Mama Likes to Jitterbug

Day Trippin': Hampton Beach, NH

Going to the beach today was entirely Gracie and Sean's idea.  Even though the water was absolutely freeeeeeezing, they didn't seem to mind.  Everyone was just happy to be outside enjoying the beautiful weather.

 

 

 

 

Memorial Day Weekend

Most of our Memorial Day Weekend was spent at home just relaxing, soaking up the beautiful weather, and finishing the last bit of spring cleaning we had on our list.  We did manage to sneak away on Saturday to renew our Six Flags season passes and spend the afternoon riding rides and watching shows.  And even though I decided to leave my camera at home so I could enjoy the rides, I couldn't help but pull out my phone for a few pictures to remember our day.

 

 

The Rope

Gracie recently informed us that she wants a rope to hang from the ceiling in her room.  I'm almost inclined to give in since I'm tired of screaming at her for climbing up the sides of the doors.  She's been working really hard to become a member of "The Monkey Club" - the group of kids who can climb to the top of the rope at gymnastics.  And she's almost able to do it - she only has about 2 feet to go.  Just so you can see how high the rope is that I'm talking about, here's a picture I took on my phone from the parent's room.  It's no joke.

 

Bittersweet

For Gracie's end-of-year cheer party, I decided to make another wall magnet to give to her teammates.  Last year's magnet hangs in our kitchen and Gracie STILL likes to look at it and talk about all of the girls. 

 

However, making this year's picture was somewhat bittersweet since Steve and I recently made the decision to leave East Elite and have Gracie cheer for another All-Star program.  It might not seem like a big deal, but when you spend so much time at a gym and get to know the families of the other girls on the team, it's hard not to feel attached.  I will definitely miss the friends we've made, but it's something we've been thinking about for awhile, and our decision ultimately came down to doing what we feel is best for Gracie, and our family. 

The new gym is an equal distance from our house, just located in the opposite direction.  So far, everyone has been extremely welcoming, and Gracie (who can be very shy in new surroundings) has already made lots of new friends.  Although one mom informed me that her daughter cried the entire way home last week because "she wasn't the littlest anymore" and "everyone loved Gracie more than her".  I told her that "Littlest" is a title Gracie would gladly give up.  She HATES that everyone keeps calling her little.  I try to tell her it's not a bad thing, but when you're 4 going on 14, apparently it is.

So lots of new changes for us next year.  A new gym.  A new division - Gracie tried out and made the Minis.  New friends.  New uniforms (Red, Black,Gold).  And a new cheer:  "Five years and counting, we're still in the game.  Sparks All-Stars.  Remember the name.  SPARKS!!!"

Blessed

You only have to scroll through a few posts on this blog to realize how incredibly proud I am of my kids.  You get pretty quickly that I think they're beautiful, smart, and talented.  I saw this picture and was reminded that I'm also incredibly blessed.  Above all else, my kids are healthy and happy. 

Video: Gracie Practicing on the Trampoline

We've only had our trampoline a few weeks, but Gracie is already doing front and back flips.  My favorite line from the video: "Next, I'm going to land on my feets."  And of course hearing her say her full name. 

Click on the image to view the video.

Fishing

I learned something about my little city-slickers this past weekend.  They like looooooove fishing.  Who knew?  I think it was Sean who found the Barbie and Spiderman fishing poles at the sporting goods store and convinced Steve that they HAD to have them.  After a quick lesson off our back deck, it was over to the town pond to try the real thing. (Well, sort of.  We decided to have them use casting plugs, rather than a hook.  But it didn't take them long to figure out that they weren't going to catch much more than seaweed without bait.)  I was amazed at how quickly they got the hang of casting and reeling.  And at how long they wanted to stand there and do it.

Needless to say, getting them to leave didn't go very well.  Gracie informed us that we were "breaking her heart", and it was "the most horrible day ever".

 So back we went for Day 2.

 

Which ended pretty much the same way as Day 1. 

Boston Public Garden

Saturday's weather was beautiful, so we decided to take Gracie and Sean to the Boston Public Garden for a ride on the swan boats.

Here's Sean, and the duck that bit him.  Fortunately, he thought it was funny.

Gracie, on the other hand, preferred the non-living version. 

White Belt

This past Saturday Sean tested for his first karate belt.  And while I'm pretty certain that eligibility is only determined by a parent's willingness to pull out a checkbook, I'm still incredibly proud of him.  He's doing so well in his class.  He pays attention, he listens, he does all the moves, and he tries soooooooo hard.  Karate seems to have just the right mix of nerdiness and athleticism for Sean.  He loves it!  Here are some pictures I snapped a couple of weeks ago on my phone while watching from the viewing area.  The picture of him lying on the ground was taken during their "Stranger Danger" lesson.  I love that Sean's teacher takes time every week to teach the kids about what to do if they are approached or grabbed by someone they don't know.  Congratulations Sean on your white belt.  We're very proud of you!

Generation i

I bet most people would be surprised to learn that today's 4 year old is probably better at figuring out technology than most Generation Xers.  At 4 1/2 Gracie knows how to operate my iPhone without any assistance.  I found this out when I caught her posting status updates on my Facebook account.  And today, I couldn't help but laugh when I saw her playing with another little girl who had also gained control of her mother's iPhone.  Gracie and the little girl were taking turns playing their favorite songs* and showing their favorite dance moves.  It was really cute, but also very humbling.  I realized that what took me weeks to get the hang of, was second nature to these kids.

*  On the top of Gracie's playlist these days:  Hoedown Throwdown by Miley Cyrus, If U Seek Amy by Britney Spears, When I Grow Up by The Pussycat Dolls, and Spotlight by Jennifer Hudson.