Winning weekend!

Okay, bear with me here, I'm trying to post videos and I've never done that before...so hold onto your butts! :oD The videos are from our "winning weekend", the last weekend in June 2009! After Cam graduated last Thursday, he had a karate grading to go from his green belt to his blue stripe belt. I was very impressed with how much he has learned and how well he did! How he remembers all the patterns is beyond me...as a dancer, you use music to help you but there are no "cues" to remember this stuff! Congrats "Cameron-san" as you earned your belt, we are so proud of you!

Showing his stuff!
Self-defence with a partner
Putting on the new belt!
Big smile for Mom!
The class does a few moves in their new belts!
With his instructors, proud boy!

The next part of our "winning weekend" was a trip to the inaugural "Lindsay Scottish Festival" where Delsin and Mae entered into the Highland dance competition. The weather was crappy and we learned lots about what kind of "kit" we needed to invest in to survive outdoor competition season! A big thanks to our fellow Port Perry Highland parents who were well prepared with a tent canopy for us to hide under when the rain started!! Fortunately our kids danced on the outdoor stage before the rain started, we just had to sit and wait for awards while it poured on us! The kids had a ball and made their own fun cuddling up under blankets to keep warm as they giggled and amused themselves. Everyone did really well, WTG Port Perry!!

Mae & Del kilted up and ready to go!
Nothing gets the "Port Perry Crew" down!
Delsin scores two 6th place medals in the Primary division!
Mae wows us with two 2nd place medals in only her second competition!
Showing off the "bling" at home!
A few cuddles for Oscar too :o)

Here I go giving the videos a try: The first is Mae performing her "Highland Fling" (she placed second) and Delsin performs his "Pas de Basques and High Cuts" (he placed sixth).

My graduate!

Cameron graduated from Grade 8 today and will be off to high school in the fall. ACK! Two down, two to go! This post is all about you Cammy-Doodle and you deserve to be recognized. We are all so proud of you and the young man you are becoming. I'm filled with emotions today: pride, relief (haha), joy, sadness and anxiety as I send you off to another big pond as a proverbial little fish. I know you'll be fine but as a Mom I always have these worries in my brain.

Here's to you my beautiful boy and here's to the next phase of your life! Cheers to you!

We love you Doodle! xoxo

Sharp dressed man!

With the sibs
Getting the cert from his principal

Awww, he remembered to stop and pose for Mom!

Happy boy!

Showing off the paperwork!

My grinning graduate!

The dreaded "first dance" with Mom! :oD

Earlier in the week we took a "grad trip" to Ottawa!

Enjoying a trip to the Museum of Civilization in Quebec

Sitting by the "Eternal Flame" on Pariliament Hill...and was it HOT that day!

With his teacher Mr. Scragg

The birth of a tattoo...

Tim has wanted to tattoo his right lower leg for a few years now and found a local artist up to the task! After 8+ surgeries to repair the leg he broke/dislocated in 2001 people tend to stare at his leg so he figures it would be better for them to have something better to stare at. :o) The tattoo will be a work in progress as he may be having another surgery on the ankle area (once we meet with the ankle specialist we have been referred to) so he has started with the calf and inside of the leg and will wait until he is most likely done with surgeries before finishing the leg.

I'm always a bit concerned when I go into tattoo parlours because they are always adorned with what I like to refer to as "biker chic" tattoo work and most artists are covered in a variety of skulls, daggers, and other work that isn't exactly to my taste! Tim was going for a much different style...asian inspired integrating a dragon, a koi and lotus flowers...much softer than the art work on display!! I had previously visited this studio to have Mae's ears pierced and was very impressed with how clean everything looked (and smelled, good old antiseptic smell!) so I told Tim he had nothing to lose by talking with one of the artists. He met with Mike Stevens, a resident artist, and after exchanging emails with examples of artwork and bouncing ideas off of each other, Mike had come up with drawings to show Tim. I didn't view the work but Tim came home very excited with what had been shown to him and went ahead and booked his first appointment for today. Cue nervous reaction from Mommy!! I stopped by with my camera to document the process for Tim just as they were shaving Tim's leg in preparation....ooooh, la la....and I was really blown away by what Mike has come up with! What was impressive was that Mike was just as excited as Tim to get started on this tattoo and I can see why!

A leg as smooth as a baby's bottom!

Tim assumes the position..hmmmmm...
Mike places the stencil
Hmmmm...yup, that's about as good as you can get!
Doesn't Timmy look all excited?
Tim settles in for the long haul...
Mike hand draws parts that didn't transfer fully
Let the tattoo begin! Is that a slightly clenched fist Timmy?
Getting used to the sensation
Today will be all outlining
Mike has a lot of work ahead of him!

Four hours later I got a call from Tim that he was almost done so I popped over to get a few more pictures of today's work. It looks even better in person and will be amazing when it's finished.

Mike finishes shading outlines of petals of the lotus blossom to make them look 3D!
The detail is impressive
And TA-DA...today's efforts result in:
one cool looking koi!
Koi blending into a lotus flower
Tim models for photos!
To the right of this, the tattoo will continue with a dragon over his main scar.
Another look at that beautiful koi
The stunning lotus with petals that seems to reach off his leg
The left side of the tattoo, the next tattoo will blend into here

Wicked, bad, naughty, evil blogger!

I'm sorry I've been neglecting you little baby blog, naughty Mommy. I promise to start paying more attention to you.

See you soon. xo