Last Sunday was the girls' BIG gymnastics show. I am so very proud of them for getting out there in front of a large audience and giving it their all. On our way to the show, I asked them if they were nervous or excited.
Allie - "Excited!"
Anna - "Nervous."
Emily - "Nervous."
Allie, here and there, has been going through this I wish I was an only child phase but yet she held on tightly to her sisters' hands as an assistant lead them through the front doors of the gym to find their coaches. I reminded her of that after the show. If sissies weren't here, she would have had to have gone in there all by herself. She wrinkled up her nose at me.
The first part of their show was a short dance routine. I'm still not sure how it was determined where each child would stand. Allie was front and center. Anna was on the far end of either the first or second row (I couldn't tell from where I was sitting) and Em was on the end of the third row. Em told me that she wanted to be in the third row because she's shy. They had dots on their feet which was to tell them which circle to stand on in the rows - so there must have been some coordination going on. And Em told me that she was the line leader for the green cheese mat.
I attempted to photograph the show and when it didn't work out, I put the camera down and lived in the moment.
Cartwheel by Em.
The second part of their show was the "obstacle" course, which is simply mats placed around the outside of the floor. They run around and complete a different stunt at each mat - somersaults, cartwheels, etc. Unfortunately, there was one little girl who came down with a case of stage fright and instead of running along the course, she was walking soooo slow and staring at the audience watching her. Because the kids had been taught to not cut, no one would go around her. Allie was at the tail end of the traffic jam and I watched her turn a perfect cartwheel on the mat right in front of the main viewing area. The sounds of "ooooh" and "ahhhhh" rippled through the audience. I was a proud mama.
I was also extremely proud of Anna for participating. She has a tendency to just run around the obstacle course and skip over the stunts. A few days before the BIG show, their class praticed their performance and Grammy was able to tape it for me and Rich. Anna did the dance portion but skipped over all the stunts during the obstacle course. I wasn't quite sure what to expect during the show but she gave it her best!
While one of the other groups was on the floor, the girls were on the side walking on the balance beams. Allie can walk alone with just someone spotting her.
I used my 85mm lens for these and I don't know what happened but the lens (or my camera) spazzed out whenever the girls reached the end of the balance beam and wouldn't focus at all. I was pretty far away too so that was not an issue. I was bummed that I didn't get pictures of them jumping from the beam - although I do think Rich has it on video.
Anna
Emily
Medals - baby birth order (which also happens to be alphabetical order)
After the show, we drove directly to a family party to celebrate the christening of Rich's niece's baby twin girls. My girls had fun babysitting their cousin, Patrick.
Car ride home. "Emily?" "Em, wake up." "EMILY!"
(In addition to LL, she's holding her show leotard and her medal.)
16 comments:
love it!!!! this is a bit off topic but i was wondering: do you ever hear smirky comments behind your back as to why one of the girlies wears pull-ups? i mean, i know that they are little girls but still, you can tell, i am sure, by the way they talk and behave that they are older...i hope you don't get those negative remarks because noone can know your situation...so just wondering, if you don't mind.
Your reasons plus my attempts to fly inside the house are the same reason my mom put me into gymnastics! I only did it until I was 16, and then my priorities changed a little. However, it was a great opportunity, I got to go to camp, meet people from all walks of life, and sure learned a lot about self confidence.
Guess whose starting gymnastics class the first week of July! Peyton! The form had a spot for medical conditions (argh!) Hopefully they don't freak out. In response to Esther. I personally didn't even notice the pull-up but when you mentioned it I went back. I'm starting to get paranoid about this...but P is still in regular diapers. Do people say anything Sarah?
One day during Gymnastics Class last year, I was standing along side another Mom. There was a 'new' Mom that day whose daughter was 'testing' the class to see if she would like to be in the group. All of a sudden the 'new' Mom said in an unpleasant tone "Oh, I thought these kids were 4 and older. There's a little girl with a pullup on." I responded with "That's my granddaughter and for your information she has a medical problem." The 'new' Mom just looked at me and the other Mom smiled at me as if to say you told her. We were all very lucky because the 'new' Mom decided that the class wasn't advanced enough for her daughter and didn't come back.
Grammy (a.k.a. Sarah's Mom)
Grammy! Way to go! I am so scared that the first time someone asks me why I'm still changing Peyton's diapers in public is going to get punched. I know that all of the anger I feel about it is just going to come lashing out.
So cute! I love their little pink outfits! :-)
Grammy, that's a good one!!! You tell them how it is...my twin boys are now 3.5, almost 4 and are the same exact size as your granddaughters. they are considered zero percentile in weight, about 20-40th in height. not the biggest kids around, i tell you! we wear 18 months swimshorts--you know how that is, right?! anyhow, when they were babies, i'd often hear "wow, why are they so small? is something wrong?". no, "rude lady", nothing wrong: just slightly preemie and genetically speaking, they will always be on the thin side. thankyouverymuch.
I am a long time reader of your blog and am so proud of your girls - I got a little choked up seeing the pride on their sweet faces and love that Emily is holding Lion, her show leotard and her medal - so sweet!
Katlyn
What great pics!!!! I would love to see the video! the video of last year's show made me tear up!
So adorable and they look like they are having a blast! Thanks for sharing with us!
Hi Sarah,
I read your blog all the time and hope you don't mind me asking you a photography related question.
In these kind of pictures you've taken in this post, do you pick a focal point? or do you let the camera pick it?
What kind of aperture would you have used for these photos?
Thank you very much!
Awww - thanks everyone!! If Rich posts a video, I will link to it.
Esther - we also hear comments on the girls' size too. Drives me crazy sometimes because I'm really petite.
Sophie - I've been working on a photography post and I will add these pictures into it and answer your questions. I don't mind you asking at all!
I love their little leotards, sooo cute!
And way to go, Grammy!
Way to go Grammy! My "typically" developing child wasn't ready to potty train until shortly before her third birthday. Not unusual, however she is very tall (off the charts) with above average language development. I got my first snarky comment at 18mths to why she wasn't potty trained. Moms are meaner than kids.
Right on, Grammy! You're the best!
We need the video :) I was in tears at my desk during the last one! Congrats, A, A, and E!
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