December

Alan started taking Taekwondo in September.  We looked around for a Martial Arts class for a while and finally found one that we are happy with.  It's a good challenge for Alan.  Though the teachers aren't harsh they really make the kids work to get their stripes/belts.  Alan had his first testing for a belt in December.  He was nervous, but he did well and is thrilled to have moved up to an orange belt and not to be the very bottom of the totem pole in his class.

We love all the fun things that our neighborhood has to offer.  A nearby shopping center does free carriage rides with Santa in December.  As with most lines to see Santa it is about an hour wait but you are free to roam the shops while you wait.  It's fun and free!

 The library in a nearby retirement community does a Christmas story hour for the kids.  Since it is a retirement community their obviously aren't a lot of kids around.  When only six kids show up to these things they get tons of attention.

A visit from Santa Claus is cool but the kids said he was a fake.  Santa apparently doesn't wear tennis shoes.

It ended with a craft where the kids were able to make marshmallow snowman.  You know how it went.  One marshmallow for the snowman, one marshmallow for the mouth.