This awful pandemic has taken away so many of the things we take for granted. All of the end of the school year activities were cancelled, dance and soccer were put on hold, and so many other things were up in the air. One of our biggest worries was whether or not we were going to be able to hold our annual dance recital. All of the kids had worked so hard preparing, and our competitions were already canceled, so the thought of not being able to perform at our recital was heartbreaking. After some last minute shuffling around we were able to find an alternative venue and the show was able to go on!
Things were different. In stead of two big shows over two nights, we did three small shows all in one day! We all took extra precautions to stay safe, but we were just so grateful they did not have this taken away from them as well. With 3 shows back to back, the girls were constantly changing costumes and running on stage. Olivia was especially busy, as many of her dances were performed in each show. So many dances and so many costumes!
Cece was a busy girl as well. Her age group performed during the second show, so she was on and off stage multiple times. It's been fun watching her grow into a more mature dancer. Between tap, jazz, ballet and hip-hop, she does a great job performing all of the styles, and she is a joy to watch.
It was a whirlwind of a day, but one that brought a great deal of happiness to all of us. Being able to perform our recital was so rewarding and it reminded us of just how much we love our dance family. My girls have been able to create so many wonderful friendships and memories. I am proud of the work they put in all year long to perfect their dances, and being able to show off at their recital is what it's all about. So grateful COVID did not take this from us!
A few weeks later the girls were off to camp for the week. Excitingly enough, camp was one of the few things that was not cancelled for the summer. I was able to sign them up to attend during the same week, and they were thrilled. Olivia has attended Camp Potawotami a few times in the past, but Cece has not. In fact, she has never been away from home for more than a night or two. As much as she wanted to go to camp with her sister for a week, she was not thrilled about leaving us for a week. The one thing I knew was that these girls needed this. They had so many other disappointments thrown their way over the past few months that I wanted them to have this special experience this summer. So...off to camp we went!
Olivia's friend Aleah was able to go to camp as well, so they were able to bunk together. Cece on the other hand was going solo, and was going to have to rely on making some friends. With all of the COVID protocols in place, drop off was quick and simple. There was no time for tearful goodbyes. Olivia hopped out of the car with excitement. Cece gave me a big hug and off she went, for her first week away from home! It was hard to leave them, but it gave me so much happiness knowing they were going to enjoy a carefree week away from home.
One of my favorite things about this camp is that each night they post photos from that day's activities. It's like a bird's eye view of what they are doing every day. One of my favorite parts of each day they were gone was checking those photos to see what they were up to. It helped me feel close to them while they were away. It also helped ease any fears I had about Cece being sad about being away from home.
It was clear from the photos that week that they girls were having the times of their lives. As much as I missed them, I was so happy they were having so much fun. But by the end of the week I was super excited to pick them up. The hugs were big, especially from Cece, and I was so happy to have them back. We talked the entire ride home and they shared everything about their adventures from the week. I cannot express how happy I was that they were able to have this experience this summer.
Summer was beginning to come to a close, with the start of the new school year approaching. Each summer we make sure to squeeze in a visit to Papa Fred's lake. Our family friends invite us up each year and the girls love nothing more than spending the day out on the lake, tubing and riding the jet skis. It was a nice relaxing day, and was just one more bright spot in our summer that helped things to feel somewhat normal.
With the first day of school only days away, there were lots of mixed emotions. Sad that our summer was wrapping up and nervous to start school with all of the new precautions in place to prevent COVID. I think Cece's emotions were the most heightened, as she was going to be starting 4th grade at a new school. She was finally joining her sister at Canterbury, and she was able to get the same teacher her sister had...Mr. Goetz. All of the normal return to school activities were cancelled this year...thanks COVID. But they did allow the new Canterbury students and their parents a chance to come to school and meet their new teacher. This was huge for Cece. It gave her a chance to get acquainted with the school and her teacher before showing up on that first day. She was able to drop off her school supplies, set up her locker and spend a little time getting to know Mr. Goetz. Whatever nerves she may have had melted away after our visit, and she was ready to kick off a new school year at her new school!
It was a summer of disappointments...no family vacation to Hawaii and no dance trip to NY, but we made the best of the summer and still came out of it having made some nice memories.
After much anticipation, the first day of school was here! The kids were so excited to be going back to in-person learning for the first time in months. Cece was excited to start at her new school, and Olivia was excited to see many of her friends once again. Things actually felt half way normal, until I watched my girls walk into school with their face masks on, knowing that they were going to be spending every day, all day with them on. But I know my girls, and I know they can make the best of the situation.
School was off to a smooth start and we were grateful for each day they were able to get on the bus and go. The summer weather was still lingering, but the official end of summer came when the pool closed on Labor Day. It was a cloudy day, but the girls still went for one final swim, knowing that it was going to be many months until they would be able to go back. Until next summer!
Even though Cece was at a new school, there were still some friends from Peace that she stayed in touch with. One of those was her buddy, Ayanna. These girls had not seen each other since March, when the school shut down. They talked regularly on FaceTime, but we finally got them together for a playdate and a sleepover, and they could not have been happier to see one another. These two have a special friendship, and it's nice to see that they have stayed in touch.
Once the weather started cooling down we took a trip to the zoo. With masks being mandatory, we did not go much during the summer. It was just too hot and uncomfortable. But a cool day at the zoo, and the mask was a little more bearable.
With Coronavirus still in full swing, finding things to do continued to be challenging. When we heard about the gorgeous field of sunflowers nearby, we had to check it out.
A local farm had planted thousands of sunflowers and opened the field up for people to walk through. The day we went Olivia had a soccer game, so we just took Cece. It was quite a sight to see. The sunflowers were huge and so pretty. Some were as big as Cece's head and most of them were taller than her. It was fun to walk through the field and take pictures. It really was a gorgeous sight!
With the girls back in school and their activities back in session things were feeling a tad bit normal. It's obvious there is still a long way to go, but we will take what we can get. If we have learned anything from all of this mess it is to appreciate the small things, but it sure would be nice to get back to life as we knew it.
