Please excuse me while I brag a bit

We knew something was, well, a bit off about our daughter when she was less than a year old.  Not only could she pull herself up in her crib at a very early age, but she was bound and determined to climb all the way the heck out of that cage...and climb she did.  Out of her crib.  Over baby gates.  Up onto chairs, tables, counters.  Just about everywhere.  No fear.  Just pure determination.

Fast forward to Kindergarten when she wanted to join the soccer team.  We thought this would be an excellent choice for her, as she was full of boundless energy and what could be better for that than running up and down a soccer field a few hundred times?  Only in Kindergarten soccer, it's not really about running up and down the field.  It's more like 10 kids on top of the ball all in one spot kicking each other more than they connect with the actual ball.  We realized quickly why they made us buy those shin guards.  Only while all the other kids were amassed at one side of the field kicking each other in mad attempts to move the ball, our daughter was blissfully doing cartwheels alone at the other side of the field.

Needless to say, that was her last year of soccer.  And her first of gymnastics.  Up until that point, we thought we just might need to sell her to the circus someday.  High energy, fearlessness, and a draw towards dangerous, adrenaline pumping activities fits the circus lifestyle, right?  Turns out, it also comes in handy for gymnasts.

We didn't enroll her until 1st grade, which we found out was quite "old" to start!  Never mind that, she was fully caught up to girls who had been doing it for years already within just a few short months.  From there, she passed through the levels of instruction rapid fire, always wanting to try new and more advanced moves (and causing me to have more than a few nails bitten down to the finger in the process!).  This year, in 4th grade, she had the honor of being invited to join her gym's elite competition team as a level 5 gymnast (the levels are based on the skill level for the competitions).  Finally her fearlessness paid off!

She has had 3 competitions so far, and she has brought home 12 medals total, including 2 first places in the uneven bars! As I watch her twirling around the high bar, I can't help thinking to myself of that little baby climbing out of her crib.  And how many broken bones would she have if we hadn't found a positive way to channel that energy and total lack of fear?

Here is her gold medal performance from this weekend's tournament.  So proud of my monkey!!  The circus' loss!!!