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Angie's First Class (1/1)
"OK, it's time to get started," Miss Karen said cheerily to the 15 children assembled in the toddler gym at Hawaii Gymnastics and Cheer, displaying varying stages of excitement.
Angie, dressed in a new blue leotard and black leggings that Aunt Carrie had purchased for her when she heard Angie would be taking classes, clapped happily. From the moment they'd pulled into the parking lot she'd been practically vibrating with excitement. The second she was out of her car seat she began pointing towards the building, eyes sparkling, recounting for Joseph, who had come along to take videos of her first class, all the fun things that awaited inside.
"Let's start off with some stretching," Miss Karen said. "Which means we need everyone on the mat. So come stand here on the blue mat."
Angie, who Elizabeth noticed had focused on Miss Karen as soon as she started speaking, stepped onto the mat and clapped. Soon a little girl dressed all in pink stepped timidly beside her.
"Hi." Angie waved.
The young girl waved back.
"First we're gonna touch our toes, like this." Miss Karen leaned over to demonstrate and the children attempted to copy her, with varying degrees of success. The little girl beside Angie leaned over too far and immediately tumbled onto her head.
"Ahhh bahhh eeee." Angie reached out her hand and helped the girl up as her mother took a worried step towards the mat.
"Tank-u." The young girl smiled and resumed trying to touch her toes. This time her movements were a little more controlled and she managed to stay upright.
As Miss Karen moved on to jumping jacks the mother of Angie's new friend stepped up beside Elizabeth. "I'm sorry if this sounds … but do you … are you related to Catherine Rollins? I only ask because you look so much like her."
Elizabeth smiled. "She's my daughter."
"I took her self defense class a few years back," the woman said. "She's amazing. I can't tell you how much that class helped me."
"That's very nice to hear," Elizabeth said, the look of pride on her face unmistakable.
"My husband's in the navy and he encouraged me to take the class since he's away on deployment so much. I wasn't sure I'd be able to make it through, but I did. Mostly because of your daughter's support. When the class was over I told her I was looking for a way to push myself even further and she set me up with a local dojo. I got my green belt in karate a few weeks ago."
"Congratulations!" Elizabeth said sincerely. "That's quite an accomplishment."
"Thanks." The woman blushed. "I never could have done it without Catherine's encouragement. My name's Penny McKnight by the way." She pointed to the young girl beside Angie on the mat. "That's my daughter Kayla."
"Elizabeth Rollins." She smiled at the younger woman. "And that's my granddaughter Angie."
"OK, now we're going to lay down on out tummies," Karen said, dropping to the mat, "And hold our arms and legs out like we're flying."
Angie studied Miss Karen intently for a few seconds then flopped down onto the mat and stretched out. A few seconds later Kayla did the same.
"Now let's slap our hands on the mat," Karen instructed, "Then fly again."
Karen's assistants moved throughout the children helping anyone who was having trouble and making any necessary form corrections.
"Good job, Angie," one of the helpers, whose name tag identified her as Tiffany, said. She leaned down and moved Kayla's legs closer together. "You're doing great, Kayla."
A few minutes later Miss Karen stood up. "Now we're going to break up into smaller groups and go to stations. Angie, Kayla, Becca, Kiele, and Korina you'll be with me. So you come over here."
As Miss Karen assigned the other groups the five girls assigned to her group gathered excitedly at her feet.
"My group is gonna start out on the obstacle course," Karen said enthusiastically. "So we have to go all the way over there." She pointed to the far side of toddler area.
"Her mother loves the obstacle course," Elizabeth said as she and Penny made their way across the gym.
"Now remember," Karen told her group as they stood at the beginning of the course. "One person on an obstacle at a time unless a helper tells you something different. Who wants to go first?"
Angie was the first to step forward.
"Not a bit of a surprise." Karen smiled.
Joseph took up a position on the other side of the mat, phone in hand. He was determined to catch as much of the action as possible for Steve and Catherine to see later.
"Here we go." Karen pointed to a Little Tykes style slide. "Climb on up and let's get started."
