Big Sis, Lil' Sis

Mid-July marked the beginning of Kaitlynn's very first cheer season in Junior High. Although school wouldn't be starting for another month, it was time for the cheer squad to get to work for their upcoming season ahead. But first, one of the long-standing traditions for the cheerleaders was for the 8th grade cheerleaders to adopt one of the 7th graders as a "little sister" to coach and mentor them throughout their new experience in cheer. With a full week of cheer camp ahead of them, the big sisters planned a super fun surprise for their little sisters on the night before camp kicked off. With some coordination from the Moms, Kaitlynn's Big Sis, Alexis, showed up at our door to introduce herself to Kaitlynn. Kaitlynn was so shocked and unsure about how to respond!

It took her a moment to understand what was happening, but she was so excited to meet Lexi and receive a fun welcome gift of balloons and a bucket full of her favorite treats. As daylight was quickly fading, Lexi handed Kaitlynn a cute new outfit - a monogrammed shirt and shorts set with her initials and "Lexi's Lil' Sis" imprinted on it. So precious! She then asked Kaitlynn to change into her new outfit so that they could go get some ice cream together. Kaitlynn, still a bit in shock from the unexpected visit, quickly changed but definitely seemed a bit nervous about the outing.

Little did Kaitlynn know, at the same time she was being surprised by Lexi, all of the other 7th grade cheerleaders were having the same surprise visit with their Big Sisters as well. When Kaitlynn and Lexi arrived at the ice cream shop, the entire junior high cheer squad was there together as their first official team activity. What a fun way to kick off their new cheer season together!

The girls had so much fun sharing stories about their surprise visits, their gifts, and their excitement for the upcoming week of cheer camp. It was such a great night for the girls to get to know each other and establish camaraderie with one another in advance of their cheer season. 

As we would soon learn, it was merely the beginning of all of the new experiences for Kaitlynn as her world of school cheer was underway. We were ready and excited for the journey ahead!