Dance Recital - Two Perspectives - Part 1

Julie:
     I love recital night. It's always great. The girls do each other's hair, put on make-up, and talk about how nervous (or not nervous) they are. I go out and buy their favorite super-sized candy bars, tie a bow on each one, and write a little note. I love it now that they are older because after doing that, I think I'm pretty much done. WRONG!

     What about the boys??? Oh yeah. This year I bypassed hiring a babysitter because I figured they're all older (almost 5, 7, and 11) and the baby, well, I have to take him with me anyway, so it'll all be good. I ironed them some clothes, shouted at them (from the laundry room) to find some shoes and grab a bowl of cereal! I guess they only heard half of that because 10 minutes into a 3 hour show, boy #2, who is wearing shoes, bellows out that he's starving.

     I look into the diaper bag (note the previous post) and am praying something food-wise has found its way in there. Ugh. No such luck. I still have my Certs, but that's not going to cut it. I tell him he's just going to have to wait.
 
     Now Act II has started. We're half-way through and Jackson, who is incapable of whispering, announces he's bored, hungry, and wants to go home. How can he be bored? There's loud music, colorful costumes, and cute girls. But he's five and couldn't care less. Meanwhile, my sister and mom are doing their best to help out. Yes. Bryan is there too, but he's checking the weather on his phone!

     Through all this, I'm nursing Jonah, getting thrown up on, and trying to keep him quiet.

     Out in the lobby, during the second intermission, I get the opportunity to visit with another large family mom. I tell her my dance recital woes - how I thought the boys had eaten, how stupid I felt that I thought the boys could sit through this, etc. She was so great.  "You know," she said, "I think I got worse about being prepared with more kids. My diaper bag sometimes had no diapers, and if they missed a meal I figured, oh well, they'll survive." That made me feel a bit better.

     Time to go back in for the last act. The only way I survived is because my mom had gone and gotten some Oreos and Kit Kats, and Bryan bounced Jonah in the back. Thank you, Mom and Bryan! Next year, I'm hiring a babysitter for the boys.
   

Savannah Dennett, if you are reading this, may I book you a year in advance???