'Tis the season...already?

The LEGO catalog came! The kids, including Ben have been making their Christmas wish list already! Ben pretty much wants everything in the Thomas the Tank Engine catalog and the LEGO catalog. A man of simple, bot not few, needs!

All kidding aside, I think it is adorable to see them with that glossy look in their eyes as they stare in awe at all the possibilities. I remember, as a kid, looking through the catalogs dreaming and wishing too. It is the beginning of the holiday excitement. It is what all kids do and all parents dread. Well, at least we will know what they want and it wont be just another toy that sits in their toy box unplayed with. It has me thinking though, I should get an early start on my holiday shopping this year. I have a few things tucked away here and there. But wouldn't it be cool to be ALL DONE by Thanksgiving and be able to just enjoy the season?!

Summer Flashback - Our trip to Washington

On August 14th we went to Washington to go to the "Wild Waves" amusement park. This was for Nathan's office retreat. The kids had a great time. There were many rides, crazy big water slides, activity pools,wave pool, lazy rivers, etc... I, honestly, did not enjoy it as much because it was their busiest day all summer. They had run some special through Safeway that we didn't know about and there were way too many people. It is hard to enjoy yourself when you are crammed in like sardines and worried about your children constantly. I would like to try it again sometime when it is just our family on a normal day. Because it was mostly a water park we didn't bring out our camera as much and only have a few pictures. Here are two of Ben and Andrew riding a cute train. I thought we had more pictures, oh well.

Then on August 15th we, just our family not the whole office staff, went to the Seattle Space Needle. This has actually been a dream of Nick's for quite some time so we couldn't pass up this opportunity when we were so close! It was a beautiful day! We all enjoyed our experience very much!

This was the picture they took on the green screen and one of the backgrounds we chose.

The on our way home we had to stop by Cabelas, of course! The kids enjoyed seeing all the animals and practicing their aim at the shooting range. Nathan enjoyed it all!

A fun weekend in Washington!

Tae Kwon Do Tournament

The children had a Tae Kwon Do tournament on Saturday, September 25th. They all earned trophies and had a great time. Nathan was hunting so I had Andrew with me. He was a very well-behaved little angel. I took some video, but my computer is not allowing me to upload them. Maybe I'll try in another post. For now, here are some pictures...

This was Ben's first ever tournament. He was the youngest competitor there! There were four kids in his 4-6 year old age division. Here he is shaking hands and bowing with all the black belts in attendance as he receives his medal for forms. It was a fourth place medal out of four kids, but he is still VERY PROUD of that medal! He also received 1st place for flag sparring!!! The video is so funny and I really hope to have it on my blog soon for you! Great job Ben!!!

Ben smiling from the sidelines and the judges tally up the scores.

Tatiana is pictures here, the fourth kid in. There were 6 kids in her age division. She rocked it in sparring! I was very impressed with our little girl! She won 1st place in point sparring and 4th place in flag sparring. She is so fun to watch. Our little angel is no one to mess with! I definitely want her on my side if I ever get in a fight. She went up against some very capable and awfully brutal boys and won! Yeah, she can hold her own!

Nick is the fifth kid in, standing next to the kid who is bending over. There were also six kids in his age division. He did great! He earned 1st place in flag sparring and 3rd place in point sparring. It was a tough competition! I love watching Nick! He is so cool under pressure. He is very calculated, he patiently waits for the right moment to strike all the while he is blocking kicks and punches with a calm determination. Very cool!

All three of our little warriors posing with their earnings and the gym owner, Jack Burright. Way to go! The Tolman kids rocked the house!!!