Keller @ 8

I know I say this every birthday but how is it possible that Keller is already 8 years old???  This is everything I can think of about Keller right now:

Keller is silly.  Always silly.  He thinks most everything is funny but has a special place in his heart of burps, farts, butts, boobs, balls, etc.  It can be exhausting but sometimes he actually is pretty funny.

He has the cutest laugh/giggle and his handsome smile lights up the room!

Keller is a creature of habit.  He loves a good routine and rarely deviates from it.  I love that I don't have to nag him about his daily tasks!!!

He is clean and always has a place for everything.  He doesn't usually lose his things and takes good care of them.

Keller has a newfound obsession with baseball.  We had to convince him to play his first season but the rest is history.  He wanted to play it, watch it, talk about it, etc.  

He loves to practice sports.  All throughout the day he will disappear outside to go play.  He usually rotates between baseball, tennis, and basketball with the occasional soccer, volleyball, and hockey.  One thing that I admire so much about him is his willingness to put in the time to get good at something.  Keller never tries to skip the fundamentals.  Instead he does the opposite and practices those basic skills every chance he can, especially if me or Chad will practice with him.  We try to say yes as often as we can but his love for practicing really has no limits so sometimes we have to tell him no.  I can't wait to see how he continues to develop as an athlete!

Keller is a weird balance of a social butterfly and lone wolf.  He loves to have friends and hang out with them but then all of the sudden you'll realize he has disappeared and is doing his own thing.  He doesn't care what the crowd is doing.  He does what he wants but not in a rude way.

He is still cautious but is gradually getting a little more brave.  He likes to sit back and watch before he attempts new things. However he has started to experience new things a little more and I'm proud of him for it.  It is a huge leap of faith for him!

Keller is a smarty pants and does great at school.  Things come easy to him and he is at the top of his class.  

He is doing great at the piano.  He doesn't push back about practicing very often and has a great natural touch on the keys.  

Keller is sensitive.  He feels everything strongly: the good and the bad. He never forgets a genuine compliment someone gives him and beams with pride when he talks about it.  However words (especially if they're yelled) can definitely break his spirit and it takes him awhile to move past his hurt feelings.  We work on building thick skin but also allowing him to be sensitive.  I think this is one of his greatest gifts but I'm trying to make sure it is asset and not something that cripples him.  

He is a great big brother.  He is always including Sutton and showing him the ropes.  Those two are besties and do pretty much everything together.  And I mean everything!

Keller is a list maker and wants every box checked.  For example if he had a list of five things to do that day and I decide he doesn't have to one, he will ask if he can still check the box.  If I was to say no he can't check it but he doesn't have to do it, he would rather just do it.  He loves to complete tasks!

He loves to wear joggers and would probably never wear anything else if he could!  He always want say in what he wears and if he doesn't like something he will NEVER wear it.  I've learned the hard way not to buy things without his approval.

Keller loves to swim and has the best tan.  He was made for summer and ends up with bright blond hair and beautiful brown skin.  He is a fish but also enjoys laying out by me.

He is ALWAYS dancing.  He wiggles his bum more than anyone I know!

Keller loves sweets, especially ice cream.  He asks for dessert every single night.  We rarely have dessert so I don't know why he always asks but he definitely does.  He never wants to miss out on the possibility of a treat.

He loves to hang out at Grandma and Grandpa's house.  He will just watch a show over there or convince Grandma to play a game with him or give him a treat.

Keller has started to enjoy playing board games.  He is still learning how to be okay with losing but he is getting better and better.

His love language is physical touch.  He loves to cuddle on the couch or in his bed at night.  If he is sad, he wants a hug.  It's crazy to see how a caring touch from Chad or me almost instantly soothes him.

Keller spends hours outside riding his battery-powered motorcycle.  That thing was worth every single dollar and then some!

He cares about how he looks and at times it seems like his life's goal it to have a 6-pack. Haha!

Keller loves when Chad tells him bedtime stories.  Chad tells the most hysterical stories and Keller eats up every word.

He gives me the best compliments and always notices if I put extra effort into getting ready.  That boy appreciates a girl who takes the time to curl her hair, pull out all the make-up stops, and put on some heels.

Keller is our latest sleeper and I couldn't be more appreciative.  He won't ever take a nap like the other two might but he will sleep in and sometimes even ask to go to bed early.  I love it!!!

He is shy but getting more confident when talking to other adults.

