Custard Carter - 7 years old

You still love every ball sport ever, You're not allowed to take balls to school now, because apparently it always ends in too much competition. You still crack me up with how much you love to play and commentate your own plays. School is still going well for you. You have found your own condifidence away from Mason, you have your own voice in the school yard and you absoluetly love Math. You need a bit of encouragement to read.You dont enjoy it and you struggle with it. I guess it all ties in with your speech delays. Theyu are basically non existenyt now though, although when you get excited you still stumble over a few words! I'll pop in on the record now, as your mum, I would hedge my bets to say you have some dyslexia like your sister. We'll keep working at it and I know you'll find your way with reading soon enough.

You still love a cuddle, you still reach for my hand and you are still full of kisses before bedtime. You are more open with your feelings now, it's obvious when youre upset, because you still recluse, but you're also much more vocal in standing up for yourself. The other kids are convinced you're my favourite. I dont have a favourite, but I can see why they'd think that. Youre softer natured than the other boys, well, thats not exactly true, Coop once used to be like you are. Sweet, kind and always checking on me. I give you longer cuddles because you dont let go as swiftly as the others do. You still love your league, watching it, playing it, practicing it. You are not a fan of summer touch. Its just not suited to your strong heavy body. You my dear are strong, at athletics you have such great strength in throws!

I often wonder if its because you boys have each other, but the friendship ties you and Mase have reant as strong as Coopers. Dont get me wrong you enjoying playing with your mates, and beg mne to take you to birthday parties but it's different. You are far more content playing at home or out on the street with the kids than with your school mates. Different interests I guess? You are an outdoors kid, happy fishing, camping, riding your bike.... I get the sense your school friends are more into video games. I adore how much you love watching Cooper and his mates. You genuinely believe his friends are your friends, and youre lucky because they all love when you tag along (Coop not so much).

Theres not a single Rushby kid who loves Forster as much as you do. You love the waves, the body boarding, the fishing and snorkling. You are so brave out there, happily snorkling for as long as I'll let you, venturing well out of my reach to following fish or to see an octopus or string ray. You make my heart sing. I am so proud of who you are becoming Carter. Keep doing you mate, the world is your oyster!

you are: 1.28cm tall you weigh 24.5 kilo You've lost 5 baby teeth you love: playing football, playing starwars lego on PS5, fishing your favourite food is: anything that Cooper likes, but also spag bol and tuna morney your best friend is Mason but you play with Jordan and Ethan at school and Ollie is still a footy favourite. you hate: When Cooper just wants to play with his mates, Zoe bossing you around. Reading. The funniest thing out of your mouth this year after winning best on ground at footy one week "I really deserved this, I made some really great tackles today" - and you know what bud, you really did!

Mustard Mason - 7 years old

You are firey and loud, you are caring and strong, you are smart and curious. A world without Mason is a world i wouldnt want to live in. This past year you have thrived at reading, you love asking questions, decoding words and independantly thinking about things. You deeply care about your family and closest friends, often coming in after playing our on the street with tears in your eyes because you think you've hurt someones feelings. You love the rules, but gosh you always teeter on the edge of wanting to break them all. Especially when you are with your cousins. You love time on the farm when Dean and Adam are there, you relish time at Forster and are getting braver and braver in the water. You spend countless hours ourside playing. although I quickly tire of the constant in and out of the house on weekends I know eventually I will forget the chaos

of you with the kids on Disco drive playing, laughing getting into mischief! Your teacher for year 2, Ms Helen Hardy has been a godsend, you adore her and show such respect in class for learning. You remind me so much of Cooper at this age when everything his teachers said was gospel, even when its not! During school holidays you will often spend a day or three on the farm and while you always come back tired you come back happy, with wide open eyes, filled with stories of driving the truck with poppy or hearing about the bear stories Oma tells of Canada.

This past year we’ve supported you in playing footy, soccer and even athletics. We’ve been to parks, zoos and sporting events, we’ve camped by the river, paddleboarded, been on boats and swam in oceans. I've spent my days and nights watching you grow and grow and grow inside and out! You make me smile so big! You and Carter have sleep overs every week in each others beds. I wonder if that will ever stop. I find it unlikely, you still insist when you grown up and get married you are Carter will share a bed and your respective wives will share another.... gosh I hope they're a twin pair too, or they might find it very odd! You love to hear Cooper cheer for you at games, you love to tackle hard and pride yourself on being able to out run most players. No special cake request this year, which both made me incredibly sad but in our busy lives also very grateful. Instead you instisted on dinner at the soilders club with whatever you wanted for dessert!

