Second Degree Black Belts Under Their Belts

This past 4 weeks is a blurr... Very busy around these parts, so much so, that I have neglected blogging about life lately. Still busy, but I'm feeling the need to share what's been going on 'round our homestead.

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First off, Nick and Nolan have reached another milestone on the taekwondo front. They've worked hard and earned their 2nd degree black belts! Let me hear a "woot woot"!

Then (2004)

(Look how cute! Nolan is even sporting his bowl hair cut... I loved that hair cut.)

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Now

October 2010

(no more bowl cut... just a nice wrist brace to support the injury he sustained merely 24 hours before during P.E. class...)

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Poor gimpy, had to sit out during the self defense portion of the test. Hard to protect yourself when you can't grab the intruder attacking you.
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Nick's attacker was this lady, and he seemed to have absolutely no problem taking her down.

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Nolan should be extra proud of his ability to break through 5 different boards because he had to use his left hand for two of the boards and kicked the other three. I was amazed! Way to go Nolan!

(We have video of them breaking their boards, but for some reason I can't upload onto this blog...you'll have to check it out on facebook when I get the chance to load it there. It's pretty darned cool!)

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Each student was required to write an oral report to present in class. Second degree testers had to write about "respect" and first degree testers talked about "How taekwondo has affected their lives". I think this was my favorite part of the whole test. Nick and Nolan did a wonderful job and some of the other students had very touching things to say. I have no doubt the instructors really liked this part of the test too, it was so nice to hear how the students appreciated their teachers' dedication and hard work.

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I'm proud of my kids for working so hard towards this goal. They have spent countless hours in the dojo learning new skills and mastering old ones. I wish I had a fraction of the coordination, balance, and strength they have from learning taekwondo over the past 6 years. Way to go boys! You rock! Be proud of yourselves, not many people can say they've got a 2nd degree black belt...it's quite an honor.

Telling jokes at my expense

It's known by many that I have a small defect when it comes to giving directions. Let it be stated that I DO know the difference between left and right... But for some reason when I have to say them out loud my brain almost always says the opposite of what I really want to say. I like to think of it as a miswiring of some sort, Connor likes to laugh.

Well tonight as we were driving around town, the boys were in the backseat and Nick was trying to tell Nolan where a certain landmark was outside his window. He accidentally said left instead of right and Nolan immediately piped up..."Ha! You just pulled a mom!"

I'm pretty sure the car next to us could hear the uproarious laughter emanating from our vehicle. I'm so glad I can be the butt of jokes for our family. I'm sure as my boys get older there will be many more opportunities for them to take advantage of my constant source of comedic material.

Scarring my children is not on my agenda...

But in preparation for the upcoming Halloween holiday we decided to have a family movie night a few nights back. We decided to amp of the excitement and watch a scary movie together. Over the past year, Nick and Nolan have been exposed to some scary flicks by way of slumber parties and a certain uncle that likes to watch scary movies. They survived and seemed unscathed by these spooky showings, so how bad could it be to show them yet another?

Bad.

Let me just say, I'm feeling like a loser of a mom.

We watched one of my faves, The Sixth Sense. I remembered it as a suspenseful movie with a few scary scenes. But mostly I remember the awesome twist in the story line. I loved it!

Nick and Nolan beg to differ. They were petrified through pretty much the entire thing. They glommed onto me for the entire 90 minutes. They were still scared an hour later, even after watching an episode of Phineas and Ferb to help soothe their fears.

Bedtime rolled around and they seemed apprehensive. We tucked them in, said goodnight, and told them countless times that they have absolutely nothing to be afraid of in their home.

Not two minutes later, there was a crash in Nick's room followed by a blood curdling scream! His bow (that he had just hung up on the wall before hopping into bed) fell off the wall and onto his feet. He was pale and shaking and seemed to think it was the work of some frightening ghost.

