Luke is SEVEN!

Our first baby is seven! Here are his stats:

Height is 4 feet, 1 inch
Weight is 52 lbs
Wears size 6 shirt, size 6 pants (almost 7), size 1.5 -2 shoe

Current interests:
LEGOS, LEGOS, LEGOS! Specifically Nexo Knights, Bionicles, Ninjago
Nerf blasters, playing nerf war
Video games
Computer time--to look at new legos, play Lego or Disney computer games

Dislikes:
Homework
Reading
When Lacey bothers him

Favorite food: still strawberries, pizza, fried chicken

Luke is still silly and full of energy, but give him a new lego set and he will have it built in no time! He is a master builder!

He recently started cub scouts and had a blast racing the car he and Grandpa built at Pinewood Derby. Thanks to their work, Luke's "Rebel on Flames" won 1st place over his whole pack!

Luke also learned how to play Uno recently and, of course, has had beginners' luck and won a few times. This was "I'm-going-to-take-you-down" face that we texted to Tee before a game they had scheduled for later that night.

He had an epic 7th birthday party, a nerf battle! We converted one of the large halls at church into a battlefield with large, cardboard box bunkers. All the boys had nerf blasters and lots of extra bullets and had so much fun! Even the dads got in on it and there were a couple dads vs kids battles.

Holidays 2015

Here are some of our favorite moments from Christmas season, 2015:

Kids decorating their playroom tree

Luke putting the star on top of our family tree.

This year's ornaments were all about our first family beach trip.

We visited Bass Pro to see Santa early this season to make sure he had the kids' wish lists! 

First year with no tears or apprehension!

Mom and Dad had fun at our church class Christmas party!

Some of our fun excursions:

Lacey had a pony ride at the end of the Starry Nights display!

We did Alpine Village with the Emerson kids and Nanna. What a great event!

Snowy Nights at the Botanic Gardens. 

Lacey finally got her own Light Bright picture like Luke's. 

Miss Bossy Pants on her throne. :)

Zoo Lights

Christmas Eve/Day

Auntie Kate and Uncle Chad came to visit over Christmas and we all decorated cookies together on Christmas Eve. 

The kids both got to open a few gifts on Christmas Eve. 

Lacey was very into baby dolls and got both a new doll and doll stroller.

Luke was all about Legos and Nerf blasters.

Santa came!

We had another blessed Christmas!

Early January also brought a couple fun things:

1) Snow Day! More snow was expected than we got, but it was enough accumulation to play in and the only snow day we got this year, so we enjoyed it!

And 2) Luke enjoyed a date night with Mom and Dad to see Avengers Live at the FedEx Forum, which was fantastic, and then dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe. 

Cheers to 2016!

Lacey is FOUR!

Our precocious girl is four! Lacey is full of giggles and loves to cuddle. She loves all things sparkly and girly. I have never known a child this ago who loves arts and crafts as much as she does. She has her own table and art cart downstairs full of do dads that she can glue on paper or wooden sticks or whatever she can find. She loves her baby dolls, stuffed animals and blankies. Playing "kitchen" where she makes a meal and has everyone sit around the table (ottoman) and eat together, including her doll in its high chair, is one of her favorite imaginative games. The other is playing school, and boy is she a strict teacher! She lines up her stuffed animal "students" and they each have to participate in whatever the lesson may be. She often asks a family member to play with her, and none of us have the patience for her bossiness except maybe Grammie.

Favorite characters include Hello Kitty, Disney princesses (especially Elsa and Rapunzel) and Minnie Mouse.

Miss Lacey Lu is also very strong willed, stubborn and challenging. I mean she will make the best parent think twice about their skills to smooth the rough edges. I know she was made just as God intended, and I pray that the Lord gives us as her parents the ability to smooth those edges without breaking her spirit as I know He has plans for her.

Recent activities have included ballet, which she started earlier this year, swimming lessons and gymnastics.


Four year old stats:

• Beautiful, curly, blonde hair that about reaches her chin
• Brown eyes
• Size 4T clothes, size 9 shoe
• Weight about 33 lbs, height about 39-40 inches
• Can write her name, though insists the "a" has the stick on the other side like a "p" and no one can tell her otherwise

We were at Grandpa Jim's house on her real birthday day, and she talked him into not only taking her to Build-a-Bear to celebrate, which she has never done and completely enjoyed as she was thoroughly spoiled, but also to Chuck E Cheese! What a lucky girl to have such fun on her special day!

For her birthday celebrations with friends she decided she wanted a Hello Kitty and a Princess party. So she took Hello Kitty cookies and napkins to school and had a Princess party at home. For her party, we invited 2 friends from school and her cousin, Eden, to come over to get their nails done, decorate cupcakes and color princess pictures together. The girls wore their princess dresses and it was sweet and very low key. And I think they all had fun.

Happy 4th Birthday, Lacey!

Fall Fun 2015

August began with Luke's first experience with flag football. While he had fun for a while, he decided it wasn't his sport. 

Little Sister had a blast running all over the field at practices.

There was a day in September where Luke's class had conferences and they were getting out of school at noon, but Lacey's class was not. I took the opportunity to have a mom/son date. I picked Luke up at noon and surprised him with lunch and a trip to Jumping World, a trampoline park. We had a blast!

We always enjoy nice Fall days outside. The kids found a caterpillar and insisted on putting it in their bug jar. 

School pictures arrived! 

Over Fall Break our family traveled to Denver, CO to stay with Aunt Susan and Uncle Grady and visit friends, while also having a couple ADHD medical appointments. It was Lacey's first time on a plane that she can remember since she was 8 months old on her last trip.

Family picture at Estes Park, CO.

Trip to the pumpkin patch at Priddy Farms.

For Halloween this year we had Rapunzel and Hawkeye from The Avengers. We did trunk or treat at church and also trick or treating, but in Auntie Annie and Uncle Kyle's neighborhood this year. Our neighborhood does not have many streetlights and so not many homes pass out candy. The kids came home with quite a candy load from Tee's neighborhood!

Making applesauce with mom. And they still wouldn't eat it. Boo.

Backseat selfies on the way to Thanksgiving lunch at Nanna and Grandpa's house! Daddy was driving, so no selfie with him.