Video Star

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One of the girls' highlights for this summer has been discovering Video Star. It's an iphone app the kids can use to make their own music videos with special effects. They discovered it at a sleepover and it's been Video Star mania ever since.

They made this one with their cousins...



They made this one of their brother...



They made this one with their friends...

And they made this one on a road trip...



Today Ali suspiciously asked to borrow my phone for an undisclosed reason. A few minutes later I found my phone on my bed with a little note that said "Mommy press play please". This was the video I found.

I *SO* do not deserve this but love that they think I do. My kids are amazing and give me so much.

Ryder at 18 Months

Could he get any cuter?

Our big boy is 18 months now and definitely has his own personality. He is 30 pounds of fuzzy head, chubby cheeked fun! Here are some of the things we love about Ryder.

YAY!

Ryder has a cute little habit of saying "Yay!" to anything the interests him. He hasn't learned the word 'yes' yet, and we like it that way. Anytime you ask Ryder if he wants to do something fun or eat something yummy you get a big ol' YAY! 

"Ryder do you want a cracker?" "Yay!"

"Ryder, do you want to go for a buggy ride?" "Yay!"

"Ryder, do you want to go see Daddy?" "Yay!"

How can you not be happy around this kid?

Vertical Hair

Ryder's hair also has its own personality. Freshly washed, it stands straight up. It's probably the number one thing that strangers comment on in the grocery store (#2 would be his eyelashes). One guy at church referred to Ryder's fluffy gravity-defying hair as his feathers.

Shy

Ryder is a bubbly little man at home and around the people he knows and trusts. But if a stranger tries to engage him when we're out and about, Ryder will switch to "If I don't look at you maybe you'll go away" mode. People find it pretty funny that the harder they try to get his attention the further he looks away from them. He also does something similar when he's mad at his mommy.

Right before I took this picture I didn't let him have something he wanted so he retreated to the wall and stuck his nose to it. He refused to look at me no matter how many times I called his name. Funny man.

Boats and Tractors

Two of Ryder's favorite things are boats and tractors. We can't pass a trailered boat on the highway without him noticing it. He gets hysterical when daddy leaves in the boat without him. Anything that looks like a tractor (golf cart, 4 wheeler, lawn mower) IS a tractor to him and he wants to see and ride them all. Actually he is more of a driver than a RYDER. He's always got his hands on the steering wheel and if he's not in the driver's seat he knows how to wiggle his way on over there.

And More

He loves to show off his belly, he can eat his weight in raisins, he knows loads of animal sounds, he loves to sing songs, he goes to sleep with an armfull of stuffed animals, he can count to 2, he misses his sisters when they're not there, he's been known to call his daddy "Steve", he's not a big fan of swimming or bathing, a lollipop with instantly quiet any whining, he has no volume control, he's bilingual (Steve taught him how to say "Uno mas" to get more of something), and he's a fan of You Tube.

We love you big man! Thanks for all the endless entertainment.

Missing Shoe

These are the things I'm really going to miss when my kids grow up. There are three signs like this one in my house right now. So if you happen to find this missing shoe, you'll know who to call. (Fake number by the way)

Grease Lightning in Trenton

We love going to see Leann on stage! The kids love seeing their awesome big cousin and I get to live vicariously through my niece as she does something I loved as a kid. This time she was a Pink Lady in her school's production of Grease!

Ryder LOVED the first ten minutes and was bee bopping in my lap to the music. Then he was over it. And so we spent most of the production in the parking lot doing this..

The walk of shame.

We spent the night at the Shelley's house and hung out the next morning so we could play!

The kids dug up potatoes in the garden (I have garden envy), bounced on the trampoline, picked hot peppers for Steve, and just enjoyed some fun QT with their cousins. Unfortunately Leann was off to cheerleading practice early in the morning, so we didn't get to see much of her.

Shelley-time is always over too soon. We love you guys!

The Rainbow Classic

What do you get when you mix girls in shiny leotards with sweaty moms and dads in a gym that smells like feet? The Rainbow Classic!

Brooke has been doing gymnastics for nine months now and loves it. The gym's end of the year program gives the kids a chance to show off all they've learned over the past year.

Brooke rotated around the gym to show off what she has learned in each event.

First the trampoline

The Vault

Floor Routine 

Balance Beam

And The Bar

Brooke was awesome! She's come a long way and I love seeing her excel at something she really loves. 

Coach Leah has been a big part of that. She has worked with Brooke since day one and Brooke loves having her as her coach. 

Brooke's number one gymnastics bud, Madison

Brooke, you rock! Way to STICK IT!

The Shining Sisters Show

This week Brooke and Ali came rushing back inside the house to share some happy news. They had just written a song! They sang it for me and it was actually pretty catchy. They ran and got their guitars and started performing. It was really sweet to see their teamwork. Then this past weekend we went camping with friends and the girls decided they wanted to bring their guitars so they could sing their song for everyone (some trusted friends, and other complete strangers). They were awesome! I later found out that to calm Ali's nerves, Brooke kept reciting a line from their song for her, "There's nothing we can't do"! Fast forward a few days and they now have 4 original songs that they've written. Tonight Steve, Ryder and I got a private concert from The Shining Sisters. In matching outfits they sang and strummed away. It was so sweet and quite impressive. You will have to ask for a performance the next time you see them!
Here are some pictures from their post-concert photo shoot.

