Day One Hundred Ninety-Three

There's this really weird thing going on where our dance studio is doing a better job than pretty much anybody with COVID. Classes are back, with the choice of taking them in studio or via Zoom. For those who decide to be there in person, there are rules. Lots of rules.

- Masks are mandatory at all times. Yes, that means during conditioning classes, even.

- No adults are allowed inside the studio.

- Everybody has to dance inside their taped off square, which puts them at least six feet away from any other dancers.

- Class sizes have been cut in half

- Temp and health checks before entry

- Have a break between classes? That's fine, but you're going to have to go outside during that time.

And lots more. It's almost as if places that stand to lose a ton of money if they contribute to the spread of COVID are making choices that reduce that risk. CRAZINESS.

Anyway, all of that was enough for me to decide that the girls could return to in-person classes. We all have to manage risks as we see fit and the whole scenario is feeling pretty low risk.

So far, so good.

Alexis, of course, has ALL OF THE CLASSES. She thinks that is wonderful and fantastic. I complained about her having classes all of the time while we were at the beach, but she was all, "This is so great! I don't have to miss anything because I can participate via Zoom!" Truly, she loves every minute of every class. It's pretty great.

Mila loves her classes, too. I will continue to pretend to be happy about this fact for Mila's sake, but really I"m irritated that she isn't screaming at the top of her lungs for basketball. I need one kid to love basketball. It would be so fantastic and wonderful. I'm willing to settle for the short kid! AND YET.

It's all Alexis' fault. If it weren't for her, Mila would never have discovered a love for dance. I'm convinced.

ANYWAY.

Both girls are happy with their classes, but Alexis is most especially SUPER! DUPER! HAPPY! because she gets to student teach this year. As luck would have it, she student teaches Mila's tap/ballet class. This may be the first and last time the girls need to be in at the same place at the same time, so I'm enjoying every second of the convenience, even as Alexis enjoys every second of being called, "Miss Alexis."

Seriously. That's her favorite thing about student teaching. Not only does she feel super awesome when the teachers treat her like a peer, but she gets to have a bunch of little kids refer to her as Miss Alexis and she thinks it's the best. Her over-the-top glowing about this fact is how it came to be that Mila started calling her own sister "Miss Alexis."

I don't know why, but the whole thing has me picturing 16-year old Alexis driving her baby sister to dance class while her baby sister says, "Thank you, Miss Alexis!" It's ... a lot.