Angie scrambled happily up the ladder while Miss Karen stayed close by, ready to provide assistance if needed. When she reached the top Angie looked at her teacher, who had placed a hand gently across her mid-section, and waited for the cue to keep going.
"We always look at the bottom of the slide," Miss Karen said, "To make sure the mats are clear." She swept the mat with her eyes, "And if they are, we go!"
She removed her hand and Angie raised her arms and squealed as she swooshed down the slide.
"Very good," Karen said. "Now keep going."
Angie moved on to the next part of the course where one of Miss Karen's helpers was positioned, kneeling beside a small mat with two colorful handprints on it.
"Reach your hands up to the sky," the young woman instructed and Angie complied. "Now lean over and put them on the mat where you see the hands." Once Angie was in position the helper gently lifted her legs into the air so she was in a handstand position, then after a few seconds lowered her back to the mat. "Hands up again."
Angie's face was flushed but she smiled broadly. She loved being turned upside down.
"Now through the tunnel." The helper pointed towards a 3 foot cushioned tunnel and Angie darted towards it immediately.
Kayla was far less thrilled than Angie at being turned upside down. Her lip was quivering slightly by the time she completed her handstand and reached the mouth of the tunnel.
"You're doing great," Penny encouraged from the sidelines. "Keep going."
Kayla looked at her mother then knelt at the opening of the passageway and paused.
Suddenly her new friend's face appeared at the other end of the tube.
"Baah baah eee!" Angie said as she leaned over and peered into the tunnel. "Baaah da umm."
Kayla began to crawl tentatively through the tube.
"YAY!" Angie squealed when Kayla emerged from the other end. The two girls held hands and moved towards the next obstacle.
An arched mat painted like a rainbow.
Angie scrambled over it, eyes dancing with excitement, then headed towards a 4 foot rectangular trampoline where Miss Karen was waiting.
"Ok, up here." Karen pointed and Angie happily complied. She took a few wobbly steps and fell to her knees. She scrambled back to her feet just as Miss Karen directed Kayla onto the apparatus. Once all five girls from the group were on the trampoline Miss Karen had each one take their turn jumping while the others stood still. She challenged the non-jumping students to stay upright as a way to work on their balance.
After about five minutes she led the girls to the end of the trampoline where they found a small foam pit, a miniature replica of the one the older students used. The children eyed it warily.
"Now I know this is different from a mat," Karen said, "But as those of you who have been here before know, it will cushion your fall. Becca and Korina, I know the two of you have done this before. Becca, would you like to go first and demonstrate how it's done?"
Becca stepped to the edge of the trampoline and, after a few seconds to gather her courage, jumped into the foam pit feet first.
Angie's eyes danced and she bounced excitedly.
"How about if you go next, Korina?"
The young girl clapped happily and jumped feet first into the pit.
"Would you like to go next, Angie?"
"Yes peeaase!" she replied excitedly. She stepped up to the edge of the mat, looked for one second at the foam 2 feet below, and hurled herself off the trampoline as though she was jumping out of an airplane. She squealed with delight when she landed belly first on the foam below.
"She's her parents' daughter," Elizabeth chuckled.
Kayla stepped up to the edge of the mat.
"She isn't crazy about heights," Penny said worriedly. "Even small ones. It's one of the reasons my husband and I thought this class would be a good idea for her. Help her get over the fear."
Kayla looked at Miss Karen and bit her lip. The she looked at Angie who had scrambled out of the foam pit and was now standing beside the trampoline, grinning happily.
"Baahh dahh eeee!" Angie said.
Kayla smiled slightly, as if she understood exactly what Angie was saying. She took Miss karen's hand, gathered all her nerve and jumped. When she stood up the first thing she saw was Angie clapping.
Miss Karen helped the children back up onto the trampoline for another turn. Ten minutes later, after a few more jumps, each of the girls had abandoned their feet first strategy and were hurling themselves into the pit as Angie had done.
"That granddaughter of yours is a natural born leader." Penny smiled.
"Thanks." Elizabeth's face showed nothing but pride. "She comes by it naturally."
With ten minutes left in class Miss Karen led her young charges towards the mini balance beam. There were always some children who loved the apparatus and some who were less than thrilled with it. Becca had taken a fall off it in one of her first classes and even though there was a helper there to catch her so she didn't injure herself, she had been reticent to go back on ever since.
