Couch Olympics

This is what happens when the girls watch the Olympics and a double viewing of "McKenna Shoots for the Stars" in the course of a few days:




After the video taping, the girls continued their game of McKenna, with Julia attempting to faithfully reenact scenes from the movie and Madeleine remaining somewhat clueless.  Here is the Julia and Madeleine version of the hard-hitting scene in which Sierra confronts McKenna about having a secret tutor, and confides in McKenna that she, Sierra, once had a tutor as well:

JULIA: Okay, McKenna, should you go to your tutor now?
MADELEINE: (blissfully) Oh!  My TUTOR!
JULIA: No, Madeleine, your tutor is over there.
MADELEINE: (running over towards the piano and prancing around)
JULIA: (as Sierra) McKenna, do you have a tutor?
MADELEINE: (as McKenna) Yes!
JULIA: (as Sierra) Are you embarrassed?
MADELEINE: (as McKenna) Um, I'm McKenna!
JULIA: No, but Madeleine, say you're embarassed!
MADELEINE: (tinkling away on piano keys)
JULIA: (as Sierra) Well, McKenna, I had a tutor too, and you don't need to be embarassed.
MADELEINE: (continuing to tinkle on piano keys)
JULIA: Say "thank you, Sierra."
MADELEINE: (as McKenna) Thank you Sierra!

I actually have a role in this game as well, despite Madeleine's rather uncreative designation of me: "Mommy, you're my mommy who comes to gymnastics with me."  Luckily, Julia had a better idea, assigning me as the gymnastics coach, something that initially threw Madeleine for a loop.

JULIA: (calling to me while I'm in the bathroom) Uh, Mom?  You're the COACH!
MADELEINE: Can I ride in the coach?
JULIA: No, Madeleine, Mommy is our GYMNASTICS coach.
MADELEINE: Oh.  (running to the bathroom)  Uh, Coach?
ME: Yes?
MADELEINE: Are you just really really a great dancer?
ME: Um, yes, I am.

Julia, quick to smooth over Madeleine's unscripted faux pas, ran over to put everything back into context.  "Coach, I'm sorry about McKenna.  She must just really love dancing," Julia told me.  Phew.  For a minute there, I thought Madeleine had blown it, and mixed up her role as gymnast with that of dancer.  Because the fact that she is wearing a ballet tutu in the video would not give one that impression AT ALL.

Now, I'd better get back to coaching and see if I can get Julia to master that tricky forward roll.