Tumbling, Cheer, and Pep Squad

Since she was 6 years old, Kaitlynn has been participating in tumbling classes. She loved it from such an early age and continued progressing through each skill level as she got older. Once she hit the Level 4 (Advanced) skill level, she slowed down quite a bit. There's something about that advanced level of tumbling that has truly been a challenge for Kaitlynn. Her body knows how to do the skills but her mind plays tricks on her and she has really struggled at times to overcome the fear of flipping wildly through the air. I have to admit, even as a spectator it is sometimes quite scary to watch! But when she hits those skills, it is so fun to celebrate with her and see her years of hard work paying off.

Now that Kaitlynn is in junior high, she's finding it hard to balance her time with all of the activities she WANTS to do. She loves other sports like basketball and softball, but she feels like she needs to apply her tumbling abilities in additional areas like cheer. She has considered joining a competitive cheer squad for a while, but this year she finally decided the time was right. At the beginning of the summer, she began attending a new gym to prepare for tryouts for the new cheer season. Because she was brand new to cheer, she had a lot to learn. She was placed on a level 1 cheer team and began joining her team for practices 2-3 times each week. It seemed to start slowly but over time she formed friendships and really began enjoying the experience. Her cheer competitions will consist of tumbling, cheer stunts, and dance routines in a team of 22 girls. It has been an overwhelming learning curve for us but we are taking baby steps as we approach the start of the competition season. The hardest part so far? It's a toss-up between the heavy travel schedule versus figuring out how to properly fix her hair and makeup!

As Kaitlynn experiments with the world of competitive cheer, she is also considering whether she might like to try out for her junior high cheer squad next year. In order to be eligible for tryouts next year, students are required to participate in the 6th grade Pep Squad. The Pep Squad is a group of kids that attend select junior high events as an additional student cheering section for the junior high athletes. So far, Kaitlynn has attended several junior high football games and has really enjoyed the experience.

It has been fun for Kaitlynn to experience different areas for how she can apply her love of tumbling and showmanship. We can't wait to watch her "do her thing" as the school year progresses!

Girls Day with Lily and Kaitlynn

In early October, Kaitlynn was beyond excited to celebrate a very special day with one of her besties, Lily. It was Lily's 10th birthday and she had requested a fun girls' day together, and Kaitlynn couldn't wait for their time together. I was traveling for work and sad to miss out, but Julie took the girls for a fun-packed day of shopping and food -- the perfect day for any of us gals! Of course, shopping looks quite a bit different these days with strict mask-wearing and other Covid protocols, but these girls didn't let that get them down. They donned coordinating fashion forward masks and made the most out of the somewhat empty shopping mall. I was thankful that Julie captured their special day in photos. These two always have the best time together and LOVE to spend that money, money, money! Happy double digits to Lily!! :-)

 

Pandemic Football

For anyone wondering how the pandemic might've affected our usual fall football schedule with the Houston Texans.... I don't think anyone could've guessed how strange this NFL season would become. As a season ticket holder, Jeff was given the option to forego his usual seats or to "opt in" and attend any games that might be open to fans. After much thought, he decided to let go of his seats for the year, but he soon regretted it when the season was underway. After decades of attending live NFL football games, it's just not the same for him to watch our home team on TV. In early October, the Texans announced that they were finally going to let fans attend a game in person. They released about 12,000 tickets for fans to purchase - less than 20% of the usual crowd. Jeff and Tom decided to attend the game to see Tom's team, the Minnesota Vikings, so they bought 4 tickets to the game. Jeff and Kevin joined Tom and his son Reid for the game, but the entire experience was so foreign. No tailgating was allowed, the occupied seats were widely dispersed and not in our usual preferred area, and all kinds of new rules in and around the stadium were now in place. They all made the most out of the game day experience, but it was hard for Jeff to be there without wondering if and when things ever return to some semblance of normalcy. 

No matter how hard we all try, things just feel so WEIRD, like they'll never again be the same. Well, I take that back. We may not have our crowded stadiums or our beloved seats or even our fan favorite concessions, but we'll always have our "crazy and loud 3rd down guy" with a beer in hand, rooting on his home team without another care in the world. Go Texans!

 

Fall Baseball Update and Photos

Connor's fall baseball schedule has been keeping us busy lately. He is playing with his team from last year, the 15U CUB Baseball team out of the Katy/Fulshear area. His goal for this fall season has been to continue with practice and repetition in preparation for high school tryouts early next year. What has been incredibly rewarding for us lately has been to witness Connor's drive and determination with improving his performance. He is really starting to focus on how to achieve his goals now that he's facing increasing pressure and competition in high school. For example, during a recent weekend tournament, Connor wasn't happy with his outing as the team's starting pitcher. After a long and exhausting day of baseball, Connor came straight home and continued working on his craft. For a kid that is usually pretty laid back and nonchalant, I was so impressed with his determination to improve.

Another incredibly rewarding part of baseball this fall has been Jeff's continued role as "walk-on" assistant coach for the team. Our CUB head coach doesn't normally work with an assistant, and Jeff has happily been there to fill the position. It has been such a blessing for Connor and the other boys to have Jeff's positive attitude and encouragement. The relationship between Jeff and Connor has been so fun to watch as they continue to grow closer over their love of the game. One of Jeff's favorite times during these games is when he gets to warm up his favorite starting pitcher and when he gets to high-five his favorite batter when he makes it safely to first base. Such amazing memories being made!

During one recent tournament, I noticed some new signage at the fields. It caught me off guard but it seems this is our new normal and doubtful anything will change in the near future. :(

As I mentioned in another recent blog post, Connor continues to transition to the role of pitcher on his current CUB team. He is still trying to get reps at catcher and other infield/outfield positions, but pitcher is by far his favorite position for now. With 3-4 team practices a week along with 2-3 weekend tournaments a month, Jeff and I sometimes struggle to keep up with the busy baseball schedule. Some of the team parents are doing a great job of capturing action photos of the team, and I've been so thankful for the great shots of Connor doing what he loves! 

Warning: Prepare for a photo overload!