommended. 

 


Even though it was a long drive, this store had a much larger selection of pointe shoes
and Lainey was able to try Freeds and Grishko's.
Unfortunately they didn't have Freeds in her small
foot size and she loved those best, but the Grishko's were also a great fit. 

 She went with the Grishko's!   *Lainey age 10
 

Lainey had Nutcracker auditions in September and is very happy to be
a "Party Girl" this year. (one of "Clara's friends")
It's a role she's been dreaming about since she was a little girl.  (besides the coveted Clara)  
One of her best friend's Kayleigh also made the part.





Butterflies in her tummy!  I had them too.   There are only 8 party girls chosen and 3 casts,
so it's a tough role to get with the hundreds of kids auditioning.
It's awful to see the kids come out crying and my anxiety
level was very high as we waited and watched group after group being dismissed.
It breaks my heart to see my own child come out crying, but when it's
someone else's kid in tears and mine gets a part,  I feel even worse!  :(
I want to run and give them my child's audition letter.   

Last year she was just a hair too short for the role, and by next year she might
be too tall.  She had tried for party girl last year and was given a prologue child role.
Unless she doesn't grow,  I knew this might be her last opportunity.
Thankfully her audition went really well.  She feels very fortunate. 



 Lainey and Kayleigh celebrating their audition at Crepeville
I look for any excuse to eat there! :) 

Luke and Baila also auditioned again this year, but a different day than Lainey.
Luke has been practicing and listening to the Nutcracker music for the last two months,
so it's a dream come true for him to be one of "Mother Ginger's" Children.
(the little ones who come out from under the huge dress)
Last year I had to be the crying shoulder when he didn't get the part,
so this is a very sweet moment for him.   
There must have been 200 kids who auditioned for that role this year.
The line was enormous.
I was at the audition from 8:00am until 4pm by the time both kids were done.
Baila was 1 inch too short for Mother Ginger so she had to try out
for other roles. 

Baila was given the cute part of "Christmas Hungarian Doll." 
I can't wait to get pictures of her in that adorable costume!

You can see Luke's part toward the end of this video at 1:43