Songbird is a gamer.
Not the Nintendo kind. She’s the kind of kid that is game to go wherever and do whatever — who will try almost anything once.
Adventurous spirits run in the family and it’s one of the things that Handsome and Songbird bond over. At the tender age of 6 she is already a big fan of roller-coasters, rock wall climbing, and fast boats. But one thing she had yet to conquer was the sky.
You didn’t think I’d let her jump out of a real airplane did you?! When they began building this indoor wind tunnel in Va Beach, we’d drive by and Songbird would tell me she was going to fly there. A year later she finally got her chance.
The fact that Handsome skydives definitely fueled her curiosity. She got to watch Daddy (yellow & black) fly with a friend first.
During the classroom portion of the session she was attentive and earned the instructor’s approval for body position.
Time to suit up!
Her front left tooth is plenty wiggly these days and when the adult chompers come in, I’m going to miss her cute little gap.
In a class with 9 adults, Songbird’s was the only hand to shoot up when the instructor asked who wanted to fly first. On the rare occasions when she chooses to be emotional and clingy, I need to be better at reminding her of times like this when her confidence and leadership qualities shine.
Last minute adjustments. She is such rad mix of girly pink sneakers and “let’s do this” attitude.
Songbird soars!
It was really special that the iFly team let Handsome accompany her for a bit, too. To say he was one proud papa would be an understatement.
A short video of Songbird crushing it in the wind tunnel – check out that excellent body position and demeanor! Cool as a cucumber.
As a parent, I’m so grateful for the relationship that Songbird and Handsome share. He never considers her too “girly” to teach her something he loves. Because of that, her childhood is already full of amazing experiences — like flying in a wind tunnel, learning to shoot guns, and peeing outdoors while backwoods camping. Without even having to say it, he is building in her the confidence to do anything and be anything she desires.
But the best part is that he stands beside her as she flies with her own wings, cheering her on.
