The Beards: Our Little Karate Kid.

Sorry since it has been awhile since our last entry. I know we have been busy but it doesn't seem like we actually did very much. Here is a quick recap of the past week. We started the week with about 2 feet of snow on the ground and cold temps. By Wed and Thurs it was upper 60's and all the snow melted away. Then Saturday and Sunday it dropped back to the low 30's and we got some more snow. It just can't seem to make up its mind. We are teased with beautiful weather for a couple of days and then bam, snow again. I don't mind the cold at all so I guess it isn't all that bad.

On Wednesday night the kids were lucky enough to have Great Grandma Elaine come over and spend some time with us while Jennie and her parents went to watch a basketball game. The kids but her to quick use as they had Great Grandma help them fill out their Valentine Day cards. Brooklyn was able to do all the ones for her class by herself but Maddux hasn't learned how to write so he told Great Grandma who he wanted to send one to and she would fill it out for him. We are grateful to be able to spend time with her and I know she loves spending time with the kids.

The kids have started swimming lessons again and have those on Tues and Thurs night. They are really progressing nicely and love to swim. Nolan is not quite old enough to do lessons yet but is probably more excited to go swimming than Brooklyn and Maddux. Thursday I stayed afterwards and took him swimming with the other kids and some of their friends. They have a blast and love swimming. Nolan is the one we have to watch out for as he has no fear of the water. He has no problem going under and will jump in whether you are watching or not. He is a little dare devil.

Our Valentine was not the typical night out as a couple. The day started with me having to ref 4 youth basketball games in the morning. Then one of the girls that Jennie watches during the day, Emma, was having a birthday party so we took the kids to that. It was at a local bowling alley and our kids love to bowl. Then we had to hurry home and Maddux and I headed out to his karate awards banquet. It was kind of strange to have it on Valentine's Day but I thought it would be fun for him so we decided to go. It was down in Canton at a very nice hotel downtown. There were probably 150 or so people there. They provided everyone with dinner and then had some of the students demonstrate their skills. They had kids sparring, breaking boards, do flips, and showing off various moves. Maddux really liked that part the best. A couple of the kids who help out with his class were involved so it was fun for him to see those guys in action. Then they passed out various awards to some of the different students. Maddux was awarded the Most Accomplished Male Young Kicker award for his efforts and skills in karate. It was pretty cool for him to be recognized for that. I think the only thing that he was interested in was getting the award. There were a total of about 8 or 10 different karate studios there, from as far away as North Carolina and Virginia, and he was the one who got the award for that category. It is basically for students under the age of 7 (he just turned 5). We are very proud of all that he has accomplished and have seen a huge improvement with his focus, skills, and attitude. The event lasted a total of 3 hours, which for a 5 year old can seem like an eternity, but he did a very good job and had a good time. Here are a couple of pictures from the night: