This made my day

Today was the first grade dance performance at MJ's school. She came home yesterday with her costume and was so excited. She put it on immediately, and wore it for an hour until she got too hot in it. She pranced around in front of the mirror, admiring herself and explaining how I needed to do her hair. She showed me her final pose of the dance, and explained why hers was different than the rest of the class--because of more girls than boys in her class, she danced with another girl, and that put them front and center at the end when they got to flourish their full-skirted dresses.

Her class performed a traditional Mexican dance. The girls whipped their skirts around the whole time. The boys wore gold embellished sombreros. I am in love with MJ's school and couldn't be happier with what she's learning. Her Spanish has gotten so good and her accent is awesome. In a couple of years, she will overtake me with her Spanish skills. It's so fun to have a peek into the culture of the school at an event like this. The kids and teachers worked so hard to put the dances together, the costumes were amazing, and everyone had a great time. And I love that they get to experience the cultural aspects of Latin America as part of their curriculum and education. I was just so proud of her and her class and so excited that she gets to have this really unique educational opportunity.

At one point in the dance when everyone was in a long line, MJ was looking out at the audience and smiling, while the other kids were looking around, staring out, etc. She learned something about performing from ballet class.

It's hard to believe that the school year is already ending and that she has finished first grade. Her reading skills have rocketed forward this year and she has done well and enjoyed herself.