Since Ayla has arrived...

...we tend to spend a lot of time on the floor as a family. last night was no different.
but now that Ayla is sitting up, it adds a whole new dimension to things. Brigg was initially very excited about playing with his little sister on the floor. but it quickly turned into a "beat the crap out of my brother" scenerio. Brigg humored her...
but i do think among all the squeals of delight coming from Ayla,
there were a few screams of pain coming from Brigg. he really is a very sweet big brother.

Night swim

Last night was a night swim for church. A few times a summer the church rents the pool for an evening from 8:30-10:00.

This is usually such a special treat for the kids. A late night of swimming.
But last night it was SO cold. We saw a lot of kid trying to stay warm in their towels.

And Brigg followed around his new "best friend" all night.

While Nalani was a little more brave in the water.
Although cold, it was still fun. Lots of parents talking and laughing and kids just enjoying being kids.
So thankful for these people that are part of our church "community".

He did it...

Monday night was Brigg's belt tying ceremony.

He passed with flying colors.

And now we are taking a break. But already he has mentioned missing it.

The kids on father's day

We played outside a bit on father's day.

The big kids hit golf balls around the yard.

While Ayla got into trouble running around in her walker.

It was a grand time.
And the kids were just plain cute.

I love this man.

Happy Father's Day, Paul! Seeing you in your "father role" is almost more than my heart can take. We love you so much!

I love to do this...

It's so fun to compare how each of the kids looked at the same age. So here ya go...

Brigg. Nalani.
Ayla.

See?!?

Brigg got his first set of golf clubs from nana and papa b on his 3rd birthday. Wasn't that just yesterday??!!

His love

Today was TKD promotions. Brigg did a great job. I love watching him do this. He has grown so much over the past year and a half. He has become more confident and found a way out of his shell. And I am quite certain he will be receiving his blue belt on Monday. We are so proud of him!!

As much as he loves TKD, he loves golf more. And for his birthday dad and mom got him golf clubs. They came in today and he has been pulling them out of the bag and rolling them around in his hands since dad brought them over. He literally posed with each and every club. He then told me I needed to get a picture of his clubs without him in it. (You can thank me now for not posting all of these pics!)

They fit in his golf bag that he got from Nana and Papa B for Christmas perfectly!
He will be starting his golf lessons on Friday. He's been waiting all year for this.

He's getting so big. Not looking like that little boy who got his first set of clubs at 3 years old! Where is the time going?!?

Water, Storms and Clouds

We can't get a break! This weather is so crazy and the Mighty Mississippi has escaped her banks.

We were downtown after church tonight and also after yet another rain/hail storm. The clouds really were beautiful.

And I think we are to expect another round of storms tomorrow. I'm hoping they are wrong.

A Milestone

She ate.

She almost cleaned out the whole bowl.

I have coaxed her with fruit...a food that the bigger kids didn't get until their first birthdays.
But it worked.
Now I have to convince her that veggies are just as yummy as fruits!

Oh.My.Gosh.

No words.
But somehow getting to know eachother...


I think they shall be great friends!

The Kids

it's about bedtime and the kids are settling down.
They spent some time laughing at Ayla before she went down for the count.

Brigg is preparing for his promotions tomorrow and Saturday. He'll miss TKD, but for now is happy he'll have some time off.

And Lani. She came over and asked if I knew how much she loved me.
I said "No. How much?"
She stood up and showed me.
I think that's a lot for a 4 year-old!

Going, Going, Gone

As expected, Ayla is starting to sit up on her own. She still isn't real stable though.

But she gets a kick out of getting her picture taken while trying to stay balanced.

And sometimes her laughing gets away from her and she tumbles over.

It's just too cute! (And check out those rolls on her legs!)