Carson's T ball

We got to go check out one of Carson's tball games this week. Watching preschoolers play an organized sport is always entertaining. Carson is always entertaining! Each time he walked to the plate he would wave to his fans with a big smile. He's got quite the personality. We love you Carson!

Hello Summer! DUDE!

Summer is here and with it, Pool Weather!

We were celebrating Michael's 10th birthday and Steve snapped this picture of Ryder offering up a fist bump. It's one of his "signature moves" and he will come at you with the fist and say, "DUDE!"

Ali taught him this move all on her own which I think is hilarious. It's one of those things I would never think to teach him, but when you're a baby with two silly older siblings, you pick up on quite a few odd habits.

Karate!

Ali has been doing Karate for over 6 months now! When she started back in October she looked like this..

She's done an excellent job progressing and learning new skills. She is usually the only girl in her class but it doesn't bother her. She has excellent instructors and she always has a lot of fun.

Each month she has to complete a Black Belt Excellence worksheet that focuses on developing a character trait (like honesty, doing your best, controlling your anger, etc). I love the focus they place on developing positive attitudes and respecting others.

Here is a picture of Ali getting a piece of colored tape on her belt to mark that she has passed her test for the month.

Since she started as a white belt in October she has graduated to a new belt twice. Every three months, the kids get the chance to test for the next level belt. The karate school holds a graduation ceremony where the kids get to show off all they've learned and get presented with their new belts.

Mr. B presents Ali with her second belt (white with a yellow stripe).

Waving her belt proudly!

So proud of our petite karate champ!

She recently had her second belt graduation after passing her test to receive the next belt (half white half yellow). 

The owner of the school asks the kids to make the shape of an "L" with their old and new belts and gives  a speech about character qualities that start with L that they should be striving for. Then he tells them to pick up their new belts, wipe them across their foreheads to christen them, and then they get to proudly wear their new belts!

Way to go Ali! We are so proud of you!

The Space Cadet and the Artist

Ali was randomly inspired to make a space helmet about a week ago. She asked if she could have the big box that Ryder's baby wipes came in and I said sure. Fast forward a week and she emerged from the craft room with her helmet complete! I didn't even know she was up there working on it. She was so proud of her work and I was so proud of her creativity. She had fun showing it off to daddy and Brookie. It didn't take Brooke long to get inspired by Ali's space helmet and draw up an outer space scene on her sketch pad.

It's hard to make out in the picture, but that's Ali in the top left of the drawing, floating around it space with a box on her head. (Click on the picture for a larger view)

Aren't they wonderful!?

Daddy Daughter Dance 2013

It's that time of the year again! Time to dress up in your prettiest dress, paint your nails and spend an amazing night getting loved on by your daddy. Daddy Daughter Dance time is a big event around here. Our church does such an amazing job. This years theme was Tweetheart Ball.

Two beautiful girls, ready to party!

They LOVE their daddy! 

He's one lucky guy!

Grandparents Day 2013

ICS celebrates Grandparents once a year with a special performance from the kiddos. This year Grammy and Grandma came to be honored by Brooke and Ali.

Ali's class sang a few songs

(Front row, second from the left)

Brooke's class recited a poem

(Far right, white sweater)

Afterward we enjoyed some yummy snacks and quality time with our wonderful grandmas.

They do so much to love on us and we think they are AWESOME!

Ryder's First Steps!

Our big boy is finally walking! At 13 1/2 months Ryder took his first REAL steps. When he was about 9 or 10 months old I thought he might be an early walker. He would take one or two small steps from me to Steve but then he got nervous and for the longest time he was not interested in even trying to walk. But then Ali showed up with her mint M&M's and our boy finally had the motivation he needed! We spent about an hour luring him all over the house with M&M's. It was a fun night to celebrate that big milestone!

Here's a video to show our boy's new skills!

Day by day he is getting better and more steady on his feet. Here are some more action shots from day 2 of walking.

Ryder is so much more content now that he is up on his feet. He can get around on his own, chase his sisters, escape puppy attacks, and run to mommy whenever he wants. He's also finding his way into trouble quicker than ever. His walking has quickly transitioned to climbing and now explores the bunk bed ladder and other tricky heights. Mommy and daddy better get ready for trouble!

Daisy

Our doggie, Delta, has been a wonderful addition to our family. She's lovable, quirky, and all around awesome. Our friends, The Neilsens introduced us to catahoula leopards. Their catahoula, Hooka was due to have puppies in the middle of December. We got to go join in on the puppy birth-day fun! Those newborn puppies were sooooo cute, but watching them be born caused Brooke to have this reaction...

EIGHT puppies later...

From very early on, Brooke had attached herself to one puppy in particular. In fact, when I looked back through all my puppy pictures I noticed that she is always holding the same puppy!

Well, her name is Daisy and she lives with us now. Mommy wasn't terribly excited about getting another dog, but while Daisy was getting old enough to leave her mommy, Brooke worked her magic on mommy (plus I also found out that Brooke was asking for prayer at school so that she could get her very own puppy).

Daisy and Delta get along great and now I can't imagine how Delta survived without her bud. They play together a lot, wrestling, chasing cows and digging holes.

Brooke has a sweet bond with Daisy. She says that Daisy has a way of sensing when Brooke is sad and Daisy will curl up next to Brooke and rest her head in Brooke's lap to comfort her.

Welcome to the family, Daisy!