Could it be......a future cheerleader in the family!!!!!!!!!!

Kate is officially registered for COBRA cheer camp on July 28th (coincidence that its my birthday!!!).  And a few weekends ago we signed her up for COBRA cheer leading in the Fall.  Our community sponsors a youth football league which allows young boys to learn the fundamentals of football and they also allow the girls to cheer for the teams.  So starting in the fall, Kate will be able to cheer for the boys that she has in her class while they compete with neighboring communities.  I SO wish they would have had that when I was her age.  Nonetheless, everyone that knows me, knows that cheer leading was my passion.  Even at 32 years of age I can recite numerous cheers from high school and bust out in some of my favorite competition moves from back in the day.  Cheer leading is something that just pours through my veins and brought me so much happiness when I was younger.  I never thought Kate would even be interested in cheering because she has such a mellow disposition.  But I've watched her come out of her shell the past few years and really become quite the passionate little girl.  So needless to say when she approached me about the cheer camp, I was MORE than happy to fill out the application.  Now our evenings are spent doing gymnastics in the yard or in the trampoline.  And yes (just for the record) I can still kick it and flip it.  I might hurt a bit the morning after but I still have it and the kids think its HILARIOUS watching mom with spirit fingers (and the occasional fall on my behonkus!)

We've already purchased her uniform but I did a little shopping tonight to find her the perfect pair of pom poms (because not all pom poms are created equal!).  And of course along the way I found some cute socks and face stickers.  So no matter if this passion for cheering lasts a year or for many years to come, I am so happy to be able to share this common bond with my sweet girl and watch her have fun and enjoy life.

Memorial Day Weekend 2011 (in pictures)

If you've followed my blog for any period of time, you'll notice that at times I can write a novel (maybe its one of those nights where I just can't fall asleep so I multi-task between blogging and HGTV).  But then I have times when I want to share my story with mostly pictures.  This entry is more pictorial.  I was able to snap some sweet (and very candid) pictures of our fun swim on Memorial day thanks to a few factors:

1.  Justin was able to share the day with us so therefore I did not have to be in the pool the entire time acting as a hanging post for Wesley, and

2.  Our kids are becoming more proficient swimmers (well at least Kate is) so that leaves a few hands free to snap some pictures...ENJOY!

She started the day with her floaties...she is not a daredevil and has a very strong appreciation for water.  Its made for some really nice toddler years because I never had to worry about her just jumping in and gulping water

 This one left his floaties on the entire time.....he's not a daredevil in water either (somehow I must have put the fear of God in them when it comes to appreciation of water)

Justin being Kate's biggest cheerleader..wait, that is supposed to be ME being her biggest cheerleader?  Oh well...2 cheerleaders is better than none!

His girl.......

Swimming from one end of the pool to the other..so proud of her!

Yes....still in his floaties and won't try to jump off...maybe if the pool didn't have these cool fountains he'd be more adventurous?!?!

Loves of my life!

Maddie

 Wesley acting like he is going down by himself...........

 Until dad had to come to the rescue!

Maddie going off full speed!

Typical Kate style...she went down the slide slow and cautious...and when I asked her why she stopped before the end, she replied 'Well Mom, I have to take a deep breath before I can just jump in....'

I did explain that as she gets older she'll realize that she can take a deep breath at the top of the slide and it will last her until she jumps in.....she replied 'But mom....your and adult and I'm a kid...your lungs are bigger than mine'  And I can't argue with that my sweet (almost) 1st grader!

You go girl!

What can I say other than.....my daughter absolutely ROCKS at softball.  While she definitely has some natural athletic ability (Justin and I are both super athletic...even in our older age), she got this good, by working her tail off!  Yes...Kate is the only girl that never missed a single practice (even more spectacular because she had conflicting schedules with Kumon on Thursday's which meant that this mom worked just as hard getting her from point A to point B in record time!)  When she wasn't practicing with her team, she was out in the yard playing with her dad.  They have been playing softball since she was 3 so (outside of learning the formal rules) she knew what to do with a bat and ball....SLUG IT!   Softball is a great sport for a child that is going to be vertically challenged.  You don't have to be long and lean.  You just need a lot of heart, some quickness and (when at bat) some really good hand/eye coordination.  Kate was by far the most consistent hitter on her team.  She was also one of the smallest girls and looks were very deceiving.  Which is nice because the girls would move up when she would come to bat, she'd hit it past 2nd base and end up with 3 RBI's...love it!  Did I mention that outside of being an athletic family we are VERY COMPETITVE as well?

Congratulations to my amazing Kate for a great season!  Many more to come!  Here she is at her end of season team party.

Her team..the Little Dippers.....

Our special cupcakes for her teammates...very appropriate since her team sponsor was Chocolate Fountains of Victora

Where is WALDO? I mean, WESLEY?

Where is Wesley?  Peek-a-boo?

This was the scene from Wesley's K3 graduation this morning.  I would LOVE to have photo shopped this picture with a big arrow pointing to my very photogenic child but unfortunately someone (I'll blame it on the teacher that is not returning next year?!?) decided to place my child in the very back.  Not only is he the YOUNGEST in his class...turning 4 in July, a good year younger than most in his class...but he's not one of the tallest in the class.  So I didn't snap any other pictures because it would have been a waste of time and it was far more enjoyable watching him bob up and down in the back while waving to us.  Waving as if to say 'Mom and Dad..I'm here...your tuition did pay off...I know this song, I promise...you can't see my lips move but I know the song..I practiced hard..I promise..you just can't see me!'

And since I can't look back on this particular day and remember what he looked like at this point in time, I snapped these pictures a few days later....now THERE is Wesley!

And just for the record...I am talking to Mrs. Thompson his K4 teacher on the first day of class and demanding that they put my son int he front for at least ONE performance during the year...I don't care if its the Christmas program or the Grandparents Day program or the K4 graduation.  But at some point I better get a picture of my son on stage...or else I will trot myself in front of other people's children and get a picture of him.  He is far too cute and photogenic to allow this for one more year.  :)