The Hoffman Family: Gymnastics!!!

We decided to let Lexi give gymnastics a try. We didn't know how she would like it, but she absolutely loved it! She had her first class on Wednesday. We all went, anxious to see what she would think. The class is ages 4-5 and there were about 8 girls in her class. They all had long blond hair, too! They started with exercises and the teacher, Ms. Heather, would do funny faces and make it fun for the girls. Then, it was off to try some somersaults (forward and backward), wall stands, donkey kicks and cart wheels. They had different mats set up for different activities. The somersault mats were shaped like ramps to help them out. There was a mat for the cart wheels with foot and hand prints so the girls knew where to put them. It was so fun to watch! Lexi kept steeling glances back to us to see if we were watching her and then she flashed us a huge smile! After those activities, it was off to the bigger things. Next, it was jumping backward onto a huge mat, jumping off a spring board and trying to land without falling and last, the big trampoline! When it was Lexi's turn for the trampoline, we didn't think she was going to do it. They are attached to a harness and then the teacher pulls on a rope and they go up into the air. She doesn't like going high. She will only sit on a swing at the park for a few seconds before getting off! To our surprise, she didn't hesitate getting into the harness and before we knew it she was in the air! She swung back and forth and then she did a flip! Joe and I looked at each other wide eyed, smiled and said 'wow'! She did a couple of flips and she smiled the whole time. The last 5 minutes of class, they are free to do whatever they want. Before the teacher dismisses them, they get a card with one of their accomplishments on it. Lexi's says "Lexi can do a backward roll on the choose mat". They also get stamps on their hands and feet. We do not know yet what the stamps mean, but the girls love them. That evening after class, Lexi wanted to do gymnastics outside. We brought out my exercise mat and did donkey kicks and cart wheels. I was sore the next day! Now we have to wait 2 weeks for her next class because they are on a 2 week vacation. She can't wait to go back! Here are some (blurry) shots of her in action. We had to stand behind a glass wall and watch.