Tonight we were lucky to see a partial solar eclipse. Greg had to fight through the frustration of lots of clouds, but he was able to get a few wonderful photos. The real name for the ring of fire eclispe is an annular eclipse.
Greg played around with the exposure on this photo:
The kids thought the eclipse was awesome! Yeah, there was lots of shouting "Don't look directly at the sun!" :)
Greg brought the new Rebel Cannon camera to TKD classes last night. It was a night filled with kicking practice and a little sparring for me and Sam. The girls had stripe tests for weapons and board breaks as they prepare for their big test on May 26th for their yellow stripe on their black belts.
G and T practiced bo staff forms before going to class.
Sam and I take a family class together. Here we are warming up for class:
Time for kicking practice. We did speed roundhouse kicks and speed ax kicks.
Once we were exhausted from the kicking practice, it was time to spar! Tonight Sam and I got to spar each other.
Sam loves this class. The older kids in class are generous with their support of the younger members of class. Sam is not my only opponent; I spar with the other adults and teens in class. Unfortunately, I took a back kick to my knee in my last fight, so I am out of sparring for at least a week.
The girls are in the Black Belt class where kids and adults train together. All of the first and second degree black belts are getting ready for stripe tests which happen every six months. The girls are testing for their yellow stripe. This test requires 2 forms, a double nunchuk form, a bo staff form, two speed kicking drillls, 3 rounds of sparring and 2 board break--a palm strike break, and a running front jump kick break. Tonight was weapons testing and board break tests.
The girls passed all of their tests. They are one step closer to their yellow stripe test next week!
What a crazy, little martial arts family we have become!
We are quickly coming to the end of the school year. This is the season of Band, Choir and Art shows.
Sam and Georgie's Art show and Choir concert was last week:
There was a lot of recess time spent practicing this dance!
Last night was the Band Concert for the Elementary, Middle and High school Bands. One neat aspect of attending a rural school is how small and personal these events feel.
Thea plays drums and bells. She had to play the bell part of the key board for several of the songs.
Back on the bells!
Georgie loves playing the flute!
Finally, the Middle and High School Art Show!
The last day of school is coming soon! We can't wait for summer. :)
This blog posting is in honor of a wonderful new book written by a great friend's little sister. Katherine Willis Pershey's book, Any Day a Beautiful Change, is a touching memoir of her life as a wife, mother and minister. Katherine's book can be found at Amazon, Barnes and Noble and Chalice Press. I downloaded it to my Nook. :) Here is the link to her blog: Any Day a Beautiful Change
A Karahalis Family Change
A Beautiful Change is happening in our lives right now. We have been an active duty Air Force family for 18 years. We are well aware of the crazy, moving life style we live. We move every few years to begin a new life at a new base in a new city. This means a new church, new schools, new friends, and basically a whole new life.
But this year our change is different. This year my husband is leaving for a 12 month remote tour in Greenland. In fact, he is already gone out of state for training and will leave for Greenland in another month. The kids and I are staying put while he is off on his arctic adventure. I cannot even begin to anticipate the changes which will happen for our little family over the coming year. I know there will be challenges in the months ahead as we adjust to not having Daddy around to cook Greek pizzas or take the van for an oil change or play RockBand on the Wii with the kids.
On Sunday morning I had a glimpse into how the kids are changing and adjusting to life without Daddy. Thea announced on Saturday night that she would be cooking Sunday morning breakfast. Greg usually cooks pancakes before we head out to chuch. I had no idea what Thea planned to make us all for breakfast on Sunday.
At 8am on Sunday morning she leaped from bed to run downstairs to the kitchen. Thea is almost a teenager, so any time she gets out of bed before 9am is a small miracle. Once in the kitchen she preceded to make steel cut oatmeal, she cut up strawberries, she filled a bowl with brown sugar and then she set the table complete with full glasses of milk.
Thea was quite proud of preparing the breakfast for the family. Sam and Georgie were enthusiastic about their older sister's first attempt at a preparing a whole meal. The oatmeal disappeared quickly and it was quite delicious. :)
I can see that this year will be filled with surprises as each of the kids takes on additional responsibility in the house. While I know that it will not be an easy year. I know that with our faith in the Lord, our friendly and helpful Air Force Base of neighbors, and the love of our families that we will change and find strength. I am confident that at the end of this year that our beautiful change will be a family who has discovered the blessings of a being relying on each other and finding happiness when we can.
