Welcome, Summer!

Hooray! Summer is here! The kids' last day of school was Friday the 24th. We went directly to a TKD end-of-year party in the park, then jumped in the pool before bed. It was a terrific ending to the school year!
Our summer plans involve a lot of travel. In June, Ted will travel to Kansas City, Missouri for the TKD District Championships (if he wins 1st place, he will automatically be eligible for World Championships in early July). Whether he competes or not, we will travel to Little Rock, Arkansas for Worlds to cheer on our friends and to compete in the first tournament of the new tournament year.
Mae and I head to China on July 14 for 10 days - cannot WAIT!
As for camps, Mae has a week of Chinese camp at CCAI (our agency), Sam has a week of Art Camp and Ted is doing a TKD camp for a week. The rest of the time, our schedule will follow the routine that got us through last summer - so beautifully, I might add.

• wake up, breakfast, chores
• dog park/soccer field with Daddy
• Summer Work Hour (math, writing, reading, typing (for Ted)
• free time til lunch
• Lunchtime
• Creek walk with SP
• Pool Time! 
• TKD
• home for showers and bed

Hooray for summer! Here are some pics of the crazy last few events of the school year! 

Ted ran the Bolder Boulder with pal Omri.
Paul and I did our best to keep up with them. 

Cast pic after their performance of "Route 66."

We think she's pretty relaxed these days. 

Mae was herself for Immigration Day at school,
complete with Chinese passport and Adoption Decree

Sam was a "German Jewish ancestor from Berlin." Cutie. 

Our chavurah won the Chav-Olympics!
Love the kiddish cup trophy!

5th Grade Transition Ceremony.
Farewell, elementary school!

Incredible, awesome 4/5 teacher Nel. 

Buds.

A dog in a sidecar wearing a seatbelt and aviation goggles.
Gotta love Boulder. 

Ten

 From my post that day:  
Theodore Asher was born March 5, 2002 at 9:45am at Avista Adventist Hospital. He was 7 pounds, 4 ounces and had a full head of dark hair and dark eyes.

How is it that every birthday is such a surprise to me? Can it really have been ten years already?

When I think of this amazing boy, I remember the sweet baby and the mischievous toddler (I'll never forget him sitting on Sam - it was so funny!).

I also remember the challenge he was as a preschooler while somehow managing to be a wonderful big brother. He also warmly welcomed his new baby sister.

Now,  my surprisingly bright elementary school student is also a second degree black belt (recommended - he'll get the belt in April), a fantastic parkour runner, an avid reader and, while he doesn't like it, he does great in school.

My mother has always maintained that there is nothing as wonderful as a 10-year old boy. I am excited for this new year of double digits. Every year he grows up so much and becomes just a bit more of the man he will become. It is bittersweet, to be sure, but exciting.

Here's a cute 9 month video. Sweet pea!

Happy 10th birthday, Ted. I hope this year will be a fantastic one. We love you so very much.

Family Time: new bike!

Creating a content-rich blog has proved to be an intriguing, fulfilling, and interesting process. Check back on Monday for my post on Sibling Rivalry!

In the meantime, a quick snapshot of our Friday will be the topic today. This morning started early at 5:45am. Ted bounded into the room, crushed that the Tooth Fairy hadn't left him any money (oops.) Unable to face two hours of over-tired children, we spent a lazy hour in bed cuddling before having breakfast at our favorite coffee shop, Ozo.

After school, Mae and I brought the boys' bikes to the bike store to be tuned up for the season. Mae, who has been knocking her knees on the handlebars of her 16" bike for a while now, test-drove a few different models of 20" bikes. She chose a purple Specialized bike with one hand brake and the foot brakes. This is the same type of bike Sam has and she's ridden his with ease.

I am glad she didn't choose the one with gears and only hand breaks. I made that mistake with tiny five-year-old Ted and he was a timid biker for a long time, before he grew into his bike. It's funny how eager I seem to be to push Ted along to the next milestone while dragging my feet with Sam and Mae.

