Happy Anniversary *13 Years*

 Here is a novel idea, Mike and I actually went out on a date to celebrate our anniversary. First a shout out to our amazing friends Toni and Jacob. Mike had been planning this date for awhile. I was going to be at girls camp all week(more on that later) and be home the day before our anniversary. While I was at camp our sweet little Honor(I consider her one of our own) fell and broke her femur at the playground. This was a Monday night and our date was the following Saturday. When I got home Mike and I decided that there was no way we would have Toni and Jacob watch the kids as planned because they had enough of their own stuff going on at the moment. However, Toni called and confirmed their willingness and let us know they were coming over anyway. Mike went back to his original plans of taking me on a punting tour of the Cam. The Cam is in Cambridge and we had a great little tour of the different universities there.It was a gorgeous night and we were both grateful for the chance to get out and enjoy. We aren't very fancy people and in an effort to be quicker than usual that evening(because we still felt bad) we grabbed some Chinese Take Away and ate in the car chatting. It was short, sweet, but very lovely!

1, 2, 3 Strikes your out at the Ol' Ball Game!!!

What have we been doing every Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday night for the last 8 weeks? Baseball my friends, baseball in grand form! At first we had just started Carter because Taylor was still adamant she didn't want to play. If you know me, you know how much this pained me. However, at the last moment she got the fever. Brennan was heartbroken because he wasn't old enough(had to be five). I went home and thought, "I think I should be one of those parents that tries to squeeze my child in because he only missed the deadline by 2 weeks." I really detest those parents, but I became one for that moment and am glad I did! They said yes and that created another day we would be driving 35 minutes to the base to watch baseball. We invited the Elders to come and watch because it was their PDay and thought it might be fun. Tee-ball is interesting, that is all I have to say. I miss back in my time where they taught us the rules of the game from the beginning, none of this everyone gets a turn stuff and strikes don't matter. blah!

Carter on 2nd

Carter had a desire to pitch again, and so he asked his coach if he could have a go at it. He pitched a few times and he does have a fireball behind that arm of his, he just struggles a bit with aim. Carter's coach did a great job at switching the positions the kids were playing so that they got a good feel about what to do no matter where they were.

One small person was a big fan of the baseball games when they were held at the extra sandy fields!

During baseball season Elder J left us and we were excited that we could buy them some good ol' Taco Bell before he left. Their PDay was on a Tuesday that week, so they had the pleasure of seeing a bit more actual baseball with Carter's game. Carter hit a few home-runs, and those would always happen right after I left to head to Young Women's. At the games where I didn't go to Young Women's he would ask me to close my eyes so that he did well. Great feeling to be the bad luck charm.

Good-Bye Elder J--another great missionary who was only here a short time. 

Taylor sporting her curly hair ready for the game!

Carter tried pitching over and over, and he would get so stressed that the game seem to 'revolve' around his ability to throw a good pitch. He tried out catcher and that seemed a bit more fitting for him.(insert Hollie excitement here) He enjoyed the constant movement and found himself a lot more pleased with his talent that way. Yes, I was giddy every time he threw that gear on, I can't help it.

The one child who wasn't sure she wanted to play is the one that seems to have a natural talent for it. (Let's be honest, she gets that from me.) She was the only 7 year old I saw squatting while playing catcher, if she missed the ball she would go after it and was full on the whole time. I loved hearing other parents say, "just swing the bat like Taylor." Mike and I are both very competitive people, so yes I will admit we were doing a little happy dance inside.

Her swing is gorgeous, but the connections were tough on her...she got better and better as the season went on and I think will really enjoy playing again next year. 

I felt sad we didn't get the best pictures of Brennan, he was so excited each game. The organization was kind of a mess from his coach, but he did the best he could. At the end of the day, Brennan hit the ball, ran the bases, and will be getting a trophy, so he is happy.

We drove a lot, it was stressful because our kids were still in school because of going to an English school, but I think it was worth it for each of them. Let's hope where ever we might be next year we will be closer to the events and have even more fun!

I will post a picture of all three of them with the trophies when we go pick them up. We left rather abruptly after baseball season was over for our holiday.

Seaside Fun

The burying of children and adults never gets old. We spent hours digging holes and then filling them back up once someone was inside. Mason spent his time filling up the cup holder on the chair and then dumping and repeating.

Cameron and Brennan love the sand! Cameron loves both playing in it and eating it on all his food. We assumed this because anything we gave him he set down in the sand got it nice and covered and then tried to eat it again. At some point you just give up on all cleanliness and just let them at it!

The only pictures I got of Taylor because she was down at the water. She took Cameron down for a bit, but he still wouldn't touch the water even with big sister in charge.

Ice cream and hot fresh donuts are a must at the seaside and we made sure to have them in large quantities. I think the final picture of the day says it all! :)

Mason Turns 12!

Mason was thrilled for his birthday to come around and I could tell because he kept taking the photo albums off the shelf and flipping to all the pictures of him opening presents! I think he kind of knew what was up.

Mason loves Marvel Comics and super heroes at the moment, what better way than an Avengers cake. Mason loved all the new books he got, a new sprinkler to run through and a cool Velcro dart board. He is easy to please and reminds us that sometimes less is more in the grand scheme of things.

The most exciting thing about Mason turning 12 was his opportunity to receive the Priesthood in the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Mason is a special case and after talking with our bishop we all decided together that Mason should receive this gift so that he can exercise that authority to the best of his capabilities. I have already been so impressed with the Young Men of our ward who have welcomed Mason, and not just as a kid who is now there, but I have seen them make him their true friend and have dove right in to something that they may have been unsure about at first. One of their first activities was a movie night with Mason because they knew that he would love that the most. I just love these Young Men that Mason will serve with, they are amazing. Mike was able to ordain Mason into the Aaronic priesthood, and Mason was calm, collected, and beaming from one ear to the other! for more info on what the priesthood is and our other beliefs you can visit lds.org