Bikes

 When did this kid start looking so old?

The initial panic of falling off.

 Carter decided to take the challenge of teaching Brennan the final steps of learning to ride a bike with no stabilizers. Look who caught on very quick and was a master by the end of the night. Carter was very proud of Brennan and Brennan was thrilled to be able to ride with the big kids! I love the picture of Brennan telling Carter he can, "do it myself!"

Spring/Summer..the hose is running

Mason is not weeing in the garden...despite Carter's giggles at this picture. 

 Mason LOVES to be able to turn on the hose and drench the world, I tighten the tap as much as I can and he still manages to get that thing turned on. It is cute the first few times, then annoying the rest of the summer.

Cameron's Growing Up...

Celebrations!! Cameron's very first bath that he wasn't screaming!! He has hated water with a passion, but we have now had two baths that he will at least stand in and not freak out..baby steps are happening. 

 Safety first for a ride in the Big Red Car!!

Mason's medicine is a right of passage for all the little ones in this family. Let me explain, sooner or later the baby notices that his big brother gets a spoonful of goodness every night. This being the case, they soon start to ask for a spoon themselves...and we, as parents, give in every time! 

Who could say no to this face, not this lady!?

Cameron has been very good when we say that something is 'hot' and not touching that food until we come and help him blow on it. He will blow on each bite of food, and takes his time for things to cool down. The kids and I sat down to pizza for dinner and Cameron was passed his first slice, he grabbed it and then quickly said, "hot!" He was particularly hungry that evening and quickly thought of a brilliant solution, he grabbed the pot holder on the edge of the table and proceeded to put it on and start eating. Who says that at the age of 15 months they aren't savvy little tykes? He ate his whole dinner with the mitt on his hand, only taking it off to take a drink, and then putting it right back on.

A Day in London--with no kids! Yes Please!!

I use to not like London, but it really has grown on me the more that we go down, see different areas and all that it has to offer. Today we went with no children! Eight adults, no kiddos in tow equals a relaxing day. I loved our friends Tiffanie and Jonathon trying to get a picture with their umbrella and the Singin' in the Rain background. The wind was not helping matters!

Singin' in the Rain was a good show with some entertaining dancing and singing--but what else would you expect? The stage came alive with rain and the water being kicked on the audience was an incredible addition to the whole fun of the show.

Doing some heels kicks, but we didn't have the quick camera, so we just got a partial shot.

A big shout out to the babysitters who took on the challenge of watching our kiddos all day long! We hope that they are willing to do it again, we could get use to a day like this.

Taylor's 7th

Mason even had a go--but he wasn't very helpful on skates and  Dad's back couldn't take any more. 

Taylor decided she wanted to have a small friend party to go skating this year. Taylor loves to skate, and she enjoyed just about every single moment of the night!

It's my party and I'll cry if I want too...Taylor fell and bumped the back of her head pretty hard, she put some ice on it for a minute and was good as new!

Lovely little Taylor with a group of friends,(and some of the older siblings of those friends)too bad some of our own kids didn't hop in to the mix. 

Curly Wurly's

With $!!

Taylor had a great time opening up her gifts once we got home. The English custom in regards to birthday parties says you wait to open your gifts after the party and everyone has gone--I like it that way!

7 Things we LOVE about Taylor

1. Taylor is great at organizing everyone around her.

2. She is a wonderful big sister to Cameron

3. Taylor is always a gold star at school!

4. She is becoming a great little gymnast.

5. She is a little mother to many little children.

6. She is willing to try any new foods we give her.

7. She is a tough girl in the middle of a bunch of crazy boys! 

Carter's 10th Birthday

HAPPY 10th BIRTHDAY CARTER!!!!

Carter had a great time having a few friends over for a BBQ of hamburgers and hot dogs. Carter also chose to have a Chocolate Caramel Cheescake, which was yummy! After the fact Carter said he couldn't believe that he got so many proper 10 year old gifts. He got his own camera from mom and dad and has been taking a lot of pictures in the last week.

10 Things We LOVE about Carter!

1. He is helpful.
2. He loves with his whole heart.
3. He is passionate about raising money for different charities.
4. He works hard in school.
5. He likes to earn his own money to buy things he wants.
6. He is eager to learn about the world.
7. He is a very active boy!
8. He is a great big brother and wants to help his younger siblings learn new things.
9. He makes us laugh with his quick wit.
10. Carter has a sweet love of the Saviour and a testimony that is quiet and strong.

Missionaries&Home Schooling Mason

 We had two of our Elders leave at the same time. Elder Bensiga(which I'm pretty sure is spelled wrong) and Elder Lawrence. Elder L. was here for only one short transfer, so we didn't get to spend loads of time with him so that was unfortunate. However, Elder B was here for awhile and was a good addition to out ward and family. The kids loved his quirky personality. :) Going to miss him and his ability to eat anything and everything in sight. It was impressive in many ways.

 Mason being home gives us a new chance to reflect on his busy body self that will find something to do if given enough time! By enough time, that translates to one-two minutes. This time it was a box of baby cereal and although we don't use it anymore, he still managed to find one last box and dump it all over Cameron and the kitchen. Another thing to add to the list of 'not easy to clean up' products.