Blue Belt

 Matthew returned to karate after a break over the winter, and he was excited about the possibility of getting his blue belt at the last testing -- he worked really hard to learn the seisan kata.  And he passed the test, so now he's a blue belt!  We are very proud of him. 

Great Shirts Think Alike

 One more from spring break: Matthew and Daniel in their Beatles-themed animal shirts. :)  Also pictured: Daniel with the paw-shaped chocolates he made. 

Kids Baking

This weekend Matthew and James made cupcakes and pound cake (and orange juice popsicles) with their babysitter.  We think they were inspired by the Kids Baking Championships shows that they watched over spring break!  The spot on the top of the cake is from putting a marshmellow Peep chick on top when it was still warm -- the Peep melted into a bit of a mess. :)  Still very tasty, though!

Back Handspring

 James went to "Back Handspring Boot Camp" when we were visiting Grandma and Grandpa. He got some good practice in (although unfortunately by the time we arrived to pick him up, they were just doing strength exercises -- so we missed seeing him do the actual backhandsprings, except for one by himself on the big mat and a couple being spotted, as in the video above).  

We were very proud to hear that the coaches thought

he was polite and had a good work ethic!

We also ran into one of my old high school friends at the gym -- small world. :)  He and his kids were there for ninja practice. 

Spring Arts

 Mom, Mike, Nora, Daniel, Adrian, and I went to the Spring Arts Festival the other week.  We went in the morning, which was great because it wasn't too crowded, and we missed the afternoon rains.  Fortunately or unfortunately, we also found some art to bring home. :)

The Scoop on Poop

 The museum was having a special exhibit on, you guessed it, poop.  Auntie Nora correctly guessed that all the boys would enjoy it!  They especially liked the dung beetle races. :)

Pool and Park

Springtime in Florida -- warm enough for the pool (if you're a kid), and not too hot for the playground!

Spring Break

 The boys' schools all had spring break at the same time this year, so they have been enjoying some sunshine and family time at Grandma and Grandpa's house.