Sunday, February 26, 2017

Billy kicks ass at state!

Billy was amazing at state.  Earlier in the week we were told that he wouldn't compete in sparring since he was the only kid in his weight/belt/age, but NOT TRUE!  He was able to compete and the great news is that he got to fight new kids.

(Aside, part of our issue is that all the good kids in state go to his gyms, so he fights them in practice all the time. Then when it comes time for competition, he ends ups fighting the same kids he always practices with.  Its hard then for him to get new competition, which he needs if he's going to be ready for nationals in July. So, state was a welcome surprise)

They have him competing as a red belt since he's only a probationary black belt and won't get his full black belt until a week before nationals. To add to the complexity, what ever belt he competes at during state is what he needs to compete at for nationals even though they are 5 months apart. Hence, competing as a red belt.

Here's how it breaks down...

3rd place in demo
https://youtu.be/qYTlqSTFwz4

1st place in pomsea after 2 rounds  - his kicks are amazing and his form nice and sharp

https://youtu.be/40iGPhS5Lnc

https://youtu.be/57u-QprxPoI

1 place in sparring after 2 rounds - you can tell that he's been spending a ton of time with Mr Lee and he's becoming a really smart and strategic sparrer

https://youtu.be/rKIRaqLv34I

https://youtu.be/w9oL_25eIpU

https://youtu.be/a5aahagLD78

https://youtu.be/R5uVuNeL9-8

https://youtu.be/y1AR6vLHdbA

https://youtu.be/dBKbd8BOKOI

https://youtu.be/IRn_sn99530

https://youtu.be/a-PvKBcWQW0

Proud of him!!

Love you Bill!

Monday, February 20, 2017

Kay took 2nd overall!! at Gina Morri

Kay kicked some serious butt and took 2nd overall at the Gina Morri tournament yesterday.
See the highlights below, she is thrilled and we are thrilled for her!
Its amazing how close the scores are, just shows how competitive it is at her level (13 yr old level 8)
Go Kay Go!!  State, here we come:)

https://youtu.be/abdAndA6vnI  floor 8.925 4th place

https://youtu.be/Konqes5wNjs  vault #1 no place 8.55

https://youtu.be/_xztB4Ujo8I  vault #2

https://youtu.be/-5z21KnjlkA  bars 8th place 8.45

https://youtu.be/tapP5Gosf3M  beam 1st place 8.9


Friday, February 17, 2017

Jazz Combo!! Jimmy on drums and sax doing double duty

Check it out, the band has been picking, arranging and practicing their own music and have been entirely self directed their director (Mr Wolf) didnt even hear them play until the morning of their concert. I love this group of boys. They are all musical and play sports. I hope they stick together through high school!

And, Jimmy asked for a harmonica for V-Day and so now he plays keyboard, drums, guitar, sax and harmonica.  Yikes. He already knows Piano Man on harmonica and its driving us crazy.

Check these out....

Talent.

jazz combo 1
jazz combo 2
Jazz combo 3
jazz combo 4

Saturday, February 04, 2017

Quick updates around the table

Things have been fairly normal around here the last few weeks, which is to say WAY busy and fun.
Since there are no big shakes, thought we go around the table and give a few brief updates.

Tom
LOVING his new job, the kids, the faculty, his peers ... He frequently gets artwork that says things like - Mr Tom is the best Tom.  Its super cute. He's just getting over a bad bad cold (read Man Cold) but seems to be getting better, slowly.

Tracy
Way busier than when she was working. She's taken over kid driving duties from 3:30-8:00 and try to get 10-15 networking meetings in a week on top of her board work (Crisis Nursery, Bellis and Childrens Home) and project work with the United Way, Jeremiah Program and Lutheran Social Services. She's having the time of her life, meeting really cool people but absolutely exhausted by the weekends.

Jimmy
He's on a promotional tour to switch schools and go to Benilde.  Not going to happen but... it has sparked him to start ready daily scripture readings and Kay even gave him a tiny New Testament.  He continues to grow and can now dunk the basketball, a feat he's incredibly proud of.  He registered for the high school and signed up for band and chinese 1.  Strange kid.

Kay
She did make state in her 1st gymnastics meet (she got a 33.55 and we thought she needed a 34.5 but ... turns out at level 8 you only need a 33.5 - the drama!) but it came with a TON of worry, anxiety and stress in the weeks leading up to the meet. So, she's started meditating with an app on her phone. Not sure how its really going (she usually yells at us to be quiet in the middle of it) but claims its helping her be more confident in practice,  lets hope!

Billy
He is loving his new phone and it does cause issues occasionally when he forgets to do things like put on his shoes and coat.  Taekwondo is ramping up with 1 meet a month between now and June.  He's getting ready for Jr High and has a ski field trip this week that he's super excited about.

Ian
Not sure if he actually like nordic skiing but he goes to practice and has competed in a few meets (they were cold and hill). He seems to have a good group of friends and the do have plans on a weekly basis. He's getting better about telling us in advance, which is really helpful!

Nikki
Still LOVES winter, wishes it would snow more and has been caught stealing Ian's tennis balls that he needs for his stress management class.  She is starting to develop fatty lumps but they dont seem to bother her and the definitely dont slow her down when Tracy takes her onto the golf course and off leash.  She's like a puppy.

All of the kids did well with 1st semester grades, all variations of A's and B's (with the outlier C in French 5 for Jimmy, but it completed his high school language requirement and he got college credit so we aren't complaining)