The end of summer

We had a whirlwind trip the end of this summer that went very, very smoothly, but oooh boy was it hectic. The days before we left, Ryan had a karate tournament all day Sat, followed by a taiko performance on Sat night, and a second taiko performance on Sunday, followed by a taiko banquet. Needless to say, when we left the very next morning, we were semi-staggering to the airport.

He did surprisingly well in kumite (sparring)...with a 4-0 record, taking gold for the first time!

He is usually quite confident in kata (form), and took the bronze in this area (there was no weaponry in this tournament).

This was his first time on a raised stage for taiko (at a two-day sold out concert), which was a great experience for him. As a beginner, he had a few performances, but the day was all about honoring and showcasing the 30-year veterans of the troupe.

He's in the front row, fifth from the left.

We had a few beach days with friends, and water days with the cousins at the house/park...

The big cousins dutifully watching over the little ones...

The last day of the summer blowout was some pool time & Roblox time with his brother from another mother, and his sister from another mister.

We are once again, fancy pool owners.

 And laaast but not least, we have a 6th grader in the house. He grew over an inch during summer vacation alone. He's jubilant that he is inches from being taller than me. But I have assured him runty Asians mom still throat punch their kids even if they're a foot taller than them, so that settled that.

I'll be posting trip pics in the next week or so, but wanted to get the fare thee well to summer post out asap!