Riding Bikes and Having Fun Outside with Our Cousins

I can't get enough of this kid! He is wearing the hemet backwards. What a riot!

Ahmad's cool t-shirt that changes color when you wear it outside. He LOVES this shirt.

"Corey Boy!"

"Hey, Nic!"

Speed Racer Daryl.

Mya learned to ride a two wheeler WITHOUT training wheels! Way to go Mya!!

Zoom! Zoom!

Ahmad put his hat on Lilly and it was so funny.

Good Morning, Time for Breakfast!

This is my bed BTW. Note: each child pictured here has a bed of their own.

"Say PANCAKES!"

It's a full table!

Tuesday is Library Day!

Lilly and Grandma.

I'm not sure what Daryl was looking at... she loves the library and it is hard to not check out ALL the books she wants in one visit.

Corey is really into his book.

Nic and Mommy enjoying a good read.

Sahraiya at the train table.

Spencer on the computer.

Mya and her pop-up books.

Ahmad making his selection.

Fun at the Park with our Cousins

Cute girls together.

Say Monkey!

Again I was too slow with the camera but Spencer the Copycat saw Grandma Ree sitting on the bench and he walked up to the bench and sat on it just like her. I thought it was so cute that they were facing one another.

I LOVE this picture!

The Children's Museum with our Cousins

Time for lunch! Everyone except Sahraiya and Lilly are visible.

The Cousin Cafe! Open for business. Place your orders now!

There was a cuter picture of these two playing together but I was not quick enough with the camera. However, Spencer is funny with his little index finger.

Ahmad climbing the rock wall.

Sahraiya playing at the water table.

Lilly having fun too.

Playing in the Ball Room.

The whole gang at the Children's Museum in Portland.

"And now I give unto you a commandment that what I say unto one I say unto all"... I get it!!

This particular verse is found in Doctrine and Covenants 61:18 and there are others that contain this similar phrase. You'll find them in:
Doctrine and Covenants 93:49
Doctrine and Covenants 82:5
Doctrine and Covenants 92:1
Joseph Smith - Matthew 1:46

Lately, around the Freeman home, I find myself repeating myself.
Example:
I am in the kitchen and suddenly hear wild laughter and squealing coming from the living room. I enter the room to investigate. There, I find my child gleefully jumping from the sofa to the love seat to the chair. And so it begins...
Child 1 is jumping on the living room furniture.
I say," Please don't jump on the furniture! Get down!"
Child 1 obeys and gets down.
Child 2 who was playing with Child 1 but was not observed jumping on the said furniture at the time of scolding begins to jump on the furniture.
I say, "Get down! Jumping on the furniture is not allowed!"
Child 2 obeys and gets down.
Child 3 enters the room during scolding of Child 1. Observes Child 1 and 2 then proceeds to jump on the furniture.
I say, "Didn't you just hear me tell your siblings NOT to jump on the furniture?! Get down!"
Child 3 obeys and gets down.

I hereby pledge to make a greater effort to heed to the counsel given to one that is intended for all... I get it!

When the right incentive is placed before them...

When the right incentive is placed before them, they will and can do just about anything. I know my children can dress themselves (for the most part, just continue to read). There are days that I have to painstakingly place each stitch of clothing on someone as they lay in the floor like a limp noodle complaining,"I can't do it!"

But as soon as I mention something that they are interested in or really want to do and getting dressed is a requirement before they can participate... snap! "Dressed and ready to go, Mom!"

The above statement applies to my three older children and I will give Daryl more credit because she will effectively dress herself everyday however, when she is enticed by something her speed definitely increases and all I do is blink and she has transformed out of pajamas and into daytime clothes.

However, my two-year old... he is a piece of work and I love him, dimples and all!

I still don't have a camera but the description will have to do.

It has been beautiful weather the past couple of days and the kids rush outdoors to play at 7a.m. Each morning the same reminder has been repeated,"You have to get dressed before you can go outside!"

Well... Spencer was not about to miss out on any fun and since I was busy when he wanted me to dress him, he decided to dress himself. He was quick about it too.

When I made it to the window I found him sporting grey underwear (over his diaper because he is not potty trained but insists on wearing underwear like Corey and Nicolas), his winter snow boots (because he can put those on all by himself), and his bright blue L.L. Bean winter coat, only his hood on his head - no arms in or anything, riding his Winnie-the-Pooh "Fire Fighter" as we call it. That's it.