She was so excited that we decided to drop the boys' bikes off at school, drive home, then bike back to pick them up (they elected to stay in After-Care with their buddies rather than accompany us to the bike store). I thought Ole deserved a walk and the sun was out (finally!). It seemed like such a perfect day.

Did you hear the music of doom in that last sentence? As soon as the boys hopped on their bikes to join us on the return trip, the heavens opened. It rained. It poured. It hailed. (Yes, really). It thundered. There was much lightening. There were many, many tears.

We eventually made it home and after toweling off, snuggled together in bed lamenting our poor choice of timing. After a time, everyone recovered and we were off to TKD and dinner at Red Robin with our neighbors. Whew. That was an epic ride I won't soon forget!

One down...

Sam lost his tooth a few days before Ted's birthday party. We told him it was a good thing because he'd have lost it at the party for sure. Cutie. The tooth next to it isn't very loose so we may not get the double gap in front, but he's still adorable just the same. There is nothing cuter than the front teeth missing!

First Day of School!

All three kids started school today. Let me rephrase that: all three kids started school today, at the same school! I am beyond excited.Ted is a 3rd grader this year, in a mixed 2/3 class. I saw him playing with his old buddies (now 4th graders) at recess and his teacher reported that he was very mature and an excellent leader today. He did this in 1st grade too, really stepping up to show the younger ones how it's done.

Sam is in Elizabeth's class this year, all 1st graders. While he isn't with his best buddy Seamus (they are good friends, but not good "learning buddies" according to Sam) but he is with his other buddy Quinn and lots of really sweet boys from the other class that I grew to love while subbing. It is a very nice class and my first experience with 1st grade as all 1st grade without Ks in it! It is an exciting year. We got the thumbs up from Elizabeth and I saw him playing on the playground with his buddies as happy as a clam. He also enjoyed the school lunch today, and his own lunch. He is very tired!

And my baby is in Kindergarten! Mae stayed full day today, eating hot lunch and doing enrichment. She loved it and apparently spoke up whenever she needed anything. She grew up so much this summer and is so excited to be a big kid. We all rode our bikes this morning too, a new and exciting bonus to living in Boulder! More as next week unfolds, but a great 1st day of school! Fridays are always half days for the big kids and no school for the Ks, so tomorrow will be mellow. Hooray!

Vedauwoo

Paul took Sam and Mae camping this weekend. It was Mae's first time and she loved it! They were even dirtier than Ted, so they had a good time! Hopefully we will all go as a family next time. Though I am not a very enthusiastic camper, I am willing to try.

Ted is home!

Exhausted, dirty, sunburned and full of stories, Ted is home safe and sound. He wants to go for two weeks next year and had a great time. He even offered that "all the Jewish stuff" was kind of cool. :-) Here are some pics from Shabbat day and some goofing around back in Denver after getting off the bus.

Shwayder!

I sent Ted off to overnight camp yesterday! He was about to burst from excitement. Here are some pics with his friend Jack and Zach. Warren gave the boys a speech about making new friends (love Jack's expression). I sent him a care package that should arrive today or tomorrow (with a diary, pen, book & small stuffie) and we were able to send an email message this morning. Can't wait for pics! I love the moms pic - Heather looks so excited! Hee hee.

Mae's Pre-K Graduation

Mae graduated today. She was very shy and obviously uncomfortable on the stage, but she stuck it out, sang the songs and even smiled a few times. We are so proud of you, Mae-Mae, and can't wait to see you blossom in Kindergarten!

BIG day tomorrow

Ted and Sam had their last day of school today. Ted is off to Moab for 4 nights with his friend Ben. Tomorrow is Mae's Pre-K graduation. We also close on both houses tomorow afternoon. Saturday we pack up the house and move on Sunday. Amazing. We are alternatively excited and terrified. I will try and get a quick video up of Mae's graduation, but there will be some silence online as we settle in to our new digs. Thanks to everyone for all their support and encouragement!

it's time!

