Kids are Funny!

I know I'm not alone when I say this, but my children make me laugh every day, many times a day. They are so fun; if I wasn't a mom, I'd be way too serious!

I love Spencer's arms here. It's like he's directing traffic or something. Slippy squishes him way over to one side and he unconsciously conforms to her.

Slippy has really taken a liking to Spencer. Now he's older and more "safe," she feels quite comfortable with him. If it wasn't for Carson, she'd be pretty relaxed!

Cousins on the front step. They all have such a great time together. They're even considerate of little Carson. They let him get in the jumping castle with them and they are careful not to be too wild.

Carson had fun while I changed my sheets one day. He looked so adorable all wrapped up in white. The pictures really don't do him justice.

FYI: He went in for his 2-year checkup yesterday. He is very healthy and he is now a very average size for his age. I never thought it would happen!! He loves fire trucks, monkeys, and playing outside. He is entering the terrible twos and has quite a nasty little temper. That's okay though because I've already "been through" Spencer and not much gets to me anymore. I'm still not going to let him have cake for breakfast or jellybeans for lunch, no matter how mad he gets!

Spencer Stories

Tonight Andy tucked Spencer into bed. I was rocking Carson when suddenly there was Spencer standing in the doorway. He said, "Mom, I'm thirsty and the Holy Ghost told me in my heart that I should have rootbeer." The Holy Ghost doesn't tell fibs, either. He got water instead!

Yesterday my mom was here to visit and stayed to watch Spencer's soccer game in the evening. Just before dinner, they were outside playing baseball. Grandma was up to bat and accidentally hit the ball into Spencer's hand. Those little plastic balls are hard and they do sting. He was heartbroken, and despite all of our efforts to convince him otherwise, he was sure that she had done it on purpose. After dinner he told her he didn't want her to come to his game. Just before he walked out the door, he reaffirmed that she was not to attend. Well, we gave him a few minutes to get into the game and then she and I went to watch. He was not overjoyed to see her, but we made him be polite. Anyway, it was obvious he was still mad about the baseball incident most of the night. This morning, however, he was over it. I asked how he was feeling about Grandma today, and he said, "Grrrrrreat!" Good thing boys don't hold grudges!

My Little Dudes

One thing about my boys--they know how to be COOL! Andy and I always dreamed someday we'd have kids in the backseat, bobbing their heads to the music. Well, our dream has come true. Carson and Spencer both have excellent rhythm and they know how to use it! They like oldies with a good beat and a catchy melody. They love to dance, too. They may not be terribly coordinated (it's genetic), but they have a good time!

This is what I usually see in my rearview mirror. Note Carson's hat is on backwards. Kids just don't get any cuter than this!

Look at that sweet little cowboy smile!

Carson is laid back. He likes to relax and read good book, even if he's only half dressed.

More relaxation.... He's not quite as "Type A" as the rest of us, though I must say that the terrible two's are kicking in lately. Wish me luck....

This was actually a fake, but he had me fooled for a few minutes. He really was tired, but not enough to really fall asleep like this!

My parents had a belated birthday party for Andy last Sunday. Of course there was a cake and Spencer was in charge of putting the candles on. There were a LOT!! Grandma lit them up and Spencer exclaimed, "WOW!! Look at all that FIRE!!"

Fun With Daddy

These little boys love their daddy. Here are some of their fun times together.

They all love their hats. I'm sure that this summer there will be little use for hairbrushes.

Carson likes to hang out and watch "the tube" with his daddy. It's hard to see, but they both have their ankles crossed the same way. One pair of legs is a lot longer than the other!

This is Andy's calming technique when things get too rowdy in the house. It's some kind of meditation/yoga exercise, only it's Andy style, which means it's not exactly conventional.

See what I mean? Not conventional!!

"Eye" Spy

I posted this before, but I forgot to mention something to you, dear readers. There are four pairs of eyes in this picture. Can you find them all?


