Bella wanted to sign up for gymnastics the summer before kindergarten and has been going ever since. She also discovered a great love for basketball this year and wants to sign up for volley ball as soon as she is old enough. Gymnastics has been good for her in other sports and you can really see how the strength she has built there compliments everything else. And she loves it almost always, well, until this past winter. She goes early in the morning before school you see. She is our only kid who really values sleep. I rarely had to put her down for a nap when she was little, she would just go. In the fall when it was light outside, she was fine, she would hop up out of bed and get ready and all was well. Then winter hit, dark, cold, icy windows, snow, and man, it became hard. Then in December they let us know that her level needed to add another two hours each week. Nate and I both dreaded that change. You see, we value sleep as well (Nate more than I), and knew another few hours were gone. So we came up with a plan. A plan that gave everyone a little happiness. Nate instituted Doughnut Friday. One of us takes her in the morning, and we work out while she is there, then on the way home get some doughnuts to share. We both don't want to cancel all the work of the working out, so he and I each have a quarter of a maple bar, it is way hard to not buy a whole dozen each week, trust me on that one. Then Bella gets a chocolate with chocolate frosting. Jack and Sophie share with us because that is just how it is-sometimes we are mean. Anyway, it has totally helped with the extra early morning, funny as that seems. Bella always loves gymnastics, especially when she is there and not in transit. She has learned that some stuff is hard, but worth it. And it is always better to have Dad wake you up than Mom. He is way more sympathetic and gentle. I just wiggle her foot and say, time to go.
