Our Surprise Weekend to Racine

Kevin decided that a trip to Racine Wisconsin was in order, but this trip was going to be kept a secret from the kids.  We were not going to tell them that we were even going anywhere until the morning we were leaving and even then, we were only going to tell them what to pack.

The day before we were leaving I baked 3 loaves of cinnamon bread because I can't disappoint my nephews and niece and not bring any.  It would be like me going to Racine and not buying any Kringle.  Just.Not.Going.To.Happen.

Friday morning dawns a beautiful day.  We tell the kids to pack and we get the house ready to leave.  They tried and tried to figure out where we were going for the weekend.  At one point Tyler says, "if Mom takes that cinnamon bread then I know where we are going!"  I had to hide the bread in my overnight bag so they wouldn't know I took it!

We left and the kids kept trying to figure out where we were going.  There were a few times, we thought they would get it when they saw the signs, but nope.  We hit Chicago and they thought we were spending the weekend there, until we were through the city and we hadn't stopped.

It was as were were exiting off the highway onto Hwy 20 did Micah finally guess we were going to their cousin's house.  Then he quickly exclaimed "The Land of Kringle!"

Weekends together always include, late nights, breakfasts of cinnamon bread and kringle, lots and lots of games and this time....

Yup we went roller skating.  I think it had been at least 20 years since I had donned roller skates.  I thought for sure I would end up on my butt!  Thankfully I didn't, but I was close a few times!

Now Andy... Well, he is the guy that flies around the rink barely moving his feet, he crosses his legs back and forth, he skates backwards and everything... he has skills.  I tried to get is hair blowing out behind him as he came around the corner, but my iPhone just couldn't capture the flowing locks.  But I think we can all agree that he could pass as Jesus on roller skates.

This is some of the "group" coming around the corner.  Carey doesn't usually skate like this... she was putting her moves on for the camera.. neither does Kevin for that matter...

Then I tried to be all awesome and take pictures of everyone behind me while skating... They are blurry but they make me smile.  As I was trying to take them, more and more of our group tried getting into it so I had to keep raising my phone higher and higher... so only my forehead is in them.

Here is one of just us adults... Kevin snuck into the picture just as I was taking it.

This is Tyler.

Here is a picture of all the kids.

Oh I almost forgot!  Before we went skating Andy made us all cotton candy.  How many roller skating Jesus' do you know that have their own cotton candy machines?!  So we sugared them up to take them skating.  Worked out beautifully.

Here is a picture of the girls.  They could either be found in Emily's room or in the basement dancing to a wii game.  Not once did we hear "I'm bored" or "we have nothing to do" they are just like their Momma's.  Carey and I could keep ourselves occupied for hours as girls... even if we were just laying on a bunk bed giggling.

Ok, one last picture.... it's the ceremonial picture that must be taken every time Carey and I are together.  We started this tradition I think when we were pre-teens??

The weekend was too short and flew by too fast.  We are already planning our next time together... hopefully it will be longer than just a weekend (hint, hint Andy... aka Jesus on roller skates... the pond awaits your exploration)!!

My Crazy Tyler Turns 11yrs old!!

Tyler's Birthday party was the first to be celebrated in our farm house.  It felt so good that there was a place for all to sit, even if it was the floor.  The only thing I miss about the old house was the finished basement.  It was just another place for the kids to spread out.  Aiden kept asking to go see the basement.  It took us awhile to figure out that he was looking for the old basement with all the toys.  Sorry Aiden, most of our basement toys are still boxed up in the garage!

We ordered pizza and Tyler wanted a clown cake for his birthday.  He wanted "Crazy Tyler turns 11 yrs old!" written on it.  After all the hoopla of the birthday party most of us got ready to go to our church for a special event called Tiny Circus.  The kids all seemed to have fun and even us adults got a kick out of some of the acts.

It was that evening that a snow storm moved into the area and dumped quite a bit of snow on us, it lasted until early Monday morning.

Tyler and I headed out to the back forty late Monday morning.  Let me tell you, walking through snow drifts up to 2 ft deep was quite a workout.  We made it all the way back to the pond.  Here are some pictures after the snow stopped and the sun showed it's rare face to us.

This is one of the pond and the little bench that sits on the dock.

I couldn't get over the blueness of the sky.  I guess when you don't see it for months on end, it looks extra beautiful!

One last picture of the birthday boy who spent about an hour hiking in snow with his Momma.  We were both worn out by the time we got back!

Blessings!!

A New Chapter Begins

There are points in life when there is a life shift.  Sometimes you see it coming and sometimes you  don't.  This time I saw it coming.

It was like walking down a road in the middle of a moonless night, when up ahead you see a truck racing towards you with it's bright lights on.  You can't miss it, it blinds you.  You know the minute, the second it arrives.  That blinding light transports you into a new season of life... Our new season...We are no longer considered a "young" family.

Oh my, the tears just well up at the thought that my baby is old enough to now be called a teenager.  Officially it happened at 5:36pm Sunday night and let me tell you, he was not officially 13 until 5:36pm.  His party started at 5pm so all who love him could celebrate this momentous occasion with us.  Our house was filled to overflowing.

I think your 13th birthday is one of the biggest, if not the biggest of your childhood.  It's one of those birthdays you remember for life.

His birthday weekend didn't start off so great.  Things that had been planned were cancelled (due to weather).  There were other situations that caused Micah disappointment.  We adjusted, made changes and as Uncle Andy always says "when life hands you lemons, make lemonade" and that is just what we did!!  I think Micah will forever remember his 13th Birthday.

