Karate Kid

Mat and I decided to sign Cainan up for Karate classes.

If you ask him, he would say "no thanks" to any activity besides sitting on the couch.  But we knew he would like it, so we took him any way.

Today was his first class.  We had a free trial class today to make sure he wouldn't run screaming or refuse to participate.  (neither of which I thought would happen, but you never know)  They gave him an outfit right away which he looked adorable in.

I am sure when he older, he will appreciate that I thought he looked adorable in his Karate gear.

He did a great job.  He followed directions and kind of got the idea of the rules by the end of the session.  He has a monsterous amount of equipment he has to wear when they are sparring and doing other things.  Once we have all the equipment, I will take a picture of him in it - it is hilarious.  He will take two classes a week.  I do think he will like it.

Finley will be starting horseback riding lessons again soon.  We got the call yesterday that lessons will start back at the end of this month.  Finley is excited.  She has missed the horse, Junior, and has been asking for him.  It is good for her balance, and something she can do/enjoys so we were happy to sign her back up for a second year.

Finley is also going to be taking piano lessons.  She is going to start Suzuki lessons, but not until the summer.  Suzuki piano is where they learn from memory instead of following along in a book.  This was recommended by my mom who thought it would be something good for Finley, considering her sight limitations.  We have a teacher who goes to our church who teaches Suzuki piano.  She is someone Finley knows well, and I think that will help.

Of course - I had to buy her the cutest piano bag as an incentive.

 I got it on Etsy HERE.  Isn't it so cute?  The whole inside has the piano fabric you see at the top.  Love it.

Arlington has softball practice tomorrow after church.  This is the second week they have been in practices.  They are practicing inside, still, because the weather is still not that great and the ground is soggy.  She is happy to start playing again.  Lacrosse doesn't start until May, so we only have to deal with Softball for awhile.  She will have a few practices a week, and once games start in April, she will have one to two games a week and a practice as well.  It keeps us busy, but it keeps her active.  And she really does enjoy it.

  So we will have a busy spring and summer.  This spring Cainan will have Karate and his enrichment class.  Arlington will have her enrichment class, softball and soon, lacrosse.  Finley will have horseback, and once the summer starts - piano.  Now that all three kids are old enough for activities, we are getting busy.

Arlington opened her first bank account today.

She is really excited.  She has been saving her money for awhile now, and so this was a good place for her to keep it. 

What is she saving it for, you ask?  Some days it is for an another American Girl doll (sigh), and some days it is for a dog.  (heck to the no).

Finley spent some time writing back to a little girl from my school that loves Finley very much.  Each week, this little Kindergarten girl, sends Finley her allowance, and a note.

So Finley always sends something back - a picture, or a trinket.  Today, we decided to write her back.

I thought you would find it interesting to see how Finley writes.  She is comfortable with the paper completely sideways (like many left handers), but she has to get really close to the paper and concentrate hard to write.  Even on the paper that is designed for people who have trouble with Vision.

While she was writing, Arlington and Cainan joined in with art as well, and we spent a long time at the table this afternoon coloring and using stickers.  It was fun.

 Most of the snow is gone - we just have a few remaining spots of the white stuff.  After 3 rain storms, we still are not rid of the 70+ inches we had in spots.  The grass is started to get greener, and soon we hope to see the beginnings of our early plants and flowers.  Looking forward to spring.

See you tomorrow.