********NEWS ALERT*********

I interrupt the regularly scheduled France vacation post to bring you this special urgent report....

I, Rachelle VanBuskirk, am a SURFER!   I SURF!  Really!

At the stake beach trip today I was catching waves, getting up, standing up, (and here's the newsworthy part) staying up!!!!  I was riding those waves all the way into the shore.

And I did it over and over and over again.  I really was getting the hang of it!!!

What a thrill!!  And completely addicting.  I was out there for hours!  "Just one more wave before I go in."

If you don't believe that a 37 year old mother of 6 could learn to surf, just ask around.  I have witnesses. All my YW saw Sis. V hanging ten (well, not quite ten.) 

That is all.

Now back to our regularly scheduled Posts.

Derek: Student of the Month

On friday Derek was honored as student of the month for the month of January! (Yes, that is Luke climbing on the stage for a close up view of the action.)

Dereks' donut of choice this time: a jelly donut.

It was also Dylan's first day back in school.  The twins were happy to be together again.

Congratulations Derek!  You are a terrific kid, and you deserve this honor!  It couldn't have happened to a nicer kid.  We love you.  Keep up the good work!

The Phantom of the Talent Show

Pause music on sidebar first.

There were quite a few prima donnas performing that night, but fortunately, the multi purpose room does not have a chandelier!

An Evening of Two Arts

On Friday night our family was juggling two very different arts:  

Martial Arts and Performing Arts.

MARTIAL ARTS

Dennis, Nate, Dylan, and I all tested for our belts.

Friday night is date night, after all.  The marital bond can always be strengthened with a good sparring session.  Can you feel the love?  Nothing says romance like a swift kick to the side of the head, don't you agree?

Dylan was so excited to be able to test since he missed the last test because he was in the hospital.  He is still not 100% physically, and has lost a lot of range of motion, but he has been working really hard to be able to test this time.  The teacher was understanding of his situation, and made allowances for him.  I forbade the sparring - period, and Dylan didn't really like that.  Too bad.  He still got to do his forms and break boards - the fun stuff.  He did a really great job.  Everyone was impressed.

That is my foot smashing through, not one, not two, but THREE thick boards - and that is cool.  Of course, I also smashed not one, not two, but three of the fingers of the guy holding the boards, and that was not cool.  Sorry.

This tough guy used his left hand to smash through a stack of boards.  I'm pretty sure he was just trying to impress his woman.  It worked.  Yeah, baby!  That is MY MAN!

Nathan with his good buddy Kennan.  Nathan did a great job!  He really showed his stuff in the forms and sparring.  Great job, Nate!

So Dennis earned his blue belt, Dylan earned his red belt, and Nathan and I earned our senior red belts.  Yes, senior red is the last belt before black, but don't get so excited.  I have a LONG, LONG way to go before I'll be ready for that.

PERFORMING ARTS

As soon as the belt test was done, we rushed our sweaty selves over to the elementary school for the school talent show.

It was actually a whole day of arts.  Because Dylan is not back in school yet, they were not going to let him be in the talent show unless I was there with him. How dumb!  Dylan was fine. Well, they had two long performances during the day, that basically took up the whole school day.  I had to be there, and that meant Luke had to be there.  So I wrestled with a very bored two year old all day, so I could make sure a very well behaved 9 year old sitting quietly waiting for his turn didn't get into trouble.   All - Day - Long!  If you think an elementary talent show with 40 acts can get a little boring, try being a two year old who has to watch it twice.

Derek did a beautiful job playing "Fur Elise" on the piano in front of everyone.  He looked so handsome and not a bit nervous during his performance.

Dylan, dressed as the Phantom, played "Toccata" on the organ.  He did a flawless job.  It was very spooky, and a hit with the audience.

What a crazy arts-filled evening!

Even Stars Have Tooth Fairies

What a week it was for Caleb!  He came home all excited that he had been chosen Star of the Week in Kindergarten.  That meant that he got special attention and treatment all week, that he got to bring a toy to class each day, and most importantly, he got to make a big poster about himself to hang in his classroom all week.

All weekend Caleb kept reminding me that he still had to make his poster, but that was last weekend, a holiday weekend, so I figured I had plenty of time.  Then suddenly it was Tuesday morning, and the poster hadn't been made.  Good thing Caleb goes to afternoon kindergarten!

First Caleb and I went through all the pictures on my computer and he helped me pick out his favorites.  Then using my Big Shot we die cut a bunch a stars from fun papers.  So far, so good.  Then I hit a huge speed bump - my printer wasn't working.  The paper jammed, I cleared it, but the printer wouldn't work anymore.  Refused.  Said there was a jam that I had to clear, but I already did, and I couldn't find anymore paper jammed anywhere.  So frustrating!

