The Little Gymnasts

Kids are bundles of endless energy. They run.....away from you as you call their full names five times. They jump.....off the coffee table. They climb.....over any furniture or object in a room. They yell.....and pull your pants leg to get your attention the second you answer the phone. They scream.....when a toy is yanked from their hands by a sibling. They talk incessantly.....about ANYTHING and EVERYTHING. They sing.....any song they have ever heard. (If they hear a song once, they have already memorized the words.) They dance.....to any song, no matter how fast or slow. All they need is a steady rhythm. But sometimes, no music is needed. And they never slow down. At least, mine don't. Jacob and Annabelle are constantly on the go all day long. If they aren't sleeping, they are at full throttle.

And that's the way they should be. They are kids. That's what kids do. They wear adults out to the point of utter exhaustion. But isn't it fun getting to that point? Well, a lot of the time anyway. :)

A few weekends ago, Jacob and Annabelle were invited to a birthday party at The Little Gym -- a fantastic place to burn off some of that excess energy. I knew they would have a great time. We don't live near a Little Gym, so this made it even more exciting. The kids absolutely loved it. They played, bounced, jumped, popped bubbles, and jumped some more.

Annabelle's favorite activity was walking across the balance beam -- not the little one closest to the floor. She preferred the big one and was adamant about walking it by herself. Eventually, she gave in and let me hold her hand.

Amazingly, she did walk the beam a few times without holding my hand. I walked closely alongside, my hands ready to catch her if she fell. It didn't happen. She is, indeed, a little gymnast.

Jacob ran from one activity to another, jumping, walking the balance beam, hanging upside down from the parallel bars, and he even flipped off the bars once. He loved every minute of it.

I have to say, The Little Gym wore Jacob and Annabelle out. By the time we left, their energy supply was just about drained. Three cheers for The Little Gym!!

The only other time when they're not at full throttle is when they're sick...and that's no fun at all...for any of us. The week after the party, Jacob was sick with a bad cold which (no surprise, here) resulted in an ear infection. As much as he wanted to play, he just couldn't do it. The more he played, the worse he felt. The more he ran, the more he coughed. I let him curl up on the couch one afternoon to watch Curious George. Annabelle, feeling sorry for her big brother, joined him -- a sweet, but pitiful moment.

A week later, Annabelle came down with a cold. She still has it, but thankfully, no ear infection. And it hasn't slowed her down at all. In fact, she seems as energized as ever. Jacob is also feeling better. As I type, both of them are headed for the "elevator"....full speed ahead!!