McKenon is 1 year!

Great balance!
Mack is 1 today. I really am having a difficult time believing it. It just feels like this last year has flown by...maybe it is just having three to keep up with now with two in school...I don't know but I do know that I blinked and a year is gone!

Mack is such a joy. He is fairly easy going but can be demanding sometimes especially now that he is saying "Ma Ma" and pulling on my leg. But overall he is a happy, easy little guy that just flows. He is almost walking. It has been odd to me to try to figure out why he isn't walking yet. Lachlan walked at 10 months and Cohen at 9. Mack is standing and dancing, clapping in place but is just starting to take some little steps. I think it is because we aren't home as often for him to practice (he spends a lot of time in the car) and his brothers give him everything he needs! He has a wonderful little personality and loves attention! His newest tricks are clapping, he loves to dance, and he waves with this adorable little hand going from side to side (picture a little princess on a float-elbow, elbow, wrist, wrist, wrist). He also loves to play the piano and is so proud of himself when he makes music! He gives wonderful, sloppy kisses and says "Ma Ma", "DaDa", "Doggy", "please" and "ba ba" (we think this means one of his brothers), "nana" and other things we can't understand yet! He completes this family quite well and we just love him to pieces! Lachlan said the other day "Mom could we please have 10 more kids?"...he loves being a big brother! I will post some pictures after we have Mack's little party on Saturday.

Lachlan's 7

Our big boy turned 7 today...very hard to believe that he's getting so big! He has chosen to have his birthday party on his 1/2 birthday in June but because this is the day he was born I try to make it special. We spent the morning with a friend and her husband (I went to high school with both and they have two children ages 2 & 5 and now live in CA) at Jungle Playland. Lach had a blast and so did the rest of the kids. Tonight we went to dinner at Drew's Grandma's and his Mom and step-dad and step-brother were there also. We had a little cupcake and ice cream and Lachlan got to open a few little gifts. The highlight of his day was this morning when his Ma & Papa (my parents) brought over his very first pocket knife...he could not stop grinning...and within about a 1/2 hour cut himself...but was still smiling and telling me "it's okay Mom it's only a little cut" :). We feel so priviledged to be raising this very wonderful boy that brings us so much joy! Here are a few pictures...
blowing out the candles
Cohen, Lachlan and Reggie
Our boys
First pocket knife

December blizzard

It is still snowing...we have about a foot! Here are some pictures from today. We also had the priviledge of having some of our ministers stay with us-Brandon F. and Darryl-what fun for us and the boys!

Here are some pictures. I am going to try and take Mack out after his nap so I will hopefully be able to add some more!





"Who is this guy?"
Brandon F. and the boys jammin'
Ready to go outside!
"Hmmmm interesting..."
Our wonderful neighbor digging us out and building but piles for the boys

The boys

11 months!

Mack turned 11 months yesterday...time is flying. He is such a wonderful little guy. Smiles all the time! He started saying "Ma Ma" and grabbing my leg on a regular basis. He is also saying "Na Na" when he is hungry which is most of the time :). You would not believe what this kid eats! These three boys will probably eat us out of house and home! So, our littlest guy is growing like a weed and changing. He still isn't walking...I can hardly believe it. Both Lachlan and Cohen were walking or running by 11 months! He probably realizes he really doesn't need to walk when he has two brothers at his beck and call. He still loves to eat paper! He's consumed many of the boys' precious books...oh well! He loves to put things on his head too. He thinks it is hilarious...probably because it gets a good laugh out of us.

Lachlan and Cohen are doing good too. They loved Thanksgiving and are really excited about Christmas! They love to go look at the all the Christmas lights and we've already decorated the house. It is a fun time of year for them. Lachlan will be in a play too. It will be crazy for us but fun for them! Also-3 birthdays (mine, Lachlan's and McKenon's) this month, although Lachlan's we will celebrate in June on his 1/2 birthday.

Hope everyone has a good week.
11 Months!


Cohen in his special Turkey hat he made at preschool
"This Turkey is good!"

Space Suit Day

Vision's Teachers-Lach's teacher is the one on the left- Ms. Johnson
Astronaut Lachlan
Lach's buddy Keegan


More school stuff. We had spacesuit day back in October but I had to share these wonderful photos. Lachlan and Drew created his suit, and he got to be an astronaut for a day! It was so much fun. I spent the morning in the class. They got to dehydrate and rehydrate food, make Tang and have their pictures taken in front of this beautiful backdrop some of the parents created and do some other space activities...it was a wonderful day!

