Karate Kid

Andrew has been asking to do karate off and on for several years now. Apparently, I was not working towards the mother of year as I brushed him off each time. After the twentieth request I figured he was serious and really, really wanted to take karate. He could not be more thrilled. He was grinnng from ear to ear. He has one private lesson each week and up to three group classes he can attend...and he goes to them all. There is a lot to be said for desire; while he is starting older, he is progressing very quickly. After only a couple weeks, he earned his yellow belt. (I think that is pretty fast but I'm not sure since we are new to the karate world) I am glad I finally listened to him. It makes me so happy to see him so happy. It makes me wonder...would he be enjoying it this much if he hadn't had to wait? See, maybe my parenting strategy wasn't so bad afterall!

It's Field Trip Season!

I'm so glad I took the time to go be my girls on these field trips. Sometimes it can feel inconvenient to give up your day but that is a very small sacrifice for days that will one day be long gone.

First date....PROM!

This last weekend, Josh had his first date and it was Prom, no less! I will be the first to admit that my eyes filled with tears as I saw him in his tux. He looked so handsome and so grown-up. He took his good friend, Jessica Lopez. She looked beautiful! Josh went with a large group of friends. They went to Biaggi's at the Gateway. The dance was at the Capitol Building and they had dessert at the Pulsipher's house after. I couldn't have been more proud of him. From what I could tell, he was the perfect gentleman and took very good care of his date. He played it cool; opening doors, taking her by the arm, carrying her dress...it all seemed to be second nature for Josh (although I know he was nervous!).  I am so glad this was such a great experience for him!

Another teenager?!!!

Yes, we have another teenager in the house. I 'm not quite sure we will survive. ;) I seem to think of Andrew as a perpetual toddler...after all, he was the world's cutest baby. My mind's eye still has a very clear picture of him: big head, big blue eyes, blond hair and chubby cheeks...in overalls and a striped shirt. I still expect to find those little boy clothes in the laundry basket. How quickly the time has gone. I am thanking Dr. Suess for my mantra this year; "Don't be sad that it's over, be glad that it happened." Yes, I know things are far from "over," but I swear I only blinked once and here we are.

In spite of my efforts to stop time, Andrew on the other hand, is very excited to be a teenager. He has taken to Jr. High and teenage life without a hiccup. He maintains straight A's and loves the increased freedom and privileges he is earning with friends (cell phone, later bedtime, night games, etc). And, he might even think there is a cute girl at school (but you didn't hear that from me).

He had fun celebrating this year. He chose to go to Moochies with the family for dinner (good choice!) and had a great party at the Rec Center with his friends. Mustaches compliments of mom. ;)

Licensed to Drive!

This is definitely one of those days that I thought would never come and yet here we are; sitting in a big room listening to a digital voice say, "Now serving..." I must say putting your child in a car and letting them have control is one of the most anxiety-filled experience's I've had. Because of my high anxiety, I was promptly excused (banned) from driving with Josh by Chad. I was happy to oblige. Chad did a great job teaching Josh and he is a great driver! While Chad did all the work teaching him, I got to do the fun part...taking him to the DMV to make it official. Things have really changed since my day. Gone are the days taking the written test and road test with some strange person at the DMV. Josh did all that with his driver's ed teacher at the school. He was then given the approval and we only had to go to the DMV to make it official with the eye test and photo. Another change since my day that I am grateful for is that he cannot drive with friends in the car for the first six months (just family). Oh and yes, I love having a willing driving assistant to help me get the kids places...I wonder how long that will last.