We did a trial of indoor soccer back in September. The kids both really loved it, especially after watching Kai play in a couple of soccer games. I had told them it was a trial class and if they liked it, we might sign up, but after giving it some thought, Scott and I decided not to enroll them after all. I felt bad because they really enjoyed it (especially Tyce), but they get a lot of sports activities every week at our gym so we thought it'd be best to do another activity that isn't so similar to what they're already doing.
They wanted me close by for the first 5-10 minutes, so I stayed with them on the field at first:
Once they got a little more comfortable, I was able to sit out on the bleachers and take pictures. They both kept running up and giving me a high-five through the glass and then turn around and take off the other direction, it was really cute. Shaylie decided she needed a couple of rest breaks and came out to give me a hug and get some reassurance before going back to join the rest of the kids.
We've been doing activities at our gym every week for the past year, which the kids love. Let's Play has a different theme each week and is offered on Mondays and Wednesdays (it used to be just Mondays when they were 2 years old) and is now without parent involvement. A lot of moms workout during the class, but it's only 30 minutes long so it's not really worth it to me. Besides, I really like to watch them :) They also offer gymnastics on Tuesdays (which is still parent/child).
For each new activity we've begun, it's always taken Shaylie a few classes to warm up to the teacher and to decide she'll follow instructions. I'm not really sure what's going on in that little head of hers, but she seems to be shy and/or anxious around unfamiliar people (especially without me right by her side). You can see in the first couple of photos below that she isn't stretching with the other kids...she pretty much stayed in the same position for the first 10-15 minutes of class, silly girl :P
One of the themes for Let's Play was fire safety. A fire woman came and talked with the kids about safety around the house including hot things they should never touch (curling iron, stove top, etc) and things that kids should never play with (matches, sharp needles, etc). She also did a little puppet show teaching the kids about fire safety and they all got to practice 'stop, drop and roll.' At the end, the kids got to meet several other firemen and tour a fire engine.
One activity that the kids have been doing this fall is going to my M.O.M.S. (Moms Offering Moms Support) group with me at church. I've been going off/on for the past 2 years, but haven't taken the kids because of their resistance to any type of day care setting (Grandma Kathy would come to our house and watch the kids when I went in the past). This fall is the first time they've been willing to go and let me drop them off in the Kid Zone. Shaylie's had a few rough patches (one time we had to leave early and another time she came and sat with me), but overall they've done great and get excited about it. They have a few friends in their class, which makes it that much easier for them :)
Another activity we did in September/October was swim lessons. I signed them up through the Marshall Center because they had told me that they utilize their little pool for the beginner classes. Well, I was mislead because on the first day of class, they sat the kids down at the edge of the BIG pool. One of the downsides was that I had to watch class from the second level (pool is on the first level), which probably seemed like a mile away to the kids.
Tyce and Shay, happy on their first day, before they knew what they were in for :)
Shaylie lasted 3 out of 8 lessons. She was really fearful of the whole thing and we didn't want to push it (...by fearful I mean bawling the entire time, she even had her own 'helper', a teenage girl whose only job was to console little Shay Shay, aw, so hard to watch), so we took her out of the lessons and just let Tyce continue on.
You can see from this picture how far away I had to be during their lesson...
Tyce (orange shirt) is with his instructor, Eric (whom he completely adored, talked about and pretended to be everyday :) and Shay is with her helper/consoler:
One of the benefits of swim lessons at the Marshall Center is that it's very close to Daddy's work and he was able to come straight from work to watch the kids swim every now and then :)
After Shaylie stopped participating, there were just 4 boys in Tyce's class:
Tyce came a long way in his swim lessons. His teacher gave him a passing grade and said he's ready for the next level. We're still not sure if we'll put him in lessons this winter at Lakeshore (our gym) or wait until the spring in hopes that Shaylie might be ready for another shot at swimming.
Way to go, Tyce! We're so proud of you, bud!! :)
Showing off his muscles:
Shaylie loved to watch and encourage her brother :)
I still take the kids to story time at the library every now and then. This is an activity we've been doing since they were about 6 months old. The new library has a nice story time on Fridays and I'd like to be able to take them every week, but it hasn't seemed to work out that way so far this fall (I've been working a lot of Friday mornings this past month or so). Anyhow, when we do get the chance to go, Scott can often meet up with us for a quick 'hello' or occasionally lunch since his office is just across the street.
Posing with the spider crafts they made:
The latest activity the kids have started is dance lessons. This is one of my favorites so far, it's just absolutely adorable. They take lessons on Thursday afternoons at a dance studio close to our home, Groove Nation.
I love that our kids are at the same age and can still do all of their activities together. I know it'll be hard when they both are involved in different activities at the same time and Scott and I will have to trade off which one we see. So for now I'm enjoying every minute I can watching them both learn, grow and enjoy new activities...at the same time :)
