The Lee Family: Olivia's Hoe Down!

Thursday, February 21, 2019

Olivia's Hoe Down!

Tonight was Olivia's and her fellow 2nd grader's hoe down! Her and her classmates have been practicing their square dance moves with Coach Traphagan and Coach Baze during P.E. for weeks. Unfortunately the school has been hit very hard with the flu and strep in the past few weeks, with several of the classes having only 10 of 21 kids present! At one point, over 100 kids were absent from school for a few days. So, some of the kids had a hard time learning all of the dances and some were still sick on the night of the hoe down. So a few of the squares didn't have enough kids to make a full square, including Olivia's, but obviously the kids were used to it, so they covered it pretty easily by having the girls move a square after each song so they had a partner at least for some of the songs.

I really wanted Olivia to wear a cute skirt and the pink plaid collared shirt Sofia wore for her 2nd grade hoe down, but Olivia was dead set to wear jeans. We no longer have the pink tulle skirt Sofia wore, but we did have other skirts that would be perfect. After trying to convince her and bribe her, I finally just agreed to her jeans. It really doesn't matter that much and I wanted her to be comfortable. She chose her star jeans which are really comfortable and cute on her. She paired it with the pink plaid collared shirt and wanted the turquoise bandana in her hair. She chose pigtails instead of braids and put on her new pink cowboy boots. She looked great and was super excited to get started dancing. We took a few pictures at home and then headed to school so Sofia and I could get good seats. Unfortunately, CK was out of town for a work meeting and couldn't be there. So, we planned to take lots of photos and videos so he could watch them once he was home.

Olivia was nervous and said it "felt like butterflies were flying around in her tummy" but she was calm and seemed ready to dance. We headed into the gym and actually found two actual seats right up front! It was pretty amazing! Plus, the seats were right next to Olivia's dance square. It was actually a little too close for video purposes, but great to watch. Sofia and I had to keep our feet close to our seats because we were so close.

The square dancing began and Olivia was very serious, but focused. She did a great job and looked like she was having fun but without a smile. She was all business. Everyone in her square did a great job and they clearly had paid attention when they practiced. The dances became more and more difficult as the songs played and the kids started to get a little confused as to their "left" and "right" but they recovered well and had a little giggle. It was so fun to watch! The final dance was a line dance that went faster and faster. It was so much fun and the kids loved it!! We took a few pictures with Olivia's best friends Hannah and Cora and then headed home. Such a fun night and Olivia said she had a great time!

Our little cowgirl is ready for her Hoe Down!