Kai's First Day Of School

It was an exciting day for everyone in the Thompson house! Kai was SO excited, I couldn't even get a picture of him with his "real" smile...see for yourself. :)

This was a tradition in my family...to take a picture on your first day of school in front of the fireplace.

And then come the poses!
And they just keep coming...I have about 6 more but didn't upload them.

Of course little Reese just had to get into the picture taking frenzy.

See...the kid just can't give me a smile.

Ahhhh....thats better!

He was SO happy that he had his very own spot for his back pack.

I hadn't cried at this point. (Yes, I cried just a little. When he asked, "Daddy, can I have a hug before you leave?")

The two most important men in my life.

His little friends

Reese was definitely not ready to leave! She sat in the chair almost the whole time we were there. Two more years girl!

It was so fun to go pick him up from school too! He said he really likes his teacher and all of his new friends...we are just working on him learning their names! Silly boy - as long as they are nice and fun to play with, names don't matter to him.

We're BACK!

So...here we are! I know its been about eight months or so but we've been busy. Not with anything really exciting, but with life! And its been good!! We had a super fun summer that included small vacations, trainings for tkd, a wedding (my lil' brother, Wyatt), and lots and lots of water fun! The kiddos are growing so fast and I'm just trying to keep up with them. Reese has definitely shown her personality. She is the most adorable monster we know! And Kai is becoming the best superhero ever!! He cracks us up with some of the things he says and comes up with and surprises us constantly. We love them SO much!! Anyways...theres the short version of our lives recently. Hopefully more to come...last time I wrote that was 8 months ago! Our computer did crash a little bit ago, so we are working on getting all of our pictures onto this computer so I have the option of updating my blog. :) Who knows when that will happen, right?!

*This is my favorite family picture to date!! We just had it taken in October. I know the bow for Reese is a bit much, but I was excited that she actually has it in for once!!!

Reese is Potty Trained!!!

Well, she knows where the potty is! Thats a start! She has figured out that if she climbs up on the very top of the toilet, she can play in the sink (which is super fun!). While climbing this particular time, she discovered she can only climb to the top if the toilet seat is down (thanks boys). I love her wild and crazy hair - just like her personality!!

More to come....
Someday, when the kids are quiet long enough...

What Have We Been Up To?!?!

We've been a little busy since the kids had their birthdays! I know its only been a couple of months, but I figured I'd update with some fun things we've done.
We listened to a lot of music! I love that my kids both really enjoy music...singing, dancing, playing - they love it all!

We played a lot as well. How can you not smile, when you see the pure joy on a child's face?!

Kai practiced hard for his next belt test (which was back in January)

And, he passed with flying colors!! He is now an Orange Dragon!

We also watched Kai compete in his first tournament - doing all solo events, no demo team.

Yes, he did get to wear his cape! I really debated, but Troy was just so excited that he wanted to compete that he didn't care about the cape. I know you would think he is Superman, however, its a reversible cape with Batman on the other side. And because the Batman side is touching his back, that makes him Batman!! He is waiting for the music to start for his creative form.

He won GOLD!! They all won gold in his division, but I'm a nosy enough mom to actually look at the scores...he tied for first with one other boy.

He also won gold in Power Breaking! Basically they keep breaking boards (while gradually getting harder boards) until there is one boy left standing.

And they all "tied" for first in their breaking division. They get three boards to do whatever breaks they choose. Again, I looked and Kai actually did get the best scores. I know they do this so no one goes home crying - but I'm okay with winners and losers...thats life!

Back at home, Reese is still climbing on everything! She knows she can get away with almost anything if she gives me a cute pose! She's on top of the table here.

The kids and I went on a trip with my mom! They did pretty well in the car. We first went to Arizona to visit friends (although I missed all of mine).

Then we headed to California!

We stayed with my sister and her family...and their dog! Reese loved Daisy. The feeling was not mutual. But it was pretty cute that when Daisy growled at Reese, she growled back!!

We went to the park

I got to see my good, good friends!!! We were so tired in this picture!

And we went to the beach!!!!

Kai and Riley (Amanda's son) did a lot of this! Just playing in the sand.

WOW! Someone should cut Kai's hair!!

This was Reese's first time at the beach and she wasn't too sure at first.

(I love that you can see her curls in this pictures)

But as soon as she figured out how to walk in the sand, she was all over the place!

Amanda and her cute boy, Riley and my cutie pies and me!

Love, Love, Love the beach and that warm California sun!!

We were so pooped!! Kai rocked himself to sleep!

Reese was lucky enough to have her daddy snuggle with her!

So thats what we've been up to!

Kai

Kai recently had his birthday...my little man is 4 years old!! I can hardly believe its been four years that we've been blessed to have Kai in our family. He is so much fun and we can always count on him to make us laugh. He is quite the ham and we absolutely love him!!

I could go on and on about how great Kai is, but this blog isn't big enough! And I don't want to make anyone jealous. ;) My boy is AWESOME and I wouldn't change one thing about him!! Happy Birthday Kai...we love you tons!!!

Reese is One!

Reese Evelyn

Born December 25, 2008

8lbs 10oz 21in

One Month
Two Months
Three Months

Four Months

Five Months

Six Months

Seven Months

Eight Months

Nine Months

Ten Months

(and walking!)

Eleven Months

(Love that pucker!)

Twelve Months

(Girl LOVES her yogurt...lesson learned: no more playing in the fridge)

Happy Birthday Buttercup!!

Our Reeses is beyond fun to have in our family. She is always such a joy and a monster at the same time...but we wouldn't have it any other way. Her personality is larger than life and we are so excited to watch her learn and grow.