The really BIG gymnastics show

The girls' year end gymnastics show took place a few weekends ago.  Don't allow the lack of photos in this post fool you.  I'm so very proud right now!

Their class the week before the show was "sneak peek" week and parents, family and friends were invited to watch a practice run of their performance.  Because this takes place during the week, there actually aren't that many spectators.

(Emily and Allie)



There's Anna doing a cartwheel.



Anna never says that she can't do something.  She just does it.

I didn't take a ton of pictures during sneak peek or the actual big show because I wanted to pay attention to all three kids instead of trying to fire off pictures and missing out.  Plus, it was somewhat difficult to take pictures from where I was sitting at the show and I didn't want to block views, etc.

Here are two of my three.



So I asked the girls which one they liked more - their dance recital or the gymnastics show.  The gymnastics show won for two reasons:

1. They can watch all the other kids' performances because they aren't stuck backstage.
2. Everyone receives a medal at the end.

At the end of the dance recital, awards were handed out for perfect attendance, which I have mixed feelings about.  (That was the only award/medal too.)  Honestly, my kids didn't say anything about not receiving a perfect attendance medal and I wasn't going to be the one to bring it up.  They obviously understood what was going on but apparently it wasn't that big of a deal.  I get why perfect attendance is important but is it worth bringing a sick kid to dance class?  We did pull them out of one class in December for vacation.  Shhhhh, don't tell anyone.  But otherwise, they each did miss at least one other class because they were sick at some point during the year.  Anna came close to missing another because of a doctor's appointment, which can be very difficult to schedule.  Sometimes you just have to take what they give you.  I'm of the mindset that life doesn't always allow for perfect attendance.

As I attempting to photograph the medals ceremony at the gymnastics show, I realized how badly I need a good zoom lens.  I had switched to my 85mm.  I probably should have brought my 105mm but I wasn't thinking when I packed my camera bag.  Anyway, the problem wasn't so much my lens but the fact that the girls gave me exactly 2 seconds in which to take the photo.  I'm a fairly fast photographer but I'm not that fast.  Here's Anna.



Summer gymnastics classes don't begin for a few more weeks.  Hard to believe but the girls are still in school due to snow days.  Only a few days left!