Orange Belts!!

The kids did a bang up job on their orange belt karate tests this past Saturday. Apart from all the hard work they did just to get here, there were a few other challenges they set for themselves.

Besides the physical tasks they need to perform there are many questions that they are asked. At their level, answering the questions is typically voluntary, but as they continue they will be asked and required to answer without volunteering.

Master Gray, who conducted the graduation, told everyone he knew this wasn't an easy thing to do, even for grown-ups. There were 42 kids graduating plus all their family members in one room, so the place was PACKED. Julia is consistently one of the first ones with her hand up. So, it's not at all unusual to see her get called on once, sometimes twice. She's still one of the youngest and smallest kids in this group so she's pretty noticable. One thing we noticed this time around was that Master Gray knows her on a first name basis! Pretty impressive since he only sees them, at most, every 2 months.

Devin, rarely puts his hand up. Not because he doesn't know the answers, but it's something that's much harder for him to do (I know where THAT comes from). One of my proudest moments was seeing Devin with his hand up, not just once but several times. He even was called on and did a smashing job. As proud as we were though, I think he was even prouder of himself, which is fantastic.

Another of my favorite moments from the day was seeing Julia with the world at her command. She strove to have the lowest horse stance, the highest jumps and the loudest "ki-yah"s. (Not sure where any of this competitiveness comes from...hee hee).

At the end of the graduation, before the belts were handed out, the kids who have committed to go on and work towards their black belts and become leaders get their "Leadership" uniforms and equipment. Our kids have made this committment and they now have black uniforms with their names on them. They also get this HUGE bag of stuff. When Master Gray called Julia up and handed her the bag (which is literally almost as big as she is) you could see him laugh to himself as he realized there was no way she's be able to carry this back through the crowded dojo. So he, very nicely, carried it for her. BUT, if you know Julia this was just another moment where she was the rock star and was loving the feeling of having "staff" at her disposal. I think the photo says it all. If you look closely you can see how she's carrying her body that says, "Yes, this way please..." HYSTERICAL. Master Gray is a VERY nice man but he's also larger than life to these kids as a 5th degree black belt and is a very commanding presence. So, to see Julia leading the way was just too much.

We love seeing them working so hard, and loving karate. Master Gray said something about how much these kids have grown, not just physically, but in their karate since he saw them last. And I started to think about that and realized how true it was.

The kids were just thrilled that they had so many people there supporting them too! Mima and Stipa, Auntie Heather, Grandma and Oompa came to cheer them on (despite the numb feet we all got sitting on the dojo floor!). It was a great day!