Shafer Family...yes, July 2010

I am so pathetic! I should have done this forever ago...I'm here at my mom's visiting and so I thought I should take advantage of her computer and get updated. Our computer is seriously so old that I'm afraid to do anything on it and so I haven't done this...anyway. So to catch up. Here our some photos from our Shafer gathering in July. It all started off with getting to meet for the very first time, my niece Addy. I mean, how cute is she! By the way...I shouldn't brag and maybe I'm wrong, but please don't crush my memory Doug and Jackie, but in this picture I have just fed her a bottle of formula which she wouldn't take from anyone else...ever...and then got her to sleep. I would like to think that I'm magic or at least that Addy really just adores me.

Dad and Doug made the game Kuube. I probably botched that spelling, but I like it that way. We played it at our cousins (the Arringtons) earlier and liked it. Good times...yes, it's July and cold, hence the fleece jacket and sweat pants. Dumb. Oh, and the mosquitoes were out. Nice.
Boat time! Look at those darling boys!!
Tyler getting a little driving time.
Cute Addy girl again!
Mason got his cast off in the middle of the trip! So excited...yet somewhat of a let down. I totally thought he would just walk out on his own, but it was, what seemed like a long time before he would walk on that leg...like a week or more!!
Mason could get in the water though now!! Such gross water, but the boys loved it anyway.
Picture time!! Yeah!
Is this really the best we can get with kids? I mean look at how beautiful all the kids are...okay, now look at my kids...Carter=annoyed, Mason=over joyed, Tyler=so upset that someone other than family is there looking and talking to him. Wow.
Best people on earth! So loving those awesome, talented, and amazing girls my brothers married!...hey, and Joel's not so bad either!
Best guys ever! Seriously. Couldn't ask for better brothers.
I mean, right?
Date night! Yes! So nice to get out just us adults. We got a couple of girls to watch 7 kids ages 6 and under and we went out for ice cream and then saw the movie Inception. I had been axiously awaiting this movie for some time and it was seriously one of the best and greatest movies I've ever seen...infact, Joel and I had to go see it again in the theater!
Cute, right?
Told you, funnest brothers ever.
Look at these boys! I could just eat that Oliver up!!
As always, fun on the WII. I love how Mason has no shirt on...just his pj bottoms.
We seriously had so much fun! It's always sad to say good-bye, but hey...right now it's April and almost time for the next Shafer Vaca!! Yes!! Thanks again to Ben and Doug's families for making the trip. It was a great time!

early July...

Before I post about the awesome Shafer gathering in July, I thought I'd throw in a few random things. Here's Mason with his new green cast...also, that is how he gets around, scooting on his bum or crawling. Still happy though, as you can see.
Our friend Morgan (Ben's wife - Whitney - her sister) came to visit us on their way to California. It was great to see her and her husband and her three darling boys. It was quick, but fun! Such cute boys!!
This is Tyler's favorite thing. When he gets let out of the house, he runs for the scooter and then yells for someone to push him. Grandpa usually gives the best ride and so he usually seeks Grandpa out...

You can't keep Mason down, that's for sure. His Dad helped him figure out a way he could still ride with his brother...good times.
My Carter turned 6! What! Crazy. He's totally 6 and he wanted pumpkin bars for his birthday dessert...and so I obliged...actually, I think my Mom made them...she's nice.

Next up, Shafer vaca!

May and June...

Rub a dub dub, three cuties in the tub. Sorry, I just had to throw that in there.
The tiny titan is walking! I love new walkers...it's old hat now for him, but back then...so cute! It's a love/hate thing really...love that they're more mobile, but hate that they're more mobile.
Happy 1st Birthday my Tiny Titan!! So, yeah, he turned one several months ago. Most people probably think it is sad that my kids won't touch messy food, but I'm so happy. Here's Tyler trying to decide if he should eat it and how he can without touching it too much. That was his "birthday cake". He did enjoy it...as I fed it to him.
My poor Mason. He broke his leg in early June. He jumped off the couch and landed just wrong! We joked with the doctors in the ER that he did this amazing jump and "ollied" (probably spelled that so wrong) off the side and then flipped and...yeah, nope, just a lame old jump...literally. I also told the doctors I was waiting for CPS to come and have a little chat with us, but they reassured me that they can usually tell and we don't look like those kind of people. I guess that was a positive note...though, they'll call them on me next time because after we got the bill, I told Mason that if he ever breaks anything again, we aren't fixing it.
He was so good about everything. It really was sad and kind of scary. He broke is left tibia in two places and it was a spiral fracture. They had to put him out to cast it because they said they would have to twist it back to the right position so he leg wouldn't heal with his foot sticking out the wrong way...uh, yes, please. He spent the next 6 weeks crawling around wherever he wanted to go. Oh and don't worry, he figured out how to jump off the couch with the cast, so, you know...uh, wow.













