Ichi, Ni, San, Shi, Go, Roku, Hichi, Hachi, Ku, Ju

So Alex did it.  He went and got his yellow belt in Karate!  Woot! Woot!  He was starting to get bored with karate, being a white belt and all since January, you know...the bottom of the pile in class.  He told me he didn't want to go anymore.  'Well, listen here kid' (I said in my head), 'you are going to learn some discipline and you are going to like it!  Dammit!'  Really what I said was, 'Well, let's go to class today, and tell Sensei Mike that you don't want to do karate anymore.  Then this will be your last day.'  He He He, I had different plans!!

At the beginning of class, with Alex by my side, I said 'Sensei Mike, what does Alex need to do next to become a yellow belt?'  Ding, Ding, Ding!!!  Little Alex ears perk up.  A yellow belt!!  Sweet!  "Well, young Alex, have you been practicing your blocks?'    'Yes'   'And your counting?'   'Yes'.  'Ok, I'll watch you today, and if you're ready for promotion, we'll put your name on the board, and you can come in tomorrow and take your test.  So Sensei Mike watched Alex, and Alex never performed better!!    The next day, he took his test and...

Check out these moves

Presenting, Alex, the Yellow Belt!! 

Now he wants to go to class twice a week, and participate in sparring.  I just hope he doesn't decide to use his new sparring skills on his brother (or his mother!!).  He's been picking up on it pretty quick.  It's way cute.

Four teeth down, only 16 to go!

Seriously, if the next 16 teeth take as much effort as this last one did to to convince Nikolaus (7 years old) to 'just pull it out!', I'm gonna scream!!!   He's already lost 3 teeth (bottom front two teeth, and one top front tooth).  And those all came out fairly easy on their own, minus the hystrionics.  But gosh...it was literally 'like pulling teeth' to get him to just rip this one out.  What gives??

It was loose for like a month, and for the past week it's literally been dangling by a thread.  Not hell or high water was that kid ready to part with this particular tooth for some reason.  He claimed that 'it huurrrtttsss' every time I tried to get in there and yank it out of his face.  It was seriously disgusting to watch him wiggle it around with his tongue.  For a while it was lodged at a 45 degree angle coming out of his gums.  Then it was at a 90 degree angle back into his mouth.  FINALLY, yesterday, as he was wiggling it around on it's thread, it popped off!  Alleluia!!  Here's the culprit:

And the toothless grin:

Now Alex, the younger and more adventurous one (who's 18 months his younger), barely let his first loose tooth even get a mere wiggle before yanking it out while brushing his teeth last week!  Maybe it was the joy and thrill of having the tooth fairy finally visit him for the first time.  Maybe he just wanted to 'one up' his brother and prove how brave he was, and what a wuss Nikolaus was in front of the other 3 kids who were sleeping at our house that night.  Or maybe he is just a money hungry 5 year old who wanted his first payoff from the tooth fairy.  Whatever the reason, out came the tooth, seriously just a few days after it started to wiggle.  He already had his adult tooth growing in behind the baby tooth, so I'm glad it came out so easily, to make room for the new tooth to move on in (we do NOT need any orthodontic bills in the teen years, please!)

The win goes to Alex this time ($5.00) vs. the $1.00 to Nikolaus.  First tooth out always get a bigger payout, right?  Although I'm not sure money is enough to get Nikolaus to pull anything out of his gums.  He told me he'd prefer to get an 'A to Z Mystery Book' instead of cash from the tooth fairy.  Gotta love a kid who loves to read!!!  Maybe the win actually goes to Nikolaus.  ;-)

Play Ball!!!

Well, it's official... the 2010 season of the Magnolia Little League has begun.  Every year, right around now, the community comes out of hibernation, and celebrates the day with a parade down McGraw in the middle of....oh, let's just call it.... Mayberry.  Yep, Magnolia Village is about as close as you get to good old Mayberry (you know, the Andy Griffith show from way back when you were just a wee child...at least I was).  Everything you need is here in the village (family doctor, dentist, dry cleaner, ice cream shop, boutique, hardware store, drug store, book store, grocery store(s), bakery, pie shop, gym, karate studio, Starbucks, Tully's, and of course the local watering hole).  You never really even need to leave Mayberry, I mean Magnolia, if you don't want to.  As a matter of fact, one would have no need to ever drive to or through Magnolia if you didn't live here or know someone who lives here that you were visiting.  Yup, it's our little 'destination location' right here in the city.  Close enough to downtown Seattle so that you can enjoy the urban life, but still a sleepy little bedroom community like the burbs, safe enough to raise the kids in (but we have way better views of the Puget Sound, Olympic Mountains, and Mt. Rainier than those suburban east siders). 

