Ben, Becky, Kara, Kiersten,and Evie: February 2019

Black Belt Bear

Kara has been working so hard for months ahead of her black belt exam in Tae Kwon Do. We got up bright and early and headed over to the school.

She had plenty of time to warm up and stretch.

There was a fairly small group of brown belts testing for black. 3 boys, 3 girls, I like those numbers.

They had a pre exam meeting/pep-talk and that really calmed her down. She was pretty nervous, and also had a cold.

She got to be the first to attempt breaking a board. She got it on her first try.

I love seeing her so proud of herself.

The test took 6 hours with breaks as needed. She drank So. Much. Water. I actually ran out close to the end, and a dad that was there gave her a gatorade. She appreciated that greatly.

She and her friend did their forms almost perfectly in unison. We all got a great laugh, and they still kept it up. I guess that's what happens when you always practice together.

By the time they started sparring, everyone was wiped out.

But they all were troopers, and really went for it.

Each black belt that they sparred against used a different technique, so that was a decent challenge.

At the end, each of the kids testing had to spar 5 on 1. It was pretty fun to see Kara running all over the place, and trying to punch her way out of the corner, etc. All of the parents like that part best, I think.

After 6 long hours, they were done, and ready to find out if they earned their black belts.

She was successful!

They were so tired and so happy.

So many years of hard work has gone into this accomplishment for these girls.

Here is the certificate to prove it! Kara got this framed for her birthday, and hung it on her wall.

She is lucky to train with such an amazing teacher.

This girl has helped Kara so much, and inspired her countless times. She was happy to have her there for her exam.

That's right people. Little bear has a black belt!

December Beginnings

The first part of December is always fun and festive for us Millers.

Jingles decided to take another foray onto the snowy deck. I think she was more comfortable with a light dusting than she had been with a foot of the confusing stuff.

She's still undecided how to feel about it. She likes making paw prints.

I got to visit the 5th graders at school for hot cocoa day. That was fun for all.

We all love baking, so I thought we'd better get some sugar cookies under our belt before the month got away from us, with all the activities.

I honestly should have halved the recipe, but we didn't have much trouble making these disappear.

You would think that frosting would be faster as the girls grow older, but it actually takes longer now that they all like to be so artistic with them. Thanks baking tv shows!

All dressed up with nowhere to go but our tummies.

The Other Thanksgiving

We flew home from Florida on Thanksgiving day. Since we had our real Thanksgiving dinner with the Birch's a few days prior, Ben made us a reservation to have dinner at Flemmings. It was convenient to go straight there from the airport when our flight got in.

November in St. Louis is noticeably more chilly than it is in West Palm Beach.

The girls had to stand there for a picture with mom, and then dad, the poor dears.

Dinner was yummy!

And Ben said we were celebrating my birthday when he made the reservation, so I had a card and everything.

No one ever wants sweet potatoes but Ben. He keeps thinking someone will like them eventually if he continues to make them try a taste.

Evie didn't like the sweet potatoes afterall.

Happy Thanksgivings! We loved both of ours.

Park Day

Because my pictures are all out of order, here are more from out Florida trip. We tried to go to the pool, but it was inexplicably closed, so we headed to the park instead.