First Days

I have had about 30 first days of school so far.  As a teacher, they just never stop coming! : )  Every year, never fails, there are the first day jitters...am I going to like my students, are they going to like me, am I going to have any crazy parents, am I going to have 35 kids in one class, etc, etc.  But, as I sit here on the eve of yet another first school day, I am not thinking about any of those things...I can only think about the first time I will drop my baby off at Kindergarten!  He is super excited and cannot wait to see what school is all about.  I am super excited for him, but welling up with tears as I write this.  I cannot believe this day is already here...

I am scared to let him go, but I am comforted by the fact that his teacher seems so sweet and nurturing.

I am nervous for him as he encounters so many unknowns, but I am thankful that he is more excited than he is scared.

I am sad that it's already time for him start this journey, but I am excited to see where this year takes him.

Aidan, tomorrow is the first of many exciting times in your educational career.  I know it's going to be a great year.  I pray that your love of  learning will continue to grow with you and that you will look back on these years with fond memories.  I love you so much and can't wait to see what lies ahead!

Pride

Aidan got his green belt today.  There were a few moments this morning where I wasn't sure if it was going to happen...

He has been ready to test for his green belt for a while now.  His teacher tells us all the time how great he is doing and he has no worries about him testing.  Aidan, on the other hand, was not so sure.  During each belt test, the student has to break a board with a punch or a kick. During his last test, this gave him some difficulty...he had to kick the board 3 times before it broke.  Ever since that experience, he has been afraid to break the boards.  This fear grew into an anxiety that I was afraid would become crippling to his Tae Kwon Do.  If he doesn't break the boards, he cannot advance.  Board breaking is one minor part of the test...the students have to perform numerous kicks and punches across the floor, as well as demonstrate the required form for that belt...the form has ranged from 8 to 18 counts long so far and continues to get more difficult as you progress through the belts.  The memorization is usually the hardest part...especially for the younger students.  Not for Aidan, though...his form is so solid he blows the older kids out of the water!  His teacher often uses him to demonstrate to the class as to what the form should look like...he is flawless on this part!

Anyway, when he realized that today was going to be test day, he started crying...the fear was taking over.
We talked him in to going and watching for a bit and then seeing if he wanted to do it.  Once we got there, he did not want to get out on the mat. We did not force him...we told him it was totally up to him.  Of course we wanted him to...I knew that if he didn't do it today, his anxiety level would just continue to grow.  At one point, I honestly thought we were going home without him even trying...but something made him get up and join the other kids.  They had already started to warm up and he went out and joined in.  He was still super scared and cried on and off through the whole thing, but he never got up and ran off.

Each student went through their form one by one.  I could see his anxiety level building as he knew it was closer and closer to his turn.  But, once they got to him, he got up and killed the form portion...it was perfect!

He also did a great job on the kicks and punches they asked him to do.

Then it was time for the boards...when he saw the teachers bring them out, he started to cry again.  But, he staid out there and, when it was his turn, he split the board into 3 pieces!  Many of the other parents were saying they have never seen anyone kick the middle out of the board!

Practice Kick

The Real Deal

Master Kim giving Aidan the 3 pieces.

I have never been more proud of my Aidan than I am today.  He has done numerous things that have made me proud in his short life, but today was different.  Today was the first time he pushed through an overwhelming (in his eyes) fear and crushed the goal he was reaching for!  We all knew he could do it...he just needed to believe that he could.  I hope this helps in his believing in himself!

Aidan, we are so proud of you...not for the way you did your form or the fact that you broke the board...but for the fact that you were brave.  You got out there and did something you were afraid to do...you stared your fear in the face and conquered it!  You have filled me with pride today, and I hope you know how strong you are!!!

PS...I fell in love with my husband a little more today as I listened to him talking with Aidan before and after the test.  Before the test, he was encouraging him, giving him the option to do it or not, and reassuring him that we would love him the same whether he chose to or not.  Afterwards he was explaining to him that it's ok to be afraid and to cry.  Then he told him that not being afraid of anything is stupid.  But being afraid and trying it anyway is bravery...love that!

PPS...This was all a learning experience for me, too.  In the beginning, I wanted to scoop Aidan off that floor and "save" him from the fear and potential embarrassment.  I'm so glad I didn't...I would have robbed him from this accomplishment and his proudest moment to date!

Trip to the Austin Children's Museum

In an effort to do something fun that did not involve being outside in the 100+ degree weather, I took the boys (and Grammy and Grampy...because they make everything more fun!) to the Austin Children's Museum.  We had never been before and both of the boys had a great time.  

