7 Days: Day 4

This is how I spent my night. The boys had Judo and I got to read the new Janet Evanovich book. Not a horrible way to spend the evening.

Summer Fun

School has let out for the summer and we have had a blast so far! WOOO HOOO! I have been meaning to blog about what we have been up to each time we have done something fun, but somehow time is getting away from me and if I don't start blogging about something soon summer will be over!

Last day of kindergarten

So school let out just before Memorial day. I had a little bit of a hard time with it. Not because my boys will be home all the time now- I am really looking forward to spending time with them! I had mixed feelings because Kindergarten was over. They are no longer little kids. They grew up right before my eyes. I went from praying to make it through the day to praying that time will SLOW DOWN now. They are so much fun!! I really do cherish every moment with them.

OK, back to the last day of school- we decided to celebrate by going out to lunch with Matt and then we went to Build-A-Bear workshop. Alex had been begging to go for awhile and so I decided now was a good time as any to go. I had no idea how involved this process was. It wasn't just a pick a teddy bear and stuff him. It was much more involved.
They had to warm this little heart they stuffed inside the bear. They "bathed" them. They dressed them. We got birth certificates. I have to admit it was kind of cool. I would have totally been into this if I was their age!
Our summer was officially off to a great start!!

Another day I took the boys to paint pottery. Each kid chose something different to paint. Zach chose to paint a mug in stripes. Josh painted a rainbow scene on a plate. And Alex chose a car box to keep his special treasures in.
It was fun. I do have to admit I had a hard time keeping my mouth shut- telling them what colors to paint where, what would look best, etc. But I did. After all- it is their art not mine!

We have been judo weekly. They are LOVING it!! Especially now that they have their uniforms.
Look out everyone- they think they are professionals now! In the picture its Josh, Alex and Zach- just in case you were wondering.

This week they have been doing tennis. I love this tennis camp that we do. We did it last year too. The coaches do a really great job teaching the kids AND making it fun!! Everyone smiles and laughs the whole time. As do I- as I get to hang out with some of my friends too!!
Alex has another wiggly tooth (number 2) and every time I look at him lately- no matter what he is doing- he has his hand in his mouth wiggling it away! :)

They also started their art classes. Zach and Josh are doing a general art class. **BRAG ALERT** I was sitting out in the hall waiting for their class to finish up and their teacher came out and told me how GIFTED they are in art!! Not that I didn't know this- they are REALLY creative. Zach tells everyone he wants to be an artist when he grows up- but it is nice to hear from an art teacher that they are gifted!!

Alex, of course, wanted NOTHING to do with that type of art- so he is taking drum lessons. Not sure that was the wisest parenting decision but he LOVES it!! That's all that matters right?

Today we went bowling. I think everyone had fun. Josh and Zach got a tad jealous that Alex got a spare and they didn't but that's ok. It's not like they will never get one themselves! They have in the past they will do it again I am sure!
As you can see we are having a blast! And this doesn't include all the playing with the neighborhood kids (or other various play dates)! Have I mentioned lately how much I love our new neighborhood? I really do. The kids get along so great and have so much fun! It's heaven!! I think this may just be the best summer yet!

Hi-ya!

So the boys started taking Judo last night. And yes I now know that in Judo there's is no yelling of Hi-ya! I am no martial arts expert. That is for sure! But I did learn that much.

The boys watched Karate Kid awhile ago and have been begging to take karate ever since. Do you know how hard it is to find a karate class that is just once a week for 6-8 weeks AND doesn't break the bank?!?!?! Kind of hard let me tell you. Most martial arts places want a 2-3 times a week commitment. Which if this is the boys passion then fine, but who knows if it is! They have never tried it before! I just wanted some class to give them a little taste of some form of martial arts. And luckily I found one at the local community center! WOOT!!! And what is better they have several different kinds of martial arts available. Super excited. The boys have already planned their next class after this one.

Tonight the boys started out with learning about respect and bowing both when they get on and off of the mat. Oh and to clarify who is who- Alex is in blue, Josh is in neon green and Zach is in gray.

Then they started stretching...
It's funny to watch kids stretch. They take it very seriously and do it wrong most of the time. They did some push ups. Ten to be exact and the instructor would count in Japanese while doing them...

Look at the little boy by Zach. Just laying there. Who could blame him? That is exactly what I would have wanted to do!! I HATE push ups!! I know they are great for you but I HATE push ups!! Anyway that kid cracked me up all night. He definitely had a mind of his own!

The next thing they learned was how to fall.

To me it looked like a fancy somersault where you keep your head up and slap the mat. Again I am no martial arts expert. The Sensei (is that what they call the instructor in Judo) went into GREAT detail with everything they did. He would go on and on and on about things going off on tangents. Matt said it is necessary because when they take their test they need to know the whys too. I was in information overload. The instructor was very thorough!

After somersaulting...I mean learning how to fall, they went into their first move. Something about sweeping their leg behind their opponent and making him/her fall backwards. The boys loved that!

A boy named Edward (who cracked me up the whole time- he was NOT amused and looked completely bored the whole class) got to show the boys how to do it. So he got to knock them all down. You would think that would make him smile. Nope he was all ho hum about it. Like he does this all the time.
And then the table turned and the boys got to knock Edward down...
My boys were all smiles. Edward was still not amused. They did this for just over an hour and loved every minute of it!! They can't wait to do it again. They are counting the days until next Tuesday!! And I am so glad that we found this class because the boys are already asking to do other things too. They love Judo but seem to want to do it all!

FYI The Judo instructor is called a Kyoshi. Matt googled it for me. :)