Rowan Joins The Club

This year Rowan has joined Taekwondo! He loves it. It's interesting to see how he progresses compared to Milo. They look at things, and react to things differently.

This past week he earned his first belt - he was VERY happy.

We even got to do a full "class" picture.

He had to have a new uniform ordered because the one they had didn't have the logo on it and it was too big - he's still itty bitty, only 5 years old.

This week I received another "care package" in the mail.

Yesterday we had a beautiful weather day (about 70 degrees!) so we took advantage and did some of the things outside that needed to be done. And then....the asian beetles showed up in droves. ARGHHHHHHH we were hoping the unseasonable cool weather for the past couple weeks would have killed them off but NO. I think their only natural enemy is the vacuum cleaner.

P.S. Last week they won, this week???

Whirlwind of Activity

This past week or so has been very busy around here. Crystal and Dale and our grandpuppy Tucker came for a 3 day visit. It had been over 6 MONTHS since they've been home. That's too long. Crystal and I even had a Mother/Daughter date and went to the movies. We saw Oceans 8 and we liked it.

It was nice getting the fun sock of the month in person and, of course, I wore them to the movies!

Then we had Milo's Belt test for Taekwondo - he was going to go from orange to yellow but decided to just do the half belt instead. I think that was a good choice. The one little boy went for the full belt and didn't pass :( No need for that kind of stress on an 8 year old. He was happy as a clam since they only had 4 of the new style of belt and he was the only one to raise his hand to get the older style. They will have the new style one for him at his next class. Wait - that was tonight so he probably has it already.

P.S. WE WON!! 

Taekwondo Kid

Milo's first Taekwondo tournament was Saturday. He was a bit overwhelmed but he did really well. He got 1st place in his pattern test! He had just belt tested so it was a new pattern that he hadn't gotten much time to practice but he nailed it. He was disappointed in the break test but, again, a new one he hadn't done before - run and side kick. He broke it on that one but didn't on the straight down kick but he wasn't alone.

We stayed for almost all of it but left just before the sparring competition. Frank and I both had been on the bleachers too long and it was leave then or be permanently stuck to that bench. We chose to go and enjoy the pictures and videos that Mike and Ang would share with us.

In other news, we got the car!! I'm still kind of in shock. I love it and am getting used to the bells and whistles and it has a lot of both. It's our first BRAND NEW car!

So two good things and one terrible - my work partner suffered a stroke Saturday morning. I got the call from a mutual friend that they had airlifted him to Fargo and that it didn't look good. It was on my mind all day but I had the tournament to keep my mind on better things. Sunday morning I got the call that he had improved significantly overnight. He could talk again but his speech is still slurred. He hasn't been up walking yet. I called him Sunday afternoon and he called me this morning. He was sure they would let him go home today - he was pretty miffed.

I'm hoping and praying for continued improvement...

Mister Milo wins again

This past week has been a whirlwind at work. Crazy busy!

The highlight was Monday night when Milo had his belt test in Taekwondo. This is his 3rd test and this one was for the solid orange belt. He nailed it! I could see a huge improvement in his confidence and also his sportsmanship. He worked so hard at the last test and had to redo quite a few times. This time he finished first a few times, he was SO proud of himself. This is working out so well for him. On St. Patrick's Day there will be a tournament and he is registered for that - I can't wait to go watch!

Weather has at least been decent this week. Above freezing during the day so our "ice rink" driveway is all melted - yay!

We even came into March "like a lamb". Mother Nature probably has some real doozy lined up for us since we'll no doubt go out "like a lion". Now, THERE'S something to look forward to.

P.S. They won.

The boy did it again

Tonight was Milo's 2nd belt test. First one was for the uniform/white belt. This Taekwondo studio does half belts up to a certain point and then it's full color belts. Anyway, tonight he tested for his orange/white belt. I won't say he didn't struggle with a couple of things but he just kept moving forward like a trooper. Gramps went along with me tonight and we were so proud of the way he kept trying until he got it. It was his first board break too. He did that with the heel of his foot. He tried several times and finally they put out a different board and voila - he broke it!

He couldn't be prouder - and neither could we! He was first in line to have his board signed by the studio Master.

Proud Gramma

Tonight was Milo's test at Taekwondo to earn his uniform and first belt. He was ready and the testing began. He did awesome! The best part was when he struggled with one of the sparring moves he kept at it until he got it, no tantrum, or giving up. He was able to get all the way through the testing and he (and we) couldn't be prouder. This is EXACTLY why he needs Taekwondo - to continue to learn self confidence and to never give up.

Project Week

Since we're winding down the year we are checking things off the list. One thing that didn't make the list but quickly rose to the top was the water softener going belly up. Not only did it quit working properly, when putting it into bypass mode water starting spraying everywhere. Well, got that stopped to a steady drip (much more manageable). Then it was keep an eye on the bucket until we could get another softener. Sounds simple enough, as many things do in theory. But then since we were shutting the water down to replace the softener it seemed like (and was) a good time to switch the pump and re-do the entire plumbing area. So, 2 days later it was finished and today the new softener was fired up. It's digital, much fancier than the old one so we went through the setup and then just watched it, making sure there were no leaks and that it operated properly (as if we'd know).

I'm glad it's over and mostly glad we have water again.

I stopped in and watched Milo's Taekwondo class this week. He seems to be much more attentive and "into it" this go around. I'm so happy for him, his Mom tells me he is even practicing at home in the back yard (Yes!).

He's listening to the instructor here and all the action shots are video, too large to post here.

We were thinking the asian beetles weren't too bad this year - until today. Holy smokes, it was a literal SWARM of them out there today. It was a beautiful day too so we wanted to be outside. I was wishing it would start snowing just to get rid of them.

We had visitors  a couple days ago again. I thought they were probably long gone.

Another surprise visitor was this bunch of violets or Johnny jump ups as we call them.

Tomorrow Ang and Fam are coming out to celebrate Dad's BD. She's making one of his favorite meals, Stuffed Shells, and I would bet his favorite Chocolate Cake. I'll make him another favorite on his actual Birthday on Monday.

P.S. We won! This is quite a streak!