July, 2021

Cha started a weekly soccer skills camp through the city and did really well! He listens well to directives, tried, and picked up the concepts fairly quickly. Sissy was the best cheerleader, and they were both rewarded with playtime at the park after each weekly session. We left the first meeting with Aut asking how many days until we could come again.

At the start of this month, she was involved in a long list of weekly activities. 

• Voice lessons
• Gymnastics
• Volleyball
• Swim
• Horseback riding
• Ice skating
• VBS

As we head into the new school year, we will be cutting out some of these activities, and adding AWANAS back in, because regular faith-formation was something I committed to when we pulled her from the Catholic school. We stack swim and ice skating on Saturday mornings, so it is not as hectic as it seems.

There were two major accomplishments for our girl this month: learning to ride a new 20" bike on her own, and being thrown into a volleyball league half-way through their summer season. Without any practice, she jumped into a game on day one, without any practice at all. Way to go, Mom! I actually brought her in a unicorn print shirt and lace socks! But, a few weeks in and she was looking like a real member of the team, even scoring some points when it was her turn to serve! The youngest on the team by far, she joined a club for 7-9 year olds, having just turned six! This came about because a friend recommended them, and I emailed an inquiry which went something like this: 

Would my daughter be able to join the summer program still?--

Sent from my iPhone

The one that is going on now?  How old is she and are you requesting a friend?  Let us know asap.

Yes/the one now!! She just turned 6 in May.

We have a division that is 7-9 years of age.  How advanced athletically is she?  

She has never played volleyball before. She is TALL for her age- 4 feet, 4 inches! She is in swim and gymnastics but I have no idea about her hand-eye coordination or athletic ability related to volleyball. It’s just a sport I have interest in for her because of her height. 

You can bring her next Sunday and check it out. 

So, by "bring her and check it out" I had no idea she would actually be playing...in a game...with other team members who know what they are doing! We found the large, new high school and walked into the gigantic gym, filled with six different teams actively playing each other on three different courts. I felt intimidated as an adult and can't imagine what was going through her mind as I scanned the room to ask for person I had been emailing. He was so nice, and gave her a league t-shirt to change into, which I did on the sidelines and then she was out there. And as she was playing, I had no idea if she would be allowed to come back. I mean, she did not even know the rotation of the six team-members (nor did I!) and the coach had to tell her each time where to move. She was so out of her element, that it was hard to watch because I felt so bad about what must be a very uncomfortable situation for her. But bless her heart! Not only did she stick with it, but she wanted to go back the following week! And so the next day, as I was getting in some summer days at work, Daddy took her to buy her first volleyball! Prior to her game the following weekend, we picked up her uniform and she looked official. Joining this summer league was in no way me pushing her because if she had expressed any hesitancy, I would have decided to wait until she was the appropriate age; the age of all the others on her team. But after the second week, she was talking about volleyball to her friends and saying it was her favorite sport! And so, we continued, and she improved rapidly, even scoring a point (or two!) when she served.

Time has a way of escaping us, and so the beginning of summer found Aut still riding a 16" Frozen bike with training wheels that she was too tall for, so much so that it was hard for her to even pedal. We went to REI one night after much discussion and Dad decided to buy us both mountain bikes, to utilize the beautiful trails behind our home. We bought her a 24" bike that was too big for her to ride safely, in a color that Cha could someday use. To bridge the gap, I found a nice 20" purple and teal Schwinn for her, and Dad set out to teach her how to ride without training wheels. It took all of about 15 minutes, and left me with tears in my eyes, in light of the obvious sign that she is indeed, growing up. To see here going on her own, check about two minutes in:

Only twenty minutes later, you can see how much more confident she is:

There were also two accomplishments for big man this month as well, as he nearly became potty trained in the span of only a week with little effort on our part, and also tackled the big waterslide at Great wolf lodge! This was also the month that his soon-to-be-famous booty shake first made it's appearance! We had a wolf den suite at the Great Wolf Lodge, and went to their dance party one evening. Surprisingly, he got out there on the dance floor and debuted the cutest, fast booty-shake west of the Mississippi! This new skill has been highly reinforced, with him usually giving me a booty-shake when I ask for it, and sometimes even when I don't! He's acquiring quite the sense of humor, and one day looked at his booty, which was shaking, and told it "Stop shaking, booty!" as he ran away from is screaming "Agghhhh...."