Mt. Rainer looming big. 








Snow capped Olympic Mountains.

Ferry in the Puget Sound

The Olypmic Mountains 

Photos taken from our back deck...hello!!


Anyhow, back to the parade....everything from street closures, police at the ready, firetrucks driving down McGraw, followed by the Ballard High School band.  The only thing missing this year was the Seattle Mariners mascot!!!  Where was the Moose??  He usually makes an appearance at the top of the hill keeping the kids entertained before they start the parade, but I didn't see him mingling this year.  Must have been booked for another high paying gig.  Here's a picture of him from 2 years ago with the kids:

March 2008 - MTI Physical Therapy Tball team with Mariners Moose

(Nikolaus was 5 and Alex 3) 

Alex wasn't even on the team, but marched in the parade with them anyways!  Big surprise!

Once again, hundreds of kids all geared up sporting their new uniforms and hats, and then the marching started, down the huge hill (McGraw is quite the incline if you want to get a cardio workout in).  Luckily, I didn't see any major trips or tumbles this year, but I bet there was one or two...always is.  A few years ago (same year as the picture above was taken I think), Nikolaus was one of the tumblers when he got caught on the 'way too long' banner for 5 year olds and the whole team went head first into the pavement.  Nikolaus ended up with a bloody nose during the parade.  That's the way to start up the season...intimate the competition with a little blood.  You go, Nikolaus!!

Anyhow, each team held their mostly custom painted banners proudly and tossed candy out to the anxious crowd.  One little girl (who I guess was about 10 years old), was waiting at the ready on the side of the parade grabbing all the candy she could get her greedy little hands on, and stuffing her white trash bag FULL.  Save some for the little ones darling.  Hope she's got a good dentist and some good brushing techniques, cause she's gonna need it!!  Here's Alex with his buddy Caplan throwing the stash at the crowd and the lovely custom made banner:

Luckily, the weather was gorgeous today!  Sun and mid-60's today.  Great start to what is sure to be a great season.  Alex participated in the festivities with his team (MTI Physical Therapy), this is his 2nd year playing T-ball.  So he should prove to be quite the star this year.  Unfortunately, Nikolaus woke up with a fever this morning of about 101, and is still nursing this dang sore throat (that's a whole other story I'll have to blog about soon).  So he decided to stay home with Peter and rest up .... Poor bud.  But better to stay home and get well, so you can be a starter in the game next week!!   Here's a picture of Nikolaus' team (sans Nikolaus).  He's on David Ardnt DDS (one of Magnolia's local dentist and team coach, standing on the right in back row).

Now let's 'PLAY BALL'!!!

The happiest place on earth

Here's an updated photo of our family during our first trip to Disneyland, February 2010. 

Pam (mom), Alex, Nikolaus (missing the front tooth), Peter (dad)

To Blog or not to blog...

Ok, so I think this blog thing might have some appeal to it. I have lots of friends who use blogs for their businesses, their hobbies and special interests, to keep their out of town relatives updated on what little Johnny, or sweet Suzie has accomplished (rolling over, gurgling, first words, what mushed veggies they had for lunch today), etc. Quite frankly, I don't think anyone will read my blogs, but I think it might actually serve a purpose for me. A way to organize my thoughts, document my life and the 'goings on' of my kids and family, a sort of virtual time line of the Greb's and the daily grind of the way life is (whether it be fun, challenging, annoying, or just plain boring). Maybe this will be just a way for me to vent or possibly even celebrate and rejoice in whatever it is that needs venting or rejoicing. Who knows, maybe I'll find out something new about myself. Maybe I'm just wasting my time, when I should be studying for... oh, let's say, ... a muscle practical exam that is tomorrow at noon?? Hmmm... Me? Procrastinating? Impossible...

Anyhow, there's my first blog entry!!! Hoorah! Maybe there'll be more. But then again, maybe not. Now, a study I must do ...

Meet the Greb's

We are an average family living in the beautiful Northwest (Seattle, WA).