Taekwondo

More then a year ago we went to a tryout of Taekwondo with little Alex. The gym was very close by so it could have been perfect, but sadly Alex didn’t like it one bit. If fact after the first time just looking it was difficult to get his inside the building without protest.

Now, more than a year later the tables have turned. This time it was Alex who requested that we take him on a test class a the same Taekwondo gym we went last time. We were quite amazed by this turnaround, and we suspect it is because Alex’ friend Miguel also goes to Taekwondo and he already earned his yellow-white belt. Miguel was so positive about this sport that he somehow convinced Alex to give it a try. What could be better than a couple of hours of sports and discipline each week.

Big box

Box!It arrived! A big box was delivered to my home. I am very happy because I know what is inside. Do you know? The kids will be happy for sure, even though Alan will need to be a bit patient. He is still a little small for this box. Alex will be very happy, as it fits perfectly with the small collection he already has.

My problem now? How do I get a huge box (47cm x 55cm x 40cm) with number 75192, weighing about 15 kilos safely to Spain.

Naughty

Ondeugend!Alan visited a running event last week. He himself did not run, but his big brother did. Alex ran a nice round for the “pequeno valiente” organization. An organization that helps little kids with cancer. At this event I shot this nice picture of a naughty Alan.

Jut’s head

I for one have never done it before. On the local fair there was an attraction where you need to hit a small iron thing with a big hammer. It is called “De kop van Jut”. If you hit it correctly a small piece of iron goes flying up, and the higher it reaches, the better you have hit it. The concept of this game has never quite appealed to me.

When Alex and I were checking out the fairground, a day before the opening, it was exactly this attraction that called for Alex’ attention. The attraction was still covered in some plastic, but after explaining how it worked Alex instantly knew he wanted to give it a go and it went first on his list of things to try. The concept of taking a big hammer and hitting something as hard as possible (or even harder) was something his fell in love with at the spot.

Eventually Alex took his first massive hit, the machine barely survived and all alarms went off and Alex loved every moment of it.

Canon G7X

Canon g7x ii!With two kids you really need to have a good camera to safeguard some images from their youth. They will love it in the future and it is even nice to review the material I have right now. For years I have been a Canon fan, so I did not have to look a lot for my new camera. I got a Canon again, but this time a went a bit more professional. I got a camera with a slightly bigger optical chip which has the big advantage that it can make great pictures, even when there is only a little bit of light.

What I found out later was that this type of camera is ideal for vloggers. A vlog is basically the same as this blog, but instead of textual entries a vlogger uploads small videos. Maybe I should try sometime. Anyone wants to see a short video by me?

Antique picture

Time and more specifically light can significantly alter a picture hanging on the wall. In the Emmastraat there is just such a picture with two little Bergs. Myself and brother Bert, just about to enjoy a delicious birthday cake. De photo used to be a full color picture, and there are still some traces of color left, but it has become a very dull picture indeed.

I wanted to improve the picture because I had noticed that the little Bert in the picture has a huge resemblance to own very own little Alan. Still, for a good comparison we need a good picture.

Before: After:

Alex 6 years!

Alex jarig 6!6 years already. Time really does fly. Alex will have to attend school legally soon. His first tooth is loose, and now also his birthday. Most of Alex’ friends were abroad on holidays so Alex wanted to go with his remaining friend Miguel to the Elder science museum, followed by a delicious happy meal. Afterwards at home we had a great party with lots of gifts.

Godfather and religion

The force!The official role of a godfather or godmother is to educate their godson about religion. Ana and I both attended a catholic school, but still the faith in a god is not really part of our lives. In fact, we really don’t believe. Even though belief is not really part of our lives we still baptized our sons Alex and Alan. In part for the family and in part for the attached celebration.

The godfather of Alex is Miguel, and he found the perfect way to educate Alex in religion. Not the normal old fashioned way, but through stories and games. A bit like how the bible tries to teach us religion through multiple stories. During his last visit Miguel explained the entire Star Wars saga and they plays hours on end with a fun star wars game. You might wonder what that has to do with religion, but that’s covered.