Keller is a pleaser and does not like to be disciplined.  We are praying this lasts through the teenage years!  It is kind of a weird trait for him because he can be so crazy and will do anything for a laugh.  However more than he wants to be cool or funny, he wants to stay out of trouble.  Thank God for that!

He loves Lego minifigures.  He would love to own every minifigure in existence but happily settles for the ones we own.  He will build little stores or homes for them and play for hours.

The only kind of shorts Keller will wear are athletic shorts.  Besides that he is all pants, all of the time.  It doesn't matter if it is 110 degrees.  No plaid shorts or jean shorts, or cargo shorts.  Basically no shorts with a button.  If they have an elastic waistband it is still a maybe.  He just really LOVES pants.

Keller is a crier.  If he is angry or tired or sad, he cries.  He doesn't cry for long but he definitely just needs a good cry sometimes.

I feel like I just have to say one more time that Keller is SILLY.  He really is always making silly jokes and laughing hysterically about them.

Keller adds so much joy to our family and we love him so dang much!!!

Tennis Camp

Colton, Vance, and Keller attended a tennis camp.  They have been playing SO much tennis in the driveway (I really need to take pics of it one of these days!). They were excited to go play with other kids and get a little instruction.

Keller was in the younger group which I think was good for him.  He looked like a Rockstar and it gave him lots of confidence.  

 They did a lot of drills that worked on balance and ball control.

Sutton had fun getting to participate in some water balloon fun on the last day of the camp.

 Vance and Colton had a good time too.  Their favorite part was the round robin tournament on the last day.

 They wanted me to stay and watch the tournament which means Sutton had to watch too.  He had fun sitting by the boys when they weren't busy playing.

 It game down to a game between Colton and Vance to decide 1st and 2nd.  Vance won 7-4 but it was a good game with long rallies!

 Here is Keller with his adorable coach.  She complimented him on outstanding overall behavior which makes my mama heart happy!  She also said he really has a natural athletic way about him and I couldn't agree more.

 Here are Vance and Colton showing off their 1st and 2nd place medals.  I thought it was cool that the coach had legit medals for them.

Way to go boys!

Staycation

We didn't have a ton of big travel plans for this summer but Chad needed a break.  I convinced him to take a week off to just enjoy summer with us.  We made a few fun plans and had an absolute blast during his week off.

We started off our vacation with a trip to the movie theatre.  We tried out the new theatre in town and the kids were thoroughly impressed.  We saw Toy Story 4 but since it was release day for Spiderman they snapped a quick picture with Spiderman first.

They thought the recliners and servers were pretty amazing and can hardly wait to go there again.  I liked the movie more than I thought I would but I still think Toy Story 3 is my personal fave.

The weather hasn't gotten too hot yet so we set up the projector outside and let the kiddos sleep on the trampoline.  We did use bug spray however I didn't put it on their faces and the chiggers ate their faces alive.  I felt so bad the next morning.  Luckily the bites haven't bothered them but the little red bites don't look very pretty.

The most exciting part of our staycation was probably our stay at the Gaylord Texan.  It is a huge hotel with an even bigger water park for its guests.  We enjoyed the outdoor pool the first night.  The water was the perfect temperature and the boys were over the moon to be at a hotel.  I don't understand what it is about kids and why they think hotels are so awesome but they definitely do.

After lots of swimming we headed up to our room and the boys enjoyed the lake view on the balcony.  They cleaned up and we headed to dinner.  We don't take them to sit-down restaurants very often so they also loved that.

Keller licked every single dessert plate clean.  That boy LOVES dessert...a lot!

Love all those sweet boys!

The next day was the Fourth of July.  I had bought the boys matching red, white, and blue swimsuits and I loved them.  Matching/coordinating just makes my heart happy.  The boys actually really liked them too!  We went to the water park right when it opened and were able to snag some good seats.  I made the boys take a few pictures and then promised I wouldn't make them pose for any more pics.  I love all of these!

I LOVE these boys so freaking much!

After picture time the boys were outta here!  The older boys went off on their own for awhile and Chad and I hung with the younger two.

The huge dump bucket is always Keller's favorite and they got soaked multiple times!

Chad and I just visited as we watched the boys go down the slides.  Sutton was unsure at first but with each ride he got braver and bolder.

Eventually he decided he was ready for the big boy slide! I know it doesn't look any different in the picture but it was quite a bit taller/longer/faster and he just barely met the height requirement.  We may have bribed him with ice cream to get him to down the first time but after that we couldn't get him to do anything else.  He loved the slide and I was proud of my big boy!

