Circa 1989

Scary.  On a number of levels...

                                   

       

        

A Look Back at Dance Picture Day...

Dance Picture Day, 2012.  Last year's dance pictures ended up with this mood.  Luckily, God granted us a speck of maturity this year, and things were much more enjoyable!  Could have something to do with the blood vow we took at the beginning of the day.  And the bribery over breakfast.  At any rate, enjoy.  

 We started out at Allegheny Crepes and Creamery with some crepes and bacon.  

Then we went to the studio and the fun began.

Fascinators were all the rage this year.  

Meggy had two similar identical ones, for ballet and for jazz.  

 This was actually taken on a previous day, but green eye make up was also a thrill for the girls. 

THEN THE CHALLENGE STARTED.  YES, A NORMAL PICTURE OF MEGHAN.
sigh...

This may have been my fatal error, in hindsight.

Later she decided she wanted one of those teen-age-jumping-in-the-air-type pictures.  This requires more patience than I have, apparently, because we never did get one.  

   

                                                               

Then she was distracted by Ninja Turtles...

  

Hmmm, didn't really go that smooth, did it Mom?  

No.  No, it didn't. 

Oh, well. Totally worth it. 

Ninja Turtles are Everywhere

When Meghan was little, she attended a daycare that regularly took the kids for walks around the surrounding neighborhood.   We were unaware of one ritual, until a few years later, when Meg was reminiscing about these walks with Miss Jen, the daycare teacher.  

 

"I miss saying 'Hi' to the Inja Turdles, " she announced when she was about 6 years old. 

 Further explanation revealed her fond memories of a great preschool teacher, who nurtured the kids' imaginations, even with really mundane daily surroundings such as storm sewers.  

It became a ritual that we continue to this day.  

Do We Not Get Enough Snow As It Is?

 Seriously. 

It's exhausting being us.

We have a Black Belt in the House

In April, Ethan passed his long-awaited black belt test in Tae Kwon Do.  He started studying TKD in the fall of 2009, so he's spent 3-4 days each week, year-round, for four years at American Dragon Martial Arts.   He has not complained once about going.  Not once.  He's always ready to go.  Amazing.

First Gup stripe earned.

Fall 2008

First Tournament

Fall 2008

 First Gup belt earned.

Fall 2008

Yellow Belt

2009

Green Belt 

2010

 Red Belt

2010

 First Year on ADMA Demo Team.

Blue Belt

2010

 Receiving provisional black belts with Master Veda Wertz.  

Sadly, Mrs. Wertz passed away suddenly from lung cancer in October 2011.  

 Receiving his Black Belt with Master Steve Wertz.

Spring 2012

Ethan with Mrs. Wertz's memorial at the do-jang.

Most recent tournament.

State College, April 2012

Jumping into June... I mean July.

Signs of Summer around Casa de Cutshall....

 Post-recital haircut.

 Another Band Nerd is born.

Tree Climbing by the Ginger Ninja

Softball games

 The Return of Maco the Whacko

 Yeeehaw!

 Mini Golf at the Meadows..

Being Beaten Soundly by the PGA Pro

 Getting ready to send the kids off to Church Camp

 Time in the woods.

 It's been an awesome start to summer!!