First Speech

AJ had his first ever speech today.  He dressed up himself.  He practiced last night and was great.

He said the speech went really well.  He didn't get that nervous at all.  He scored a very high score!

For this pic, he wanted his hands in his pockets and has a new smile I've never seen. :)

Hiiiiyaaaah!!!

AJ has recently started taking Tae Kwon Do.  He saw Colin in his class and (after some prompting by his mom to try out new things) he took a few classes to see what he thought. 

Well, he immediately loved it!  He has now been in it for about three months and looks forward to each class.  He has grown up to his second belt (yellow) and will be testing for the next one shortly.

I love that he learns confidence, physical ability, and moral lessons.  He loves that he has fun and gets to hang with his friends.  It's a cool bonus that on Wednesdays Colin is an assistant teacher in his class.  They are really cute together in class.  He's currently going twice every week - Mondays and Wednesdays from 5-6pm. 

A True Artist

AJ drew a picture of his teacher and himself.  Here it is:

Those are the shoulder pads of her princess dress, he says.... :)

His grandma Nay said she loves how he's staring at her shoulder pads... Haha.

A moment in time.

How quickly they change.
Age 8.
First poster he ever picked out himself.
First own "big kid" electronic device - kindle fire.
His 1/4 full school years picture frame.
A shadow of a balloon.
Stuffed animals.
No longer a bunk bed.
Two homework freebie tickets taped to the wall.
Artwork by his beloved cousin Alli.
Wrapped up in his cozy blanket.
Just finished singing "Nu Nu Nu" to you. =)
I love you, son.

Christmas Ornaments

This Christmas was a wonderful one.  AJ and I had never decorated our very own tree.  We had a blast with the all the festivities. 

He made a special ornament that included his Christmas wish list along with some special trinkets he wanted to save in there forever. 

He thought it was very silly when I made him watch Christmas movies with me as well.  We watched the class Grinch movie together and a few more. 

We also got to see an amazing house that was elaborately decorated with holiday lights that moved to the beat of a radio station playing Christmas music.  AJ really got a kick out of it and requested we come visit it every year.

He asked a few times if Santa was real.  It was adorable as he seemed particularly curious about it this year.  He reassured me that he does believe in Santa. 

Another major event this year was when we hand made crafts for gifts with his favorite cousin Alli, Colin, and Alli's friend Brooke.  It was a mass production work line, but it was a blast. 

We both love the holiday season! :)

Flag Salute

AJ was chosen by his teacher to say the flag salute in front of his whole school today.  His teacher picked him because of many reasons including that he comes to school every day ready to learn with a smile.  This is a huge deal!  He didn't know until this morning - we surprised him!  It ended up being a rainy day so instead of saying it outside, he said it over the telecom of the entire school.  He thought that was very cool.

Baseball Player and First Trophy!

After some resistance, AJ tried baseball last spring.  More than any other sport yet, he took to it immediately.  He had a natural knack for it and connection to it.  He really enjoyed playing the game.  It was a great pleasure to watch him play as well. 

To end out the season, he got his first trophy!  He was awarded Best Player at First Base.  He also had his first real pizza at the celebration party (he is building a tolerance for dairy and he is very excited about it). 

He loves baseball and wants to do it more.  I'm so proud of him. :)