We had a family pose off going down the slide which gave everyone a few good laughs.

I think Colton won with the level of difficult with his GQ pose. Haha!

Vance's hair cracks me up at the pool.  He hasn't quite figured out what to do with it when it is wet and he usually looks like a hot mess.

I can never get enough of Chad.  I love that guy and, especially when we swim, you can find me right by his side.

Next up was the zipline.  Watching the boys try to attempt tricks was pretty hilarious! I was glad we got the water park early because we were all able to go on the slide and zipline plenty of times before the lines got too long.  This is probably a little zipline-photo overload but oh well -

Chad and I were able to relax in the lounge chairs for awhile which was so relaxing.  We ended the day with a few trips around the lazy river!

We came home and watched what we thought was an All-American movie - 42.  Then we had some dinner and it was time for fireworks.  Our neighborhood is the BEST for fireworks.  Technically we don't live within city limits (but pretty much everything around us is city land) so we can light whatever we want.  All around us huge fireworks are in the sky for hours.  It is fun to watch and the boys (CHAD) love lighting some too.

Every kid loves throwing poppers at people's feet.  I hate those freaking things!

Everyone had gone shopping with Chad and picked out their own fireworks.

My favorite part is when it gets a little darker and I can play with my camera.  I love capturing fireworks by slowing my shutter speed down.

Roman candles and sparklers are always my favorite to photograph.  So fun!

We all slept like rocks after the Fourth.  The next day Chad and the older boys headed to Six Flags while I stayed at home and played with the younger boys.  The boys had free Six Flags tickets from a reading program and we bought Chad a season pass.  We were able to work it all out for the boys to go quite a few times for a pretty good price and decided it would be a fun addition to our staycation.

 Chad said the boys had a blast and even though they were a little afraid at times they went on all of the rides.  He said he felt like a grandma because he spent a decent amount of time getting drinks, snacks, etc. and meeting the boys after the ride.  He did go on all of the big rides and only threw up once...haha!  

I found an old Walmart giftcard and let the little boys go spend it.  They were happy to spend my money and them we went out to lunch and rented a movie from Redbox.  I was able to catch up on a few projects that have been hanging over my head.  It was a great day for everyone!

The next day we enjoyed some donuts and a slow start to the day.  Everyone hung around in the pajamas for the first half of the day and it was fabulous!

Eventually we got ready and headed to Bishop's Cidercade.  It is an arcade bar but it is open to kids before 8:00.  Chad and I went there on a date night and knew we had to come back another time with the boys.  You buy a wristband for only $10 and then have unlimited play on all the games for the entire day.  They have so many fun games and we all loved it.  It was so much less crowded than it is at night so Chad and I were able to play way more games than the last time we went.  I love me some skeeball, basketball, and guitar hero.

Next up we used the boys' end of the year school prizes for a free Bahama Bucks.  Everyone in this family loves shaved ice so it was a hit!

Our last big activity was a trip to Six Flags.  This time Keller, Mason, and I went with and Sutton stayed home to play with Grandma.  We also met up with some of our good friends.  It was such a fun day!  We rode tons of rides and had a blast.

 It was so cute to see the older boys being sweet with Keller.  They helped him be brave and comforted him if he got a little scared. I was proud of him for being such a trooper!!!

 Keller also had fun doing some of the little kid rides.  It was a good balance to the thrill rides for him.  Chad and I switched off staying with Keller and it was nice to have some one-on-one time with him.

 These two boys made me go on all the scary rides. I loved it but I did start feeling a little sick so sat out on a couple and had some ice water.  I recovered and was back at it.

 It was fun to meet up with Gooch's for awhile!!

 Keller and Colton each won some basketballs at the carnival game.  Colton was completely stoked because he was 2 for 2 which meant two prizes!

 As we were standing in line I realized we all had black and white Nike's on so we snapped a quick pic.

 Vance really wanted this stuffed Joker but it was a ring toss game.  I told him not to waste his money but he tried anyway.  No shocker but he didn't win...

 We bought Keller some Dippin Dots for being so brave!!!

 This sign was perfection!

Sutton had a blast bowling with Grandma and didn't miss us at all!

I am so glad we decided to have a staycation.  It was amazing to spend so much family time together and I think it rejuvenated both Chad and me.  Thanks babe for working hard to be able to provide us with the money to do so many fun things. I love doing life with you!