Karate Tournament

Today was Elliott's first karate tournament. He competed in the beginner forms and self-defense divisions. After 2 tie-breaker rounds, Elliott came away with a 3rd place win in forms. He placed 4th in self-defense. He did awesome! We are so proud of his accomplishments. He loves karate.

This past Thursday, Elliott received his 4th stripe on his yellow belt. Next up, green belt. He's on his way. Way to go!

Derek is 3!

My little munchkin is 3! They all grow up too fast. It's been a busy 3 years.

Derek went from this (1 day old) -

to this (3 yrs) -

We had fun celebrating Derek's birthday over 3 days (seems to be pretty typical to see how long we can stretch out holidays). On Friday, Derek's playgroup friends from church came over for a "party." Derek was talking about his birthday for months beforehand. He would say he was having friends for his birthday. So, easy enough - have the kids come over and just play. We had pretzels, apples, and cupcakes. It was the perfect little party. The kids all had a great time.

On Saturday, we went to Chuck E. Cheese's - where else? That seems to be the thing to do for the boys' birthdays. After playing games, we went to McDonald's to eat and play.

On Sunday (his birthday), Derek got to open presents and eat more cupcakes. Derek was pretty excited about the fire station and truck. We saw it at Toys R Us months ago and he was sad when he didn't get it then. I told him maybe he'd get it for his birthday, so since then he would talk about how he was getting a firetruck for his birthday.

I just love this kid. He is so much fun. He is generally an angel when he plays at other people's houses. He can hold his own against Elliott. He is very opinionated and often disagreeable, but he's adorable. Derek loves to read, loves having "lessons" (when I get around to it), loves Mickey Mouse, Dora, Diego, and Little Einsteins. He is a smart kid. He knows his ABC's by sight, along with their sounds and words that start with each letter. He can count to 30 and recognize numbers to 20. He loves to "read" his fairy tales book. It is so cute to hear him tell the story as he turns the pages. He loves to play games. His favorite games right now are Sorry and Monopoly Junior. He can't wait to play all the games that Elliott can play. He is also great at puzzles. Derek is a super sweet boy with lots of energy. He doesn't like to sit still (mainly at the table). He gives the best hugs. I love my little sweetheart. Happy Birthday, Derek!