Happy Valentines Day weekend! It's an especially fun one because we've got visitors! Gram and Pop Pop have flown down from Colorado to hang out with us all weekend! They got in early enough to see both Ian and Alli at gymnastics practice, and were impressed by their improvements since they last saw them.
But with a little bit of extra effort, they can still make hearts!
It's early. So early. Alli has a gymnastics meet and her group is the first to go.
The Presidential Classic is being held at Walt Disney World at the ESPN Wide World of Sports!
Go ahead little athlete!
Knowing we'd be having visitors come out to see Alli perform this year, Theresa was on top of things and ordered specialty shirts for them! Gram and Pop Pop both have personalized shirts with their name.
I guess you could call her a "Good Luck Gym Gram"!
The girls look so professional in their warmup suits.
Stretches before performing their routines.
Warming up on that skinny balance beam.
Balance Beam used to be one of her least favorite events, due to a slip early in her gymnastics career.
Now she has learned to love it, and it's one that she can perform really well.
I don't try to feature the other girls on her team too much, but this one was extra special.
Her friend (in a different rotation) was able to score a perfect 10.0 on the vault! And then a short time later would do it again on the balance beam! I happened to be shooting when she saw it.
I loved the interaction between her and her coach. Such elation!
Plus all the cheers from her teammates too.
And while there was cheering on the floor, there was even more joy up in the stands. Her parents were so proud of her. She puts in so much work and it was amazing to see it be recognized.
Alli also loves performing on the floor.
And then there's the vault.
Always a difficult one to stay board straight throughout the entire skill.
Posing for the judges.
Time for awards!
Alli ended up placing 3rd in her age group and 9th overall in the entire competition!
Her gym and the rest of her teammates did really good too, many times taking the top spots in their age group.
And in the end, all the girls in her gym took first place in the competition! Later we learned that the team score was #4 overall in the entire country.
We're fortunate enough to have 2 dad photographers on the team. And he got a photo of me!
Great job Alli! We were all so excited to see you today!
We were fortunate to run into Mickey Mouse on the way out of the competition gym! And he's all dressed up for the President's Day weekend!
Saturday 02/14/2026
Happy Valentines Day!
One of Gram's loves and strengths is decluttering and organization. She saw that the kids' room could use some attention, so they pulled everything (and I mean everything) out from all the cabinets and drawers to go through. Piles of things to throw away, things to save, and things to donate. In the end, they were able to make everything much more organized and sorted. With them busy, Theresa and I were free to do whatever we wanted...
Theresa has been watching Facebook marketplace for months now, looking for a balance beam for Alli to practice with at home. She found one for a good price but it was 75 minutes away! Since we've got the parents here to watch the kids, that meant the Prius could be used for the trip instead of the big gas guzzling truck. I took measurements ahead of time, but was still relieved when the trunk closed.
And Alli loved the beam once we got it home. Now she can build more muscles and gain more confidence on the beam.
Valentines Dinner? Homemade pizza!
Always delicious, especially when you can add all your favorite toppings.
Alli has even more cute valentines for everyone else.
With more drawings too. She's so creative and crafty. I love her.
In years past, we might have done chocolate covered strawberries and chocolate fondue for Valentines dessert. But while we were in London earlier this year, we got a cup of strawberries with chocolate poured over it and it was so good! That sounds really easy! Let's do that!
Tasty and delicious!
Sunday 02/15/2016
Let's all go to the cat cafe! One of our friends, Nicole, works there on Sundays and we'll get a chance to play with the kitties and see her too.
And there's kittens here today! Born mid-December, they're getting socialized with people and being prepped for adoption. It didn't take long for my shoelaces to become untied.
Everyone likes having a cat on their lap.
Early in the day they're very playful before they get all tired out.
You're asked not to pick up any of the cats, but if they happen to choose you, they can crawl into your lap and rest.
Avocado is so cute. She crawled into my lap, fell asleep, and has a low purr going on too.
Then moved over to Alli's lap for more sleepy time.
Always a good visit to the cat cafe. Thanks Nicole!
It's been a fun weekend hanging out with the parents, but it's time for them to head home to Colorado. Great seeing you all weekend!
Phew! What a weekend. Time to relax. Watch some Olympics and eat popcorn!
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