Activities Galore

 After a break over the summer, Matthew is back in karate and working hard to learn his next kata (a choreographed series of moves).  He also has his violin for fourth-grade orchestra, although he hasn't had any lessons yet.  (He sounds suprisingly good for someone who has just picked it up, though!)

James did a couple of ninja competitions at the end of the summer. In both of them, he had a good run but had one obstacle that gave him trouble.  For the Hybrid Open (just a fun competition at our local gym), that meant he came in fourth instead of third (the last person to go beat his score).  And for the National Ninja League Qualifier at the Warrior Factory in Rochester, he got hung up on one of the obstacles, which ended up taking up too much time, and he ran out of time before finishing the course. (He came in eighth, and the first four or five qualified for the championships.)  They were both tough courses, but there are also a lot of good competitors in this age group!