Juilliard Bound?

I saw this t-shirt this week,

and have decided, especially after this weekend, I need it.

Saturday morning, we were up and at 'em. She had to be at the band hall at 8:00 for an extra band practice. It was supposed to last until 9:30, but she had to be at a dance performance at Earth Day at El Paso Environmental Services at 10:00, so I picked her up at 9:00 to come home and get ready. After throwing on costumes and make-up, we headed out. The boys 'had' to go to the batting cages, so they missed it. She performed five songs, but here are the dances you haven't seen before.

Kylee's Cumbia

Pretty good for a white girl, huh?

Kick

She's not even in this class, but she was waiting for her class to begin, so she was watching. They asked her to join. She learned this dance the night before the performance.

Between the heat and getting up early (which is NOT her thing), she was exhausted! Since the boys 'had' to go to the batting cages, I didn't make her go to the game.

And what a game it was! Elijahcaught pop up ground ball to the face and had an immediate black eye. He sat out for a bit to recover, and then decided he wanted right back in. As soon as he got back in, he hit the ball, ran to first, and the first baseman tripped him. He feel right on the side of his face he had just hurt. Bless his heart. He rallied again, though, and got back in the game.

Since I had my camera in the car, I got some shots of my boy, too.


And a video, too.


Later that night, the boys went to the USC fight, and Kylee wanted to go to Wal-Mart for some new make-up. Sunday morning, she was to be a Cohen Stadium for her first SOLO competition. It was going to be all day in the sun, so for the first time, I wanted her to wear foundation with some SPF for sunscreen. She wanted some clear mascara to tame her eyebrows. LOL Of course, when we got home, she had to apply full make-up to check it out.
I'm convinced the girl already does her make-up better than her mother. She's a natural. I guess it comes with being a natural dancer. I'm pretty sure you have to be a diva for that, which explains the make-up diva.

Then she and I went to bed early since she had to be up at 5:45. Again, being up early is not my girl's (or her mothers) thing, and this was the second time in one weekend. No sleeping in for her us at all this weekend.

We were up this morning "even earlier than for school!" As we are driving to the stadium, I looked over, and Kylee was watching herself in mirror. She said, "Mom, my make up looks GOOD!"

When we walked into Cohen Stadium and I saw that stage out there in the middle of the big 'ol field, I was intimidated. I couldn't imagine what she was feeling, since she had been telling me all weekend that she was nervous. But I didn't say anything to her because I didn't want to make it worse. Because, you know, I have a habit of making things worse.
I was so happy she didn't even flench.

The girls went to their sky box, no parents allowed, to get settled in and ready. I took a seat, with my umbrella, in the hot, hot scorching sun. The boys showed up, and luckily, she took the stage. Before she started, I told Joey I might cry. You see, not only was this her first solo competition, she choregraphed and costumed her own dance. And she rocked it. See for yourself.



I was so proud. I did not cry, but probably only because, as you'll see in the video, I got run over by a lady carrying a stroller up the stadium stairs. I was HOT!! I mean, really? MY kid is the ONLY kid on the stage, meaning I'm the ONLY person videoing in the whole stadium, and she runs over ME?! UGH! I digress.

There ended up not being enough soloists, only 12, to break them up into the junior and senior divisions, so they just combined them. That meant she was competing against girls all the way to the age of 18. One of the 18 year olds did two solos, and took first AND second with them. They only placed the top three. Kylee did not place. It was an amazing experience, though, and she was not upset. Hopefully in the next couple of weeks we will get to see the judge's comment pages, as we have been told they will be mailed to the studio. Miss Eva, the dance instructor, text me later today and told me that she had five parents and three coaches tell her how amazing Kylee did and how great her technique was. My chest has been puffed out this afternoon. I'm so proud to call this beauty my own and am so very proud of her.

When we left, she kept saying, "I'm going home to SLEEP!" But as we drove, I looked over to see this.


I guess even when you are going home to crash, you gotta keep that make up looking GOOD! I guess that's what divas do...or maybe that's what girls who are headed for Juilliard do. I got an email the other day that was titled, I Was Born For This. When I opened it, this is what I found.

There may come a time, way too soon, Kylee, that you are headed to Juilliard, and not only will I not have a life...I won't have an money either. But you, my diva, are worth it!