A Long Weekend

When Caitlin was three, I enrolled her in a place called Texas Stars. It was a performing arts school that focused on developing a well rounded performer. They began with tumbling, then singing and dancing. They wore black athletic pants and t-shirts and white Keds. They learned to do sign language to "Proud to be an American" sing and dance to Zippidee Doo Dah. It was such a neat school. This was before we knew about Caitlin's special needs. Throughout the class, Ms. Debbie could be continually heard saying, "Caitlin Rose, Caitlin Rose, Caitlin Rose." I wasn't too worried though because at every performance, Caitlin did what was expected...until the Christmas performance. That day, while all the other girls and boys were dancing and singing at the front of the stage, Caitlin was was walking in circles behind everyone else. That was the end of Caitlin's experience at Texas Stars.

Three years later, I decided to let her try again. By that point, I knew Caitlin had some attention problems. I told her new teachers that she might need some extra redirection. The funniest thing is that her ballet teacher told me that Caitlin was the one to turn to when she couldn't remember the class had left off the week before. I knew there was hope, especially two years later when she was invited to be on the competitive dance team.

Fast forward to today.

This weekend, I took Caitlin to a dance competition. Usually she dances with a group, but Friday she performed in her first solo. I was so excited for her. She did well for a newbie. What amazed me though were these pictures.
Her team also took first place overall! Congratulations Junior Apprentice girls.