Growing up at the little gym.

Today was bittersweet, as we said good-bye to the many friends we've made at The Little Gym of Edina. This morning, we had our last "Birds" class before we move to Singapore for two years. It may seem silly to some people, but Linna has literally grown up at The Little Gym, so we are really going to miss it when we're living on the other side of the world.

(Linna at 17 months old, at The Little Gym with Teacher Tracy.)

We started bringing Linna to The Little Gym when she was about nine months old. That's about the time little ones are constantly on-the-move, and The Little Gym is a safe, happy, and fun place for them to explore and burn some energy. Now that Linna is 18-months-old, I love that she can run around, fall down, and roll off of things at The Little Gym, and I don't have to worry about her getting hurt (almost everything is padded/cushioned). It's amazing to look back on the first couple videos I took of Linna at The Little Gym, where she was a wobbly little crawler, and see how much she's grown in the last year. These days, she's running around the gym, telling everyone "hello", walking on balance beams, and hanging from the bars all by herself (almost!).

(August 2012 - Linna at 11 months old, doing 

the uneven bars with Teacher Stephanie.)

(Look how big she is now with Teacher Tracy!)

This past "season", we had Tracy as the teacher of our "Birds" class. Just like our former teacher Stephanie, Tracy is absolutely wonderful with the kids! Everything that comes out of her mouth is said in an upbeat and fun tone, and she teaches the entire class with a smile on her face. By our second class, she had all of the children's names memorized, and she does such a good job at pointing out each child individually, to make them feel special when they've learned something new. For 45 minutes, we sing songs, play games, test out new skills, and challenge the childrens' individual limits. We start the class by going around the circle saying our names, and bring out the "shakers" to sing the "Hello" and "Goodbye" song. All of the kids in our "Bird" class (10-19 months) are at the age where they recognize their own name, so when they hear it, it's really cute to see their reactions. They have a big parachute and this huge blow-up mat that the kids can sit on while it's filling up with air, as well as balance beams, even and uneven bars, rings, etc., so you can get a little gymnastics training in as well. Teacher Tracy tries to keep all the kids in a group for at least 10-15 minutes, but then they get to go off and explore the gym. From the moment we step in the door of The Little Gym, Linna's face lights up, and she knows she's in for some fun!

(Linna back in 2012 with Teacher Stephanie. She's so little!)

(Linna at 18 months old, walking by herself on the balance beam.)

It was pretty sad saying goodbye to all of our friends today at The Little Gym, but one thing that made today special was that there were three of us saying goodbye, and moving away from Minnesota. We move to Singapore for two years on March 5th, one other family is moving back to Quebec after living in Minnesota for a few years, and the nanny of one of the kids in our class is moving out of the state. It's pretty cool how all of the kids in our class come from different walks of life. Some are from different countries, and not every child comes to class with their mom. Children come to class with grandmas, grandpas, dads, nannies, aunts, and uncles. I will miss chatting with these people every day, and I know Linna will miss her Wednesday mornings at The Little Gym.

(Linna at 11 months old, unable to walk on her own, but

testing out the even bars. She was one of the "little kids" back then.)

Now Linna is one of the "big kids", and loves to
show off on the even bars.)

If you're looking for something for your kids to do this summer, The Little Gym has summer classes for children age four months to 12 years. They also have summer camps available for children age three (potty-trained) to 12 years. Enrollment begins in March. Hopefully, we'll be able to take a class or two when Linna and I are visiting Minnesota in July! If you sign up for classes, don't forget to tell them Melissa from Minnesota Baby sent you:)