Playing Catch-Up

These kids are changing faster than I can blog! Parker no longer fits into the pajamas he's wearing in these first pictures.

He still loves his Christmas teddy bear. That makes me happy. Even at my age, I still love stuffed animals!

Getting an early start to his reading skills. #1...holding the book!

Parker finally got his two top teeth. This picture was on one of those super-slobber days before they came in.

Carson got this baby tent when he was about the same age. They love having their own little space to play.

I love this outfit. Not only is it adorable, but it's also soft and huggy.

Spencer and his good buddy, Jake from across the street. They are in the same classes at church and school and they play nearly every weekend. Jake even has a dog named "Kota" (not sure if it's spelled the same), but his dog is smaller than Slippy. It's a Chihuahua/Yorkie mix. Our Dakota could probably step on him if she's not careful!

We all love to lie on the floor and giggle with the baby.

Those are my boys, the rednecks. Let's hope they grow out of this grocery-sack muscle shirt phase soon!

I got three of the four to look at the camera--75 % isn't bad!

The Latest

First, some pictures...

I bought Parker these jammies because I think they are adorable. He looks like such a little man in them and he is so soft and squeezable too!

He loves balls (and balloons when supervised) so he can slap his hand on the side and make noise.

Spencer is an adoring big brother.

I also bought him this outfit because it was adorable, but then I had to hurry and take a picture before he grew out of it!

Spencer is always asking for trouble when he does stuff like this. Parker, of course, likes to play in his hair and sometimes pulls it. He can get away with that because he is the cute baby brother.

In other news, Carson had to get his kindergarten shots today. When I broke the bad news this morning, he just looked very serious and said stoically, "Okay." I got a pertussis booster myself, so I went first. When it was his turn, he tried not to cry, but when you get three shots at once, who wouldn't?? We went out for cheeseburgers afterward to soothe our sorrows.

Carson's preschool teacher is a huge BYU fan. She told the kids she was following the basketball team and she might have to cry because they were losing. Carson told her, "I don't cry when my team loses. It's about having fun, not just about winning!" She enjoyed that.

Parker recently learned to play Pat-a-cake, and he used to do it with one hand open and the other in a fist. Today he figured out how to open both hands so it makes a good clapping sound. He has been applauding most of the afternoon!

The other day Parker and Carson were playing on the floor in Carson's room. Parker started to cry so I went in to pick him up. Carson explained that he had turned over on his tummy and bonked his head on the fresh air return vent. (Not in so many words, but I figured out what he meant.) He went on, "And that would hurt for a not-very-much-haired person!"

Lastly, I let Carson watch a new (to us) show on PBS today. He was just telling us that it's a show about science. "Today we learned about inertia!" he said. That caught me off guard! Spencer gave him a weird look. "Inertia! Who's that?" he asked.

February Swim Lessons

While Spencer was out of school last month, I signed up the kids for swim lessons again. It was fantastic because there were only about six kids total in the whole place!

On the last day of lessons, they let the kids play on the slides and stuff for a few minutes. I finally convinced Carson to go down the little kid slide. He did it first thing, just so I'd stop nagging!

Spencer went down the big kid slide! He can now propel himself all the way across the pool, using alternate strokes. At this point he just needs lots of practice to improve his form and endurance. I'm so proud of him! At eight years old, he can swim lots better than his mother!

Carson is still getting over his apprehension, but that's okay because he's only four. I think with time and repetition, he'll conquer it. He's a trooper, though, never whining about going to swimming. He "takes it like a man," as Andy says.

I told him to look like a frog, and he did a remarkable job!

Losing Legos

Have I mentioned that Carson is utterly in love with Legos? One day we heard a news story on the radio about a couple of teenage boys who attached their Lego men, along with cameras, to balloons and sent them up into the sky. Exceeding all expectations, their Lego guys ventured clear into space! Spencer and I thought that was a fun current event. Then I noticed Carson in the back seat with tears in his eyes and his lower lip sticking out. He said, "So those boys will never see their Lego guys again?" What could I say? I told him that they would get new ones. He didn't seem very comforted. How disturbing to think that someone might lose their Lego guys forever!

I remind Andy frequently that he is a lucky, lucky man to have married me. I am the Voice of Reason in his life. Whenever he has a ridiculous idea (like running out to buy a new house when we have a newborn and we're so tired we can hardly stand up), or just a dumb idea (like eating pie instead of dinner), I set him straight immediately. Without fail, each time this happens, he shudders. I'm convinced the chill down his spine is the Holy Spirit indicating the truthfulness of my words. Now whenever he shudders we both start laughing and I exclaim, "Truth!!"