The Girls Gymnastics Summer Olympics

Little medalists

Performing in the Summer Olympics challenge at gymnastics

Out of all the sports that the girls have tried, one stands out above all the rest; gymnastics. The girls started up gymnastics again earlier this summer and they have been loving every moment of it. I've had them both in teams sports and I think Alina is still a bit too young to really get in competition mode, while Elise does not like being aggressive whatsoever and she usually will fall back to the rest of the team in most cases. With gymnastics, I think they really enjoy challenging themselves and I am proud as I've seen so much improvement from the both of them. Elise has been working on her bridge and cartwheels, she's got great form now and much more flexibility. Alina is a little ball of energy at gymnastics class. She is excellent on the bars and can flip herself over easily now. Their gym recently hosted a mini Summer Olympic challenge for the kids. They both got to do some circuits and an ending floor routine, which left mom and dad very impressed. They were excited to receive their medals. I look forward to watching these little gymnasts grow and progress even further! 

Alina preparing for the podium

Alina showing off her medal

Happy 6th Birthday Elise!

Celebrating with our big 6-year-old birthday girl, Elise!

Six years ago our oldest child, Elise, was born and she’s turned our world into something new ever since. We’ve experienced all the first big milestones with her and have watched her grow from a tiny newborn into a very intelligent, driven and fun-loving young girl. Although she’s only 6 years old, I feel like she’s matured so much that she’s 6 going on pre-teen. She loves school, reading, swimming (just about every day she can), riding her bike, golf, gymnastics, legos and play dates with her little friends; and I feel like the friends part will start taking over pretty soon, so we certainly plan to cherish these last few years that we still have with her as mommy and daddy’s best friend. 

Elise is such a little character with a very independent spirit when it comes to what she likes and wants. We are rarely able to influence her or change her mind/opinion; the girl is steadfast as far as her determination goes. I used to think it was more of a challenging quality, but over these past years I've learned to embrace the fact that she is so decisive and driven. She is naturally a bit shy, but she never refuses to participate or embrace a new experience, which makes me very proud. It's her high level of determination that drives her to be brave and speak up rather than retreating when faced with uncomfortable situations. She is one tough girl. She celebrated her birthday party earlier this month and truly adored sharing the day with all her wonderful friends and family! Our girl is growing up so fast. We love you Elise, Happy 6th Birthday!

Enjoying her Wacky Tacky party with great little friends

Happy Father's Day 2015

Father's Day miniature golf fun

Happy Father's Day to a wonderful husband and dad of three now (eek!). Elise recently took a golf summer camp and begged to go to Golfland for Father's Day. It was as hot as can be out and the girls did really well in the beginning before melting down toward the end. Poor dad, he always keeps his positive spirit and optimistic outlook even when the rest of us girls are losing it around him. Thank goodness he will have a little boy soon to offset some of the girl craziness in the house. In the end, we all made it through and we've since decided if we ever go during summertime again, it will be in the evening. Happy Father's Day to a very special dad. We love you!

The girls found some shade by the castle

Kindergarten Basketball Fun

Elise's basketball team practice and game

Elise expressed some interest in playing basketball, back when she was in preschool, so naturally we were excited to get her on a team with some of her other Kindergarten schoolmates. Of course, the first practice and game was a battle of parental self-control as we watched her energy level go from quick running at the start to a gradual skip down the court follow by playing with her braid and nervously chewing her hand for the last half. Thankfully, she did develop enthusiasm and put forth more effort into future games although the second she was thrown the ball she made sure to quickly pass it to another teammate like a hot potato. There were some very talented little players on her team and I'm pretty sure The Bears went undefeated the entire season, yay. Ultimately, it was a wonderful experience in getting her familiarized with an athletic team environment. I think Elise is more in her element with dance and gymnastics, as it just doesn't come natural for her to be aggressive or physical with other kids, but we still definitely plan to sign her up for next season. She had fun and loved her fantastic teammates and coaches!

More Gymnastic Fun & Sweet Moments

Sweet sisters holding hands

At the girls request, we enrolled them back in gymnastics on Saturdays. They both love it so much and enjoy getting to spend 45 minutes exhausting all their energy. After class one Saturday morning, I was quick enough with the phone camera to catch the sweetest moment; two adoring sisters holding hands while walking to the car. I know it seems like something you'd think they always do, but not so, this is a special and rare moment. They are the best of friends, but at the same time locked in a constant power struggle. They fight over toys, food, tattling, semantics, mom and dad time, and who gets to push the garage door button or feed the cat. It can get a bit overwhelming at times, and usually Elise is the culprit for starting many arguments because she assumes the big sister role means getting the first say in everything. Alina is great at pushing Elise's buttons and finding devious little ways to retaliate back. 

All that said, they are finally getting to a point where they are moving beyond the constant bickering and realizing how much they love to play with each other and be affectionate. Can we get a hallelujah on this one! I love seeing my girls show each other affection, and while I know that fighting will always come with the territory, I hope to see many more of these occasions where they take time out for sweet moments; even as simple and fleeting as holding each others hands while walking back to the car after gymnastics class.

Saturday morning fun at gymnastics class

Sunshine and Soccer

The girls during their first soccer practice

The girls started soccer this month and it has been pretty interesting to watch. I knew Alina was a little young for it, but we decided to enroll her as we figured she would see Elise playing and follow her lead. Well, not so much, but overall I think they had fun learning and getting acquainted with the game. They definitely looked the part, but the moment it was game time Alina disappeared off the field and started trying to relocate goals, take multiple water breaks, wander off onto the nearby playground, kick the ball off into the distance and not come back, you get the drift. Elise, on the other hand, showed more motivation and stayed on the field longer, she even made a few goals during a couple games (YAY!), but at the same time she was running off the field chasing dragonflies and running out mid-game to take water breaks and express how tired and hot she was. It was the biggest exercise in parental self-restraint ever, but fun nonetheless. At the end of the day, I feel like we have success on our hands because they both asked to continue playing soccer in the fall. To be continued...

They actually stayed on the field for this entire practice

High fives after game day - Alina was "exploring"

Gymnastic Tuesdays

Little gymnasts! They love Tuesday night gymnastics classes

The girls started gymnastics classes last month, and now look forward to Tuesday nights every week. Tuesday has become far superior to Friday in fact, all because they get to run, jump, bounce, flip, stretch, twist and get all their pent up energy out. Thank goodness for Groupon. I got a great deal for three months of gymnastics classes at a local gym.They have learned so much already and mom, dad and even grandma have all been able to join in on the fun as Alina's class is parent participation. During class, they especially enjoy the trampoline, rings, and bars. Their next favorite part of class is at the end when they get to chase bubbles and get colorful stamps on their hands and feet. It's the little things; go figure. I am so proud of their progress and hope that this is something we can do long term as long as they continue to show this much enthusiasm.