Well, I wondered when this would happen. Ted's been asking some "birds and bees" questions lately. Let me first say that we are a v-e-r-y open family and he knows all there is to know about women's reproductive systems! But the boy part of the equation hasn't been addressed yet and he's asking. My good friend Lisa recommended this book, It's So Amazing!, and I picked it up today. Ted spent some time looking through it but he's very into The Diary of a Wimpy Kid series right now and didn't bring it with him to his room. I'll just leave it out and wait for the discussions to start. Wowza!

here we go again!

Black Belt!

This was amazing. It's like childbirth; all the griping and moaning I've done over the last 3+ years disappeared and I wanted to do it again. C'mon Mae, take TKD! It was a fabulous night. Ted was incredible. He was strong, confident, serious, respectful and full of JOY. Awesome.

He and Daniel did Rock, Paper, Scissors to decide who got to be High Rank (the first in line). Ted won and for only the 3rd time EVER, bowed the whole school in. His voice was strong and confident "All students stand and face the flag!" (Yes, Sir!) "Chareut!" (attention) "Kyung nae" (bow). "Songham Spirit of TaeKwonDo! See jut!" (Begin). And then they all said the opening creed. It was so neat to hear his voice so strong - no wavering!

Then they all sat down in ranks and then he and Daniel had to pop up again to come out to the floor to do Songham 1. At our (small) school, the classes go through a rotation, since there aren't enough students to offer a class for each of the 10 belts. So the 3 lower ranks (white through yellow) all learned Songham 2 this rotation. Ted and Daniel tested out of Songham 1,2, and 3 and chose Songham 1 to perform for testing, to show their mastery of their low rank material. They were almost totally in sync, which looked cool. Ted's kiyaps (yells) were so strong (sometimes he is rather half-hearted about them) and he was very precise in his movements. So cool.

Then they sat for a LOOOOONG time while the color belts tested. Finally it was their turn and they did their form. They both did such a great job- so confident and sharp. Then they did their self-defense (scary, how quickly a 7 year old can bring a grown man to the floor!) Mr. D. asked Ted, "How old are you, Sir?" and Ted replied (in a very good yell, military style) "Seven, Sir!" "When is your birthday, Sir?" "March 5th, Sir!" Hee hee. Daniel just turned 8 a week or so ago, and they've been together since they were just 5 (thus the cute pic above.)

Then all the high ranks (Purple and up) broke their boards. Ted and Daniel had both a hand and foot break, first the palm heel and then a spin into a front kick. POW! Broke them the first time, no problem. Phew!

Next came sparring. Color belts spar without contact, meaning you can connect with your opponent but you're not meant to use any force - it's more for show. At Black Belt you move to contact sparring (i.e. let 'em have it!) The boys were so good! They both used lots of combinations and both had some great jump side kicks to the head. I was glad that they had all the gear on - it got rather rowdy!

Next the color belts received their belts and then everyone did the clap while Ted and then Daniel got their black belts tied. Ted yelled "I'm going to be a 2nd degree!" (you are supposed to yell "I'm a black belt" but he was inspired. Hee.) Then everyone backed up and he and Daniel had their candle ceremony. I've been to many and they are long, but this one was magical, as I'm sure it is to each black belt when it's their time. They receive their candle, bow to each of the judges (standing in for masters) and walk around the mat (slowly! fire!) while a tape of Master Lee, the founder of the American TaeKwonDo Association (ATA) plays, describing the beginning of Songham TKD and how it all evolved into what it is now. It's so neat.

Then we had a party! Laura (Daniel's mother) and I wanted to have a cake and we got a great one and lots of people stayed to chat and munch. It was a fabulous, wonderful night that I hope Ted will never forget. I hope the pride and confidence that came with this night will be with him for the rest of his life. Pics to come (courtesy of our dear friend Josh - it was sooo nice to not have to worry about taking pictures!).

