Wisconsin summer odds and ends

I found a file of pictures from the summer on Greg's computer.  (I've been so scattered lately, I never know what I might stumble upon!)

Today it is gray and snowy and mushy outside.  It is also Ohio outside.  Perhaps this isn't a bad opportunity to look back at some odds and ends from our last month in Wisconsin.  It was summertime.  And it was Wisconsin.

Sara at age six months

Nothing like a sweet little baby wrapped in a towel.  (Oh Sara and her sensitive skin.)

Karate America Kick-a-Thon

David really enjoyed karate over the summer.  

The last event he participated in was the Kick-a-Thon for the Ronald McDonald House.  They collect pledges and then kick as many times as possible in one minute.  They kick with a partner using X-ray paper to see, hear, and feel the kicks (so they can be easily counted by the partner).

David kicked so hard that he broke the X-ray paper!

Mr. C teases David about the broken X-ray paper.

 It was a fun, short, and meaningful event.

Mr. C is awesome.  He was great with David.

David and Mr. C

Congratulations to David for his 23 kicks!!

Hooray for David's 23 kicks!

Where Sara spent half of her babyhood

These pictures were taken when Sara was six months old.  But they could have been taken any time in the last eleven and a half months.  This is where Sara likes to be.

First Friend

Sara's baby buddy was Quentin.   He is two months older than Sara.  David, Mary, and I fell in love with him before Sara was born.  And then Sara was born and she fell in love with him too!

I miss Quentin, and I miss his mommy, Hillary.  Sniff, sniff.  Actually, more like weep, weep.

Sara was about six months, and Quentin was about eight months, when these were taken.

  Look at these two sweeties!  Oh Sara and Baby Q, may you meet again.

So many people we miss ... 

Good-bye party

One of David's sweet friends (and fellow lover of Lego and Minecraft) is Isaac.  His awesome mom Sarah got some of David's school buddies together to throw a little going away party for David!  It was darling! 

 Ohio-themed games, fun prizes, water games, thoughtful and super cute decorations, and even disposable cameras!  (The boys didn't even know what to think about the cameras--they couldn't understand the concept of film.  So funny.)

And in an amazing and happy twist of fate, David found out just days before the party that his best friend Bailey would be moving to Ohio too!  How crazy is that??  So the boys go to celebrate together at a joint party. 

The party was the day before we left, so it was perfect timing.  Something fun to look forward to that last day and an opportunity for some closure.

David loved the chance to run around (literally) with his friends.

David misses Isaac.  (Isaac is an AMAZING builder!)

And I miss Isaac's mom.  I met Sarah on the playground after school when David was in kindergarten.  You know how there are some people you see and you know you want to know them because there is just something in their countenance and you can see their goodness?  That was Sarah.  She is fun, hard-working, thoughtful, warm, down-to-earth, and kind.  She's one of those people who is so easy and fun to talk to.  And her dedication to serving others--at school, her church, friends, family--is inspiring.  I especially respect and admire her commitment to supporting the school.  (It's fair to say she is definitely one of the pillars of the school community!)  I am so grateful she had this little party for David and Bailey.  (She even made a photobook with the pictures the boys took.  David treasures it!)

Yep.  So many good people we miss.

Another Good-bye

While David was at his party, Mary was having her last play date.  She spent the day with super buddy Abby.  Oh, sweet, smart, fun, adorable Abby.  

They did art projects at Abby's house, and then Mary got to go to Abby's hip-hop dance class.  (Which Mary LOVED, by the way.)  I picked Mary up at the dance studio. The girls said their good-byes.

And I said good-bye to Abby's mom, Renee, another wonderful friend who was so helpful as we prepared to move.  

Yep, yep. So many good people we miss.

Okay.  I have more.  But I have to stop.  My heart is hurting too much.

(Sheesh, this blog is getting depressing...)

Second Gold Belt!

David tested for his gold belt in Taekwondo on Monday night.  He did so awesome!

Because of his broken arm, we had a long time to look for a karate school.  We looked and looked.  We finally settled on a nearby Taekwondo studio.  It's quite different from Karate America in Verona (which I highly highly recommend!), but we think it will work out well.

Because the memorized forms are somewhat different, David started as a white belt (again!).  But he was a really good sport about it.

Monday night was his belt test, and he rocked it!  He was one of the best, if not the best, and he knew it.  What a great feeling to tell your kid, "You did awesome," and they really did and they totally know it!  He has worked hard, stayed focused, and been disciplined--and it paid off.  We are so proud of David!  (Even Mary was beaming with pride, and she's tough critic.)

The final step in the belt process is breaking a board.  David hadn't done it before, but he was prepared.  He did it on his first try!  Yay, David!  He took the board pieces and held them in the air, jumping for joy.  It was great.

Good job, David.  We love you.

Watch David's belt test HERE and smile with pride!

Ballet class

A few weeks ago it was observation day in Mary's ballet class.  Normally, we can watch through a mirrored window.  But on observation day friends and family are invited into the studio to watch the class.  It's not a performance, just a regular class.  This time our whole family came.  

We all enjoyed seeing what Mary does during a typical class.  Greg was especially impressed.  I realized that I'm the one who always takes Mary to ballet, so he had only a vague idea of what class is like.  He said he liked watching class better than the performance.  I have to agree that there is something special about ballet class.  The children are concentrating and focused but it's also joyful--not a silly, saccharine joy but an inward joy that comes from working hard in a loving environment.  I wish the pictures I took captured that glow of happiness and satisfaction in the students.  (Greg and I left and thought, "David and Mary are each having the same experience!  Karate and ballet are so similar, especially the programs they are in."  We told this to David and Mary, who, of course, were deeply offended that we would dare suggest any similarity between ballet and karate.  Oh well.  Best to keep some observations to yourself as a parent.)

I have some video footage too, just some short little clips.  (And I used a decent camera so this footage isn't terrible, but I now realize I should have put the little clips into one video.  Next time.)

Warming up at the barre

More practice at the barre  (I love to watch them work at the barre.)

Ballet class

Pirouettes  (Little girls doing pirouettes--so sweet!)

Leaps

Mary's famous ballet leaps (Mary is known for her leaps in this summer's class.)

Mary's teacher, Miss Charmaine, is very sad we're leaving.  She had hoped to be Mary's teacher for years to come. After class on observation day I talked to her for a while.  It was good (and perhaps a little overwhelming) to hear her thoughts about Mary.  We will miss her and the wonderful program she has.

Gold belt!

David started taking karate in April.  Although he dabbled in it last summer, this spring he was ready to really make a commitment to it.  (And we as parents were ready too.)

We are so very very proud of David.  He has been taking it so seriously and working very hard.  He attends classes two or three times a week and practices at home.  He has shown a great deal of maturity and demonstrated real responsibility.  We are lucky to have found such a great karate school.  (Locals, I cannot recommend Karate America Verona enough!)

David's goal was to earn his gold belt before we moved, and he knew he would have to work hard to accomplish that goal.

Here he is about halfway to his goal.  As he and the other white belts worked towards their gold belts, they earned stripes to mark their progress.

Then, after much hard work and dedication, David was awarded his gold belt on Friday, June 14.  Hooray!!

The students displayed their skills at the belt graduation ceremony ...

David receives his gold belt from Mr. C ...

... along with the requisite pat on the head ...

Congratulations to David!!

(After putting our kids in this that and the other activity and camp and whatnot, I think they are each settling into interests they want to pursue, at least for the time being, and, importantly, we found wonderful programs for them.....and now we are moving.  Boo hoo.  We will definitely miss Ballet U and Karate America Verona.  Sigh.)