i shoulda seen it coming.

so.

the day finally came.

after nearly a year of talking about it, dressing up for it, giggling about it at bedtime and finally buying new shoes for it, it arrived.

the first day of summer dance class was upon us!

the studio where my girl will start in the fall (also the same studio where i danced) offers a two week 'tumble tots' session during the summer. it's not meant to be as formal or technical as regular lessons, but i thought it would be a great way to introduce the wild woman to the studio, the teachers and the idea of being part of a group and following directions.

we bought a few cute new outfits and a pair of precious white keds for the occasion and got up extra early this morning to get ready.

we've been counting down the days since i signed her up in may and practically bounced out to the car this morning.

we sang our favorite carrie underwood song all the way there and belted out the last chorus just as i was turning into the parking lot.

and then a storm blew in.

and its name was sophie b.

by the time we got through the door, my girl had melted down into a MONSTER fit.

she didn't want to dance, she didn't want to meet ms. kathy and she didn't want to be a princess! (her words, not mine.)

i broke the cardinal dance school rule and walked into the studio in my street shoes hoping that seeing the other little girls having fun would motivate mine to retract her horns and claws and join in.

yah. not so much.

the screaming and screeching and crying and wall-climbing continued.

for 9 humiliating minutes.

she finally admitted it all looked like fun but still wanted NOTHING to do with it.

y'all wanna know why???????

'cuz it'll mess UP my PONYTAIL, mom! i CAN'T dance EVER AGAIN because my PONYTAIL will be YUCKY.

ohhh. emmm. geee.

amidst a whole new round of tears and snot (her, not me.) and sweat (me, not her.) i finally decided it was time to hang it up for today and that we'd just try again tomorrow. (the class was already half over anyway.)

so i've got us, our junk and what's left of my sanity headed for the exit when she instantly dries up the tears, cracks a grin, puts both sassy little hands on her hips and says ....

MOMMA! all you have to do is take out my ponytail! THEN i can DANCE like a PRINCESS!

ohhh. emmm. geee.

naturally, as soon as i remove the offending hairbow and rubber band, the kid bounds away from me and gets in line to crab walk like she's been doing it for a hundred years. then she spent the next half hour laughing and giggling and playing with pom poms and asking if she could come back tomorrow.

i, naturally, slunk out of the studio, plopped down on a chair in the waiting room and wished i had something a lot stronger than diet dr. pepper in my razorback tervis tumbler.

surely y'all understand why i don't have any photos to document the momentous occasion.

love & i promised her a new tutu and bubbles if tomorrow isn't a trainwreck,