she's a dancing fool!? (5/2017)

when dancing classrooms ended, Kindin decided to try out for the competition team.  she was chosen as the foxtrot expert and competed with her team at the city level.  she and her partner danced well and were also required to participate in a hat drawing.  they excelled at that dance too, which ended up being the merengue, and her team WON!  it was both a delight and a surprise to watch.  dave and i both looked at eachother and said, "never once as a parent did i think that i'd be cheering on a child in a ballroom dance competition!"

pay with... a photo shoot (5/2017)

we have one of those popular family rules signs. (they used to be cute until walmart rolled them out and cheapened the decor of millions of homes in america.)  jack reads it religiously as he sits down for dinner and one of said 'rules' is 'pay with hugs and kisses'.  jack's closet love for affection won't allow him to subscribe to such nonsense.  but, brimming with excitement for his birthday party, he was happy to pay with... a photo shoot. (ah, truly the way to his mom's heart!)

a snapshot of this ninja warrior of mine...
- his love language is definitely touch though he'll deny it to his death.  (he actually sneaks it in with unexpected squeezes for his sisters.  with enough boisterous and random energy that he sometimes gets into trouble for it!)
- is not a fan of anything hygienic at the moment!
- is pokemon crazy
- can be heard breathing through his nose for the first time
- sometimes has a pity party about not having a brother
- loves patriotic songs
- has had his first exposure to bullying this year
- on a difficult family bike ride, he asked with exasperation, "Mom, how are you even doing this?"  It was the first time I realized that he's been ranking my physical prowess against his. (truthfully, he likely has me beat in most things - except endurance cycling)
- no one would know why - with that easy smile of his - but my mommy heart often worries about him. (will he tell me what's wrong or is he smiling through pain? will he lose his chill nature enough to land on something that truly motivates him?)
- his friends are mostly determined by convenience (i.e. who is in his class, who is on his sports team, who lives close by) but he IS choosy about avoiding those who don't show integrity.
- he acquired his father's naturally athleticism.  he loves participating in sports and loves spring and fall when he can get out and play all day in the fall.  because of his size, he is often underestimated but he completed the ninja course in half the time as his friends!