Being the sweet and caring mother that I am... I broke into a fit of laughter. I couldn't help it. Connor showed up to chuckle as well. Aren't we awful people? After seeing Nick was not pleased with his parents, I told him that one day you will look back on this and laugh too. He was still not happy with me. We all decided that Nick and Nolan should sleep together in the same room that night.

I think last night was the first night since the movie that they have slept in separate rooms.

I am a terrible mom. I guess we'll have to save "Jaws" for a different year. :)

2010 Eastside Family Getaway!

Last weekend we were the lucky guests of my friend Karen and her fantastic family.

I believe this was our third annual Autumn trip to their place on the East side of the state.

And again, the fun never ceased.

Karen and I have been friends for over 32 years and as we get older and thank my lucky stars that our paths crossed way back when. She is a delight and makes me laugh like no other can. Our families took advantage of the glorious sunny day and set off to hike Badger Mountain. It was fun once we got to the top and saw the amazing views of their city down below. We laughed on the way up how it sounded like so much fun to scale a mountain, but came to the conclusion that exhausted muscles, whiny kids, and sweaty clothes really isn't all that much fun. In all seriousness, we really did have fun!

I shouldn't have complained at all because Brad hiked with a 30 lb kid on his back most of the way...

Connor, Karen, Hannah, Sienna, and Nick... resting on boulder bench.

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I forgot to mention that the main reason for going on a family hike was to off balance the amount of calories we were to consume that weekend. Besides being a gracious hostess, Karen is a knock out cook!

Let's see... Friday night we met them at Miner's, a drive-in diner famous for their amazing burgers and fries. The fry sauce was an added bonus!

Back at their homestead she served up a mean mud pie for dessert...

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Saturday evening we ate the most delicious chicken kabobs ever. (I need that marinade recipe Karen!) Potato salad with bacon...umm.hello. And homemade bread sticks. We were basically in a food coma at this point when Karen brought out the yummy frosted pumpkin bars.

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Next thing I knew she was busy in the kitchen making homemade cinnamon rolls in preparation for our breakfast the next day. See what I mean about being a knock out in the kitchen?

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Another highlight of the weekend was when

we all went for an evening walk after stuffing ourselves silly. The guys threw a football amongst themselves, the boys perfected their skateboarding skills, the girls rode their bikes, and Karen and I chatted while pushing Austin along in his stroller.

What I love about spending the time with these guys, watching our families getting along perfectly. The hubbys like each other and the kids play so well together, it makes for a good time for everyone.

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Thanks for yet another fun trip you guys! We love each and every one of you!

"Super Jump Shoes"

Last week, Nolan was eagerly waiting for a very special package to be delivered via the Fed Ex man...

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This package being dropped off on our doorstep marked the end of a very long wait that started way before the Fed Ex man was involved...

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You see...Nolan has been saving his money for more than a year and a half for what he likes to call "Super Jump Shoes". This is no easy feat when you are his age. Somehow he stumbled upon an advertisement for these bad boys and just had to find out a way to get his hands on them.

(Just so you know...they did NOT cost as much as that web page states...nowhere near)

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When I took a gander at the advertisement for the powerisers I have to admit I was not thrilled with the idea of my baby bouncing around the hood in those death stilts. I immediately told myself that there would be no way he could save enough money to purchase them, it would take him forever and he'd lose interest by then for sure. That is where I was wrong.

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He's scrimped and saved so diligently that Connor told him that as an award for being such a good saver, we could help him out at least a little with the cost. WHAT? Um...I don't think this is such a good idea...death stilts for my Nolan? Uh-oh. Mom was totally vetoed and the next thing I know, the Fed Ex man was dropping off a package that Nolan pined for and I never wanted to see.

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After pulling them out of the box, we read the manual that was more of a legal statement saying their company would never be at fault for any damages or injuries, yada, yada, yada...

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But look at the look of glee on my son's face. He was stoked! He had imagined himself leaping across the backyard, bounding over fences, having the wind blow through his hair as he glides down the street.