Congratulations, Ted. We are SO proud of you!

Sam is 6: Mae rides a 2 wheeler

Today was Sam's birthday. Since he doesn't have Kindergarten on Fridays, it was a good day for it! He opened his presents, had his well check (43 pounds and 44 inches tall - both 25%) and played lots of Laser Tag at Boondocks. We finished up with a DQ cake and lego building. What a great day!

He loved the science stuff: a light kit (we did a few of the experiments and I think the color one was his favorite - there are tons more to do) and the volcano kit (we'll work on that tomorrow.) Daddy got him a Mars Mission lego set (MONTHS ago, since it's discontinued) that got both boys VERY excited. Sam built the smaller ship all by himself (!!) and Ted worked very hard on the larger one; Paul will check it out in the morning and help out if need be. I can't quite believe he is getting to be such a big boy. Mae may be the youngest child, but Sam will always be my baby. With his sweet disposition and quirky personality, every year just gets better and better. Happy birthday, Sam!


Yesterday we finally got a video of Mae riding her 2 wheeler. Rock star!

Sam's 1st Day of Kindergarten

Today Sam finally got to go to Kindergarten! He was so exited (and toothless!) He walked right in and got settled. They were having morning movement outside and I hung around to do a lice check (no lice!). When I left he was "being a loner" but seemed happy enough. After school Wendy walked the 6 kiddos out who only stay for the 1/2 day. Sam, of course, exited the building empty-handed, so we had to go back in and get his backpack etc. Silly guy! We had lunch with Daddy and went to the toy store where his tooth fairy money bought him a small pirate bag of "jewels." Kewl.
Mae also had a good day, but since she stayed for enrichment I didn't get the full scoop. I'll try to get some pics of her on Wednesday. Tomorrow is our "Girl Day."
WOW! What big kids I have!!!

phew!

Because it will probably be another year before my next tri, I thought I'd do the play-by-play version. Short story: hard but fun!
We all got up at 5am. I had packed the car up before so we were on our way by 5:45 (yes, the whole family came - isn't that sweet? Not required from now on, but sweet for the 1st time.) Got to the rez around 6:30 and set up our transition area. I was right next to Namino and Sylvie, which made for nice pre-race chatting. We headed to the water around 7:30 and did some swimming in the warm up area. It was great in the water but breezy and cool on shore. The water was a little choppy, but no one swam over me and I didn't get kicked in the face, so I think it was a wonderful swim! I did it in 18:35, which is about 2 minutes faster than I've done it before. Woot! I was a bit disoriented getting out of the water and had to be directed to the correct side of the transition area, but I did run out of the water and to my bike, rather than walk - which felt cool. My transition was really slow, but I got to the bike section eventually and it was a good ride. My pelvic area fell asleep completely without bike shorts on, but no pain, so that was good! My right hand also fell asleep, which made shifting impossible on the last lap but otherwise, I'd say I picked off at least 30 people, which feels so good, especially when they're in their 20's!
The run felt the best but was surprisingly slow (29:55). It took about a mile to get into a non-gasping state, but then it felt soooo good and relaxing. It was also a special treat to see Missy handing out the water and Wendy at the turn-around point. After running it in and seeing my peeps, I went back out on the course to run Sylvie in. That was really fun - she did great too! Then we enjoyed the post-race expo and the kids got some yummy Wahoo's, yogurt and ice cream.
We had to really rush once we got going since I had choir rehearsal in Denver at 1! I showered quickly and got there just in time. I came home and tried to collapse, but Sam lost his first tooth! So we had to ooh and ahh over that. Tomorrow is Sam and Mae's 1st day of school and they want zucchini bread for breakfast, so one last chore before I can rest.
Summary: I think the sprint is a good distance for me. While I could have run longer, I can't imagine doing much more than 1:30 as a total. I was so tired! But it was very fun and I do love the training, so I'll stick with it. I don't think I'm one of those who is going to rush right in and sign up for the rest of the season though. I'm done! I'll take a rest tomorrow and then Saturday is the CF Ride. The 1/2 Marathon is coming up on Sept. 20 and then we'll head into Winter Maintenance. I plan to take the winter to heal my rotater cuff and improve my speed in the swim!
All in all, a GREAT experience.

