Daddy decided to smoke some ribs today, and Braden was happy as a camper!  This boy loves being outside, especially with the dogs.  I didn’t have a chance to document his first trip outside (this morning), but it basically ended with my boy muddy as can be (after splashing the dog’s water bowl everywhere) getting a bath.  After nap, he was begging to go back outside (re: screaming and banging on the back door), and I was so glad to be able to capture some pictures!  These pictures really describe what he’s all about these days…boy, boy, boy.

Such an observer…helping dad stir up the wood at the bottom of the smoker

It’s funny because I look at these pictures and he’s not smiling in one of them, but he was actually having a blast!  He was just very serious about what he was doing!

And here’s what happened when we (finally) brought him back inside.

“Daddy, please take me back outside!!”

We had a lot of fun celebrations leading up to Christmas!

One weekend we made an impromptu visit to see Santa in Helotes and as you can see, Braden was not impressed.  He stared at him for a few seconds, realized I had dropped and ran (mean mommy) and burst into tears.  It’s inevitable that everyone ends up with a crying Santa picture at some point, right?  Riley was excited to see Santa and tell him her Christmas wishes, although she was a little leery of sitting in his lap, so she requested to stand by Mrs. Claus.

Family Advent Night at the school.  Dalton joined us for some cookie decorating, Nativity dress-up and Christmas crafting.

The 4 year old classes performed a Christmas program at chapel right before school ended for the break!  She was so excited to perform for us and we certainly enjoyed watching her proudly sing about the birth of our Savior!  All week we had been asking her to sing for us at home and practice her songs, she would respond that she didn’t know the words…she fooled us!

Riley’s class had a breakfast Christmas party the last day of school before the break.  They ate yummy breakfast goodies and made an ornament.  She insisted on wearing the Santa hat (after seeing her cousin wear one the night before at his Christmas program) and I had to oblige…isn’t she a cutie?

Another birthday has come and gone.  I cannot believe how quickly these kids are growing up!

We celebrated Dalton’s 4th birthday at his new house, with a very cool pirate theme.

Pirate Dalton standing proudly next to his amazing pirate ship and treasure chest cakes.  Patty really outdid herself with these cakes – they were amazingly decorated and tasted delicious, as always! 

(can’t remember why Dalton has a blue mouth!)

Funny guy…he loved having everyone sing Happy Birthday to him!

Braden has decided it’s finally time to take the plunge and start walking!  He’s been showing signs that he’s ready to walk for weeks now, and we all kept saying any day, but this kid just preferred to crawl (or be held).  And frankly, I was completely okay with that!

He’s been taking two to three steps here and there (when prompted) for a few weeks, but as of Sunday, he’s turned a corner and is officially on the move!

I *love* the Frankenstein walk…stiff legs and arms out!

Here’s a little video of him showing off his new skills tonight.  The best part is the clapping at the end; this boy loves to join in when anyone is clapping!

You know those categories you see in the card store, “like a sister”, “like a mom”?  Well, that is how I describe the Chapa’s.  They are my other set of parents, and Riley & Braden’s 3rd set of grandparents.  They have shown us unconditional love over these last four years, and we are forever grateful to them for all that they do for us. 

We were honored to be a part of their 40th anniversary celebration.

Backing up to the beginning of November, we headed to Grapevine to celebrate Trey’s 5th birthday at Great Wolf Lodge. 

Birthday boy

This place is amazing!  So fun for any age…we’ll definitely be going back!

Cousins!  

Braden especially loved every minute of this experience…he is our little water baby. 

We had a great time celebrating Thanksgiving with Josh’s side of the family.

Our first day there was met with beautiful fall weather, so we packed up the kiddos and headed to the park. 

Somebody loved the swing!!

Cousin Trey loved holding Braden and was thrilled with the opportunity to take him down the slide!

Thanksgiving day was perfect, filled with family, food and fun!

There was video-gaming,

rock-banding,

and peek-a-boo fun.