Felipe Andres Takes on Taekwondo

Recently we enrolled our youngest in Taekwondo. It has been a very rewarding experience for him. His older brother was very enthusiastic about joining as well after participating in his brothers' first trial class. He has never been very enthusiastic about anything athletic and has always struggled in the area of physical fitness due to his Aspergers. So we were very excited to see him interested in a physical activity. Though we have found that taekwondo is so much more than that and he can benefit in multiple areas of his life from these classes. We enrolled him this weekend and his first class was Saturday. He wrote something explaining his feelings about that first class and has allowed me to post it here. For those of you who know him you will greatly appreciate his words. We are all very proud of him and look forward to further supporting him.

"My first class was amazing! I learned how I should stand, 2 new kicks, a kicking combo and got my white belt. I felt proud of myself and so amazed that I did it. Sort of like Ash Ketchum in Pokemon when he gets a badge. I can not wait to get a stripe. I like class because I feel the adrenaline, learn a new language and get stronger." ~Felipe Andres

Enjoy the pics of his first class and updates will be posted as both boys progress!

Saluting All Teachers

It is almost time for children to go back to school which means teachers everywhere are preparing lessons to teach our children. In the minutes it takes you to read this, teachers all over are using their "free time", and often investing their own money for our children's literacy, prosperity and future.

As we send our children off to school this year let's not lose sight of all that their teachers do and sacrifice for them everyday. "Thank a Teacher" as often as you can because they help mold the futures of our precious children. They accept the highs and the lows of the job, they do it with grace, honor and very little pay. They deserve our praise and unwavering support! One of my favorite quotes about teacher is, "If a doctor, lawyer or dentist had up to 40 people in his office at one time, all of whom had different needs, some who didn't want to be there, some who were causing trouble and the doctor, lawyer or dentist had to treat them all with professional excellence for nine months for half the pay, he might have some conception of the classroom teacher's job." ~Donald D. Quinn

I had teachers growing up that left lasting impacts on me and I am eternally grateful to them. Their life lessons have stayed with me always and I know that without them my life may be very different. Both of my children have been very lucky to have some remarkable teachers as well. Nico has a hard time in school and knowing that he is with someone daily who is striving to help him be the best that he can be and does it with patience & care always fills me with gratitude.

So in closing I would like to say Thank You to Mrs. Cain and Mrs. Garrison for the life lessons and wisdom that they gifted to me and to the teachers that have guided and educated my children, I thank them for all they have done and will continue to do this year!

Cha-ryeot (Attention) Nicolas!!!!!!

As we watch him snap to attention when he hears the command "Cha-ryeot" from his instructor we know that we have found something for Nico that will help him in more ways than we ever thought!

Walking into the Tiger Martial Arts Academy I was unsure about what to expect. I know my son and I know that taking things seriously is not something that he usually does or wants to do. The first word I saw etched into the floor in huge capital letters was DISCIPLINE and I thought to myself...hmmmm. The sounds I heard were loud and motivating. Kids yelling "Yes, Sir!" with all of their might and an instructor who was full of enthusiasm and passion. We waited for the current class to end and then Nico would have a "trial" class in order to see what it was like. His brother and sister were invited to join in to support Nico. Felipe and I sat amazed as we watched all 3 kids absorb every command and hang on every word. The instructor was so enthusiastic and so positive. With every mistake that they made he was there to back them up and show them they could do whatever they were struggling with. Throughout the entire 45 minutes Nico was attentive and never stopped smiling. It was such a success that ALL 3 kids came off of the mat asking could they do it too! Reyna argues that she only has dance during the week days so "I have time on Saturdays" she says. Pito says "Sign me up!" and Nico smiling bigger than ever says "When do I get to come again?" We registered Nico that day and he has been to 3 more classes this week. Reyna had to accept that she can not take 4 dance classes and Taekwondo but she still wants to do it and we are hoping to register Pito soon.

Nico earned his white belt at his first class and he earned his first stripe yesterday! During class today Master Dante talked to them about Self Esteem and about never giving up. He told them that a black belt is just a white belt that never gave up! He told them to always love themselves and to never accept nothing less than their best. It was wonderful and I knew right at that moment that we definitely made the right choice by putting him in the class.

Congrats To Reyna!

As many of you already know Reyna has been in dance for the past 2 yrs and she has loved it. Although we knew she enjoyed it we never saw it as anything more than a fun extracurricular activity for her on the weekends. Things have changed drastically this summer to say the least! I am not sure what happened this summer but Reyna has really come out of her shell and has become quite the little dancer. Not only that but her love for music has become her favorite thing. She has made up her own dance routines and continues to impress us with her rhythm and moves!

With her new passion for music and dance I took her into the dance studio and we met with the director to figure out what CLASS may be the best for her to take this year. (note I said CLASS not classes) A class was agreed on until the director began asking Reyna questions and asking Reyna to show her different moves etc. Reyna proceeded to bust out into song to Starstruck By Lady Gaga and did a dance to it. My mouth dropped as I watched her. She was awesome! The director then expressed interest in Reyna being part of the Company Dance Team. I was shocked and excited all in one. Tryouts for this yr has already passed but she suggested preparing Reyna for next years tryouts. The short of it is that we left registered for FOUR classes, 3 of which are 2nd level classes and 1 is a 9-12 yr old class. The director seemed more than confident that Reyna would thrive in these classes so we are going to give it a go!

She starts her first classes the week Sept 5th! Wish her luck!!!!!!!!!!!!!