Skateboarding

Brody took his first skateboarding lesson on Friday. He'll be a better boarder than me after his second lesson. We think it will be good for him to take some falls and to know that you just have to get right back up and keep on going. Life lessons for kids. :-)

Brody Playing Golf

Here is a video of Brody learning to play golf. It is part of the instructional program at Holiday Park. Phil does a great job getting the kids excited about golf as you can see. Unfortunately for us, he is a lefty, so he won't be getting any hand-me-down clubs.

Brody Reading

Here is a video of Brody being the teacher while he reads one of his school books to Laura.

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Trip to Disney World

Last weekend we took a trip to Disney World. We had a wonderful time even if the weather didn't fully cooperate. I checked the weather in Orlando a few days before and it said the high would be 84 and sunny. So we packed shorts and t-shirts. On our way up there on Thursday evening, we stopped at a rest stop and I noticed it was a little cooler out. I figured maybe it would warm up the next day. When we got to the hotel it was downright cold outside. I checked my phone and it said it would be 65 the next day with 40% chance of rain. We had to go buy jackets and pants for the kids on the way to the parks the next morning. Of course it rained all day and never made it to the 60s, but we had an amazing trip and actually it's better than going in the summer when it's in the 90s and exhausting.

Brody's Birthday Party

Brody had his birthday party at Bayview Park last weekend to celebrate his 5th birthday. He had a great time playing with his friends from school and friends outside of school. The theme was Disney's Planes. We made paper airplanes and had a tons of fun playing on the playground. We enjoyed pizza from Galaxy Pizza and chicken tenders from PDQ.

Last week, Brody had his annual checkup. He weighed in at 38 lbs (50th percentile) and measured 43 inches (29th percentile).

Brody has been doing a great job with learning to read. He gets new books each week from school. The key is that he has memorized most of the sight words with the help of a few DVDs, school activites, and Mom's hard work over the summer using flash cards.

Here are some highlights from Brody's party:

Merry Christmas

We had a great holiday season although it was much too short. There were some great family events and some great holiday parties as well. The boys loved all of their gifts. We continue to be blessed and we look forward to a wonderful 2014!

This is Chase's Christmas Program

Visiting Santa Claus at James' Birthday Party

Opening presents with Grandma

Christmas Day