KSW

This past January, Eli started taking Kuk Sool Won.  It is a Korean Martial Art.  He was very excited to start and has been going pretty regularly since January.  Almost twice a week.  He tried doing both soccer and Kuk Sool Won, but that was too much for him in the spring.  When it came time to sign up for soccer again, he chose Kuk Sool Won.

So far he has passed 2 tests.  The first was his yellow stripe test, the second was for his yellow belt.  He knew everything he needed to know and was able to break 2 boards.  One with a kick, the other with his fist.  It was supposed to be a palm strike, but he was so pumped up, it turned into a fist.  The instructor was surprised and impressed.  He was lucky he didn't break a knuckle.  The only thing he didn't know was the pledge.  That night he didn't get his belt.  It was his dad's fault cause I didn't know he needed to know it.  He practiced it though and learned it in 4 days.  He was able to recite it during his next class and got his belt that night.  He was so excited and pleased with himself.  Some of the other students gave him high-fives and some of the adults congratulated him.  It really made his day.

He's started to learn his new form and has yet to be taught any new techniques.  He's determined to get his black belt.  We'll see if he wants to continue when December rolls around and we have to pay for the next year.  I guess we'll see how serious and determined he is about his black belt.

Eli's Florida

We made our way to Orlando for our first vacation.  We went to Legoland, Sea World, the beach and Disney World.  Legoland was great for Eli.  His favorite part was getting a new set!  He had to get a black horse on the carousel and he was able to get it.  He got to play lego video games, drive cars, get wet and build Hero's.

Sea World was kind of a bust for Eli.  The animals weren't that interesting, there weren't a ton of rides for him and he was exhausted from LegoLand.  We rode Journey to Atlantis and the Empire of Penguins first thing and that was the highlight of the day.  They all got pressed pennies and penny holders from near the sea lions.  None of them wanted to fee the sea lions the fresh fish though.  Eli perked up a little bit when we saw the Orca's, but they were done early that day.

The beach was up next and Eli was most interested in building a sand castle.  He kept running to the water to grab water and sand to help hold his castle together.  They didn't really like the sea weed and got their fill of salt water.  The banana boat ride seemed like it would be fun.  Eli was able to hold on the entire time, but kept falling into the middle.  He was happy to relax and play at the beach.  It was enough to get him recharged and ready for Disney.

Disney started off well and got better the first day.  Eli lasted the entire day at Disney, which was a surprise.  I didn't think he could make it.  We started with Splash Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain.  The kids liked those.  Next was Eli's knight makeover.  He was most excited about getting a shield and sword, but he got his hair spiked and glittered.  He now wants to have his hair spiked during his next haircut.

After lunch we went to visit Belle and Eli got to be Maurice, Belle's dad.  He also got to take a picture with Belle.  He didn't like it when I asked if Belle was his girlfriend now!  He got to drive Grandpa around on the tomorrowland raceway.  Spin in the tea cups and ride a few more rides before dinner and the Electrical parade.  Eli had enough before the parade began, but he was able to relax and liked the paraged once it started.  He was ready to go the next day.

The next day we started off with Space Mountain, which, at the time, Eli declared was his favorite ride.  We did a few other rides.  Finished with the Tiki room, jungle cruise (were Eli got to keep the snakes in the box by sitting on the hatch) and Hall of Presidents.  Everyone was done around 2 or 3.  We went back to the house and the kids relaxed and had dinner before we headed home on Friday.  Other than the 2 hour delay for the flight, everything went well.  Eli got to see the ocean on the way home out his window and liked flying in general.  Overall, he enjoyed the trip.

Kuk Sool Won

At the beginning of the year Eli started taking Kuk Sool Won.  Eli has always been interested in rough housing.  To direct this in a better way, he tried a class in the fall to see if he was interested.  He liked it and started taking classes in January.  He passed his yellow stripe test and is ready to take his yellow belt test this month.  Shockingly, he is still interested.  He even went to the seminar with the Grandmaster.  He was excited just to get to see him because he knew he was the highest rank.  The only time Eli had a little difficulty was when he was doing soccer and Kuk Sool Won at the same time.  Both activities at the same time got to be a little too much for him.  He made it through both activities a little worn out, but seems interested doing both in the fall again.  We'll see how that goes.

He's run into a few issues with being unsure of himself.  He was upset at his first testing because he had never done one before and it was a difficult testing for everyone.  We had so many white belts in the last class that all the yellow stripes moved to the back.  He'd never been in the back before and got upset with that.  He's been working on learning to tie his uniform and belt.  That has caused some issues as well, but he's learned how for the most part.  Overall, he really likes it and has grown into it.  Maybe he'll get the black belt he says he wants.  Only time will tell.

Growing Up

I like to refer to my trio as my “babies,” but sadly, they aren’t babies anymore. Eli is looking less and less like a little kid, while the other two are becoming opinionated and lippy at times. Eli just lost his first tooth the other day, and Christian is losing molars right and left. Tori is becoming very good at saying, “Mommy” and sighing in exasperation when I do something that doesn’t jive with her. Soon they will all be teenagers, doing their own thing and hiding out in their rooms. Time has flown by. Even relatives like their uncle Samm have remarked on how big they are getting.

Yesterday, my brother had his last kid, a girl named Josie. The five of us would like to congratulate him, and I personally would like to remind him to enjoy every moment. Before we all know it, Josie and her sister, Kenna, will be teenagers, and the rest of our broods will be young adults. Enjoy all of the days to come with your little Josie and congratulations, Travis & Diane.