dance, dance (in which stephanie gets a dose of humility)

some of you may be wondering just what the heck happened last week with our dance class post.  to sum it up, utah construction is lame, we were late, i didn't have a good spot to take pictures, etc etc.  ugh.

i wanted to make up for it this week.  unfortunately i had a lap hijacker in the form of one of the student's older sisters.  this cute little 4 year old chose to plop herself down on my lap and "help" me take pictures and record videos.  it was really cute, and i'm not really complaining, just know that's why things may look shaky or abruptly stop (as she was prone to turn it off mid record. that's what i get for showing her the on/off button).

i wish i could blame it on the full moon, but obviously that's since past, so yeah.  i have no excuse.  seems like every girl had a case of the sillies and could not quite contain it.  even mary, who is normally so enthusiastic about following directions, at some points decided she just plain didn't want to do anything.  or was being a squirmy worm.  it made me feel bad for how i react towards the Crazy Girl and her mom.  especially when i could hear the teacher "mary, how does a princess sit?  mary, sit like a princess." etc etc in an attempt to get mary to sit still.  i was properly embarrassed that mary was being naughty, and just wonder how the mom of  Crazy Girl feels every week.  that doesn't excuse the complete lack of control on her part, but still.  also, apparently (if my eavesdropping self heard right), the Crazy Girl may just be not coming back.  it seems there may have been complaints (not by me, at least, not officially) and problems which could result in her waiting a year before trying again.  i approve of this plan, if it actually happens.  i just feel bad for the mom who was looking for an outlet for her daughter's crazy nonstop go go go attitude.  i don't know how to feel about the situation anymore.

i think you can tell who Crazy Girl is

if only the girl could just be in a different class.  then i'd be done and all would be well.

graceful ribbon dancer

i can see more and more the different "dance moves" the teacher is going to incorporate into the recital.  it's really cool to watch them learn how to do things better, add new elements and the put it all together.

okay, video time.



the teacher put a sticker on each of the girls' right shoe, probably hoping to get them to use the correct foot.  she'd call out something to the effect of "tap the sticker shoe."  good idea.  but it just had mary focusing on the sticker. she wanted to ALWAYS use the sticker shoe.  i laughed and groaned as she'd call out to mary, "no the other shoe!" oy.
watch while mary does nothing! except wipe her nose on, not just her hand, but the hand of the girl next to her! amazing! *shakes head*



mary did her marching steps across the floor by herself again.  i'm not putting it here since you've seen it a few times before.  but it's up on our youtube vid if you care to watch it there.

i may be a bit braggy mcbragger by posting this video, but really.  i don't know how many times the moms will ask about mary's prior dance experience before they realize she just has natural talent.  i mean, unless you count dancing with mommy to single ladies and such at home...


you'll have to excuse the shakiness, as this is one of the times the lap hijacker was helping me.  she thought my camera was touchscreen (like my phone) and was trying to move the image on the lcd screen.
also, oh hi there Crazy Girl starting a mass revolt from the group...


mary has graduated from merely running around during freestyle time to trying to be a graceful prima ballerina.  that is, until she's trying to also whip the ribbon at passersby...



you can find the latest tippy toe walk across on our youtube channel as well.  skipping for sake of yours and my sanity.  too many videos, too little time.
last, but not least, some ballet.

in much more serious news, grandpa koz (as in brent's grandpa, or great grandpa to mary) had a stroke just recently.  they discovered a blood clot in his brain that is unfortunately inoperable.  and while they are no doubt administering anti clotting meds to help try and break it down, there's not much else that can be done.  we ask that, whether you are known to Michael Kozlowski or not, you keep him in your thoughts and prayers.  we're hoping for as close to a complete recovery as possible.
to glen and julie, who i know look forward to this weekly post, may mary's dancing serve as a means to cheering you up, even just a tiny bit, during a stressful and scary time. <3