October 3: Brielle's First Gymnastic's Class

For the past few weeks we've gone to For the Kidz gymnastics class for Tysen.  Well, Brielle has been eager to get in on the action.  You may remember that I brought the kids to an open gym at For the Kidz before re-enrolling Ty in class.  Since then, Brielle has wanted to go out to play each time we've gone in to Ty's class.  There was a parent-child class that met at 9am and Ty could switch to Mr. Randy's 9am class, so we decided to give it a try. 

The first day went pretty well.  It's a little tricky to get a 19 month to listen to a teacher to do exactly what's planned for the class, but overall, the experience was really good for her.  Ty had a difficult time focusing on his class with Brielle and Mom in the same room, so we'll have to see how he does in the future.  I grabbed the video camera for her first day, but most of the activities involved me, too, so I didn't get anything to post here.  It's a shame, really, she was so cute running around and bouncing on the trampolines.

September 8: For the Kidz Open Gym

Wouldn't you know I forgot my camera?!?  We returned to For the Kidz for an open gym time for our special activity for the day.  Ty is going to start another gymnastics class with Mr. Randy next week, and I wanted to remind him how much fun he had at gymnastics.  He enjoyed being able to do whatever he wanted to do, but repeatedly asked where Mr. Randy was.  :)  Brielle thoroughly enjoyed the open gym time, too!  She loved bouncing, running, climbing, and exploring!  Maybe she'll have to start the parent-child class sometime soon! 

June 9: Last Day of Gymnastics and Play Time with Henry!

The boys were sad that this was the list day of gymnastics with Mr. Randy...at least for now.  For the Kidz has a different summer schedule where Koen and Tysen would have to be in different classes...none of them meeting at the same time which means each one would wait an hour during the other one's class.  Since we're hoping to be more active outside during the summer anyway, I decided we'd take a break from gymnastics for a while and maybe return in the fall.  I think they really learned a lot through gymnastics: different exercises, following directions, listening to the teacher, etc.  Here are a few pictures from the last few minutes of class.  Koen loves this block pit!!!  It's never Tysen's favorite activity, but he joined Koen to play with the "cheese" blocks".  Even Brielle got in on the fun!

After gymnastics we returned home to spend some time playing cousin Henry!  He's staying with Grandma and Grandpa for a few days since Aunt Lori and Uncle Steve just introduced Baby Evelyn into the world on Wednesday!  The boys were SO excited to play with Henry, yet they all play independently from one another...I'm sure that'll change as the grow up.

Lunch Time!

Playtime!

May 5: Back to Gymnastics!

As far as the boys were concerned, we couldn't get out the door fast enough to return to gymnastics class!!!  We're back at For the Kidz with Mr. Randy and loving it!  There are only six-weeks left in the school year session, though, and once the summer hits there's not a 3-4-5 year-old class.  So the plan is to enjoy another few weeks of class and then spend some time burning energy outside this summer.  We'll see what the fall brings...

March 24: The Last Day of Gymnastics

The boys started out saying they didn't like gymnastics class (I didn't really believe that), but now they love it!  I know a lot of that has to do with their teacher, Mr. Randy.  He was WONDERFUL with them...encouraging them to try new things, do their best, and helping Tysen stay on task.  They were so disappointed that today was their last day for a while (we're now back to swimming lessons).  We will certainly return to For The Kidz, though!  It might be a little harder to get them excited about it again after I tell them that they won't be able to be in the same class anymore once Koen turns 6, but I'm hoping we can at least find classes that run at the same time so they can go together.  They just love doing things together!  I took a few pictures on their last day of class, so here's a glimpse at what went on during their class.

Tysen and Koen with their teacher, Mr. Randy.

February 10: For the Kidz

Today began a six-week class for the boys at For the Kidz, a local gymnastics outfit.  They both love to run, jump, "stand" upside down, and do somersaults, so I thought a gymnastics class would be a wonderful thing for them!  I'm so thankful For the Kidz has a class for 3, 4, and 5-year olds so Koen and Tysen can be in class together.  There are 4 girls in their class as well, two sets of sisters. 

I knew it might be an interesting class for Tysen who's never had any kind of school/class setting with a teacher (swimming lessons don't count since it's a parent-child class).  I was hoping Koen would be able to shepherd Ty along, but Koen was just too focused on what he was doing to worry about his little brother.  Their teacher, Mr. Randy, worked really well with a wandering Ty.  Both boys tried everything Mr. Randy asked them to do...even though I guess Ty was shaking with fear a few times.  But no tears!!! 

I was able to watch most of the class through the windows dividing the reception area and the gym.  They make it a very comfortable place for parents to sit and wait with toys for little ones, vending machines with snacks, and magazines to browse.  Or you can just sit and watch.

Koen wasn't sure about going at first, and still maintains he didn't like it, but the way he talked about it afterward let me know otherwise.  Both boys loved the trampolines!  There was a nice variety of things they got to try, and I can't wait to see them grow in this area!  It was fun to see them show Seth a few of the things they'd done in class once Seth arrived home from school!

I had hoped that a class like this would have helped Koen and Tysen burn up some of their never-ending energy, but I believe the class multiplied it!  They were so ramped up all day...running and jumping on everything!  This plan may have backfired in that regard! :)

I forgot my camera on this trip, and doubt I'll be able to take pictures during class, but maybe I can snap a few after class sometime to share some of the fun things at For the Kidz.