As the girls approached the beam Steve, Danny, and Catherine slipped into the gym. They'd been able to take an early lunch break so they could catch the end of Angie's first class.
Miss Karen, remembering how Angie had taken to the beam in their initial meeting, encouraged her to go first. Angie scrambled up onto the beam, took a second to get her balance, moved a few steps forward then turned back and waited. She looked encouragingly at Kayla who took Miss Karen's hand and stepped up onto the narrow wooden plank. She took a few steps towards Angie then stopped and both girls looked back.
"Ahhh bahh ahhh." Angie clapped.
Becca clutched Miss Karen's hand and climbed tentatively onto the beam, not letting go even after she had reached the other girls. The trio took a few steps forward then looked back and waited for Kiele and Korina to join them. That accomplished, Angie turned and bounced happily across the thin beam until she reached the end where, after getting the ok from Miss Karen, she jumped to the mat below.
Catherine's hand fluttered to her chest as Angie stepped off to the side and called what sounded very much like encouragement to the other girls in her group until each had dismounted and all five girls fell to the mat in a giggling group hug.
Miss Karen gathered all the students and helpers on the mats for a short cool down stretch then as a bell sounded announcing the end of class she addressed the group.
"You all worked very hard today and I'm proud of every one of you." She held up a handful of glittery stickers. "You were good listeners and you followed directions well." She grinned as she looked at her assistant Miss Tina's group. "Even if it took asking more than once. But we'll keep working on that." She moved through the group handing each child a sticker. "I'll see you all back here on Tuesday."
When she handed Angie her sticker, the toddler's face lit up as though she had just discovered a hidden stash of cookies. She turned to look for Elizabeth and saw her parents and beloved uncle.
"Mama! Dada!" She took off towards them as fast as her legs would carry her.
Catherine picked her up and she babbled a mile a minute, eyes sparkling. She held out the sticker then turned and pointed to the foam pit and the obstacle course.
"See, Dannnno!"
"I see, Annngiiie!" he chuckled. "It certainly seems like you had a good time."
"And I got it all in tape," Joseph said as he and Elizabeth reached the group.
Angie, who had barely taken a breath since she reached her parents' sides saw her new friend Kayla and squirmed to get down. The two toddlers embraced happily and started a conversation only they could understand.
"Hi." Penny said to Catherine. "I'm not sure if you remember me. I took your self defense class a few years ago."
"Of course I remember." Catherine smiled warmly. "How have you been?"
"Good, thanks." Penny smiled.
Catherine introduced Penny to Steve and Danny while the girls continued to babble happily. "And I take it you've met my parents."
Penny nodded. "I have." She looked at Angie and Kayla. "The girls are certainly fast friends."
Catherine smiled. "Maybe we can arrange a playdate for them someday soon."
"That'd be great. We just moved off base and our apartment building doesn't have a lot of young kids in it."
"We'll set something up for next week," Catherine suggested. "You can come out to our place. There's plenty of room for the kids to run and play on the beach."
"Sounds great," Penny said. "I'm sure Kayla would love that."
Catherine pulled out her phone. "What's the best number to reach you at?" She entered the information Penny gave her. "I'll text you soon."
After they said their goodbyes to Kayla and Penny, Steve and Catherine took a minute to thank Miss Karen and all of the helpers before heading to the parking lot. Elizabeth was leaning close to Joseph watching the tape he'd made while Danny held Angie who was still babbling happily about her adventure.
Steve looked at his watch. "I think we have time to grab lunch at Kamekona's before we need to get back." He looked at Catherine. "What about you?"
"I'll make time." Catherine beamed. "We have to celebrate Angie's big day."
"The first of many I'm sure," Elizabeth said proudly as Joseph nodded in agreement.
"Maybe your daddy will even spring for shave ice," Danny teased.
Angie threw her arms in the air and cheered then pulled them back down and clutched her treasured star sticker to her chest.
Steve kissed Catherine's cheek as they made their way towards their cars. "I think we're gonna need a new memory box."
THE END
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