What a great morning! I woke to the sweet snuggle of Maya. (She had a bad dream last night and had crawled into bed with Tim and me around 5:00.) After about 20 minutes of cuddling and talking with her, Austin woke up and came down to my room. He climbed into my bed and nestled in, too. I was surrounded by my kids--our arms around each other, legs intertwined. We were talking about what we'd be doing today when Austin asked if they could make me breakfast in bed. My first thought was "this could be messy" and my second thought was "I've really got a lot I need to get going on for the day", but my best thought was "this could really be fun--for all of us." So I told them that I'd love to have breakfast in bed.
Off they scurried to the kitchen. I heard drawers and cupboards opening and closing, the toaster oven beeping, the refrigerator opening and closing and them talking and giggling all the while.
Maya brought me a tray with 2 pieces of toast made into a sandwich with mayonnaise and sliced tomato--"cut with a butter knife because I'm only allowed to use those, not really sharp knives"--and an apple. She was very formal and proud as she presented me with this breakfast masterpiece. She also made sure to tell me that Austin was "still preparing the second breakfast" and told me not to get too full.
A few minutes later Austin brought me another tray with a jelly sandwich, a piece of cinnamon toast and a sandwich made with a cinnamon and brown sugar mini-bagel with (a lot of) peanut butter and two slices of tomato--"to make it an interesting creation." He was also very formal in his presentation and beaming with pride.
They both climbed into bed with me and I shared some of my food with them ... after all, it was a lot of food! We all agreed that everything was delicious (except for the tomato on the peanut butter bagel sandwich ... interesting, but not tasty). The kids were quite pleased with themselves--that they were able to make all of that by themselves ... and that they were doing something kind and thoughtful.
I was also quite pleased with them. What a nice way to start the day!!
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Sunday, August 26, 2007
more exciting news
Yesterday was our belt promotion / graduation at karate. It was a very cool program. The studio was packed with family and friends of the nearly 60 of us graduating. We were broken down into groups (the little preschooler group called the Dragons--very cute hearing their itty bitty voices shouting out kias ... and watching them break boards!!, those of us in the beginning belt ranks, then the middle belt ranks and the advanced belts). It was fun for us to get to watch the advanced students and what they've been learning. And we were also glad to see what the students in the Blackbelt Leadership program have been working on. The Blackbelt program is for the definitely dedicated students who show potential to not just go through the lessons and learn the blocks, punches and kicks, but who will be exemplary students really giving their best ... and they also learn more advanced things like sparring, weapons use and grappling. To be in the Blackbelt Leadership program you have to be invited by the instructors after they've seen that you possess the right attitude and work ethic for the program. At graduation yesterday, our family was invited to join the Blackbelt Leadership program!! Yeah!!!
We're very excited and proud! :)
We're very excited and proud! :)
Friday, August 24, 2007
we are so proud ...
On Wednesday, we all took our test for belt promotion in karate. I'm very happy to say that we all passed with flying colors. The look on Austin's face when Mr. Mitchell gave him a red stripe on his belt--indicating that he passed the test and was indeed being promoted--was just priceless. Aus was absolutely beaming with a smile from ear to ear. When Mr. Mitchell told Austin that he's very proud of him and all the progress he's made, noting that he's become a great leader in the class, our typically talkative son was tongue-tied ... barely able to get out "thank you, sir." Our graduation is Saturday. We're very happy that Stef will be here to go with us ... and I'm hoping she'll be able to take some photos that I can include in my next post.
Speaking of photos to post, I finally was able to cajole my disk reader into working this morning, so I'll have to sit down and do some work to get them up for you to see. (We've still got our Disney trip photos to share!!)
I did have time to get this one up ... Austin's new do. 
It was his idea to style it like this ... (a few kids in karate have similar hairstyles, a few of the dancers on So You Think You Can Dance wore their hair like this and he found out that his friend Daniel also has this hairstyle). I'm sure that there are people who will think I'm crazy for letting my kid wear his hair like this, but I don't care at all about this kind of thing. I figure that hair and clothes are a good and simple way for kids to be able to express themselves and explore their style. Besides, hair will just grow back and clothes and styles change all the time anyway. I think it's 
pretty cool!
It was his idea to style it like this ... (a few kids in karate have similar hairstyles, a few of the dancers on So You Think You Can Dance wore their hair like this and he found out that his friend Daniel also has this hairstyle). I'm sure that there are people who will think I'm crazy for letting my kid wear his hair like this, but I don't care at all about this kind of thing. I figure that hair and clothes are a good and simple way for kids to be able to express themselves and explore their style. Besides, hair will just grow back and clothes and styles change all the time anyway. I think it's 
pretty cool!Thursday, August 16, 2007
"you karate do, yes--ok ..."
