Our little sweetie

She's probably laughing at her dad, who is the sweetest, most goofy guy in her life! Kailer is a close second! I could just kiss those rosy cheeks all day. She has brought us great joy, and we are so thankful for her spirited personality.

Let it snow

14 inches of snow and two great helpers! It took us half the day to shovel our way out of it. Kailer went sledding with his cousins and he and Ava flew down the hill, squealing all the way down. He especially liked being pulled back UP the hill - which was quite a workout! He was all tuckered out at the end of the day.

What a tough little guy! He is big stuff these days! He was slaying giants in the backyard today, and you can see why! Watch out Goliath!

The perfect cup...

So I searched high and low for the perfect sippy cup, and I had a pretty specific list. First of all, it needed to be free of BPA and all those other chemicals in plastics. Gross. Secondly, I wanted a sippy that was not made in China. Thirdly, I wanted to make sure I wouldn't have to 'wean' her from it if it was too much like a bottle. So I began my search, and I am so pleased with my messy result. This sweet little wood cup holds only 2 oz and is perfect for Piper. Her nose fits right in it and she got the hang of it in no time. I feel proud everytime she drinks from it! She loves her independence as well! Green smoothies, yum yum!

Piper is on the move!

As long as you don't mind turning your head sideways, take a peek at our brave little Piper taking her first steps! Somehow she has managed to start grooving with those chubby little thighs. She will be able to keep up with Kai in no time!

A shout out to all Kai and Piper's Aunties and Uncles!

Kailer's Aunties and Uncles...you are LOVED!

Happy Birthday Uncle Luke!

Here is Kailer, sending out a little love to Uncle Luke in North Carolina. We hope your year is full of sweet surprises!

I really do...love my big brother!

I love my big brother!

You can see it written all over her face!

Wow! It's been a busy couple of months! Kailer and Piper got a new Uncle (Welcome to the fam Jacob!), we spent a week at the lake in Minnesota where Kailer caught all sorts of fish, and football season started. We've had grandmas and grandpas and aunties and uncles visiting, and Kailer's best friend Norm (Auntie Em's and Uncle Ben's Westie) come to town too.

Kailer is crazy about the 2 girls in his life. Kailer told his daddy..."Hey, don't kiss my girl!" when Matt kissed me. He is still a little rough with any little buddies that come over to play. Most of them run away from him - he thinks they are playing chase though, so he runs after them and tackles them. Can't blame the little guy for his spunk!! Piper is one tough cookie - 10 months later Kailer still hasn't figured out what the word "gentle" actually looks like. He knows what it means...just doesn't want to actually execute the behavior. Piper wants to be just like her big brother. Or at least get in the middle of whatever he is trying to do. Puzzles, trains, colors, food.

Kailer is always telling a good story. On the swings he'll yell up at the sky "Where are you God? I can't see you!" He often tells storys beginning with "When I was a little boy..." or "When I was in highschool..." Last night Kailer said, "I grew up to be a doctor." He actually is "doctoring" Piper right now with pretend shots. She doesn't really like it so much!

We are truly enjoying these little blessings from the LORD and learning to delight in Him and trust that He will work out the details! Potty-training and discipline are not easy~!!

My little engineer...

Kai worked very diligently - he put his new booster seat together!

When Piper gets tired, she sucks her thumb and grabs her ear. I love it!! She sleeps like this!

Jesus, You've Got Mail!

Kailer painted an awesome picture today "for Jesus." Then he asked me to open the door and he put it in our mailbox and said, "The mailman is going to give it to Jesus." I love the childlike faith!

Daddy's helper

And here is Kailer helping his daddy wash the car. One of his favorite things to do! (Note: Kai dressed himself - in 3 shirts and 2 pairs of shorts, and shoes that are waayyy too big! He makes me proud!)

Piper watched from the sidelines...

Solids!

Piper started solids this weekend. Yummmy oatmeal cereal. Kailer helped (after sampling a bite, he thought he would actually SHARE with his little sister!) Piper is so proud of herself!

ABCs...Ooo Elijah...

After seeing what 80mph wind shoots can do, I don't ever want to be in a tornado! This is our neighbors house across the street and another neighbors' home about 1/2 a block from us. oh, and the cuties in the top picture are the reason that storms scare me sooo much more!

Sweet Dreams

When I was putting Kailer to bed tonight, Kai prayed for me that I would be careful not to wake Piper up. Matt and I talk about how Jesus lives in our hearts and Kailer told me that "Jesus lives in my heart. He's growing." And then Kai proceeded to lift up his shirt and put his hand on his belly and said "See, He's growing." Precious!

Picnic

Kailer woke up from his nap and said, "Let's go on a picnic." When I walked into the kitchen, he was preparing the feast - Raisin Bran, Corn Chex, crackers, and pretzels. Have you ever had Raisin Bran at a picnic before?? It's quite a treat - then again, anything is a treat when you are sharing it with Kailer on a picnic date! A few ants joined us and Piper sampled the grass - all in all it was a great date!

July!

We spent last weekend cheering Daddy on in the Sturgis Falls 5K Road Race. Kai cheered EVERYONE on with a "Good Job" - Kai loved it!

You should see the pictures this aspiring artist can paint! I never knew brown could look so pretty. He hasn't figured out whole "gentle" thing (as evidenced in how he 'loves' on Piper!) - he uses the paintbrush as more of a carving tool, but we don't mind a few rips in the paper! Piper is our little peach, precious in every way!

Psalm 19:10 The Message
God's Word is better than a diamond,
better than a diamond set between emeralds.
You'll like it better than strawberries in spring,
better than red, ripe strawberries.

Summer days...

Our favorite summer activity when the heat and humidity are out of control...

New Eyes!

So here is my little sweetie - all bright-eyed! We have been praying for months that God would open her tear duct (dacrostenosis anyone??) and our sweet Jesus had mercy and her eyes are clear! We are so thankful!

I'm slowly but surely figuring out that the only lasting motivator for a wild but sweet little 2 year-old is love! My little man is teaching me patience and humility - as daily I am reminded that this whole 'training him up' is only possible through God's grace!

We are officially blogging! It's about time we start the online journaling! So, we'll see how well mommy keeps this up...and maybe, just maybe, this will not be the one and only post! The kids are sleeping for about 20 more minutes (it is SO hard to wake Kai up from his nap, but if I don't, he will be awake till 11pm, and that isn't working out so good for mommy and daddy who run out of steam (patience!) hours before that!) Piper is *ALMOST* crawling now, though I'm loving her determined spirit to get from one side of the room to the other. She has perfected the plank position and if she could just figure out how to get those chubby knees under her, she wouldn't have to lunge and pull. In the process, that little sweetie is getting to be one strong little girl!