Altius Fall Intrasquad

Brynlee had her first intrasquad of the preseason at her gym.  It's a very low key meet with just the girls on her team.  She's been working really hard this summer and is now a Level 5.  She started out last August as a Level 3 and has improved so much!  She still has some perfecting to do on her routines but competition season isn't until February so I'm sure she'll be awesome when that time comes.

They started out on bars.  This is the event that she has struggled with most because of one skill...the kip.  It's the very first move she does when she brings her feet up to the bar and then pulls herself up.  Her coach just has to barely put his hand on her back and she can do it.  In the video he helped a little too much and she over-rotated over the bar.  Her coach really wanted her to get this skill so they have focused on it alot in practice.  Now she says she has a hard time doing a front hip circle (the other element where she falls, which she could easily do as a Level 3) because she hasn't practiced it much.  I'm sure she'll get it!

She did okay on the beam, but not her best.  She had a couple of falls.  She usually gets her cartwheel just fine and even the split jump but I think the bars threw her off a little.  Moving on and clearing your head is definitely something a gymnast needs to do so hopefully she can learn that mental skill!

She did awesome on floor.  We didn't realize she was leading off the group so we missed recording the first 10-15 seconds.

Vault is by far her best event.  I would even dare say she is the best vaulter on her team.  Another mom has told me that so I'm not the only one that thinks so!  :)  She totally rocked her second vault and stuck the landing!

Can't wait to see these girls compete!  It's great to see them progress and encourage each other.  They are a great group of girls!

CVCB Jr. Company

Ashlee tried out for Jr. Company with the Cache Valley Civic Ballet the morning that we went to Bear Lake.  I didn't watch all of the auditions (not that you really could anyway) but when I came back to pick her up, they were still going and I watched from the hallway by looking into the mirrored wall in the room they were in.  I watched her do her last combination, and she looked really uncomfortable and lost, almost like she had never danced before.  I felt really bad for her because she I knew she was a little nervous and hadn't taken ballet all summer.  After it was over, I was talking to her and we saw one of her ballet teachers.  I told her to say hi, and all of a sudden she broke into tears and said she didn't want to say anything.  When I asked her what was wrong, she said she felt like she did horrible and she didn't know how to do the last combination and one of the teachers had to step through it with her.  I tried to calm her down, telling her that there was a big range of ages (10-14) and they just wanted to see how much everyone knew.  Rob had texted from Bear Lake to see how things went and I replied that it would probably be best if no one mentioned the tryouts once we got there. 

Well, the next week she got a letter in the mail....and she made it! She is one of the youngest girls (the only 11 year old and there is one 10 year old) She will be in the Dew Corp and a soldier in the Nutcracker and has already had so much fun learning the dances.

 

They had a orientation meeting for the parents and girls where they introduced them and gave them a rose and their yard sign.  So excited to see her develop her talents!

Ellie at 11 Months

A couple of days ago, Brynlee looked at the calendar and said "Mom!  Ellie will be ONE in 12 days!"  Yes, I freaked out just a little bit.  And now it's only TEN days away!

These pictures were from the beginning of the month. Ellie loves to stand at the back door and watch the kids play outside. I can always hear her jabbering away loudly, like she's talking to them.

 

 

I tried to get her "official" 11 month old pictures but she had just woken up from her nap and wasn't that happy or cooperative.  I did get a few smiles but mostly she was interested in grabbing the plants or dirt.

Daddy was helping to get her to look at the camera.  I love this one of her looking around the camera to try to see him.

I don't think I've ever blogged about this but Ellie has a weird crawl.  She turns one of her hands upside down.  It started at a really early age when she would push herself up while laying on her belly.  I was concerned it would have an effect on the way her wrist/hand developed but the doctor didn't seem too worried about it.  The weirdest thing about it is she only does it on the carpet.  As soon as her left hand is about to go onto the wood floor or tile, she flips it over to the normal, palm down position.  And again, as soon as she is about to put that hand on the carpet when crawling from floor to carpet, she flips it upside down again.  One of those things that we'll never know why she has decided to do it.

I realized I hadn't ever gotten a picture of it so one day I got one.  I really don't see how it can be that comfortable but it is just so natural for her...

Then she crawled over to the couch and started walking along the back of it with her hand touching to balance herself...

And then she let go!

And took her first steps!

She fell down but then stood right back up.  That was the first time she had done that.  She would always use something to pull herself up to standing position.

She thought she was pretty cool and started clapping for herself...

Alright, enough of that.  I'll just sit and suck my fingers...

Brigham City Temple Open House

We met Cheryl and her kids at the Brigham City temple on the Friday afternoon before Labor Day. She and Chris were going to New York and were leaving Jacob and Caleb with us for the weekend so we met in Brigham City for the trade off. It was nice that the timing worked out perfectly to be able to attend the open house together.

Beautiful even if the skies are gray...

 

The Brigham City Tabernacle is across the street... 

 





Cousins

My forever family.  So grateful they are mine for eternity!

The Bartons at Bear Lake 2012

It was time for our annual Bear Lake day with the Barton family.  It was a little later this year and actually happened the weekend after school started so it was our final hurrah of summer.  Ashlee had auditions for Jr. Company with the Cache Valley Civic Ballet on Saturday morning so the rest of the gang headed up to the lake after a yummy pancake breakfast (courtesy of Dave) at our house and Ashlee and I joined them after lunch.

The last time we were at Bear Lake, I didn't put Ellie in a swimsuit mainly because I didn't want her out in the sun (or in the water). She had other plans and wouldn't stay on the blanket under the shade so this time I decided to just put her swimsuit on and lather her with sunscreen. She LOVED the water and was so happy just exploring everywhere.

At one point, I thought Rob was watching her but all of a sudden she was gone.  Panic mode!  She had crawled behind the stack of tubes...

 

Little cheeser!

 

Hey guys, whatcha doin'?

 Jane and Ellie

 

She spent alot of her time crawling in and out of this inflatable boat...

And crawling around in the water...

And would stop to watch the game the boys were playing...

No, I didn't just take pictures of Ellie  :)

The kids played Kubb....

Hey mom, take a picture of me chopping this ball of sand.  Okay??  :)  Hey, nice timing!

Posers.

 
Trevor in the "kiddie pool".  They dig one every year...

 

Jacob, Caleb, Ashlee, Rob and Chris played a "soccer" game in the water.  Well, a game with a soccer ball.  They had to pass the ball down the field by throwing or kicking it in the air to a teammate.  If the ball hit the water, it was the other team's ball.  In order to score, you had to head the ball in between the poles.

 

Such fun times and great memories.

1st Day of School Fall 2012

Landon - 2nd grade

Brynlee - 4th grade

The kids with the Husky...who shall remain nameless...

Ashlee - 6th grade

Trevor started preschool at the University.  He started a few weeks after the other kids so I had to listen to "Do I get to go to school today?" over and over...

 

Non-school related but happened about the same time.  Trevor's cute friend, Paige, moved to California.  He still talks about her and starts sentences with "Remember when Paige... or Remember when I went to Paige's house..."

 

And let's add some of Ellie as well.  One day things were pretty quiet so I went to check on her.  I found her in her room "reading".  She loves to open her board books and it's fun watching her little fingers try to pry open the pages.