Those two little glowing dots in the background are Slippers' eyes. She looks like an Ewok from Star Wars, don't you think? Just her way of including herself in the family memoirs. By the way, she just went for her annual checkup at the vet. She received a clean bill of health, and her blood tests came back better than last year. Not bad for a nearly 13-year-old cat! In people years, she would be about 91. I know she won't live forever, but it's hard to imagine life without her. She's been with us since our first year of marriage. We've been through a lot together.

Brothers

It's been almost two years now since Spencer got a little brother. They get along remarkably well, I think. They've had a few more skirmishes since Spencer (and therefore Carson) got into Legos, but generally they like each other.

Nearly every morning when I get Carson out of bed, Spencer sits in this chair to "read" him a story. It's usually the same one about a mischeivous cat. He used to love it when he was Carson's age. He is a sweet big brother.

Sometimes they both like the same stories. That is so convenient, especially at bedtime.

Carson is more than willing to give affection to Spencer. This is a kiss (if you couldn't tell.) Spencer is the one who always gets the biggest grins too.

They love their daddy. They call themselves "the dudes."

We had a period of fanatacism about firefighters and fire trucks a while ago. Here they are watching a show borrowed from the library. This must have been before they thought about the ONE firefighter hat we own!

By the way, Spencer is quickly becoming a bowling pro on the Wii. He tied me recently at 159! When he gets a strike (as he often does), he yells, "Yeah baby! Just like a MAN would do!!" He's been spending time with his father. I'm going to have to correct his errant thinking....

Yesterday was Andy's birthday. For some reason he's been wanting a Johnny Cash CD for a long time, so the boys gave him one. They both love it too. I hope I don't have "The Ring of Fire" and "Ghost Riders" in my head forever. As Spencer was on his way to bed last night, he told his dad, "Goodnight 34-YEAR-OLD!!" He sure knows how to rub it in!

Aquarium

The boys and I went with Grandma and Grandpa S. to the Living Planet Aquarium in Salt Lake a couple of weeks ago. Yes, I know I'm behind on my blogging. They had a good time and enjoyed the fish. Now we have seen enough fish that we won't have to get one of our own!

Spencer wouldn't actually touch the rays, but he got his hand wet. I would have done the same.

Grandpa couldn't put Carson down and got kind of tired. Carson is a big boy! So he tried this. He didn't seem to mind having a small purple car pressed into the side of his head.

Easter

Regrettably, there wasn't time to take pictures yesterday as we were in such a hurry to get to church in the morning. It was an interesting and fun day, though. Spencer got up at 7:00 to see what the Easter bunny brought. He got a book about space, the usual treats, and a couple of toys. Nothing spectacular, but he enjoyed it. Carson started making monkey sounds as soon as he saw "Goodnight Gorilla" in his basket. It's a favorite story.

So we went to church. I was asked to help in Carson's nursery class and he was delighted to see me there. During the lesson, one little girl was getting unruly, so I sat her in my lap across the room from Carson. His lower lip kept curling further and further down, and he almost broke into a sob, but he held it together. One of the other teachers noticed, "Oh, look at the jealousy!" He was so cute sitting there, his feet little dangling several inches from the floor, and getting so mad that HIS mommy was holding someone ELSE!! It's nice to be loved!

He had some hard times yesterday. Last night I was blowing bubbles for Spencer in the tub. Carson was already clean and had his favorite monkey jammies on. He came in to watch and wanted to catch some bubbles too. Apparently he reached a little too far over the tub to catch one because he was suddenly ker-sploosh! in the water. Poor little fella--he's just like his daddy. (See an old post titled "An Unexpected Splash.")

Andy's Turn

The other night I was down in the den doing manly things while the kids were supposedly asleep. Spencer came down "looking for Mommy." I told him that Mommy moved to Michigan to live with Aunt Luanne. With a concerned look, he asked, "So who will be our Mommy?" I replied that Slippy the Cat would be the mommy since she is a girl. Spencer glared at the kitty and said, "But she doesn't cook." I then asked Spencer who should be our mommy and he replied, "Just Mommy." I guess we know where his heart is. Cute little dude. He and I went on a trip to Michigan a few weeks back and I asked Spencer what he thought about the upcoming trip. He replied that "We'll be two dudes."

Cool kid.