Board Breaking

Since Andrew is now a blue belt in Taekwondo, he is eligible to break boards in class. He doesn't have to break any for advancement in rank until he is 14 years old but he can practice. He was very excited when he got the opportunity to break a board in class. He didn't break it on his first try, but he got it his second try.

The Pumpkin Patch

We decided to go to Sauvie Island to the pumpkin patch with the rest of the Harkers. It was a beautiful day out there. It was quite busy trying to cross the bridge to the island but well worth it. Everyone had fun. Andrew, Grandpa, Keri and Charlie put pumpkins in the slingshot--I think Keri had the closest shot to the open pumpkin mouth. We went for a hay ride. We picked pumpkins. Marin went down a big inflatable slide. We ate carmel apples. All in all, it was a blast. The only thing missing was Kevin. He had to work. Poor Kevin.

Blue Belt

Andrew tested for his blue belt in Taekwondo and passed. He was so proud of himself. He has been wanting his blue belt for a while now. He has tested opposite the same girl, three of the four times he has tested. It is a running joke now with him. He did his form really well and had some nice moves while he was sparring. We are very proud of our sweet Andrew and hope that he continues on with Taekwondo. It has been really great for him.

Tree Walk with Andrew's Class

Andrew had his first "field trip" of the school year. They had a Tree lady come and speak to the class about different trees in the area. Then they took a walking tour down the street and to a neighborhood park to study some of the trees there. I was the only parent that could help with herding children. Andrew was pretty excited that I could be there and all of the little girls in the class rushed up to me and grabbed me, calling me "Mommy". This was a joke from last year. All the girls thought it would be cute to call me mommy when I helped last year and I guess it continues this year. Anyway, we got down to the park and had studied 2 trees when one of the girls needed to go to the bathroom. Of course there isn't one in the park. Mrs. G. sent me back to the school with the girl. We ended up staying up there until the class returned. She said her stomach hurt and I didn't want to risk her getting sick walking back down. When Andrew got home at the end of the day, he was so upset at me. He acted like it was all my fault that I had missed half of the field trip. He told me he did not want me attending any more field trips. It took several hours to calm him down. Needless to say, I am helping this week on a trip to the zoo so all is forgiven. Aahh, the whims of children.

26.2 Miles

Kevin and Paul completed the Portland Marathon yesterday. 26.2 miles is a very long way to run, especially in rain. They both came through well. Paul finished in 3:58 and change. Kevin finished in 4:05 and change. They were exhausted but both felt like they had accomplished something terrific. We went down to the finish line to see them finish. They did awesome and we are so proud of their hard work. Next time, I hope to be with them.

Family Fun Night

During the school year, our community center has Family Fun Night once a month. We decided to go since Paul and Felipe were in town. We went out to eat at an organic, local food establishment. Then we went over to the community center. The theme was Halloween. The kids had their faces painted, they made banners, made test tubes filled with colored sugars, climbed the rock wall, played basketball, and generally just ran around and had fun. Even Kyle got into the action in the gym. He couldn't get enough of all of the trikes and other vehicles that kids were riding around the gym. His head was turning every which way, not knowing where to look next. Even the adult boys--Paul and Kevin got into the action. They had fun dunking on the lowered basketball hoop and batting the little boys' shots down. A couple tears were shed over that but all in all we had a fun evening.

Playing with Felipe

Felipe was able to come up to Vancouver because of Hurricane Ike which took out all the power in Houston. The Houston Harker family was without power for about a week. Raquel and Julia went to Brazil and Paul and Felipe came to Vancouver. Felipe was lonely when the other kids were in school so he came to play with Andrew and Marin one day after school. We went to the park and let them get out all their energy. They had fun playing with cousin Felipe.