A month ago, we started taking karate as a family. It's been a lot of fun and has really done wonders with helping Austin focus and use more self-control. The life lesson we've been highlighting is self-discipline. We talk a lot about different ways to show self-discipline and the benefits of doing so. When either of the kids is getting off track with behavior and choices, Tim and I can quickly and fairly easily get them back on track with a few questions about using self-discipline. It's been really effective carrying over the terminology from class into the home scenario. They really respond well to it.
The other thing that we emphasize in class is using the 3 rules of focus--focus your eyes, focus your body and focus your mind. That has been an amazing tool for working with Austin. He has been doing pretty well with pulling himself in to show all 3 rules of focus whenever one of us--or the instructors--mention it. He still has a good, long way to go ... but we're happy to have another strategy to use.
We have our first test for belt promotion (from white to yellow) next week. Hopefully we'll all be wearing yellow belts in about 10 days!!
The other thing that we emphasize in class is using the 3 rules of focus--focus your eyes, focus your body and focus your mind. That has been an amazing tool for working with Austin. He has been doing pretty well with pulling himself in to show all 3 rules of focus whenever one of us--or the instructors--mention it. He still has a good, long way to go ... but we're happy to have another strategy to use.
We have our first test for belt promotion (from white to yellow) next week. Hopefully we'll all be wearing yellow belts in about 10 days!!
Monday, August 13, 2007
anniversary trip
August 3rd marked our 11th anniversary. Sometimes I wonder how it could be that long and other days I'm sure I've miscalculated--it seems double that, easily! :D
We took a trip out to the beautiful state of Washington. We spent the first 3 days in Bellingham (north of Seattle). What a delightful area! The first day was lots of driving around--in the red convertible Mustang (my dream car!!!) we rented for the week. We checked out downtown Bellingham, ate at a great micro-brewery and checked in to our gorgeous hotel (the Chrysalis Inn and Spa). There was a beautiful boardwalk that actually went out into Bellingham Bay and meandered through a nice picnic-type park. We ate dinner that night at the restaurant in our hotel--sitting out on the patio / balcony overlooking Bellingham Bay, watching the sun glimmer on the water. Just perfect!!
Day two was our big mountain day. We drove out to Mount Baker for sight-seeing and hiking. The view from the summit was absolutely breathtaking. And, standing in the snow in our shorts was pretty fun, too. After exploring a bit at the top of the mountain, we drove back down the mountain to our selected trail for a good hike. The Excelsior Pass Trail--a 4.5 mile (one way) "more difficult" trail that started out at 1800 feet and would climb another 3500 feet. It was described on the Internet and by locals as the trail with a challenging and steep climb for the first mile ... then it was supposed to level out a bit and end with a fantastic viewpoint. We had taken our lunch to eat at the top--while we soaked in the glorious vista. The weather was perfect ... in the lower 70s, getting just slightly warmer as the day went on. We kept a good pace the entire climb. But, one thing was obvious ... there was NO point when the trail leveled out. It was a constant climb. Constant. We passed a few of the "landmarks" mentioned in the on-line trail guide--the evidence of a previous forest fire around the 2 mile mark, the more dense brush area around mile 3 or so and the thinning of the trees around mile 4. We hiked uphill for 2 hours and 45 minutes wondering why we hadn't run into anyone who was on their way down ... we were growing more and more tired, and less and less enthusiastic about making it all the way to the top / end. Finally, we encountered another hiker on his way down. When we asked if we were near the end (and we honestly were both expecting him to say "the beautiful view is just another 100 yards ahead"), our fellow sweat-drenched hiker who was incredibly upbeat promptly, and certainly without intending to, removed every last bit of wind from our tired and weary sails. He said we had about another 2 miles to go--"the most difficult 2 miles, probably"--and asked if we had plenty of water, because it was getting quite hot up there. "Yes, we've got water. Thanks." He continued on his way down and Tim and I looked for a place to plop and have our lunch right there. We were done with our part of the upward climb ... we were not going to make it to the end of the Excelsior trail, that was obvious. (I think the description as 4.5 miles one way must have been incorrect ... we certainly had made it more than 2.5 miles on the trail ... something just didn't add up right.) We ended up eating while we walked down the trail because the bugs decided to come out to share lunch with us when we were sitting still. It took us about an hour and 30 minutes to walk down--with knees aching and legs a-shakin'. It was a rough descent ... it actually seemed harder to go down than up! Tim and I were both thrilled to see the road and parking lot at the end of it, but entirely too spent to express any real excitement. A big sigh and "thank God!" were all we could muster.
The next day, with ridiculously sore legs ("Damn you, Excelsior!!" as Tim would randomly yell out during the rest of our trip), we went to San Juan Island and shopped a bit. During a brief visit at South Beach, I sat on a log listening to and watching the waves lap the shore. It was a completely different experience than I have ever had at a sunny / Caribbean beach. I felt so much peace, and felt truly connected with nature and the universe ... it was very spiritual. I want to go back. Soon. For a much longer time.
