Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Double Purple Stripe Belt


Zachary successfully tested for his Double Purple Stripe Belt at Karate this weekend. He has been attending Benoit's Martial Arts for about 2 years now and really enjoys it. An added bonus...he's quite good at it!

Here he is with Sensei Donna and Jordan, who was helping out at the testing!



Congratulations, Zachary!

Saturday, February 6, 2010

For Shame, For Shame....

Well blog reader(s)...it appears that I have been called out regarding my neglectfulness of the blogging world.
It is has been quite some time since my last post. Almost 5 months actually.

There has been many a time that I thought to myself, gee, I should blog about this....but ultimately, there is no time.

Jordan remains on lay off, and I am working a fair bit. We are fortunate that I have had the opportunities that I have so that this lay off isn't affecting us in as drastic way as it has affected some. Things are tough, but not unbearable. We have each other, we have our health.

The kids are great. Awesome. Fantastic, even. They make me proud every day. Even when they drive me crazy. Which also happens...every day.

Zachary is now 7. SEVEN! Doesn't it seem like only a short time ago that Jordan and I were literally racing to the hospital because this baby was coming NOW! He had his own agenda that day-making us rush, and then making us wait-and he has his own agenda now. He is smart as can be, but reluctant to show it to others. He is kind and caring, but reluctant to show that too.

We can see him struggling at a crossroads of growing up , fighting for independance yet struggling to hang on to the comforts of being our little Zachary. This seventh birthday was bittersweet for me. Its like I want him to grow up, but still stay young forever. Chatting at his birthday party, my friend, whose son is the same age, put it best when she said "They aren't kids anymore, they're boys!" Little things, like standing at the door and watching as he walks downt he road to his friend's house, make me proud and sad all at the same time!

He is doing well at Karate, and even won first place for his kata in his age group. He was so proud, but probably not as proud as Jordan and I! Because he placed first, he then went on to compete for Grand Master Champion against two other competitors. He came in a very close second place to a very deserving competitor!

Zack is in Grade 2 now, and speaks French very well, although he is reluctant to speak it anywhere but school. I was amazed when I heard him have a complete conversation with his teacher this week when we were at the Open House to enroll Corbett in kindergarten.

Speaking of which. Corbett is FOUR! In September he will be going to Kindergarten and he is very excited. Kindergarten is his new focus, now that he is finally in karate. He started in the Tigers program at the same Dojo as Zachary. Corbett has desperately wanted to attend for about a year now, having watched Zachary 2-3 times a week for aabout 2 years.

Corbett is still, for lack of a better word, a firecracker. He wakes up, and is on from then until he finally goes to bed. And when he goes to bed, he is still going. He often plays and sings in his bed for about 1 to 1.5 hours before falling asleep! He is a lot like his mom. He has a LOT of energy, doesn't need much sleep, and can't quite comprehend when things don't go his way. The eternal optimist, he persistently tries to find a way to make any situation work out to his sole benefit. You can imagine the tantrums when he is unsuccessful. Intense, yet short-lived, as he quickly finds a way to keep trying!

He is doing so well at his daycare and is well-loved there. We couldnt ask for more! He can spell and write his name, loves to draw things and is like a sponge, trying to soak up whatever information he can.

In addition to working, I have also continued to work on my studies, and recently finished the final course towards my Compensation Management Specialist (CMS) designation. Two more courses and I will have my Certified Employee Benefits Specialist (CEBS) designation. I am also taking advantage of my employment at Cambrian College, which allows me to take credit courses at a discount, to start taking courses towards my Human Resources Post- Grad Diploma. The first one is successfully completed and the second one is underway!

Jordan recently renovated our main floor powder room/ half-bath. The floor was rotting and it was at a point we had to get it done! He did a GREAT job!

So, all in all, we are well! I will post pictures soon.....you wont believe how much the kids have grown!

Jes