But this was vital.  This was Star of The week, and it had to get done!  So I figured out that I could pick the pictures, a few at a time, and email them to Dennis' computer, and print them on his printer.  Only Dennis has a lousy free trial photo software that I couldn't navigate very well, and I was having problems with his printer as well.  Of course. It was quite an involved process, for just printing off a few pics.

Anyway, while I was in Dennis' office battling it out with the printer, Caleb and Luke decided to get started on the poster - you know, to save time.  So, unbeknownst to me, they started gluing down all the stars that we cut all over the poster board, and came and got the pictures I had already wrangled out of the printer.  When I came into the kitchen the masterpiece was almost finished.  They had glued all the stars and pictures everywhere, and to add just a pop of color, they went at the poster with crayons, and a fat yellow highlighter - right over all the pictures and everything.  They were beaming with pride at what they had created.  We only had time to slap the remaining few pictures on the poster, and scribble a few captions wherever I could find a blank space on the crayon-covered board, before we were out the door.

Now you have to understand, this is my 5th Star of the Week.  With all my other boys, I carefully made the posters like giant scrapbook pages, in such a way that I could deconstruct them and turn them into scrapbook page layouts when the week was done.  You know: two birds, one stone.  But Caleb and Luke had their own "vision" for this poster, a very colorful one, I might add.  I was kind of frustrated, like I had  wasted the whole morning trying to accomplish my vision, when all I had to do was hand them some crayons and say "Have at it!"

Still, I think the poster turned out pretty fun, and Caleb was proud as a peacock to bring it to his classroom.  I guess that is all that matters, right?

It is good to be the Star of the Week, and Caleb enjoyed every minute of it.  And to top the week off, Caleb lost his very first tooth!  It was pretty loose all week.  Dennis even tried to yank it out with dental floss on Saturday.  But Alex, our resident tooth extractor (he wants to be a dentist one day) finally got it out on the drive home fom church.  Nothing more exciting than a bloody mouth with a hole in it.  Yippee!

What do you think about Caleb's new look?  Quite distinguished, don't you think?

Meanwhile, back at the ranch...

So while Dennis and I were back and forth to the hospital, life continued at as close to normal for everyone else, and a lot was going on.

The middle school had a special honor roll assembly, and both Alex and Nathan were recognized.  I missed it, of course, but I was there in spirit, and they both know how proud I am of them.

Nathan got a gold award with a GPA of 3.86.  Can you believe he missed straight A's by one B+?

Next time, for sure, Nate.  Not bad for his first quarter in middle school.

Alex got a Silver Award for his GPA of 3.71.  He, too, only missed straight A's by one grade.  We are so proud of him, as it took a lot of hard work on his part to make those grades.

Alex also got another another very special Character Counts Award for Responsibility.  That fits Alex to a T.  He is extremely responsible with his homework and schoolwork.  He comes right home, shows me what he needs to do, then gets right to work.  He is organized - something he did not inherit from his mother, and works so hard.  I am so proud of him, and am grateful that a teacher recognized this trait in him and recognized him for it.

Also, Caleb had an Indian pow-wow in his Kindergarten class on Tuesday.  I was absolutely exhausted Monday after getting home from the hospital.  When I found out Caleb needed an Indian vest for the next morning, I was ready to just cut arm holes in a brown paper bag and call it good.  But Caleb was less than thrilled by that idea, so I pulled myself up by the bootstraps, and helped him make his own Indian vest with a scrap of faux suede I dug out of the garage.  He decorated it with Indian symbols.  He was thrilled with it. He wanted to wear it to bed and was so excited to go to the pow-wow.  Now I am so glad that just I made the effort to do that for him.  I know I would have regretted it if I hadn't.  The whole world doesn't come to a screeching halt because one kid is sick.

There was also a belt test for taekwando while I was away.  Caleb got his orange belt, Dennis got his senior green belt, and Nathan got his red belt, which is a really big deal.  Dylan would have received his red belt too, if he wasn't tied up in a hospital recovering from surgery.  Poor Dylan.  He'll be up and kicking soon enough.  Unfortunately I have no pictures of the belt test, since I wasn't there to take them, but I am proud of my guys, and I know they did great!

Students of the Month

We had not one, but two students of the month in October.

Caleb got student of the month in his Kindergarten class.  He was so excited!  On the drive home he held his certificate up to the window so everyone could see his award.

Of course, the student of the month ceremony means only one thing - donuts.  Caleb passed up a rainbow sprinkled one for this big chocolate glazed, showing his mature taste.

Dylan got student of the month for 4th grade.  He chose a peanut topped donut since the rainbow sprinkles and chocolate donuts were long gone by the time he got his major award.

Luke got only a little donut hole, and that put him in a bad mood!

Congratulations Caleb and Dylan - Regal Eagle students of the month!

