Disneyland!

Q's reward for doing such a great job at his Christmas belt testing was his first trip to Disneyland. We have never taken him because he didn't like crowds, life sized characters or rides. He's built up some tolerance for crowds, isn't too deathly afraid of characters anymore and doesn't mind slow rides so we decided to take him the day after Christmas. We had so much fun! He loved It's A Small World, but bolted when we saw Mickey. His favorite ride.......the bus ride to the park from the parking lot.

Straight Hair

Q has the BEST cousins ever! They take good care of him, entertain him and set good examples for him. Even though there's a big age difference between him and them, they are so good about humoring him. He even wishes he had straight hair just like his cousin Dexter. New years day is Sami's birthday, so we spent the day hanging out at my brothers. Q must have told Sami and her other girl cousins that he wanted straight hair like Dexter, so they flat ironed his hair for him. The first picture is the end result.

Life Lessons at Tae Kwon Do

At Q's tae kwon do school, the teachers always say the kicking and punching is the fun part. They stress that what's most important is that the kids learn about hard work, discipline, giving their best effort, love, respect and gratitude. They also end every class reminding the kids to be thankful to their parents. I always wonder exactly how much of these life lessons Quentin is really taking in. The other day, Q fell asleep in the truck on our way home from Disneyland. When I was laying him down, he woke up and told me he had a lot fun and said thank you for working hard and spending your money on me so I can have fun. I just about died.......

Q's Gift

Q just had his Tae Kwon Do Christmas Party/Belt Testing. Q still doesn't like doing his belt testing with other kids and in front of all the parents, so his teacher put a lot of thought and effort into building up his confidence for the event. It's the biggest testing of the year. Instead of just 50 - 60 kids for each testing session, all 180 kids would be testing together with parents and grandparents watching. The day before, Q had his last practice and still was not happy about the idea. Q's teacher sat him down and explained that his best effort would be his gift and his way of showing appreciation to his parents and grandparents that would be there watching. B and I weren't sure if he would go through with it. Actually, B was pretty sure he would chicken out. Q did the entire testing so well and even did a solo demo! We couldn't be more proud of Q and all of his hard work.

Self Confidence

Q has learned so much in tae kwon do and his teacher, instructor Ramirez, is awesome. He is understanding that Q is shy and tentative, but still pushes him out of his comfort zone a little bit every class to help build up his self confidence. Q learns the moves easily and instructor Ramirez pushes him to be the very best he can be. He doesn't let Q settle for being a good student, but encourages him to be a great student. They end every class with a hug enforcing that he pushes Q because he cares. B and I appreciate that Q is learning to deal with constructive criticism. Here are some videos of Q learning sword self defense and kicking.

Yellow Belt Testing

Q has been getting ready to test for his yellow belt. He had to learn the answers to 3 questions, the name of his martial art (tae kwon do), what tae kwon do means (the way of the hand and foot) and how to show his mom and dad that he loves them (by listening and paying attention). He learned the proper etiquette in class, the different stances, the ten punch combination, the kicking test and board breaking with his fist. He learned everything so quickly, but still doesn't like being in the crowded classes. Testing day is loud and crowded which are the two things Q still hates most, so I was worried he would clam up. As soon as testing started for his age group he clammed up and refused to do it. He only did the board breaking and watched the rest. After his age group, the older kids were getting ready for their testing. The older age group was even more crowded and much louder, but his cousins were there. Q asked if he could try testing again with his cousins and actually went through with it. The older group had to do more for their test but his cousins watched out for him and helped. Q and his cousins were awesome!

Tae Kwon Do

Q just started tae kwon do about two weeks ago. He's still a little timid, but his confidence is building.