Still more!

There's more to tell you about! Did I mention that we've really been on the go lately? Anyhoo, FH had another exciting accomplishment on Friday. He tested for (and received) his yellow belt in Tae Kwon Do! He's been working really hard at it, as it's something he REALLY wanted! We talked to him all the time about "earning" the belt. And he was SO proud! He just kept staring at the yellow stripe on the new belt. At one point he was in the back seat saying to no one in particular, "This is so AWESOME!" while staring at the stripe. And he had the BIGGEST smile on his face! It was such a pure thought that there was no question about what he was thinking at the time. We were very proud. He's already talking about getting his orange belt...he's a real "mover and shaker" when he decides to be! So here you go............

This one is right before we went into the dojo.


Here he is standing at ready position, waiting to begin.


Testing has begun!


Great high block!!


Part of the belting ceremony...removing the old belt. (I tied it too tight so he needed a little help!)


Do you think he's excited?


Getting some color!


What a proud moment!

Grrrrrrrrr

I spend a lot of time with these posts, placing the pictures just so. I preview them and change things around to be just the way I want them. Yet somehow, EVERY TIME I post, it ends up looking completely different. It's very frustrating. Just so you know, I'm not just slapping the pics up there any old way. Maybe I just don't have enough experience, I don't know. But it drives me nuts to see how it changes.

As promised

Here are some more pictures of what's been going on.
I'll start with the fish. I really didn't love having the fish tanks, but Frank and the kids enjoyed them, so I just went along with it. Well, for some reason since we moved into this house, we can't keep the algae from growing. We've started over with brand new tanks about 3 different times (and those things aren't cheap!!) yet it still keeps coming back. So Frank and I talked to the kids about putting the fish in the "really big fish tank." No, not the toilet. The pond. We talked about how we would go visit them and look for their babies and how they will have so many friends...on and on. But the children agreed, and I am downright blissful that we don't have a fish tank any more!!!! Here's a picture of the kids and Daddy taking the fish to their new home. Yippeeee! (Picture me jumping in the air and clicking my heels together!)

Next we've got Zoe's first day of school. I probably don't have to tell you how excited she was!! She absolutely LOVES first grade! Her teacher is fabulous, and she loves the prospect of having homework. That was 1 downfall of kindergarten for her...she wanted homework. She had her first spelling pre-test yesterday. When I asked her what kind of words she was tested on she told me, "Mom, I knew all those words in kindergarten." Sometimes I think she's just too big. So here you go......

Here I am!

I don't want to sound lame and say that we've been "so busy" but it's absolutely true! So just pretend I didn't say it. We've been on the run every day, and now we're finally starting to settle into our school year routine. I LOVE this routine. I love knowing what to expect from every day. With summer there is so much flexibility...lots of fun, too...but I really like routine. I'm not much of a spontaneous person, so this time of year is great for me.
And I've finally got some pictures downloaded to share! It's been a while since I've done that, so I've got all kinds of goodies to share!
First, here are a couple of pictures of FH riding his bike without training wheels all by himself! He only needed help for about a week and a half, and then he started doing it without any help at all! The neighborhood kids were all amazed, and they ran around "clearing the street" so he could have space to learn to turn! They were very sweet and supportive of his learning process. Some of the kids were even helping him learn to stop and start by himself! I love this street!










Here's a cute one of Harry.



Zoe and I made some biscotti one day........




A couple of cute ones from the first PSU game this year..............








I'll post more great pictures tomorrow! There's so much more to share! Hope you're doing well and enjoying the weather while it lasts!