A Walker

Take a look at our little walker!  Riley took some of his first steps today walking between Mom and Dad and then between his brothers.  Everyone was so excited. 

National History Day

Alec and his friend were sent by their school to the Island-wide History Day competition.  They had written a script about the Apollo 11 landing on the moon where the crew was interviewed by a reporter.  Don't you just love the props?  It was pretty funny and a neat experience for them to go and see other school performances.  

Slip Sliding Away

It was a beautiful day and it had been a while since we have used our water slide.  So, we broke the water slide out of the box and set it up for the boys.  The boys had so much fun.  

Take a look at a few pictures.

Wheee!  Can you slide like me?

Skyler caught some air on this one.

 Micah flies down the slide.

Riley wasn't so sure about sliding so Jason held onto his hand as he gave it a try.

Alec was going so fast he slid right off the slide and kept on going.  

Riley's Birthday

Happy 1st Birthday Riley Owen!

I can't believe it has been a year already!  Riley seems to be so young still.  I think that is because he doesn't have much hair!   Riley has been a blessing to our family.  His older brothers just love him (sometimes a little too much) and he brightens my day with his smile.  He is such a fun little boy.

We had a little celebration for this little boy.  It was just us and the boys and one of the things we did with him was bubbles.  I truly believe this was the first time he had ever experienced bubbles.  He was just looking at them not sure what to make of them.

Food, of course, was on the menu.  Riley chowed down on some chicken nuggets and steamed carrots. Then for the best part of a birthday.............CAKE!

The boys wanted to more than just one candle on but then I was scared to have Riley sit down in front of it.  Then he just wasn't sure what everyone was doing when it came time to blow the candles out.

He knew exactly what to do next though!  The ice cream was the first to go!

The cake was not far behind.  That boy finished the entire thing!

After a little bath he opened a couple presents.  He liked the Thomas the Train pillow from Grammy and Grandpa.  It was a nice day to turn one!  Happy Birthday Riley!

Brady is 7

Happy Birthday Brady!  Brady is such a sweet boy.  He had a small but fun birthday celebration.  He played games with his friends and the last game was a pinata.  Here Brady takes a whack. 

Here is Skyler having a go at it.  

Did you know that some of the pinatas these days have a trap door rigged to a ribbon?  Well, that is the type of pinata we had but I thought the boys would enjoy whacking it.  After a little while they all decided to pick a ribbon and pull.  Best of both worlds.  ;)

 Make a wish Brady!  Now deep breath and......

 ....blow those candles out!

Overall, Brady had a fun time on his birthday and that is all that matters.  We love you Brady!  Happy 7th Birthday!

Wonderful Days Like This

Last Saturday was a great day.  It was probably the first Saturday that we weren't rushing around for one thing or another.  So we just spent time playing with the boys.  Here Micah is helping his Dad put up a simple ladder for their club house.

 Riley had a blast with Alec swinging on a swing I made.  Weeeee!

 I had fun playing tetherball with the boys.  Here Brady is playing with a neighbor friend.

 Skyler is running away from Micah.  Trying to be the first to test out the new ladder.

Saturday was such a wonderful day.  I love days like these when we are just able to spend time together  and make memories.

Happy New Year!

It's 2012!  Can you believe it?  How did you ring in the New Year?  Okay, so I am a little late in posting this.  Oh well.... better late than never right?

We started a New Year's Eve tradition about three years ago.  We ring in the New Year with only the best.  Best Friends.... Best Games... Best Snacks... and CHOCOLATE!  A chocolate fountain is the highlight of our party.  The kids love it and so do the adults!

The Peters, the Porters and our family spent all evening eating, and playing games.  Then about 10pm we turn out all the lights in the house and everyone is given a glow stick (safety first) and then we play Sardines.  It is so funny because I always think the little kids are going to be scared but they never are.  So for those who have never played Sardines it is so fun.  One person goes and hides and then everyone is trying to find them.  Once you do find then you join them until everyone is hiding together.  Quite fun!  So we played until 5 minutes before the stroke of midnight.  At 12am we toasted with Sparkling cider and enjoyed a light show by my boys.  It was a wonderful evening full of good food, fun and friends.

Happy New Year to Everyone!