Teeth times 3

There's a lot of talk about teeth at our house lately. Michael recently lost two of his baby molars. Mary has her first wobbly tooth. Sara's fifth tooth just broke through.

Mary Poppins

Todd and I took our three oldest kids to see Mary Poppins last week. We're still marveling at the actions to the  'Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious' song. Amazing!

11 months

Dear Sara,
It's hard to believe that 336 days have passed since you were born.
Each day has brought us joy as we've watched you grow.
Your toothless grin now has five pearly whites.
You are starting to crawl a little more each day.
You get into every drawer you possibly can.
Your loves and kisses are to die for.
Love,
Mom

Our sweet baby

One year in Australia

This weekend marks one year since we arrived in Australia. I'll never forget leaving the winter in England and arriving two days later to the summer heat of Australia. It was a shock to the system. I wondered how anyone managed to live in this kind of heat. Fast forward one year. Saturday morning we woke up early, packed the car and headed for a day outdoors with plenty of water and sunscreen. The day was just as hot or even more so than when we arrived one year ago. However, we're better acclimated now (and not as tired). What a difference a year makes.

This has been an incredible year. I've learned a lot about myself and had many amazing experiences that I might not have had if we hadn't moved to Australia:
*I can better recognize which kind of bird is making noises outside
*I appreciate air conditioners like never before
*I have a better idea of which spiders and snakes are harmless
*I know I can do childbirth without pain medication
*I know what it is like to camp on a remote island
*I know more about the viola and tuba
*I know that I can move twice in one year
*I can take 5 kids to my eye doctor appointment
*I have a special place in my heart for my Australian mates
*I can clean up a flooded garage at nighttime in my swimmers because it's warm even when it rains
*I've experienced a summer Christmas at the beach and by the pool
*I love Pavlova
*Our family has grown closer together with countless great memories

Who would you be?

At dinner Saturday night we discussed movie characters. So...
If you could be any movie character, who would you be? 
Here are our top 3 picks: 


Todd:                                                           Mary: 
1. Georg Von Trapp                                         1. Rapunzel
2. Jason Bourne                                                2. Hermione
3. Indiana Jones                                                3. Belle

Cindy:                                                         Luke:
1. Ellen Griswold                                               1. Buzz
2. Mary Poppins                                                2. Dash
3. Dori                                                                3. Chicken Little

Michael:                                                        Sara:
1. Po                                                                   1. Roo
2. Harry Potter                                                    2. Pascal (Rapunzel's lizard)
3. Mater                                                               3. Boo

Benjamin:
1. Mr. Incredible
2. Fin McMissile
3. Mantis (one of the furious five from Kung Fu Panda)

Tuba

At the end of last school year we were informed that Michael had been selected to learn the Tuba in school band. He has been anxiously awaiting the day when he could bring his Tuba home and it's finally here! With the case this baby weighs a whopping 17.4 pounds. That's almost as much as his baby sister, but this boy doesn't care. He is practicing blowing without puffing his cheeks. He's getting good really fast. We've already told him that he can't practice before 7am.

Tying a tie

It was Sunday morning. I was in my bathroom putting on my make-up. Todd was off to church meetings. Our oldest boys came in and started to walk each other through tying a tie. It was such a great dialogue. "Remember Dad said to put this one over that one," "The Elders said that it shouldn't be longer than your waist." I had to take a picture because I want to remember these two guys working this out together. It won't be long before they are tying ties all on their own. Then before we know it, they will be on their missions and I'm going to remember when I listened to them help each other through the steps of tying a tie.

Swimming lessons

Swimming lessons for the older kids have been part of our weekly routine for a few months. Recently Sara and I have joined in on the fun. Every Friday we go to our baby water safety lesson. This is my first 'mommy and me' experience. We love it.

Meanwhile, Luke is in the next pool having his swimming lesson. This little guy is amazing. I can't believe how far he has come in just a few short months.

 Way to go Luke! You are awesome!