A Scout Is..

On Wednesday the Boy Scouts had a Court of Honor.  Unfortunately, I couldn't attend, since I was having a Laurel activity that night at my home.  It is my new calling.  What's a mom to do?  I felt so bad that I had to miss it, so I sent the camera with orders to Dennis that he take pictures of everything.  Well, I should have had him make a scout promise, "on my honor..." with hand over his heart, because when the camera was returned to me, the above picture was the only one in it.  It is a nice picture, though.  Unfortunately, Alex wasn't the only of my boys to get any awards that night.  Poor Nathan also got some awards, but alas, no pictures of him.  Sorry Nate.

It was a big night.  Nathan got his Tenderfoot award, as well as merit badges in Swimming and Woodcarving that he earned this summer at camp.  Alex received merit badges in Space Exploration, First Aid, Wood Carving, and Wilderness Survival.  He's been busy.  He also got his Star Scout.  Dennis just realized that Alex has done everything to qualify for Life Scout, except that he has to wait 6 months.  He is still only 12.  We are so proud of both of our scouts, and so grateful to their Dad for all the help and support he gives them.  Scouts help make great men (like Dad) out of good boys (like Alex and Nate).  Now if I could just get them to capture this stuff on film.  Wonder if they have a photography merit badge?

Going for the Brown

While the Lopezes were going for the gold over in Beijing, the VanBuskirks were going for the brown, green, and blue with a brown stripe.

Last night six of us had a taekwondo belt test.  Dennis and Alex tested for green belts, Derek tested for senior blue belt, and Dylan, Nathan, and I tested for brown.  Caleb has a yellow belt, but he didn't test this time.  Luke has yet to get his white belt.

The test started out tough for me.  I had to do 55 push ups, stopping and holding push up position between each ten while reciting the Ten Rules of Life (they are like the Young Women values for martial arts - effort, etiquette, character, sincerity, self-control, respect, humility, confidence, discipline, integrity - sir!  Interesting how the YW values and the 10 Rules of Life both end with "Integrity."  We should make the young women recite the YW theme while doing push-ups like that.)  It was brutal!!! No pics of me doing that.  I have them, but you can't see them.

Then we had to show our Poomse, or forms.

Alex and Dennis punching for their forms.

Derek did a great job on his form.

Nathan and Mom testing for forms together.

Then came the part I feared the most - sparring.  I dread it because of the ridiculous gear I have to wear - oh, and the fact that I can get killed!

Derek lets is opponent have it with a side kick.

Nathan attacks his opponent mid-air.

The men fight with so much power!  Dennis insteps right to the chest.

Alex with a nice high kick.  Way to go Al!

It is SO FUN watching Dylan spar.  He is everywhere and non-stop - and so very serious.  Here is is fighting a much higher belt - no problem.  Nice kick to the head.

 Yes, this is me going for a head shot against my friend Bo.   She is shorter than me (who isn't?), but she is a higher belt and TOUGH as nails!  She intimidates me.  But thanks to my long legs I was able to hold my own, and had fun doing it.

Then came everybody's favorite part of a belt test - breaking boards!  There is such satisfaction in hearing that board crack and feeling your foot go through it!  It is something everyone should try - it is such a confidence booster.

Dylan finishes off his jumping spin hook in style.

Look how high off the ground Dennis gets with his jumping front kick.  The instructor couldn't hold the board high enough.

 OK.  I can't believe I am putting this online for all to see, but here is my spin hook.  I don't know how my technique looks, but I think my hair looks great, and that's really what I was going for.

Now ladies, admit it, doesn't that look like fun?  That's why I am always running off at the end of enrichment.  Women's only class: Tuesdays and Thursdays 8:30 pm.  Put the kids to bed and come.  I'm telling you - If this gangly, awkward, mom can do this, anyone can.

Group photo after the test.  Everyone did such a great job.  I was so proud of all my guys!

So now I am a brown belt.  For those of you who don't know the belt system, on a scale of 1 (white) to 12 (black), brown is a 9, so it is considered a high belt.  If you would have told me 2 years ago that I'd be a brown belt, I would have thought you were bonkers.  I used to watch the brown belts in awe, and now I can hardly believe that I am one.  I never thought I'd get this far, but I just kept working hard and having fun, and now here I am.  Maybe if I keep at it I can become a black belt someday after all.  Maybe we all can.  But that is easier said than done.  One belt at a time.  Next belt - Red.  I love red!  It's my favorite color, after pink (surprisingly, they don't have a pink belt in taekwondo.  Go figure.)

They say that brown is the new black - but I don't think that applies to taekwondo.

Family photo with Farai and Kylee Muchenje, our wonderful instructors. 