When you first walk in, it's a bit overwhelming...there's so much to do and discover...the boys didn't know where to start.  Their first stop was at the "Tube Tunes" station...I could have stayed here the whole time!

 The kids bop the different tubes with a fat sponge which causes the air to vibrate inside and create a sound.  The different tubes were color coded and they had a book to read to play different songs...really cute!

Then, it was on to the wonderful world of physics!  This part was full of activities that involved launching golf balls down tracks to see what would happen...the boys loved it!

On to the construction site...Gavin was cracking us up with his construction hat!  He just couldn't get it to stay put! : )

 "How tall am I, Mom?"  Almost exactly 4 feet tall...which is evidently equivalent to...

...3 and 1/2 hammers!

In the next area, the kids could build their own vehicle and send it down the track.  They could change the incline on the track to see how that affected the cars ride.

One of Gav's favorite spots...he loves trains and this was the biggest train table ever!

 Another one of their favs...we are always stopping at this thing in the mall...Grammy emptied her wallet for the boys to spin the coins down into the abyss.

Last stop...the gift shop.  Gavin ended up with 2 airplanes and Aidan got a couple prizes, too!

A very fun morning...and educational, too!  I'd recommend it to anyone with little ones!

Last Day at Great Wolf Lodge

We started off the last day of our trip in the hotel arcade.  

Skyler won 100 tickets on this wheel of fortune...he was super excited!

Aidan and Gavin pummeling the sharks!

All of the boys got to pick some valuable prizes with their tickets!

Grampy even got in on the action!  Grammy did, too...I just never caught her! : )

Then we went over to Grapevine Mills Mall for one last outing...lunch at the Rainforest Cafe.

  You are surrounded by animals and rainforest sounds as you dine.  The kids loved it!

When we got back to the hotel, we spent the rest of the time playing at the water park.  I took my camera this time to try to capture some of their fun...

 Gav would slide over and over again...he loved it!

 The bucket at the top of this pic would fill up with water and dump out every 10 minutes or so.  Standing under this was one of the big kids favorite parts of the water park.

Sage and Aidan getting splashed under the bucket.

Gavin loved all of the fountains.

 Aidan and Skyler waiting for the action in the wave pool.

Before we checked out the next morning, we found some more time for the other big attraction of the hotel...the Magi Quest.  It is a Harry Potter-ish scavenger hunt around the hotel where the kids are Magi and go on several different quests.  Our big boys completed the whole thing...which takes hours to do!  But, they had fun doing it and even beat a dragon along the way!

 Gavin used his wand as a sword most of the time!

 Waiting for our ride.

It was a great trip!  We are very thankful to Grammy and Grampy for another fun time together and for helping to create such special memories for our boys!

Lego Land Discovery Center

The majority of our second day of vacation was spent at the Lego Land Discovery Center in Grapevine Mills Mall.  It was amazing, and fun was had by all ages!  I'll let the pictures do the talking...

This little guy was at the entrance.

This was the entrance into the gift shop...much damage was done in there! : )

The next few pics were taken in the MiniLand section...this was probably most impressive to the adults as they have recreated the downtowns and big attractions of the DFW area.  A cool attraction for the kids here was that parts of it were interactive...they could press buttons to move pieces on the displays.

Downtown Dallas

DFW Airport

Great Wolf Lodge

Cowboy Stadium...kids could move the players on the field.

Gavin is standing in front of the Fort Worth Stockyards.  He was making a cowboy ride a bucking bronco.

Rangers Ballpark

In the center of all the exhibits is a huge playscape.  I couldn't get a picture 

of the whole thing, but here are a couple of the boys in action.

    

One of the favorite parts for the older boys was a section where you can build your own cars and race them.  They spent quite a bit of time working on their vehicles and racing them down the tracks.

We had to take a break for lunch...they were afraid they'd lose some of their car parts so they came to the table with us! : )

The little kid section was really cute, too.  You can't tell from this picture, 

but there's a barn they climb into and then slide down here to get out of it.

 And, there are trees and safari animals surrounding it.

And, big Duplo blocks to build with.  Gavin enjoyed building "towers" and knocking them down.

Aidan and Sage on the Merlin's Apprentice ride.

There are literally legos everywhere...this was a table of buckets that lined the wall.  Every bucket was full of legos for the kids to build with.

            They were even in the water...this "water craft" was made of legos and swam around in the fish tank.

Lego Land was something new for everyone and definitely a highlight of the trip!  I would recommend it for anyone with kids...and if you have girls, there is also a sweet Princess Parlor that none of our boys were interested in!