2nd Grade

The pic is a bit blurry, but I LOVE the expressions of anticipation/joy/excitement on Kai and Ted's faces as they sit in the meeting area on their first day of 2/3. He came home with a fantastic letter from the 2/3 team. They are going to study Ancient Egypt in history and Earth Sciences in science. Also Spanish, math, spelling, reader's and writer's workshop as well as A&S electives. A full but fun curriculum. We had our traditional 1st Day of School ice cream (with Dakota, Kai and Aiden's families.) They really get serious about homework this year, which is cute. They get all their homework for the week on Monday and it's due on Friday. The kids are to complete the work ON THEIR OWN (thank God!) and shouldn't need help, but "being present" for them during homework time is encouraged. They have school planners and on Monday morning, they plan their week and what the homework will be. It sounds like they are really focusing on getting the kids responsible for their work, which is awesome!

We spent our last week of summer going to Water World one last time (no lines!), helping set up Ted's classroom and having Sam's K assessment, and trying to squeeze every last drop of summer out ... I think we succeeded. Everyone is happy and ready to be back at school (Mae's Meet 'N Greet is tomorrow and Sam starts K on Monday) and I am ready for my tri on Sunday! Ahhhh!!!

4 Years Old

It is official - Mae is 4! We had a great day. She opened her presents on our bed (what a thrill! being allowed on the bed!), had McD's for breakfast, went to Build-A-Bear to make her very first bear, had Noodles for an early dinner/late lunch AND had cupcakes. She was a little testy all day, but isn't that the norm for the bday child? Her party is on Sunday and we are all excited. All her little friends from preschool are coming, as well as the family friends who can make it. Happy Birthday, sweetheart! You are such a big girl!

(Another post will follow in a few days with video of her riding her big 2-wheeler. I just can't seem to remember the video camera!!)

*Update* At her 4 yr well check, Mae was 41 inches tall (75%) and 36 pounds (50%). She is strong and healthy and perfect.

home safe

My boys are back! Everyone had a BLAST camping. No one remembered syrup or flashlights and the camera battery died after one picture, but everyone was filthy, tired and happy when they returned today. I'm so glad they weren't snowed or rained out this time! Here's the one pic - Sam digging for dinosaur bones.

This morning we went to Lakeshore and I ran the Bolder Boulder ... on the treadmill. B-O-R-I-N-G! Luckily I had my music with me. The course was very good - it knew all the hills and everything. I do NOT like running on a treadmill but it was better than nothing. Mae played happily with Elise (our neighbor) at daycare. Then we took Ole back to the dog park where he played even more enthusiastically than yesterday. Mae OFFICIALLY is off training wheels - she rocked today. I will try and get some video tomorrow. She played in the little water park too. I took a nap (ahhhh...) while she watched (the very same) Kipper and then we did a quick grocery store trip for the week and came home to chill before the boys got home. It's great to have them home. Next week: the last week of summer camp for all three! And my 8th grade reunion over the weekend, so a short week for me. Fun!

Red Belt!

Ted tested for his Red Belt Friday night. He was awesome. His form is 44 moves long and he needed no help. He ROCKED. He broke his board in one try and sparred the pants off a 9yo opponent. But the sweetest thing of all was when Mr. D asked him "Why do you want to be a Black Belt, sir?" and Ted replied, without missing a beat, "Because I want to be a gooder person, sir." I mean, seriously. Could he BE any sweeter?! I could eat him up! He did so well ... this is his 4th testing with K4K now and he's totally on board with being a big kid now. In only 4 more testings he'll earn his Black Belt! Amazing. We are so proud of you, Ted!