More Football

Football has kind of taken over our lives lately (the boys have it almost every day, except Sunday).  This year is Jaren's first year playing and Kayden's fourth.  Last year their team won the Southern Alberta finals, but about half the team moved on to the Sr High league.  It is a real growing year for their team this year, so I think it had been a bit frustrating for all involved!!

 The boys are learning lots though, so if they keep at it, they will ROCK it next year!

 Kayden mostly plays offense now and I think has scored five touchdowns this season.  YAY Kayden.  In the above picture, (you can't really tell from the photo), he had an AWESOME tackle. 

We have had really good football weather up until last nights jamboree.  It was snowing and windy.  Not fun.  It is supposed to be way nicer this weekend for their road trip to Lethbridge!  Go HAWKS!!

Football Season has arrived!!!

With football season in full swing - we are keeping super busy.  Both Kayden (#4) and Jaren (#72) are playing this year.  The team is grades 7-9, so Kayden is on the Senior end of things, and Jaren is a newbie!

This picture was maybe not the best because that catch that the brown team member caught was meant for Kayden.  They have a brand new quarter back, so they are working out some things.  Oh well, it is what it is!!  He (Kayden) has been having a pretty good season - he already has three touch downs and has had some pretty great plays.  So far, the newbie has only played a couple of minutes (more than some others though, so he is happy).  Jaren does get to start tomorrow night at the away game in Brooks though!  Hooray! And, so far, the weather has been really  nice for us fans.  Fingers crossed it stays that way!!!

First Day of School

First day of school.  Four kids, three different schools. All the boys were (surprisingly) excited to go back to school.  I guess the first day of high school and the first day of junior high school (middle school) are something to be excited about!!

 

 Kayden is taking his scooter for the time being.  He has early morning seminary, so he is out the door early and then football practice every day.  Kayden is now the little fish in the big pond again.  High school - scary!!!

Jaren was super pumped about grade 7.  He tells me everyday how much better it is than elementary (and he has to leave a whole hour earlier than last year, and he still likes it).  He just got contacts so he can see when he plays football.  He plays on the same team as Kayden.  Apparently, Jaren grew a ton over the summer too.  Yikes - my kids are growing up too fast!!!

Carter was also happy to go back to school.  Can you tell?  Poor guy - he just got a new appliance/retainer two days prior and it was awkward for him to smile.  It was either this pic or one where he looked mad.  I chose this one.  Carter was happy to get back to school to see his friends.

Tyler, my soldier, standing at attention and ready to go.  He too, was ready to get back to see his friends.  All the boys were up super early and listened so well the first day.  I wish they were that enthusiastic every day!

As a celebration of back to school/end of summer a bunch of families got together at a local park and had a bbq/fire.  It was super fun to see so many people and celebrate the last bit of summer!!

Green belt

This post is LONG overdue!  As you can see, Jaren has earned his green belt!  Hooray!  This was back at the very beginning of June.  He worked really hard to get it!  Thank you Sensei Gord (and Sensei Dean)!

Jaren and his zany antics

Jaren has discovered how much fun it is to make video clips of himself.  Check him out:

http://youtu.be/YO3jMmyoQbs

http://youtu.be/OmllILyJqnw

http://youtu.be/f693-CFgu18

Something new at our house

Yep, Jaren now has glasses!  It kind of all happened suddenly.  One day, he said that he couldn't read the numbers at the front of the chapel (for the hymns), then it all came out how he hasn't been able to see the board (or other things) for a long time.  Nice.  Good thing this kids parents are so on top of everything!  So, off to the eye doctor we went.  The verdict:  He is near sighted.  So, glasses are for school, TV, and the like.  He doesn't need them for sports (which he was very happy for)!

Anyway, I think he looks handsome and even smarter than before!

jaren's birthday party

Yes, I know that I am all out of sorts!  Jaren's birthday was back in August (and I know, I still haven't posted the summer pics yet) and yet, here are his party pictures?  What?  Well, we were finally able to arrange his party just a couple of weeks ago - so here it is! 