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The first time he tried them on he was a little disappointed. There was no leaping, bounding, or gliding involved. We worked on balancing... One step at a time kiddo.
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But by day two I looked out the kitchen window to see this! He was meandering around the backyard! He looks like something out of a Star Wars movie. Some sort of android robot about to stalk Luke Skywalker or something.

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I was amazed at how fast he learned to balance and maneuver with those bizarre things attached to his legs.

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He's only fallen down a couple of times and I'm happy to report he's still kicking. It's no secret that I'm a huge worry wart when it comes to my kids so I'm glad Connor is around to balance me out. If it wasn't for him, they'd probably sit around covered in bubble wrap. :)

It's fun to watch Nolan enjoy his new super jump shoes so much. He really did earn them. Even if we did help him out a little, he stuck to his guns and saved almost every penny forgoing many eye catching toys at the toy store. He learned that saving for something is not easy, but can be very rewarding.

Lincoln City 2010

As most of you know, we like to head to the Oregon coast every August for a little relaxation vacation.

We usually head to Cannon Beach...AKA our second home.

But this year, I made the executive decision to try out a new locale. Let's just say I wasn't very popular when news spread of my poor decision.

We went a little farther south to the town of Lincoln City. I thought it would be fun to see some new sights and try new restaurants and shops. I'll be the first to admit that my choice was not a good one, and we will be going back to Cannon Beach in the future...Not that the beach wasn't beautiful. It was just harder to get to and flanked by ugly old motels. And the town had the main 101 highway streaking through the middle making it VERY unpedestrian friendly. That Highway is CRAZY busy ALL DAY LONG.
One bright spot in our week was the house we rented. It was very nice! The decor was inspiring and very comfortable...we felt right at home.

It had a great rec-room upstairs that came complete with a huge flat screen TV and this amazingly fun shuffleboard sand table. We must have played a hundred games of shuffleboard, it was addicting!

The first day was a tad windy and cloudy...perfect for Nick to give his parachute kite a try.

And who doesn't love a good game of sand soccer or tag on the beach?

Nick and Nolan are die hard wave jumpers. Let me just say, there weren't very many people in the water... But there were a lot of people on the beach looking at them like they were totally nuts.

Connor joined in the fun... Luckily, someone had to stay back to take pictures. :)

We headed to Newport which is a little farther south to check out their aquarium. It was one of the nicest aquariums we've been to. There are several of these tunnels to walk through.

I think my boys could have hung out at the touch tank all day long.

This is the piranha tank...and yes those are my kids inside. (A funny little capsule you could crawl into in the middle of the tank.)

SUNSHINE!

We had a couple of days of sunshine and boy what a difference that makes. The water is such a lovely shade of blue/green on sunny days.

Hazel was lucky enough to join us on this trip. She absolutely loved the beach... She could chase seagulls all day long. She did get a little tired of constantly running to keep all four of us herded together. (She's a Australian Shepherd) She doesn't like her flock to be too far apart!

Ahhhh....another successful trip.

The expressions on these faces pretty much sum up our vacation.

Well be back again next year!

OL' BLUE

I bought Connor a fantastic shirt from Eddie Bauer... back in 1992.

A navy blue henley made from the finest waffled cotton fabric around.

He loved it.

In fact, he still loves it 18 years later.

I, on the other hand, have fallen out of love of said shirt.

For the obvious reasons this photo plainly shows....

The cuffs are barely hanging on for dear life.

His elbows poke out on either side.

The collar is pretty much shredded.

And his armpit was too much for this shirt...see the hole?

Yet, Connor's love for "Ol' Blue" never waned. He loved it even more for all of it's vintage character and charm.

I threatened to toss Ol' Blue in the trash especially after seeing Connor wear it to one of the boys' parent-teacher conferences. That is just not right. :) But the look on Connor's face was that of sad despair... He said "No way, you can't throw Ol' Blue away."

Then I bargained a little... "How 'bout I turn Ol' Blue into one of those funny stuffed animal monsters we've seen at the store?" (AKA Uglydolls)

He must of thought I was far too lazy to accomplish such a task, because he said with a smile on his face, "OK...I guess that would be OK."

