Fencing Lessons

Kieran has been asking for fencing lessons for years.  He tolerates karate but has even asked if we could afford fencing lessons if he stopped taking karate.  For many reasons, fencing simply does not fit into our budget or family plans. I refuse to fill our schedule up with individual classes/lessons for just for one child.  I'd rather spend more time at home and not drive everyone crazy.  Family time is a greater priority.  Plus most of the fencing lessons are on the other side of Rochester and they are very expensive. So they never were considered.  However, the other day I was flipping through a catalog we received for some local recreation programs and found an introductory fencing class for elementary kids.  It is just a 6-week session and was still out of our budget in general but his grandparents are chipping in on the classes for a birthday present. When we split the cost in half, it almost brought it down to the level we normally spend on birthdays.  Since Kieran has been wanting fencing lessons for so long, I decided I was willing to spend just a little more than usual. 

Alan took him to the first session last night. We did not tell him where he was going to keep it a surprise.  The kid was beyond thrilled.  Just judging from the grin on his face when he arrived home last night, I think we can safely say he is thrilled with his birthday present.  Yes, I know his birthday is in December but the class is now.  I think he won't mind no presents on his actual birthday because this experience is much better than a new toy.

Field Trip Friday

I arranged a field trip to Stokoe Farms for today. I thought since we had such a great time on the weekend, that it would be a great trip for the group.  However I am going to come out and say that they really stink at arranging field trips.  I received little direction on the organizing the trip from them (information regarding what we'd be doing, time frames, etc.) and the place was sheer chaos when we got there.  Perhaps it was because it was Friday but seriously, sheer chaos.

Pretty much the only time Robert was not crying.

Every group was supposed to have a schedule and stick to it. But at no point did anyone in charge at the farm make sure people were where they were supposed to be at the right time. So we often found ourselves waiting for our turn at an event (trying to stick to our schedule as requested) only to find that when our time arrived, other folks were there pushing us out of the way.  Add to this chaos the fact that it was cold, windy, and miserable and we opted to come home after lunch rather than stay all day.  We did get our pie pumpkins from the field so at least we have those and the kids got to ride the train and go down the slide. But in the end, I will say I was not at all impressed with the farm today.  Not impressed at all and I arrange field trips on a regular basis.  I've seen the good, the not to great, and the ugly. This one was fairly close to the bottom of the heap for me, I have to say. So we came home and made hot chocolate and the kids are watching a movie instead.

Happy Birthday Katie!

Katie turned 8 today.  It seems rather amazing that she is quite that big.  In many ways, she acts so much older.  Any time Ellie cries at night, Katie is right there taking care of her before we have a chance to get into their room. I walked in the other night and found Katie doing the half-asleep baby carry trying to bring her sister into her bed so she'd stop fussing.  The two of them are wonderful together.

I do believe Katie had a great day today, even with the massive bumps in the road.  She tested for her orange belt today.  Helped her older brother make her birthday cake (which frankly looked awful because apparently we were not in a following directions kind of mood today but it tasted great).  Sean managed to lock my keys in the house as we were trying to leave to head out for her birthday dinner so Alan had to come home to rescue us. This meant that by the time we made it to the restaurant, they were rather busy and we had to wait for a seat.  And if you've ever had to wait for a table for 11, you know that the wait is never a short one.

I do believe our little lady had a wonderful day. I can't quite believe how much she has changed over the past few years.  Happy birthday, Katie.

Karate Testing

Last week the older boys had testing week in their karate class. Both advanced to orange belt.  This week, the younger kids had testing week in their class.

 Abby joined the class several months after the other kids so she is not as far along as they are at the moment. She received her second stripe on her white belt today.

Katie, Liam, and Kieran all advanced to orange belt today.  I don't have decent pictures because the camera battery died on me but such is life. I tried. I will admit that I am slightly wondering what it takes for you to not advance to the next level with their instructor but maybe as they continue to progress, he'll get a tad stricter.