Ten Boys + Paintballing = A TON of fun (okay, and maybe some minor injuries)

 Jaren went paintballing for the first time this summer and decided that he MUST do that for his birthday party.  After the party, almost every boy said that they wanted to do this for their next party as well.  So, I guess getting shot at (and hit) is a fun thing?  This course - Ghost Town Paintball - was fabulous!  The people were super nice and very accommodating.  The boys loved that you could use all three courses too.

This is the happy un-birthday boy with his cake!

The whole crew that came to the party.  Don't they look scary?  Happy 11th birthday buddy!  I am glad we waited and had the party you wanted!!

Birthday fun

I think I will back track over our summer of fun.  So, we will start with the most recent festivities!  THE BIRTHDAYS!

Jaren had karate camp the week of his birthday, so he took these sweet little cupcakes with him the day of his birthday.  We thought it would be fun to share some sweets on his special day!

I thought this picture was so appropriate for our life.  Kayden is a jokester and is always being silly.  Here he is, trying to cash in on Jaren's birthday limelight!  Notice the yummy ice cream cake (thank you gramma)!

We did our birthday a little backwards this year.  It was presents, cake, then pizza, wings and YUMMY pina coladas!

Check out Tyler and I and our pina coladas.  Yep, I am a big pig and just drank it straight out of the blender!

While in UT, my little boys kept picking out clothes for me to try on.  This is Carter's find.  He so desperately wants an angry bird shirt for himself, but after searching in several stores, we came up empty handed!  I thought he would like it if I wore "his" shirt for my birthday!

No Halladay birthday would be complete without some lego building.  I think Jaren and I both had a really good day.  We had visits from people we love, were showered with yummy food and gifts and spent time as a family!  What more could you want!

Happy Birthday Jaren!

Jaren holding all the awards he won recently!  You go Mister!

Eleven years ago, I got the best birthday present ever - a 10 lb 8 oz baby boy!  Now, fast forward to today.  This handsome young man is fast approaching my height, is smart as a whip and has the memory of ten elephants.  He is fiercely loyal to his friends, knows a lot of stuff about a lot of things, loves karate and nature and is more than a little particular about most things.  He loves his brothers - as long as they are not in "his" room and is a really great cousin (maybe it is easier to be patient with cousins).  He is still a momma's boy(maybe he has a soft spot for me because I shared my birthday with him), but still has fun with dad (dad is way cooler and has way more adventurous side than mom). 

I am so glad that we were blessed to have Jaren in our family.  He is such an easy kid to be around and I LOVE HIM so much!  Happy Birthday Jaren!

Pan Am Games in Regina

This past weekend, Jaren participated in the first Pan American Martial Arts Games in Regina, SK.  This event was put on by the World Martial Arts Games Association and it was by far the biggest tournament that we have ever been in!  Jaren was super excited to be there and the day started with Opening Ceremonies where each province marched in with their flag (accompanied by tons of cheering, of course).  We were then addressed by some of the people who organized the tournament, including the WMAG President.  Following that, we were able to watch a super cool chinese (I think) dragon dance ( I will post more pics later - Lindsey has our other camera on  his golf trip). 

Pictured above is Jaren getting ready for the competition on Saturday.  First he did his kata.  He did pretty well at it - I am pretty sure he got fourth (they show their scores, but anything below 1st, 2nd, 3rd, they don't announce).  Next came his favourite event - point sparring.  He fought really well and won his first match.  His next match was going pretty well, then when they threw in the towel (that is what they do when the 2 min is up), the fighters were tied for points.  UGH!  That means first point wins.  Unfortunately, Jaren did not get the first point!  So, on to match #3.  Guess, what?  Same thing happened again!  This time, Jaren was ahead for a bit, but when the time was up, they were tied - and again, he did not get that first point in.  This led to one very sad boy.  He loves point sparring and so wanted to get a medal in it.  This really seemed to affect his confidence in weapons sparring, but he was able to pull off a BRONZE in that category!  Hooray Jaren!

Here is the tough fighter sporting his medal.  We had a good chat after the events and he realized that it isn't all about winning.  He went in and fought some really awesome competition - you had to get 1st or 2nd in a qualifying tournament in order to get into the Pan Am Games - and he improved his fighting skills tons!  All in all, it was a great experience!  We are SO proud of you JAREN!