Your best friends are: Carter, Ashlyn Kerr, Ethan, Ollie and Brock. You have 4 adult teeth You play league, soccer, touch and athletics You love spending time with the kids on the street, PlayStation games, reading, when Charlie elf arrives, time with me alone. Favourite food: Nachos, Tacos or Burrittos. Barbeto sauce (a concoction of tomato and BBQ sauce youve made up) You hate: when things aren’t fair, tomatos, red onion Carter not sharing, being left out. The funniest thing you said this year "look at that sign (no left turn sign) is says no throwing boomarangs" You are 127cm tall Your weight: 23kg

Our first teenager_ Happy 13th Birthday Coop

 This year I'm going to attack this entry a different way. Each big moment has a title and a little blub about my thoughts on it. There is nothing that you do that doesn't make me immensely proud. From giving NRL another go, to jumping on a plane completely solo to Cairns and all your amazing accomplishments at high school, you make my life so worth while and I think you are growing into the most amazing man. 

Puberty: Look I'll be honest, there really haven't been that many teenage blow ups, but you have stepped right on the puberty train. The boys will often comment about the physical changes in your body which you always reply "its normal, one day it'll happen to you too". You are close to 164cm. This time next year you'll tower over me. Your shoulders are broad but you still have a slight boyish look to your grin.

Sport: In the past 12 months you really shone with your Hockey, you trialed for the u14s ACT school Hockey side and made shadow for the team.  We travelled up to Tamworth for NSW State Titles for Hockey and you had a really cracking competition, coming away 4th. You took out most improved for your Wests team after narrowly missing out on winning the grand final for a second year in a row, going down to Central again. It was your second year of AFL and you really came into your own. As one of the bigger kids you put your body on the line each game winning Runners up best and fairest  this year. Never letting anyone tell you what you cant do, you even joined the Yass girls at the Young Cherry Festival netball Gala weekend, wearing your tie-dyed tee shirt and having the best time playing with Zoe and Bronte and Abby. Your final memorable sporting moment is your first season of touch footy. I'm not sure why you thought you should give it a go but in the summer of 23/24 you played socially to try to make friends before you started High School. From there you backed yourself to try out for the Representative team and found yourself travelling to carnivals with a great bunch of boys.

The unholy trinity  (You, Liam & Lewis) at Graduation

Your year 6 graduation: Boy did I cry. I cried for the weeks leading into it, the day, the night and then for a few days afterward. I was not expecting to be so emotional about it, I think it was a culmination of being glad to be done with St Matts, feeling like I was going to be losing my solid mum friendships and nerves for you leaving the security of your friends for the unknown of Yass High School.

Girls: While you and Bronte managed to stay really good friends (almost best friends I'd say), towards the end of 2023 you and Abby McEvoy decided to "go steady". You spent a lot of the summer together and I get the sense you really liked her so it hurt when she broke up with you a text message. From there you really had quite the string of short relationships.

Your first solo flight to Cairns for a week camping with Paxton: What an amazing experience this was for you. In Sept 2023 I drove you to Sydney and popped you on a plane direct to Cairns, you literally didnt even bat and eye. Through the doors you went onto that plan and up to camp, hike and explore Cairns with the Cordwells. They took you back up through the Daintree on the skyrail, took on the BIG FISHY speed boat and headed off camping where you had the time of your life! I felt like when you returned home and I picked you up again from the airport you'd grown so much emotionally. You had this new twinkle in your eye, like you knew the world was now at your feet.

A phone: ugh, this one i'm not proud of. I wish I could have been a stronger parent and said no, but how could I? You were starting a new school where you would have been immediately outcaste for not being connected. You spend entirely way too long doom scrolling that thing. I have stood firm on tik tok but caved on snap chat.... dont ask my logic, i dont know why, I guess one brain numbing platform is enough and Snap chat is the only way your friends communicate plans. 

High School: Like a duck to water. you have nailed stepping into highschool. You've found a great bunch of friends, work hard to achieve good marks and so far not a single phone call from the school about you jumping in class (if you know you know). You even, made it through (surprising yourself and me) to Regional XC. So far it's been a breeze. 

So here's to your 13th year mate. Keep smiling, keep talking to me and keep being you, because you're pretty freaking amazing!

Best Mates: Liam Carter, Travis Rattenbury, Bronte Brown, Lachlan Griffiths. Lewis Kelsey.
Shoe Size: 11
All your adult teeth
Weight: 41kg
Height: 164cm

High School Photo

Last day Primary School

Fav Song: Give it Away - Red Hot Chilli Peppers Fav Book: Hunger Games Fav Movie: Grown ups 2 Food: Nachos Favoutite subject at school: Maths and History You play: AFL, Hockey, Touch Footy, Rugby League You love: Camping, swimming, video games, fishing and hanging out with mates