Singing Spinning Split

K-bao's latest obsession is doing cartwheels and the splits. At all hours on the day, and in all places - the soccer field, the living room, the playground - she can be found generally in one of these two positions. Ideally, she combines the two moves so that she first cartwheels and then goes directly down into the splits.

Even more heavenly for K-bao, of course, is to combine these gymnastics moves with her other passion, theatrical singing. In the below video, for example, the K-grandfolks observe K-bao leading her sister in Rachel Platten's Fight Song, all while doing the splits.



K-Pop's friends in Taiwan also got to see this up close and personal. When the family went down to Hsinchu to visit K-Pop's old high school, the National Experimental High School, K-bao quickly found the small theater room and helped herself to the stage. K-Pop's friends who stopped by to say hello were treated to an impromptu performance. No shyness here!

Flexible

K-bao has shown herself to be exceptionally limber and flexible from birth, and has shown a bit of talent for gymnastics. Even on the soccer fields over the last couple of seasons, whenever there wasn't much action going her way, we might see her do a cartwheel or two off on the side to pass the time.

Her flexibility is a trait inherited squarely from K-Mum, by the way. K-Pop has trouble enough trying to reach his own ankles from a standing position.

Gymnast

K-bao has always enjoyed gymnastics, but over the past couple of years as we've been forced to prioritize among the never ending stream of activities, gymnastics has gotten the proverbial short end of the activity stick.

This summer we enrolled her in a series of summer camps, and one of them was a week-long program at the JCC that included, among other things, dancing, somersaulting, tumbling and the like. What did that mean for the ever-active, hyper-energetic, kinetically motivated K-bao? Pure joy!

Below are some action shots, as well as a video of a ring routine.

Cartwheel

K-bao shows off her dexterity with some tumbling maneuvers. Some of those early My Gym lessons have apparently stayed with her through the years.

Anything You Can Do...

Now that younger sister C-bao is fully mobile, she can be convinced by K-bao to try just about anything, and in fact insists on doing things even when discouraged. "'妹妹也可以!'  '妹妹也要!'" (Little sister can do it! Little sister wants to too!) is the constant refrain we hear from the little one, who likes to refer to herself in the third person.

As for K-bao? More than happy to oblige with all sorts of stunts for her little protégé to try.

See, sis? Easy peasy.

Whoa....steady there....hold it.....

Daddy Daughter Day

On a recent Saturday, K-Pop had the opportunity to participate in the annual "Daddy Day" at K-bao's school. After donning identical T-shirts, the many daddies participated in various activities with their preschoolers, including art, music and gymnastics.

K-Pop at various points had to walk a balance beam, hang upside down from a gymnastics pole, roll from one end of the room to another, and paint a tie.

During music class, K-bao was invited to keep the beat, as shown below. All in all, an excellent day that thoroughly wore out K-Pop.

J-Cuz

A few weeks back K-bao got to hang out with Cousin Justin, who she gets to see only once or twice a year. The two of them spent some time taking in the Bay Area fresh air at a local park.

Naturally the conversation devolved into the "Let me show you what I can do" and "I bet you can't do this" variety.

K-bao was on her home turf - the monkey bars at the playground she frequents weekly - and thus had a natural leg up, both metaphorically and literally (as she loves to hook her legs over the bars and hang upside down).

Nonetheless, with his competitive juices flowing, Cousin Justin gamely tried all the tricky moves her little cuz threw her way.

Of course, when it came time to head home, little K-bao wouldn't let her cousin go...something she has a history of doing.