Cheeseburger Cupcakes

These are the cupcakes that the girls ate at FNO.  Tamra's sister makes all kinds of fancy cupcakes for the FNO events.  This one was no exception.  Aren't these cute? 

They were wrapped in paper, just like you would get a real cheeseburger.  I could tell that a yellow cake and chocolate cake were used.  Then, there was "ketchup", "cheese" and "mayo".  I did not get the recipe from Tamra's sister because these seem easily re creatable just by sight.  However, here is something I found online, for those of you who are unsure of how to make them and wish to do so:

Glorious Treats

Morgan's Gymnastics Skills

Morgan has been doing gymnastics for about 1 1/2 years now.  She LOVES it!!!  There are 2 different locations that we frequent because they both offer a pay per visit feature, which is extremely helpful in case you have to miss a time or two. 

One location she goes to offers 2 hours for $5.  She has an instructor that teaches her for 1 1/2 hours with other 5 & 6 year olds.  They learn stretches, rolls, splits, jumps, and all kinds of other gymnastics things that I don't have the names for.  The last 30 minutes they get to do whatever they want and run wild.  I like this location, even though it is not that close to home, because she gets instruction...  At $2.50 an hour!!!

The second location offers 2 hours of open gym for $6.  It is great because Morgan can do whatever she wants for a whole 2 hours.  This location is closer to home, so I save on gas, too.  The down-side I have found is that there is no instruction.  Additionally, if Morgan does not take a buddy to class, she spends most of her time looking for a buddy to play with.  This is a new location for us, so she does not already know the kids there.  She is an extremely social child, so she usually wants someone to do things with her.

This second location offers a Friday Night Out, and we went to our first one last Friday.  It ran from 7pm to 10pm.  I was there the whole time because a friend invited me to help with the "day care" part.  FNO runs from 3 hours to 4 hours, depending on the night.  The cost is between $10 to $20, depending on the day as well.  Pizza is served for an additional $1 or $2, and dessert of cupcakes or cookies for $1.  Obviously, this is not a bad price for a date night out with your hubby =)

This particular night, though, was a fundraiser.  My friend Tamra and her family are going to Uganda this summer on a mission trip.  They still have another $10,000 to raise.  All of the money collected for entry into FNO went to their mission trip.  There were probably about 50 children who paid $15 to get in- $750 earned!

Jaden and Morgan both got in free because I was one of the stand-in adults.  They need 10 volunteers each time so that they do not have to pay staff and the money can go solely to their trip.  It was exhausting for me, but my girls are worth it =)  Plus, we do not have the money to spend like that, so I put in my elbow grease instead. 

FNO is like one big party.  Seriously!  If you could have seen these kids... They were having a blast!  There was a DJ playing hip music, kids dancing, and an overall happy feeling.  Pizza was served at 8pm.  Then, there were cupcakes made to look like hamburgers.  I will some of this later.  By 10pm, the children were red in the face and dripping with sweat =)  Non-stop exercise can do that to you.  LOL!!  I am glad the girls can enjoy exercise because it makes me feel like they are getting a healthy start in life.  I, on the other hand, was stuffed up with some kind of airborne allergic reaction.  We stopped my CVS to pick up some Allegra D before heading home... Maybe it was the foam in there or dust or something.  Next time, I can take the Allegra before I go!

Two Performances in One

Morgan wanted me to videotape her jumping (it looks a lot like her dancing, but she said she wasn't dancing).  She always makes me smile.  I could watch this all day long.

Also, in the background, you can see Jaden getting coached by her friend Troy. 

You may want to watch this video twice to you can see Morgan and then Jaden (or vice versa).  They are each impressive =)

Balancing Act

One of Jaden's friends, Troy, taught her how to get on this foam cheese wheel.  If you sit just right, you can stay balanced and the wheel won't turn.  Here she is practicing.  She did actually get the the point where she could sit on it withour falling, but with all of the children running around she kept being knocked down.  =)

Class #5: Gymnastics

For physical activity, Jaden and Morgan are taking gymnastics 2 times a week.  They LOVE it!!!  I never imagined that they would enjoy the class as much as they do, but they can not get enough of it!!  They are part of a homeschool group, so we even get to go to gymnastics during the day when the public school kids are in school.  The class lasts 2 hours, and includes 30 minutes of free time.

Some of their accomplishments: skilled jumps on the trampoline, handstands, cartwheels, splits, rolls, and working on the bars and balance beams.     

I like the fact that the place is professional, so they can go on to be real gymnasts if they choose to.  Many of the teachers and teachers' children have gotten to the professional level or junior professional level.  If either or both of the girls decide to get serious about it, the teachers are stern and require perfection.  For now, the girls are enjoying the playing =)