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Fast forward a few months...to August 6th.

Connor's birthday was in a few days and my plan needed completion.

I pulled Ol' Blue off the hanger for the very last time, grabbed my sewing machine, and headed downstairs to do the deed.

Nick and Nolan looked SHOCKED. The were certain dad was NOT going to be happy about this transformation. "How can you possibly give dad his favorite shirt all cut up and turned into a monster for his birthday?" "This is not going to be good, mom."

The next few hours I cut, sewed, and stuffed until I ended up with this little guy....

His hair is made from Connor's thrashed collar... His toes are made out of the mangled cuffs...his body was lined with green fabric to really showoff Connor's old elbow windows...and his eye is one of the henley buttons...

I love him.

Nick and Nolan love him...

We would just have to see what Connor was going to think.

Duh.... Duh.... Daaaaaaa.......................

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The birthday boy had a wonderful celebration all day long and now it was time to open presents. I have to admit, I was a little nervous (Which is why I also padded this present with a purchase of a new navy blue henley that I added to the box right before wrapping up Ol' Blue.)

Connor ripped into the paper and opened the box... Monster Ol' Blue sprung out of the box as if instructed.

The look on Connor's face was priceless.

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He busted out laughing. He LOVED it!

I could see the worry wash away from Nick and Nolan's faces...They would still have a mom.

Happy Birthday Connor!

Why Tahoe is Fabulous

Ahhh...Stunningly beautiful Lake Tahoe...

Where the water is so crystal clear and blue you have to remind yourself that you are 6000+ feet up in the mountains instead of on a beach in the Caribbean Sea.




(Nolan)
Unlimited activities await you... Like kayaking atop water so clear, you can see forever down below.

(Nick)

Or... possibly rowing in a canoe as if you are on a gondola in Venice Italy.

The lake is 12 miles wide, so if it's stormy on the Nevada side... The Californians are still sitting dry and happy as they watch the lighting show across the lake.

Cousins beach themselves on inflatable islands for hours at a time, laughing, dunking, and just having the time of their lives.

You may choose to rent a camper to make yourself "feel" safe from the bears that would rather ransack a tent than a tent trailer. Yeah right. But if it allows you to sleep than so be it.

(Note... you may still hear what you believe to be a bear at 3 am growling in the night. Yes. I. Was. Freaked.)

You may wake to find claw marks through your picnic tablecloth the next morning. Your husband will deny that they could possibly belong to a bear. "More likely a squirrel or raccoon"

There are many hiking trails to enjoy. Like this one to the top of Eagle Rock where crazy cousins can pose for a perfect photo-op.

(Hanna and Grace looking cute atop Eagle Rock)

You might find a wonderful family on your hikes. For instance my brother's family is looking quite fantastic on this particular hike.

This family is not too shabby either. And one of them traded in his crutches for a hiking stick! Hooray!!

The campfire tends to bring out the nuttiness in the group.

We told crazy stories about sea creatures driving kelp cars, explosions of mushroom clouds, and aliens in tutus...just to name a few.

If wacky stories are not what your aiming for, you are bound to see some smiles around the fire too.

See what I mean?

If you are lucky, you will have a camp neighbor who is as well stocked as this guy. This camper (AKA my brother, Scott) had a sweet set up and just about every camping accessory known to man.

More campfire smiles

Beware. Bringing out board games can really cause a ruckus. These kids were beyond silly and having some serious fun playing Settlers of Catan.

Just a little bottle of tacky glue and some googly eyes is all you need to make some fun. The possibilities are endless when you tromp around the forest looking for the perfect item to adorn with plastic eyes.

In Tahoe you will see a gazillion of these cuties. I mean really. Does it get any cuter than this?

Take a plunge into the swimming pool, uh, I mean lake. Nick took the plunge!

Tahoe in July is a wonderful way to spend your days. Especially when you enjoy it with some of your all time favorite family members. The sand is warm, the water refreshing, and the company cannot be beat.