my little 'mover and shaker'

i don't know how i was left in the dark about these fun classes, but i was. someone mentioned that our local parks and rec provided some really great classes for toddlers so i looked it up. i thought it would be a great chance for Jenna to get some 'mommy time', so i signed us up. (we are oh so lucky that Dave's mom is just up the street from the community center, and is willing to watch Adam each week for us- thanks :) we go every Tuesday for 45 minutes, and so far it's been a hit with our little girl.

i brought the camera on the first day (last week), and this was the only shot i got- her eagerly awaiting the beginning of class. once she got inside the gym, i could hardly keep up.
i put the camera in my pocket today in hopes of some blog worthy pictures. yes, she is wearing the same pants in both pictures. with all the climbing and tumbling, i'd rather not have her sensitive skin so exposed to all the mats- and these are the only pair of long pants currently in her drawers (the others are in a pile to be washed now that fall is upon us).once inside the gym, we all take off our shoes and meet in a circle on the mats. Jenna and the others 18-24 month-olds have a very difficult time sitting still and not climbing just yet. we take attendance and do a few small stretches before they introduce the skill that we will be working on. last week, it was jumping (which she's already very good at), and this week we worked on backwards rolls. Jenna got a kick out of laying on her back and then having me lift her legs over her head. she giggled and said, 'again mommy' with the biggest grin on her face. once all the kids have done a few rolls, we are able to walk our little ones around the obstacle course of different equipment.

here she is on the balance beam. she thinks she can do it without my help, but she can't.
last week we played with balls and baskets and this week we got hula-hoops and bean bags.mine and Jenna's favorite part is the parachute. all the kids sit in the middle of the parachute and the parents spin them around singing 'ring around the rosies'. and then of course we get the kids off the parachute and shake it up so that we can all get under it. we sing a few songs underneath before packing it up and turning on the bubble machine right at the end of class.

i really enjoy my one-on-one time with just Jenna. it is also fun to see other moms and dads enjoying their kids so much too- not like we have any time to talk to one another because we are all so busy keeping up with our kids.

she is in pure heaven running around like crazy for 45 minutes! i mentioned last night that we were going to her class tomorrow, and she was quick to say, 'and Adam staying at Grandma's house.'. we got to Grandma's house this morning a little early so i could feed Adam, and Jenna did not want to get out of the car. she just wanted to go to her class.

oh, and one more thing. i would have made a REALLY good instructor for these classes too!