Athletes

Weeks ago, we enrolled Ella in the Special Olympics Young Athletes program at the YMCA. Wow. That’s all I can say. Loran and I now have a little athlete on our hands! Ella loves her “Athletes” nights. Most of the time, Daddy participates with her, but I’ve been known to jump in now and then. She adores her coaches, Jen and Jed and fully participates in everything they do, from warm-up stretches, songs to sport skills.

There are some skills she’s not as proficient at, like hockey. They had a day where they explored four sports: soccer, hockey, basketball and baseball. She loved all of them, but when they were exploring hockey, she kept dropping her stick and putting her puck (beanbag) on her head and running around. Loran and I joked that she wouldn’t be getting a hockey scholarship. But, once we asked her what her favorite sport was, without missing a beat, in the most enthusiastic voice she could muster, we heard a big, HOCKEY! So, we’ll work on it, maybe she’ll get that scholarship after all. Or, get her to take the puck off her head.

I love this photo of the two jumping!

Her favorite activity is obstacle course. She just loves it! In just a few weeks, we have watched Ella’s confidence boost along with her athletic abilities. One session just ended and the next begins next week, this time with Lillian too, once she turned two, she was eligible to go, as it’s open to all children ages 2-7. Ella’s not entirely thrilled to have her sister join in the fun, but in the end, I think it will be great for both of them and let them shine in their own ways – and maybe even bond a little.

Playing bridge and tunnel, which I call the New Jersey game…Ella was completely reluctant at first to play this game because people had to crawl under her and then she had to crawl under them. Scary. But now, she loves it!