Go Alex!!!

This past week Alex had a chance to participate in a cheerleading camp put on by the local high school cheerleaders.  They met after school on Monday and Tuesday to learn some cheers and a half time dance performance.  Friday night they put their skills to the test. 

I'm not a "cheerleader" type and never envisioned my daughter as one (and granted, she's six, this was a local camp, her future is not set in stone...); however, you would have thought that she had won the nobel peace prize if you had to judge by the smile on our faces, the tears in our eyes, and the pride in our hearts as we watched her cheer. :)

She's in the back row - second from the right with her hands on her hips.  She's getting ready for the "A-T-T-A-C-K" cheer - this was her favorite one.

Here she is the first day of practice learning the "dance" for the half time show.

Me with my girls after the half time show.  We then left to celebrate with some Maggie Moo's ice cream!

With her buddy, Izzy, getting ready for the big night!

We had so much fun watching all the girls perform - there were about 40 of them, but admittedly, we only had eyes for one.  They were able to leave after half time and I think half the stadium was made up of parents who were only there to watch their little girl (and one boy) cheer - I'm not sure where the regular, local fans and students were.  The biggest cheers from the crowd came after the girls did a cheer, not after the 3 touchdowns scored.  

I think, for me, what made this night so exciting is the fact that a year ago Alex NEVER would have done something like this.  She can be painfully shy (I know exactly where she gets it from) and it takes her a while to adjust to change and be open to new experiences.  I'm not sure if this latest move forced her out of her shell a bit or if it was something else, but lately she has become a confident, self-assured little girl who isn't afraid to try new things.  She smoothly adjusted to her new school and has easily made many friends.  As a mom, I don't know that anything can make me more happy than seeing my little girl happy - it brings tears to my eyes.  I love to see her succeed as I know it only positively reinforces her self esteem.  I know that she will face many challenges in life (and won't always succeed), as we all do, but I pray that the lessons (positive and negative) she is learning everyday - even in the simple things like this - will better prepare her to deal with them. 

What experiences make you think about the developing character in your own children?