Green Belt Test

At the end of October the boys did their green belt test for Tae Kwon Do. It was the largest group for testing I have seen! There were 26 students ranging in age from 6 to don't ask (some adults!) and that's not including the 4&5 year olds who tested before this group.

The kids did really well. They were nervous in the days leading up to testing, especially about the board breaking because they hadn't been given much opportunity to practice before the test, but they each managed to make it look easy! The videos for each of them are below. They were pleased to receive their green belts the next week as that was the goal they had set for themselves last winter - to be at the green belt level by the end of this year.

Matthew is in recovery mode at the moment due to landing a kick wrong at last Saturday's sport class. His big toe is still somewhat swollen and has turned from black and blue to yellow and green. He can walk and isn't in a lot of pain, but we've asked him to try to keep that foot on the ground for now. Easier said than done! He is so active that he found it hard even that first day keeping his foot elevated and iced. I've caught him a few times throwing kicks and jumping around. I think he'll survive!

Huge Snowflakes

When I put Panda outside about an hour ago the deck was coated with slush and it was lightly raining. Now, there are huge snowflakes falling and they are actually coating the ground. The kids are excited, don't let Matthew's grimace fool you! They are anticipating a snowman-making adventure today.

Normally, that grimace would be mine, but there are two things working in the snow's favour today:

First, they are my favourite kind of snowflake. Huge. Fluffy.

Second, it's not October, it's November so I can deal with snow now.

Hallowe'en 2009

Nicholas is dressed as a warlord, Matthew as a ninja and Andrew as Sasuke, a character from a ninja comic. They each designed their pumpkins; Andrew and Nicholas also carved theirs. Matthew's is the one at the bottom, losing its lunch. The costumes had to be modified to fit winter jackets and extra pants. It was cold out!!! They went around the block and were quite happy to come home and watch a movie while sorting through their junk. We didn't see many kids on our street and only had perhaps ten to our door. We didn't see as many as usual on the next behind us, either.

Busy Boys!

Last week we took a trip to a fabric store about 45 minutes away from us. I took all three boys with me to give Adrian a few hours to study in peace. While at the store picking out fabrics for costumes they found fleece that they decided they 'had to have' because they each wanted to make their own knotted fleece blankets. I've made several of these as gifts and Adrian even made me one of my own as a Christmas gift one year. They are really easy to make and so warm to snuggle under!

I had made pillows for the kids a couple of years ago and they've been checking for matching fleece any time we've been to the fabric store. Andrew found a matching one, but the others chose different fabrics that they liked. They weren't concerned about matching to the pillows.

I did the cutting and the kids did all the knotting. It was an easy knot for them - it's the same one they tie their Tae Kwon Do belts with. Of course, Panda didn't make it an easy task since she seemed to feel that the material on the floor was there specifically for her benefit. We had to keep shifting her to the centre or off the material completely in order to work. The boys did such a good job on these blankets and they were so pleased because they had done it themselves.

Raking Leaves

Matthew loves to rake leaves. He would be out there every day doing it if he could. I've convinced him that windy days are just not worth the time and effort; after all, the leaves blow right back on the lawn and it looks like you've done nothing! We don't rake the backyard. It's too big for one thing and we'd rather just mulch them with the lawnmower. Our front lawn, however, gets buried in leaves from all the large trees around so it makes more sense to rake most of them to the curb where they are picked up by the county.

Matthew does a good job and he comes cheap! When asked, he told a neighbour (it's their lawn he's raking in the photo) he only charges a dollar. Actually, he doesn't charge a thing.

Dog Tired

Panda and Jasmine were worn out from playing with each other on the weekend. Jasmine is my parents' dog and she and Panda love to play together. They are both Giant Schnauzers, but Panda was recently clipped so she doesn't look like a bear cub anymore. It was very cute to see Jasmine flop down beside Panda and rest her head on Panda's chest!

Scenes from the Countryside

I took these photos throughout the summer and early fall, mostly on drives to and from camp. We live in such a beautiful area! I love driving through the countryside and seeing all the colourful fields. There are many different crops grown in the area and it's neat seeing the colour changes in the fields from early spring through to each harvest.