Micah's cake is comical to us.  He originally wanted me to make his cake.  Kevin and I felt it wasn't really possible with the oven that currently resides in our house, so he was gracious and said that Costco could make his cake.  Micah and I went there to pick it out and this is the one he selected.  I thought it was hilarious being that he was turning 13, and never told him what "over the hill" was referring to.  After Daddy saw it and started laughing did he enlighten his son to the meaning behind the cake and we all had a good laugh about it.

His birthday continued after everyone left with a sleepover with his cousin Nicholas.  Kevin and I went to bed just after 9pm and gave the boys free reign over the house, bedtime, and activities.  Funny, they were in bed by 9:45pm.  Micah gave into sleep around midnight and Tyler just informed me that he and Nicholas talked until 2am (Sorry Toni!!).

Now I'm going to get all sentimental...
Sunday night was beautiful to me.  This old house has seen hundreds of birthdays over it's existents.  Even though the floors cause you to walk like a drunken sailer until you get used to it's ebb and flow, the staircase would be more efficient with a fireman's pole it's such a vertical climb, I have a bucket in the basement catching the water that drips from the shower, but Sunday night it held family and friends together in the celebration of the life of Micah Alan Peters.  There was room for all 30+ people to break bread (pizza) together.  There was space for the kids to run and be crazy.  I love that I don't care if a ding goes in the wall, I love that greasy pizza hands ran up and down the steps and their greasy hands joined the greasy hand marks of children over the past 100 years.  It was night full of memories... Like the paper ball fight that went on around Micah as he opened his gifts (it was Kevin against every other kid here... we were picking up paper balls long after everyone left).  I will always hold this birthday party close to my heart, new friends were included, old friends maintained there steadfast presence and family were all here to surround our family with love.

4 Years of Hard Work!!

He was eight years old when he walked into class for the first time.  He was timid and shy.  My heart was breaking for him as he walked into a room full of people he didn't know.  A man came up to him and welcomed him into class, he took him to the back of the room and stood next to him the whole class period.  Teaching him the very first building blocks the next 4 years would be built on.

Over the next 4 years I watched this boy slowly mature into a young man, I watched him work hard at learning all he needed to know.  Over the last year he was gearing up for the final test.  There is a full year from becoming a brown belt to becoming a black belt.  There are tests and requirements that must be met.  There was an essay that needed to be written and a 128 question test on the origin of Tung Soo Do Kyohoe Kwan (that is the style of karate), many of the Korean words used, the history of the DoJang (karate studio), the meaning of the parts of the Korean flag, and the list goes on.

To say getting a black belt at Crusader Martial Arts is time consuming is an understatement.  Hours upon hours were spent in the studio or at home studying and working on all the different requirements that were needed.

As the end was approaching Micah came down with influenza and was sick the whole month before his black belt test.  He even missed the written test and had to make arrangements to take the test at a later time (he passed his test 85.5% Whoo Hoo!!).  He also was assigned a mentor to help get him ready for his physical test, but because he was sick, he was unable to meet with him at all.  A week before his physical test he was still recovering from the sickness.

The physical test is a 4-6 hr test in which the students are tested on everything they have learned since becoming white belts.  It is physically exhausting test.  I know this not only because I sat and watched the sweat fly from the faces of the students but because Micah had the chance to go to the Cottage Bar afterwards for lunch and he turned it down to go home, shower, and lay on the couch.

Micah's test lasted just over 4 hours and the reason it was one of the faster blackbelt tests was because all of the students knew there stuff so well, there wasn't much repeating techniques.  Watching I couldn't help but be over the moon proud of Micah.  He was nervous going into the test, which is understandable, but during the first shio (rest period) Sah Bum Nim Lisa (his instructor) came down from the judges box and told Micah he was doing an amazing job.  She would continue coming to him during his shios telling him "you got this Micah, your doing great", it was nice to have her reassure him that he was passing the test.

Each student had to break 5 boards.  They preselected the type of kick, strike, or block they were going to use.  At times it can be painful to watch board breaking because if they hit the board wrong... well lets just say it can be very painful.

Micah was getting ready to do a knee strike and DoJaNim joked with him about getting Sah Bum Nim Duane in the stomach. Sah Bum Nim Duane is Sah Bum Nim Lisa's son, you can see her in the back laughing about this too.

After the the test was done, we waited while the judges conferred with each other.  They made the students stand at attention then gave the news that they all passed!  Micah's reaction... "I DID IT!"

Sorry, poor picture quality, it was my phone

This next picture is Micah with his current instructor Sah Bum Nim Lisa and the man who took Micah under his wing his very first class... Kyo Sa Nim Nick.  It was a pretty special day that may or may not have included tears.

Flash back... Micah and his buddy Dan have gone through this whole process together.  They have been partners for different techniques, they have studied together, and pushed each other along on this journey, so I thought I would share a picture I found of two little boys who were white deputies getting their yellow belts.  Picture is dark, but hopefully you can see Dan on the left and Micah on the right.

and now....

Then for a whole week we had to wait until the potluck for Micah to receive his new belt.  It was a long week for him.... he couldn't wait! His black belt being tied by HuimJaNim Jaci

DoJuNim gets his hug!

The newest black belts!

Then pictures again with all the important people... except the two that paid for all of this... we never got a picture with him.  Hmm....

I now officially have a black belt living in my home.  He has decided that he is going to work towards his 2nd Don which takes about 2 years.  His ultimate goal is a Master, which would take about 9-10 years provided he passes all his tests.  In the meantime, he has applied to be an instructor which requires him to go through more training.

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Micah, I have watched you grow from a little timid boy to a confidant young man.  God has given you this desire to take your skill to the next level and I am so excited to see you continue to mature into the Man God is molding you into.  You will go far in life as long as you always remember that everything you have and everything you are is a blessing from God.  Without Him you are nothing, with Him you are Everything!!  Keep working hard, I love you Micah Bean!!