D*A*N*C*E Nationals!!

 Oh, my friends. I have drunk the dance mom Kool Aid. Guzzled it, really, from an INFERNO NATIONALS TROPHY or someone's old pointe shoe.

Seriously, though, Dorothy and Minnie and I had THE MOST FUUUUUUUUUN at Inferno Nationals in the Wisconsin Dells. The competition was at the Kalihari (which puts on an EXCELLENT dance event-- we have gone there 3 times this year alone), but we stayed at the Great Wolf Lodge, which is .2 miles away and more approachable from a water park standpoint when you are a mom alone with kids. (Kalihari is cool but WILD).

Dorothy had a lovely schedule-- ONE DANCE on Friday, a huge break before awards, and then 5 dances on Saturday morning, with awards in the early afternoon. It was easy, breezy, and SO MUCH FUUUUUUUN.

Awards were VERY LATE on Friday, and Minnie SLEPT ON THE FLOOR of a crowded hotel ballroom. Shoutout to my dance mom bestie Karla for making sure she did not get trampled and giving me her dancer's skirt to use for a pillow.

Friday dance pics:

Saturday morning was EARLY with a 7 am call (that we were late for because I am terrible at being in charge of myself at a hotel)

Dorothy's dances happened fairly quickly, so she had to warm up dances while wearing costumes for other dances-- something that is always cute to me.

They even let Minnie join in **heart eyes**

Meanwhile I snapped at Dorothy for abandoning her backpack in a hallway and then had a body-drenching hot flash.

Minnie and I had a Starbs breakfast, and Minnie collected some German soccer swag

We watched So! Many! Dances!

Dorothy did GREAT. Her tap placed 8th. Her jazz WON it's category! Her musical theater performed its best of the season, but it did not place or do super well in the adjudicated awards **whomp whomp.** Both of her large group hip hip dances killed it. One of them took third in large groups, and the other dance took second in that same category!! Amazing!

The BEST news, though, was her super group (the air brushed sweatshirts and silly jorts)-- they won their category and also made it to FINALS on Sunday!! She was so excited to be dancing on the last day of nats.

No rest for the wicked, though, because she ended the 2024 season on Sunday and started class for 2025 tryouts on Monday LOL LOL LOL. She is taking twelve classes a week plus private tap, jazz, and hip hop lessons through the end of August.

See what I mean about Kool Aid??

Here is teaching outfit 7/27– not my finest work, but it was chilly and rainy, and we had a library class, so I had to walk through puddles and construction sites.

Back to dance—- pro pics the competition posted:

All I have ever wanted is a little girl with a silly name who loves sparkly dresses AND NOW I HAVE TWO.