The difference a nap makes

Andi has not taken naps since she was 18 months old. She has still needed them, but for the past two years getting that girl to nap has been a nightmare (napmare?). Unfortunately, the need for the nap and the lack of the nap has often led to horrific moments like this:

She actually woke up crying on Tuesday. And she didn't stop crying. all. day. We went to dance, her favorite place to be, and she was a wreck. We left early. It was actually her dance recital practice, too! I was really afraid that she was going to be a mess for the recital. So we on the drive home I formulated a plan: she wouldn't be in trouble, she was just going to take a nap. So I gave her a snack, calmly told her she had to sleep, tucked her into my bed, and took David and Peter with me to look at a house. I then made her favorite meal: pigs in a blanket, smackeroni (macaroni, that's how she says it), salad, and strawberries, with "strawberry juice". Jonathan went up and woke Andi up, we fed her, I washed her hair, I put make up on her, and then got her into her costume. Crossing our fingers and hoping for the best, we hauled the whole family down to the school for her recital. And wouldn't you know, the nap made all the difference:

She smiled and danced the best she could, and she was happy the whole time we were at the recital. Her teacher, Miss Cindy, was amazed! (Pathetic, right? She wanted to know who'd we'd switched Andi with... Ha!)

When all was said and done, I was more happy about the end of ballet than anyone! I've decided that extracurriculars like that will have to wait for an older age. Andi needed dance for a while, I have no doubt about that, but I believe it has served its purpose and we are done. So after David's shenanigans in martial arts, and Andi's antics in ballet the last three months, we have decided that sports and activities will wait until the kids are at least eight. And I couldn't be happier about that!