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!