What Day is It?

It can't really be Christmas Eve already. It can't. I know the calendar says 24th, but I just don't buy it. The year has gone by way too quickly and we just don't feel that "holiday season" feeling you are supposed to get around this time of the year. Is this part of growing old and losing that Christmas magic or is it just an off year? We've been so busy taking care of the day to day family needs that perhaps we just haven't had time to otherwise greet December properly. Add my Night Shift schedule to the mix and you have a recipe for craziness with no room for prepatory cheer leading up to the big day.

I can only hope to drown my lack of Christmas cheer in some sparkling cider and cool new toys. =)

On a positive note, we did have a lot of fun with Auntie and all the Happy Family. Since there is no snow around, we decided instead to go sand-sledding at the beach. I would frankly prefer coming home wet to sandy, but it was a lot of fun and we are thinking it should become a family tradition.

It's about time

Johnny is finally a full Berry child!

This afternoon the little bugger was getting himself in a bit of
trouble. I can't remember what he was doing, but he was upstairs and
was supposed to be downstairs and was refusing to correct that
situation. As is our habit, Lisa counted to three to give him a chance
to mend his ways.

One...

Two...

Three...

"Four" comes the reply from the top of the steps.

So there you have it. The smartass genes have awake from their dormant
state and are in full swing. I must say I am just a bit disappointed,
however. Katy got it at "three".

Win Some, Lose Some

She's at it again. Katy continues to grow up before our very eyes and this week's milestone is her first tooth... Or rather a lack of. After many days of a squeamish mother being grossed out by the wiggling, Katy's first loose tooth has become her first missing tooth. Just in time, too, because now for Christmas she can ask for her front tooth! Hopefully the Tooth Fairy, aka the Molenator, will cash in that legal tender for some big money. We'll see how the recession is hitting him in the morning.

Going Green

No, not the environmental kind.

Matt tested today and earned himself a fancy new Green Belt in Hapkido. The main page has been updated to include a video of his powerful jumping side kick breaking a medium-grade board.



Yes, that trophy is taller than Master Kim in the picture. I think he was ducking a little to reach Matt around the enormous structure because he is not a particularly short man. But no, that is not just a "Green Belt" trophy. It isn't even a Best Test trophy like he was awarded when he earned his Senior Orange Belt. We are proud of Matt for his Green Belt, but even more so because Matt was voted (by other parents, we swear) to be the 2008 Student of the Year in his age group. We in fact purposefully did not nominate him because there is no good place to display a 5'6" trophy in our house. In the presentation, he was honored as being well disciplined, respectful, committed, and just an all around great kid as voted by "a large majority of parents and instructors".

Along with his Green Belt, Matt officially "graduates" from the Little Ninja's program and advances into the Pee Wee program. That is where Katy is; Pee Wee level is for kids 6-9 and in First Grade and up. If you are scratching your head right about now, you remember correctly that Matt is still only in Preschool. And while other kids we know who are already 6 but in Kindergarten are being denied the chance to advance to Pee Wees, Master Kim believes that Matt is ready for the move a full year (by age) or two (by grade) ahead of schedule. By moving up he will now start getting into weapon techniques as well as grappling and sparring with students potentially twice his size. Now that is self-defense training!

look school is good for something

who would have thought that the most productive thing I have done this semester was to take a photo class. It has forced me to put down the cell phone, dust off the camera and get at least one good shot of each of my kids. (so the learning and blah blah blah other stuff was worthwhile too I suppose) None of these pictures are exactly class material but they make great blog material...and hey they weren't taken from my phone.

so first picture first. Katy ot an award at McGaugh's award ceremony today. Proving that she really is our child (since looks weren't enough for anyone) she got an award for Math. We are very proud of our future little brainiac

Next is Matt. He just got the go ahead today (a little black strip on his belt) to test in the belt test this month. He will be going for his green belt and in doing so will graduate from teh little ninja program. This was at class last week as he was learning a new wrist escape technique that includes throwing the person. Luckily he had a great teacher showing him, and we could almost call him spazzy like Matt with the way he was throing himself on the mat during Matt's throws
Johnny gets left out of all the new exciting things he is doing which is pretty nice for a change. No major issues to complain about except maybe the part where he thinks he is allowed an opinion. But he is adorable as always, speaking in sentences, we are workign on the potty training thing much to his dismay (though to be fair I'm not sure how his pants will stay up without the diaper helping). Oh well, our little talker did refer to himself by name today so that was pretty exciting.