Day 4 sent us driving in that fun and fabulous Mustang down the highway to Olympia (south of Seattle) to visit my very good friend April (a.k.a. Chicky ... we both call each other Chicky and have since pretty shortly into our friendship that began 15 years ago in college). It was a wonderful 2-3 days spending time with her. We also were able to meet the love of her life, Kristi. She is really fabulous ... I like her a lot. It makes me happy to see my Chicky in such a good place! We spent most of our time together just sitting around, talking and laughing ... and eating ice cream!! :)
After our days with Chicky and Kristi, we headed back to Bellingham and then flew to Columbus to return to our kids (who had spent the week with Nana and Papa). It was wonderful to see them again--a week away really makes you happy to see and hug and kiss those adorable little people!!
Next time we go, we'll have to give Excelsior another go!! Maybe we should start training for it now!!
We took a trip out to the beautiful state of Washington. We spent the first 3 days in Bellingham (north of Seattle). What a delightful area! The first day was lots of driving around--in the red convertible Mustang (my dream car!!!) we rented for the week. We checked out downtown Bellingham, ate at a great micro-brewery and checked in to our gorgeous hotel (the Chrysalis Inn and Spa). There was a beautiful boardwalk that actually went out into Bellingham Bay and meandered through a nice picnic-type park. We ate dinner that night at the restaurant in our hotel--sitting out on the patio / balcony overlooking Bellingham Bay, watching the sun glimmer on the water. Just perfect!!
Day two was our big mountain day. We drove out to Mount Baker for sight-seeing and hiking. The view from the summit was absolutely breathtaking. And, standing in the snow in our shorts was pretty fun, too. After exploring a bit at the top of the mountain, we drove back down the mountain to our selected trail for a good hike. The Excelsior Pass Trail--a 4.5 mile (one way) "more difficult" trail that started out at 1800 feet and would climb another 3500 feet. It was described on the Internet and by locals as the trail with a challenging and steep climb for the first mile ... then it was supposed to level out a bit and end with a fantastic viewpoint. We had taken our lunch to eat at the top--while we soaked in the glorious vista. The weather was perfect ... in the lower 70s, getting just slightly warmer as the day went on. We kept a good pace the entire climb. But, one thing was obvious ... there was NO point when the trail leveled out. It was a constant climb. Constant. We passed a few of the "landmarks" mentioned in the on-line trail guide--the evidence of a previous forest fire around the 2 mile mark, the more dense brush area around mile 3 or so and the thinning of the trees around mile 4. We hiked uphill for 2 hours and 45 minutes wondering why we hadn't run into anyone who was on their way down ... we were growing more and more tired, and less and less enthusiastic about making it all the way to the top / end. Finally, we encountered another hiker on his way down. When we asked if we were near the end (and we honestly were both expecting him to say "the beautiful view is just another 100 yards ahead"), our fellow sweat-drenched hiker who was incredibly upbeat promptly, and certainly without intending to, removed every last bit of wind from our tired and weary sails. He said we had about another 2 miles to go--"the most difficult 2 miles, probably"--and asked if we had plenty of water, because it was getting quite hot up there. "Yes, we've got water. Thanks." He continued on his way down and Tim and I looked for a place to plop and have our lunch right there. We were done with our part of the upward climb ... we were not going to make it to the end of the Excelsior trail, that was obvious. (I think the description as 4.5 miles one way must have been incorrect ... we certainly had made it more than 2.5 miles on the trail ... something just didn't add up right.) We ended up eating while we walked down the trail because the bugs decided to come out to share lunch with us when we were sitting still. It took us about an hour and 30 minutes to walk down--with knees aching and legs a-shakin'. It was a rough descent ... it actually seemed harder to go down than up! Tim and I were both thrilled to see the road and parking lot at the end of it, but entirely too spent to express any real excitement. A big sigh and "thank God!" were all we could muster.
The next day, with ridiculously sore legs ("Damn you, Excelsior!!" as Tim would randomly yell out during the rest of our trip), we went to San Juan Island and shopped a bit. During a brief visit at South Beach, I sat on a log listening to and watching the waves lap the shore. It was a completely different experience than I have ever had at a sunny / Caribbean beach. I felt so much peace, and felt truly connected with nature and the universe ... it was very spiritual. I want to go back. Soon. For a much longer time.
Day 4 sent us driving in that fun and fabulous Mustang down the highway to Olympia (south of Seattle) to visit my very good friend April (a.k.a. Chicky ... we both call each other Chicky and have since pretty shortly into our friendship that began 15 years ago in college). It was a wonderful 2-3 days spending time with her. We also were able to meet the love of her life, Kristi. She is really fabulous ... I like her a lot. It makes me happy to see my Chicky in such a good place! We spent most of our time together just sitting around, talking and laughing ... and eating ice cream!! :)
After our days with Chicky and Kristi, we headed back to Bellingham and then flew to Columbus to return to our kids (who had spent the week with Nana and Papa). It was wonderful to see them again--a week away really makes you happy to see and hug and kiss those adorable little people!!
Next time we go, we'll have to give Excelsior another go!! Maybe we should start training for it now!!
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