 Why do we do it?  Well, to quote the Visa commercial about the Lopezes at the Olympics:

"The family that punches, dodges, blocks, throws, and roundhouse kicks together...stays together."

Two Wheelin'

Caleb learned how to ride his bike last Saturday. Somehow, in the oppressive heat he convinced mom and dad that it was the perfect time to hit the black top. Caleb, being the man that he is, learned without ever using those sissified training wheels - two wheels or nothing. At least he didn't decide to skip bikes and go straight to a Harley - really be a man. It turns out he didn't need training wheels. A dozen trips back and forth in the cul-de-sac and he had it! Way to go Caleb! It was so fun to watch that excitement on his face as he took off- oh the freedom, the speed! Caleb thrives on proving that at four he can do what every five year old, or thirty year old for that matter, can do.
So now every day this week, he wants to go ride his bike on the sizzling hotplate we call our street. I have to get him all ready - shoes, helmet, wrist guards, knee pads. Then we go outside, and he takes his ride. Unfortunately, he still needs just a little help getting started. I hold the bike steady while he get his feet in position, then he pushes off and goes the distance. When he gets to the end of the cul-de-sac, he breaks, then waits for me to walk all the way over to him so I can help him start again back the other way. I am really getting my exercise! He rides up and down the block about five or six times before we are both too hot and we have to take the protection all off and come inside to the wonderful AC. It takes more time to get him all suited up than he actually rides.Way to go Caleb! Learn to ride a bike- one thing you can check off on your preparations for your mission.

It's a Beautiful Thing!

This is now the prettiest part of our house!

You see, there was this closet guy who owed Dennis some money, so he came and put these lovely cabinets in our garage at cost. Yes. They are lovely. But, as it should be in all things, the true beauty dwells within. Because of the sweltering heat of day, we worked late into the stifling night last night digging through, sorting, and labeling. I wish I had a "before" picture to show you, I really do. The change is dramatic. Oh, Dennis had bins, lots and lots of bins. He just wasn't very judicious about what went into which. There was duct tape with the fertilizer and sand paper with the lug nuts. Light bulbs of every shape and wattage had been stashed away into every nook and cranny of the garage, like a store of squirrel's nuts. The workbench couldn't be called a workbench, since it was so piled with stuff, no work could be performed there. It was a nightmare - a black hole. It got to be so bad that when we needed a certain size screw or piece of hardware - even if we knew we had one - it was easier to just drive to Lowe's and pick up a new one than to dig through that infernal pit of pliers and electrical tape. When Dennis was working on a project and would ask, surgeon style - palm up - for, say, a pipe wrench, I would recoil in horror. I'm not going in that garage to find a pipe wrench. It's not that I'm averse to playing the surgical nurse - I'd love to be of service. But my desire to serve ends at that garage door. I'll gladly climb under that sink where he is, but he can go find his own pipe wrench. Of course the guilt really sets in when he is, say, ten feet up a ladder, holding a heavy ceiling fan with one hand, and asks for a long Phillips. I struggle with that one, I really do. Should I or shouldn't I? Against my better judgement I give in and, trembling, go into the den of Grendel's Mother to find the long Phillips. I dig and dig, and in the end, the best I can do is a short flat. So I run back in the house, grab my shoes and keys and call, "You just hang on, Hon, I'm goin' to Lowe's."

Today is a joyful, monumental day!

Here's to hoping that those Lowe's runs are a thing of the past - for a while anyway.

No Longer a"Big Tot"

"Pomp and Circumstance" played and the graduates marched slowly and solemnly up the aisle. All those months of hard work, patience, and struggle would finally pay off. (I am not talking about the graduates, but the preschool teachers. How much work did it take to get all those 4 and 5 year olds to walk in slowly and solemnly like that anyway? They must have worked on that for months!)



It was the first of many (hopefully) commencement exercise Caleb would march in, but he probably will never sing "Monkey Mambo" in a mortarboard cap again. But then again, he might.
As the names were read, they announced the future professions of the graduates. It was impressive! Caleb was graduating with future professional princesses, pokemons, and a coconut climber- the new greatest generation, no doubt.

His teachers, Miss Kristen, Miss Tamra, and Miss Marian, were wonderful. They really went all out for these kids, and their love for them was obvious.

Mom and Dad, brother Luke, Grandma Signs, and his buddy "Kelly Thomas" (he calls her that, 'Kelly Thomas') came to celebrate with him. He was so glad to have them there on his big day! His two buddies, Luke and Walker, graduated with him. I'll miss overhearing their conversations with each other when I drive carpool. And I'll miss the excuse to visit with their moms everyday at drop him off. Mostly, I'll miss the wonder and magic that only comes at this tender preschool age when everything is new and exciting. But time marches on a lot more quickly than these little guys marched up that aisle.

Congratulations Caleb! We love you!!!