AJ Update

This month for AJ's monthly update, I wanted to focus on his activities other than school.  Right now he is involved in soccer, Awana and t-ball.  He also did gymnastics this year.

AJ does soccer at an indoor facility called Locker Soccer.  We love it there, have been going with Daniel for years.  This is the first year AJ has asked to do "soccer like Daniel."  He has tried the outside leagues & wasn't a big fan.  Turns out he likes the drills & practices, isn't a big fan of the games right now.  He started in Locker Soccer in August & has been going every week since and he LOVES it!  His skills have really improved this year, especially his defense.  I sometimes get to play with them before class & the other day he was genuinely stealing the ball from me, I wasn't letting him at all.

AJ running a snake drill at Locker Soccer

 He does Awana at New Life church in Gahanna.  If you're not familiar with the program, it's basically a Bible study for kids.  He has verses to learn every week & then goes every Weds night for a lesson & some fun.  This is his second year in Awana & his first year in their Sparks program.  He is almost done his book for the year and still has a month left!

AJ & Daniel ready for "crazy hat night" at Awana

AJ started t-ball thru our school district about a month ago.  They had a few indoor practices then started outside this week.  He LOVES it, asks everyday if he has t-ball practice & when his games will start.  Right now they are just learning the basics, throwing, catching, hitting, etc & are pretty funny to watch.  AJ needs some help with his catching & throwing but does pretty good hitting.  We start games in May & they go thru July, so we'll see how he progresses this summer.

AJ running the bases at t-ball

 AJ was doing gymnastics at Gym Skills but he had to give it up when t-ball started, it was just too much for all of us.  He really enjoyed gymnastics, especially the trampoline & the balance beam.  He still practices some of his moves around the house.  He won't be the next Olympic gymnast, but the skills he learned gave him a good foundation for some of his other sports.

AJ on the high balance beam

 He is also asking to learn how to play golf so we signed him up for that over the summer.  And he wants to go bowling, so we will sign up for the "Kids Bowl Free" program again this summer & go there a few times.  Finally, he is asking to go ice skating.  This has been a logistical hassle for us with the baby, but think we have it figured out.  But now that it's getting warmer, he has stopped asking so we will probably wait until next winter for that.