belt promotion

Tim's belt promotion ceremony happened to coincide with the belt promotion of a number of black belts, so Ripple Effect included everyone in the celebration and made it an extravaganza. It was held at the auditorium of the newest high school in Fort Collins, with expert sound and lighting.  The instructors did performances as well as many of the students.  The audience was on it's feet, clapping and cheering for much of the three hour show.    The result was a young boy called Timothy falling in love with martial arts and this organization and his parents and grandparents feeling very good about it. 

Congratulations gold belt!

gold belt

Robyn, who lives across the street from Mom and Dad, recommended a marital arts program for Tim and Luke at a place called  Ripple Effect.  She said little beyond that it was not like other martial arts clubs.

We checked it out in September and were immediately impressed.  Tim has been dedicated to it from day one, and we enjoy his enthusiasm.  It's not just about kicking and punching.  There is a student creed that he must follow that covers his behaviour at home, school and Ripple Effect.  There are also Black Belt principles that he must strive to follow: modesty, courtesy, integrity, perseverance, self control, and indomitable spirit.   On 18 November, Tim took his gold belt test and passed.

 When he started, he didn't like to shout Hiya!, but now it comes very easy to him.  He's already been watching the gold belts and knows many of the new moves, which will be added to his routine.  These include defensive moves.  He has class twice a week for 45 minutes each night.  

He tells us that he wants to be an instructor one day.  If he stays on track, he'll earn his black belt four years from when he started, which was officially 10/10/15.  His instructors encourage these long term goals but help him stay focused on each day.

second grade

first day of second grade

Tim is the second grade at Rivendell School.  His teacher is Suzanne.  Ironically, she's from England.

The Tepid Tablespoon Challenge

After a hot hike at Kasha-Katuwe near Santa Fe and then a walk to the Plaza from our hacienda and back later that day, Tim was desperate to cool off.  For the last thirty minutes of the walk, he regaled Gran on how he was going to do the Ice Bucket Challenge.

We discovered that our little adobe abode did not have either a bucket or any ice, so he settled for a glass of cold water, stripped down, and got in the tub.  

spring school photos

tooth

Tim's first loose tooth arrived right around his seventh birthday, and it took a month to come out.  When it did, it was painless.  He was playing with it and twisted it around to the point it finally came out.

seven

The day of Tim's birthday was the Cub Scouts Pinewood Derby.  His car was't aerodynamic enough to win any races, but he enjoyed the show.  There was a lot of sitting around and waiting.

Paul used a workshop of one of the Cub Scout dads to cut the wood.  We taped off the areas for black paint, and Tim did all the painting. I think that compared to the other cars, he did a lot of the work.

It's all very hi-tech and prone to gliches.

Tim invited 11 of his friends from school to a party at The Rock Box, the day after his birthday, a climbing room at one of the sports centers in Surrey.  

school days

Tim's class on Halloween.  Tim is the purple dragon (Spiro from Skylanders) in the back and Jack is Steve from Minecraft in front of Tim.

applying math

number line