Three more sleeps

Three more sleeps until we leave for the Pan Am games.  Jaren is super excited.  He keeps telling people that he might be on TV.  So cute!  Wish us luck and send us positive - "assertive fighting" vibes!

ornage, orange, ORANGE

Lately, our home has been filled with practice, practice, practice.  Jaren has been working towards obtaining his orange belt in karate, and Carter has been practicing for the music festival this week.  As you can see below, The hours of practice paid off!  Jaren was super excited to get this new belt (honestly, I think I was just as excited). 

For months now, Jaren has been asking for sparring weapons and I told him, that he could probably get some when he got his orange belt.  So, one night at karate, mom "sneakily" purchased these "weapons" or fighting sticks.  They were hidden in my closet for a LONG time and I could hardly stand it.  I wanted him to earn his orange belt AND I wanted him to have his sticks!  Then, one day after karate he told me that he couldn't wait to pick out his own weapons.  Not only was he excited to choose specific fighting sticks, but he also wanted to see the room where all these fabulous weapons were kept.  OOOPS!  Now what?  Do I take them back and let him pick out his own?  Well, I decided to keep them and then, if he wanted to, let him trade them in.  So, last Monday, Sensei G told Jaren he needed to be ready to test on Wednesday.  And, ready he was!  He rocked his katas and now, here is our not so little ORANGE belt!

Kub Kar Ralley 2011

This is our 6th year of doing the kub kar ralley.  At first, it was with Kayden, and now - Jaren and Carter.  This is actually Jaren's last year doing it (unless they decide to do it as Blazer Scouts), and we (aka Grampa, Jaren and Mom) had a blast making his car.  Grampa is such a good sport!  He doesn't even complain about the crazy designs that the boys sometimes come up with!

 In the above picture, Carter's super fast "pencil" car is racing one of the other kub kars.  Dad was the designated helper with Carter's car.  I think he got off a little easier than Grampa, don't you?  Mom helped Carter with the taping, so that he could spray paint his car.  He was very pleased with how it turned out.  He was so cute about it too.  You know how pencils usually say HB 2?  Well, his had CH 9 (since he is nine).

 Here is big bro, Kayden, helping out with the brand new track.  Jaren's car is in this race!  Go J man!

 And the winner is....Yay! Carter!  Carter thought that the pencil car wasn't going to win a single race.  Hmmm...guess he was wrong about that one!  He was so excited to have two trophies.  The big one to have for a year, and the little one to keep!  Thanks Akela (Megan) for a great time!

Jaren and Jax show off their fancy cars and trophies.  Jaren took 2nd and Jax got 3rd.  Great job boys!

HAPPY birthday Jaren!

My sweet little Jaren - born on August 25, 2000, weighing in at a whopping 10 lbs 8 oz.

I LOVE this pic of my smiley happy baby boy!

Following in his big bro's footsteps?  Jaren was a curious, fun loving toddler.

My own little Bob the Builder.  Jaren absolutely loved anything to do with tools when he was younger.  You can see his tool belt in one of the next pics.

This is one of my favorite pictures of all time. 

Love the face.  Love the tools.

Safety first.  Right Grampa?

Rockin out on a Sword?  I guess you just use what you can!

Happy birthday for sure!  Just look at that smile!

Jaren loved to (and still sometimes does) dress up.  Not just in regular costumes.  He would put all sorts of fun things together and create some type of magical character.  I love that about Jaren.

Batman with juice mustache.

Batman who is tuckered out and snuggling with Daddio.  Jaren loves to snuggle.

See!  He loves to dress up.

Happy Poke-birthday.  I think this was #8?

One fantastic creation built on a fabulous beach while camping.  Jaren loves camping and just being outside.

Oh yah, did I forget to mention that he likes guns?

Raspberry, anyone?

Surfing while camping last year.  Okay, maybe just floating.

I think this was one of the proudest moments of his life.  He loves karate!

My handsome 10 year old.  Wow, he has now hit the double digits.

I can hardly believe that my little J-ron is now 10 years old.  The time has passed so quickly.  He used to be just a little dude, but no longer.  He is getting so tall and thin and what a smart, fun, nice boy he is.  He has such  vivid imagination and I love to hear the stories he has to tell me.  He loves reading and playing outside and of course, karate.  He is a good friend and a good example to all those around him!  We love you so much Jaren and are so blessed to have you in our family!