As is the case with so many activities we do as a family of four, I don't have any pictures of Michael and Sophie participating in their gymnastics classes yet. With our one-to-one kid-to-parent ratio, pictures can be tricky to take when also spotting those kids on rings and bars.
Even without photographic proof, I hope you'll believe me when I say that Michael and Sophie love their gymnastics class and are doing great! We go every Saturday morning, although we've missed a few due to other fun--Easter egg hunt, their own birthday party, a weekend at Grandma and Grandpa's. Mike and I have been enjoying this weekend ritual as well and can't quite break the habit of stopping for a mid-morning meal afterward. :P This weekend we also stopped at a mom-to-mom sale and our neighborhood park before bringing the kids home for their nap. I love when we're able to wear the kids out so thoroughly!
You might recall from my post five months ago that my primary motivation for getting the kids into a class like this wasn't really for them to learn the proper form for a forward roll. It was to help them to become more confident. I'm sure it's partly just a matter of maturing a bit and growing physically as well, but overall Michael and Sophie now eagerly enter parties and play dates without any visible anxiety. They're more sure-footed on playground equipment, needing very little help, and they seem more willing to jump and climb in all sorts of situations like jump-houses and mall playscapes.
For example, Sophie kind of blew Mike and me away when she lifted her foot as high as her ear and pulled herself into this wagon climber...
I know it's not exactly phenomenal, but we were proud of how she clearly just believed she could do this and did. I was just about to point out that little wheel sticking out up front for her to step on, but yeah, never mind! Who knows whether or not any of this stuff is thanks to gymnastics, but it certainly hasn't hurt.
By the way, both kids are solidly in underwear during the day and just wear diapers when sleeping. The diaper peeking out of Soph's pants in that video has to do with not quite pristine undies after the day in child care and a doctor's appointment just before this. With all my talk of our potty training journey, I thought I'd better explain. Speaking of the doctor, the kids were more brave there than ever before as well!
Chances are, I know, that these positive changes could also have to do with my own increasing comfort and confidence that Michael and Sophie can handle themselves. To me they have reached a physical size and agility that gives me the cue to step back a bit more. It's funny to think that a lot of kids are this big at one-and-a-half or two-years-old...I wonder how that must change things. Anyway, I know Michael and Sophie feed off of my vibes for better or for worse, but it all goes hand-in-hand really.
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