Sunday, January 30, 2011

Joel's Turn for Ink

Joel has been wanting a tattoo for some time now and once I got mine he decided it was time to get his done too. Problem was he was having a hard time deciding what to get. Joel and I have also discussed getting complimentary tattoos since I really don't like wearing jewelry...including my wedding ring. Anyone that knows me knows that I rarely wear my ring. So Joel did some research and found that the dragon and phoenix are yin and yang in Chinese culture. He showed me some artwork that he found and I fell in love with it, so that is what he decided to get first. He got the dragon yesterday and I will be going in next Saturday to get the phoenix. Anyone want to come hang out and watch? Jacob at Sovereign Tattoo did a great job on Joel's new ink and Joel loves it!

Jacob placing the stencil on Joel.

Starting on the outline.

Playing with my camera and angles.

Outline done and looking great!
Shading comes next.

Jacob working hard.

Dragon head, I love the touch of red in the tattoo.

Joel checking out the finished tat.

Nothing like new ink!
Thank you Jacob!

Saturday, January 29, 2011

When Oliver Grows Up

Oliver has told me MANY times that when he grows up he is going to be a ninja and one of the steps to becoming a ninja is to join karate. We finally allowed Oliver to be tested by Mr. K and Mr. B to see if they thought he was ready to take classes. He passed and has been loving his time on the mat ever since. Of course Joel and I are wondering what we might be getting ourselves into, teaching Oliver to punch and kick properly and with force may not be good for his big brother! Noah is a by-the-book sort of kid and follows the, "karate is for self defense only," number one rule at all times. Oliver, on the other hand, may have a harder time with that rule. We have faith that Oliver will obey the rules or at least learn quickly that there are consequences to his inappropriate actions. Nothing like Mr. K taking your belt away to drive the point home. Ollie is loving his karate time and looks forward to it. I enjoy seeing both of my boys learn from two amazing instructors.

Getting ready for class to start.

Warming up and stretching out.

Draw, punch!

Noah realizing that I turned the camera on him.
I got the shot before he pushed my hand/camera away!

Listening to Mr. B.

Little kids got rewarded at the end of class by getting to do the, "ground and pound." You ground the pad by jumping on it, then you...

...pound it into the ground. You should see the smiles on the kid's faces when they get to do this.

Saturday, January 22, 2011

Lego Mission: Space Shuttle

Noah's latest Lego purchase was a big one! Recommended for ages 16+, 1204 pieces, 17.5 inches tall with a 10 inch wingspan and the boy put it together in no time at all. It's an impressive Lego creation that Noah asked me to share with the readers of our blog, so here it is in all it's Space Shuttle awesome-ness...

Separate fuel and rocket boosters you can attach while it's on the launch pad. Ready to launch!

Noah showing me how the doors open up so the crane can deploy the satellite complete with solar cells and folding antennae.

Shuttle in landing mode.

Red-hot engines.

Thursday, January 06, 2011

This Makes Me Laugh!!

This is from a blog that I follow...it makes me smile and laugh. That makes it worth a share don't you think???

http://vimeo.com/18423001