Carter graduated...from Kindergarten. Um, sorry, but I couldn't help but agree with Mr. Incredible, I mean, a graduation for Kindergarten? Was this really that hard to pass...? It was cute though.
After Carter got out of school we headed down to California for a little visit with my brother Ben and his family and to see my Grandma and Grandpa and Aunt and Uncle. We had a great time.
These are some pics from a park we went to...Happy Hollow, I think it's called. The kids had so much fun...maybe not so much Tyler, who wouldn't ride on anything (we only got him in there for a picture and then he cried and we removed him), but the other kids had a blast. Look how cute Oliver is!
Carter and Joel loved this roller coaster...as you can see Mason, not so much. I was a little worried that it was hurting his leg, but that was probably just me. (Click on the picture to see them better) We were so grateful to Ben and Whitney for putting up with us for a bit and taking such good care of us!












Mason has such good brothers ...here they are giving Mason a ride. We tied the hot wheel to the wagon and Carter would pull Mason around and Tyler loved to push! See, having a broken leg isn't so bad. (Don't ask why the picture is messed up and I couldn't crop it...I'm still upset)
Dude, I'm totally catching up...before you know it, it will be August on my blog...wait, August is almost over. Aaaahhh...

Let's get through Winter and some Spring!

We started 2010 out on somewhat of a sad note...Joel sold his Golf. For some reason, we were both sad. Why do we get so attached to cars? The memories...oh well, it had to be done.
Now you need to know...Tyler is not my favorite child...I love them all the same...though I like some of them more than others at times. Tyler just happens to be changing faster than the other kids. So this is pretty much a post about Tyler's growing up...and how stinkin' cute he is...was...well, I think he's still pretty cute.
One of my favorite church outfits...though he was almost grown out of it by the time I photographed him in it!
Tyler loves the tub and if he heard the water running, he came running. This is where we would find him when the other boys were bathing. He would literally dive in...fully clothed, I might add.
We were trying to get a head shot of Tyler for some project I was doing and this was one of our many attempts. It cracks me up everytime I see it.
This is the picture I ended up using for my project. Ty was almost 10 months old in this picture. Look at this kids hair...yeah, he needed a haircut, but I couldn't do it, it was too cute and I wasn't ready for him to look older...no worries, just keep scrolling, he got one...
So here's his first haircut...he was 10 months old.
He wasn't the greatest customer for my mom, but we got through it. See, doesn't he look so much older and different? I miss my baby!
Easter! Can you believe my blog is finally to Easter? Who thought the day would come!
My handsome boys...Mason is 3 1/2, Tyler is 11 months old, and Carter is 5...almost 6
Then I just had to throw this last one in of Tyler. 11 months old and so much fun! You guys wouldn't believe how big he really is now...seeing how my blog is a time warp...

Christmas in Utah!

So...I'm not going to write much. Sorry...but this was Christmas in Utah! We had so much fun. Let me sum up...
Nate organized this awesome Nativity program. So cool. Baby Jesus was Millie..who was just 3 weeks old and seriously so tiny and cute!
Poger and Tyler were good buds. How cute is Tyler? He was about 7 1/2 months old. I think that is one of my favorite ages. They are so darn cute and such big smiles!!
We went to Down-at-a-hot-springs in Idaho for a swim. Super fun...and super cold. It still amazes me...it's in the teens outside, but the water is like a warm bath. Your hair gets icicles on it and it just seems funny to be swimming with earmuffs and beanies.
Is Tyler so cute in this pic? I would say yes...but I'm his mom.
All the kids took turns with the ski goggles. It was really funny. Simeon even wore them for the Nativity...shepards totally had ski goggles. We had so much fun. We were so happy everyone could be there...even the Johnsons, who drove from Ohio with a three week old baby, to be with us! Amazing. Joel's parents had their "farewell" while we were there. They left for a mission in Barcelona, Spain! So cool...they are currently serving on the island of Malloraca. Um...yea, I think we need to visit them.

Halloween and Thanksgiving...2009

Happy Halloween! So, I wish I could get into Halloween, but I can't. Halloween is stressful. I am not creative or talented enough to come up with and do costumes. I let Carter pick his own out this year...well...anyway, they had tons of fun.
I love this picture of my boys. What handsome guys!
My brother Ben and his family came for Thanksgiving. It was so much fun. Here's Grandpa with Oliver and Tyler. Cuteness.
Here's the kids table for dinner. Oliver and Tyler must have been sleeping and missed out.
Here's the big kids table. We were happy to have Aunt Ally join us for the delicious dinner. I made Mom make a ham along with a turkey because I don't like turkey. I'm sure I'm not the only one. Notice all the "staches". Ben and Dad (and Doug) grew out mustaches for Prostate cancer..."Movember". I think they raised money for it or something like that. Sorry I don't know more.
Here's all the Shafer cousins! All the boys...with a girl on the way! These boys have such fun together. We had a great time and we're grateful to Ben and his family for coming. We totally missed Doug and Jackie (they are the ones having the girl..though she's already been born because I am so late in posting this) and we were sad not to have them with us!
Here was our awesome Christmas tree we cut down. It was another 10 footer! So awesome...huge and smelled so great. The kids had a great time!