3 posts tagged “gymnastics”

Saturday was the last class for the semester at The Little Gym.  I love Show Day!  The kids in the class were just beaming and really put their all into the excersizes!  Parents and siblings were allowed to sit in the gym (rather than in the waiting area behind glass) and cameras were a-flashing!  Here's some of the many (nearly 180) photos we took that day... Don't laugh!  We were taking photos for another family too because they forgot their camera!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 After the warm-up, each child was brought infront of the crowd to perform a routine that they had been working on (and building upon) all semester.  The first step was a backward roll... Brianna struggled with this in the past, but she did it!  I was so proud because I knew this was such a difficult thing for her to do!  Then, a perfect forward summersault!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 The photo on the right is a 'donkey kick'... the first step in learning a cart wheel.  Once they have confidence on their hands, they will learn how to turn their bodies for the cart wheel.  And then, a perfect bridge... head up off the floor!  OK... I know I'm a proud Mama!  I just loved watching all this!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The wall stand.  Again, the kids learn tough stances in steps.  They gain confidence on their hands before attempting to try solo.  Well done on the balance beam!  She was too fearful to do a forward roll on the beam, but she did all the all the other steps (including a wee jump of an entire 1.33 inches) and a great dismount. 

Even the twins got into it!  They loved climbing on all the mats, they played 'soccer' with an older sibling of another child in Brianna's class, and they attempted an Inverted Straddle Hang before completing a perfect dismount off the parallel bars.  Kidding. 

I can see their pants are too big... How embarrasing.  I was forever pulling them up and have now vowed to not dress them in these outfis for another month or two. 

 

 

The best part of the day!  Brianna was so happy to get her medal, and it is now hanging on a hook in her room along with the first one she earned a few months back.  I loved the fact that the instructors gave a little speech about each child, mentioning all their strong points, how they have improved over the semester, what they were proud to see the child accomplish, etc.  Brianna was apparently the 'Mommy' of the class, and would always be the first child at the side of an injured classmate.  They were also pleased that she clearly improved on certain skills and her self-confidence is much stronger since she started last year. 

My little girl... the gold medalist of Summer Olympics 2024! 

Brianna's 4th birthday was on the 15th, and I think Mike and I were just as excited about the event as she was!  We bought her a new bike, and wheeled it into her room while she was sleeping.  We woke up to the sound of her deep inhalation and the sound of her feet climbing down the ladder of her loft bed.  I had my camera at the ready on my night stand, and Mike had the video camera on his side, so we jumped out of bed to wish her a HAPPY BIRTHDAY! 

We were very surprised that she chose this one when we went bike shopping a couple of weeks before.  We thought she would have insisted on a pink one or something a little more frilly.  Nope.  This was the only girl's bike in the bike shop at the time and she fell in love with it.  Maybe she would have gone for pink if they had one.  We were so disappointed in the bikes we saw at Toys R Us and other department stores.  All the kid's bikes were cheaply made and seemed to have the pedals positioned in a way that made pedaling difficult.  Strange.  It's a wonder they sell any at all.

We let Brianna choose the restaurant for her birthday dinner.  She chose Choo-Choo's -- a family restaurant in town that has a toy train that circles over the dining area.  It's a fun place for kids, and the food is alright, so we thought it was a good choice... not to mention, the conversation around can get a little loud, so we knew people probably wouldn't mind if the twins acted up.  She decided to wear a new outfit her grandparents gave her, and she looked adorable!  Her birthday dessert?  Chocolate ice cream with a cherry on top, please!  The waiter followed her instructions to a tee!  This photo was taken as the wait staff (and some of the diners) sang "Happy Birthday" to her!

 A couple of days later, we had her party at The Little Gym here in town (Brianna goes to gymnastics here, and I highly recommmend it to parents of young children).  Brianna and about 30 of her closest friends sat and vibrated as they listened to the instructors.  They could not wait to get back to the equipment.  Brianna is the second from the left of the orange pole. 

Having a blast with the parachute.  I remember playing with one of those in school.  Isn't it funny how something so simple can please kids so much?  This is one of my faves of the day!

"Humph!"  She blew out her "4" candle, but was not impressed with her strawberry shortcake.  She doesn't like cake, so I tried to think of an alternative that everyone could have (a couple of her friends have allergies so they had a bowl of strawberries and whipped cream).  I had also thought of ice cream cake, but the gym is a peanut-free zone, and Dairy Queen is not at all peanut-free.  I had no desire to scour the city for a nut-free alternative, so this is what I came up with (I made almost 60 for the kids and parents while the kids were in the gym).  I thought it was a good idea, since she chose Strawberry Shortcake as the theme of her party.  You just can't please everyone! 

 "It's my party, and I'll cry if I want to!"  She had spilled her drink and some of it landed on her foot.  Not a big deal to you or me, but to Highness.... a tragedy!  She is so quick to tears for every little thing that it gets awfully tiring! 

We ran out of time at the gym, so we had to pack the gifts home to open.  This is a very obnoxious smile from Brianna as she sits in front of her gifts... I guess I was taking to long for liking and she was tired of hearing me say, "C'mon Bree... let me see your pretty Princess smile!  Show me your teeth!"   Just after she opened her gifts, we prepared to have extended family over for a casual BBQ.  We had a great time with aunts, uncles, cousins and our good neighbour friends, and it was a great way to end a jam packed weekend! 

Now... what should we do for next year??

PS: Thanks to my sister for the great photos at the gym... she took about 100 photos there, and totally saved my butt... I had no time to take a photo, and I actually thought I had forgotten my camera at home! 

Brianna started gymnastics 2 weeks ago, and she is really enjoying it.  She's been for two 1 hour classes, and she's totally sweating afterward!  Last Saturday, she walked the big balance beam all by herself -- it seemed to take about 5 minutes, and she bailed on her dismount, but she did it all the same!

We chose to enroll her at The Little Gym because the other gymnastics places were so competitive.  We just wanted to put her into a class to help her build confidence, improve her co-ordination and listening skills, and burn off steam.  If she chooses to expand her lessons and compete, then we'll do that for her.  Right now, she needs fun and excersize... not an obsessed coach hovering over her.

Check out www.thelittlegym.com -- they are all over the States, but I think the only one in Canada is in Lower Mainland BC for now. 

Sorry about the pictures... it's quite evident that I need a better camera (maybe one that has anti-blur and that can take long distance ones well).