Cooper

Last week Q's instructor was out sick, so Cooper's instructor had him lead stretching for Q's class. It was a very proud moment for Cooper, he did a great job. Mom, you would be really proud of Cooper he's so helpful with the little kids.

Tuesdays and Thursdays

Q goes to tae kwon do on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Tuesday and Thursday nights are my favorite, after class we spend time at my brother's and have so much fun. Last week the kids made paper claws, they even made me a set. Here's the pictures of the claw battles.

Weapons

Q just started with weapons at tae kwon do. He even has to do 10 knuckle pushups if he drops them.

Purple Belts

Q was just awarded his purple belt and his cousins their purple stripes. Q enjoys doing tae kwon do, but still does not like being in class with all the other kids. His instructor is good about pushing him a little to build up his confidence. Q very rarely volunteers to demonstrate, so instructor Ramirez will call on him to demonstrate for the class. Cooper LOVES tae kwon do, it's fun to see him take so much pride in his martial art. Cooper, who is so different from Q, will almost always volunteer to demonstrate.

Purple Best Testing

Q just tested for his purple belt on Thursday, Cooper and Dex tested for their purple stripe belt on Friday. Q is still nervous and anxious during testing, but once he warms up, he does a great job. I love watching testing, it's such a positive experience for the kids. They start with prayer to give thanks. Then they remind the kids that testing is about their effort and not giving up, the instructors do a great job encouraging the kids. The kids end testing feeling so proud and with a huge sense of accomplishment.

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.