Yesterday Sam instructed me to stay out of his room because everyone was napping. This left me wondering, who is "everyone?" The answer, all of his Super Stuffies. :)
Hee hee hee!
Military kids do not usually get their first ID until they turn 10. Sam is only 7, but have special circumstances happening right now. With Greg leaving this summer for a remote tour in Greenland the legal office on Base recommened that we go ahead and get an ID for Sam. I cannot begin to explain how excited Sam was to get his very own military ID, just like his sisters!
He went to his room on Friday morning to get dressed for his ID picture. He came downtstairs in a dress shirt, a tie and a jacket. This boy was ready for his close up!
Here he is straigthening his tie:
And here he is ready to go to the ID office for the official photo:
I think he looks like a frat boy in the making. :)
We are so fortunate that one of our best Air Force friends is also an amazing photographer. We keep getting stationed either in the same town or within a few hours of each other. Over the years ED has taken family photos in Colorado, Washington DC and Wyoming. Our most recent photoshoot was two weeks ago in Wyoming.
Here are some of the best of the pictures. Enjoy!
I think this last picture of myself and Greg laughing really hard is the portrait that he should take to Greenland to remember how much fun it is to be home. :)
I love this picture of my three kids and E's three daughters. Oh, and my sweet dog, Potter. These Air Force brats fall back into playing happily anytime we can get them together.
Thanks E for your time and your talent!
Sam said "everything is so clear" over and over tonight after getting his new glasses. He is thrilled to be able to see the world in a whole new way.
Here is Sam in his everyday glasses:
Here he is in his new sports glasses. Sam said these glasses are super cool!
And now begins the adventure of making sure Sam does not lose his glasses...
Wish me luck!
since Greg has left us for an extended time. It was 2003 and we were stationed in Florida. Greg had to leave for 6 months of training. We were in such a different place then. Greg was a captain. Georgie and Thea were 18 months and 3 years old. I was not working. We easily packed up our stuff and moved two babies and two beagles into my generous parents' basement. It was like a 6 month vacation in NC. I travelled with the girls all over the southeast visiting family.
Once he returned we PCSed to Colorado Springs. Shortly after our arrival in the Springs we found out that Greg had been selected for Major. Someone took this picture at the bar where the squadron celebrated for all the new Majors. My goodness, don't we look young?
As we prepare for Greg to leave for Thule AFB in Greenland I am amazed at how different our lives are today. I now teach full time for 2 colleges. Sam entered the picture a year after we moved to Colorado. So when Greg leaves the kids will be 8, 11 and 13. Instead of moving back home to stay with family, we are staying put in Colorado. The kids don't want to change schools, we live in a great neighborhood on a secure Base, we are surrounded by Air Force families who understand the stresses of being away from the active duty spouse and, most importantly, we are comfortable here.
We have been through many separations over the last 17 years of Greg's being active duty. But most have been short trips, 2 or 3 weeks. A few have been longer, 6 or 7 weeks. The longest being Greg's 6 months away in 2003. But this is the first time we have endevored to get through a 12 month remote tour. I am sure Greg will be super busy as the commander of a squadron. I am sure that the kids and I will be busy with school, golf and tae kwon do. I am thankful that this is Greenland and not Afghanistan. We have several friends deployed right now and I know how lucky we are that Greg will be avoiding polar bears, not dodging bullets. I am thrilled that Greg has been selected for this great opportunity. And for me, it is an opportunity to learn how to cook more than 4 dinnners. Oh, and I need to figure out how to light the grill and how to use the waffle maker. :)
In honor of Leap Year I thought I would look back at the kids. Kids change so much in those first few years. Sam was born in 2004 and he has changed the most in the last 8 years.
Here is Sam and the girls in 2004 when he was a tiny baby. This was the first time we lived in Colorado. The kids are 0, 3 and 5.
In 2008 we were living in Virginia with good friends nearby. Here are my kids with their dear friend M having a slumber party. The kids are 3, 6 and 8. Sam looks like a sweet little boy.
In 2012 we are back in Colorado. And the kids love playing games together. The kids are 7, 11 and almost 13.
Of course, the girls changed a lot in 8 years as well. But, wow, Sam went from a baby to a big boy in what seems like a blink of the eye. Being back in Colorado also makes it feel like time has gone so quickly. I wonder what everyone will look like in another 4 years when the kids are 11, 14 and 16.
Oh, two teenage girls. I guess next Leap Year will be an adventure. :)