School activities

We've had a lot going at school lately. On Tuesday we went to the Museum of Flight in Seattle. This was an awesome day! Lachlan LOVED it...I could hardly get him to focus on the educational part of it-he just wanted to check it all out! He loved seeing the Concorde, Air Force One and the 400 models of WWW I and II that they have displayed. All the kids really enjoyed the control tower where they could hear and see the planes landing and leaving Boeing Field! We had an hour program where the 1 and 2nd graders got to be young aviators-this was great too. Lachlan was WAY ahead of the other kids with making paper airplanes...wonder why...all that paper airplane creating at convention! We have such a great group of kids so that makes it really fun. Here are some pictures:

Beneath the Blackbird...WOW



My four charges-Keegan, Richard, Cooper and Lachlan
Concorde
Astronaut Lachlan

This week we also had Market Day. This is a real market and "Visions" money is used. It is so great. It is treated completely as a real market so they have to have business licenses, there are fines, taxes etc. Drew and I even worked so we could buy some things. Drew did banking and I did set up and clean up with the help of Cohen and Mack. Lachlan decided his business would be "Orcas Island Rock Works". My parents picked up the rocks from Orcas and he painted 10 rocks which were his rock paperweights, he made 10 rock people and he made 10 bags of what he named "Firerock Skippers" skipping rocks and everything was $10.00 each. The skipping rocks sold the best and he ended up making quite a bit of money for next Market Day which is in the spring! We've already got some ideas for that. It was so much fun to see what all the kids created! The older kids had loads of great items and made lots of money too. I could not believe the amount of people who came. A lot of kids who graduated from Visions took the day off school so they could come spend some of their past account (which if you graduated is still good), and teachers and family members too. What fun! It was a lot of work but well worth it and a great experience for the kids to learn how business and money, banking etc works.
Lachlan and one of his employees Cohen
Drew helping with banking
Lach and Haley manning their stores
lots of people shopping
Even the principal came and bought a rock

Another funny!

My kids are always cracking me up! Yesterday we were at my Great Aunt's 90th birthday party and after we had all eaten they were going to do a "toast" and cake. So, the kids start filing in for cake, and Lachlan kept saying "I don't care for any bread-I just want cake". I could not figure this out...and finally it dawns on me...he does not want toast :) just cake! Too funny...he had no idea what a toast was...and then try explaining what a "toast" is! I must of thought of this 15 times today and just burst out laughing...I know it probably isn't too funny but the look of utter disgust on his face...unforgettable :).

Snaggletooth and So Big!

Something is missing
This last week Mack got 2 more teeth, and Lachlan was so excited because he lost one of his top teeth! He worked so hard getting it out at school that his teacher was so relieved it was finally out (she said he was driving her crazy playing with it)! He wanted to lose it at school because he would receive a tooth holder with a string to tie around his neck (very exciting). He was beaming when he came out of class to greet me with his toothless smile :)! I loved it. He looks so much different with a tooth missing, and I am anxious for him to loose the one next to it so he matches! Cohen has been saying his teeth are loose all week too...he always wants to be like his big brother.
Sleeping baby
So Big!
McKenon is getting SO big as you can see below. He is responding to questions now and loves to try to blow kisses and amaze us with his many talents. He has also just started to get very concerned when I leave the room or hop out of the car to grab the mail etc. Stranger anxiety is hitting too. He loves to flirt but when it is someone that he doesn't know and they get too close...he starts to frown and pucker his lip. This week he also figured out that he can climb in the warming drawer of the oven...he's been working on that for weeks. He gets in and then starts almost jumping...I'm worried he might break it...so I get him out and he goes right back to it...oh well. He is learning some "no no" things so that I am glad about that. He is such a sweet boy...if only he would stay little a little longer!

Mackie excited

Here is a little video of Mack at Terry & Donna's last night. He was very excited about their kitty Tucker. When he gets excited he blows and moves his hands and whole body. Too cute. We all had a good laugh.


Here are some pictures too:
The boys wrestling with Darryl
Trick-or-treat at Terry & Donna's (Terry is the Knight in shining armor)
Batman, a pirate & a frog

Mack is not quite sure who this is