Joel

 Joel turned 8 on May 31 and was excited to be baptized.  We had a fun weekend and I survived it without any breakdowns, which is huge for me.  I get anxiety having people in my home, for some reason, and feeding 20 people is also difficult for me.  It all went smoothly and I had lots of women help.  I'm pretty sure it's a blessing that I don't have to host family events very often.  It sure was nice to see everyone and share in this special day with Joel!  It's so fun to watch him grow up and develop. Being a parent is hard but there are many neat glimpses of these little children of God that will become adults one day.

The handsome 8 year old

Those who came to celebrate with us

Family photo!

 He excited for his new bike.  I love that face.

 The kids had so much fun with Kali, and then with Torri, Tess and Derek( no picture of them).

Joel loves soccer and he has really improved since the beginning of the season.  It's fun to watch him.  I love soccer and played it lots as a kid.  He's a natural athlete but he really loves to play and wants to practice because it's fun and so he can get better.  I love sports that keep him running.  He has a lot of energy.

Spencer

Isn't he adorable?  Sometimes I can't believe it.

We have a nine month old boy!  I don't feel like it has gone by super fast but I'm happy that he is growing up and learning.  The baby stage hasn't been easy but it's getting better.  Yesterday we went for our first bike ride together.  I have a seat that sits behind my seat on my bike.  He loved it after he realized the helmet wasn't so bad.  This little Spencer LOVES to be outside. If he is fussy, he almost always settles if we go outside.  He loves to watch Joel play sports and also any of the kids playing outside.
He just figured out crawling two days ago.  Tonight he went a little bit further but he still fusses when he does it and thinks he isn't getting anywhere.  I'm assuming it will only be days before he is motoring around everywhere I go.  Now I'll have to be really careful about always have a clean floor.  Hopefully he won't swallow too many little toys.
He is a good eater and is weaning himself slowly from his bottle.  He eats so much food that he doesn't want or need as much milk.  I'm Ok with it.  Formula is expensive and he eats just about anything I give him so he has a pretty balanced diet.  I think we'll be buddies for awhile, him and me.