The Rankin Family Blog: June 2007

BROOKE ELISE

Brooke is now 10 months and getting ready to walk! She cruises all over the place, stands unaided for a short period of time, and has taken some steps here and there. She cut a new tooth on top yesterday, so now she's got three. She's also turning into quite a chatterbox. She says dada, mama, dog-dog (any animal is a dog-dog), hi, Hay-ee (Hayley), and Dee-Dee (Brady). She likes to wave hello and goodbye and shake her head "no". She's also learned how to make all sorts of cute and charming sounds like kissing noises, sniffing out her nose, squawking like a bird, and--our current favorite--hacking up a hairball. She cracks us up and is a lot of fun!

HAYLEY NICOLE

Hayley turned six in May. She has become my right-hand man, my personal assistant. I've put her in charge of remembering important things like where I parked the car when we go grocery shopping. She is full of energy and wants to participate in every sport and activity that comes her way--everything from soccer to gymnastics to art. She recently started karate and impressed her instructor with how quickly she picked up the skills. Now Hayley enjoys practicing her karate moves on her dad! She continues to amaze us with her maturity and insight. She's finishing up kindergarten next week. I can't believe she'll be a big first-grader next month! I'll sure miss hanging out with my little friend during the day.

BRADEN HEATH

Brady is now eight and going into third grade. This past year he's really come into his own. He has become more confident and independent, which has been fun to watch. He's very kind-hearted and loving--and he's my #1 babysitter. He and Brooke will play cars together all day! Brady's also our resident goofball who enjoys nothing more than splashing his family with a cannonball dive into the pool. He has an amazing ear for music and an even more amazing memory for details. His favorite activities include driving his ATV around the yard, playing baseball and soccer with his dad, driving his remote control vehicles (cars, boats, etc.), and going for bike rides. I keep telling him to stop growing up so fast!