Out of School!

We actually had a somewhat normal summer this year.  The kids were out the first week of June, like just about everyone else.  So we've tried to do some fun things close to home.

Parker is getting an early start on yard care.  He always wants to push the shopping cart too, but as you can guess, he's not a great driver.

Our first excursion was to the dinosaur park.  Yes, we went to Dinosaurland recently, but this is a little different.  This is Carson's favorite, the Utahraptor.

Spencer likes Allosaurus.  It's amazing to me how much these boys already know about different types of dinosaurs.  Carson gets library books about dinosaurs and pores over them for hours.  In fact, he prefers nonfiction.  He likes to read about all kinds of wildlife, especially sharks, bugs, and other unusual creatures.  I've learned a lot by reading to him!

Parker has a dinosaur named for him, Euparkeria!  Its prints are even the same size as his little hands.  His brothers thought that was amazing!

 

 He wasn't in the mood for having his picture taken with his namesake.

Another day we went to the nature park to watch the ducks.  Carson enjoyed seeing bat houses scattered throughout the park.

We counted 21 baby ducks.  They were adorable!  Parker still can't get enough of baby ducks.  I taught the boys how to skip rocks that day.  Parker tried too, but he chose really big, clunky rocks that made loud splashes in the water and scared all the birds.

No summer is complete without some time on the back porch with a popsicle.  I've been making my own with Jello and Koolaid.  They're pretty tasty! Parker loves them.  It's one way to keep him quiet and out of trouble for at least 30 minutes!

Birthdays and Other Fun

 Parker is crazy about slides!  His fine baby hair gets super static-y by the end!

Carson's birthday--we ate pizza and watched the only Star Wars movie he hadn't yet seen.  His favorite character is Darth Vader.  Everyone has a dark side, right?

Bedtime snacks are everybody's favorite!

I asked Andy to pull out this rose bush, so being the manly man that he is, he used his truck.  Rrrrarrr!

Parker's birthday party was at the park, since he loves to swing and slide.  Then we had "chicken nu-nuts" for lunch (his favorite food).

The lady who works in the church nursery with me offered to make this cake for Parker.  She's awesome!

Presents!  He got a little pirate toy and all the characters that go with it.  He also got a CD of The Piano Guys since he can't get enough of them!

Superhero jammies!  Parker was a bit silly for picture taking.

This was a long time ago, but Andy and I went to dinner with just Parker.  (I don't know where the others were--maybe with Grandma.)  He was being his loud self, so we told him to "SH!"

Olympic skiers

Not a bad picture of the two of us.

Activities

 Here's a brief overview of some sporting activities and such.  Both Spencer and Carson played soccer this spring and took swimming lessons while they were out of school.  (I have more pictures of Carson playing soccer, but I can't yet figure out how to put them on here.)

 Action shot!

 Even some of the parents told us that they enjoyed watching Andy coach as much as watching their kids play!  No one could have been more enthusiastic and invested in the team!  The one time Spencer scored a goal, Andy was hoarse for three days from all the cheering!

Here is a cute little fan.  He was quite patient most of the time, sitting through lots of soccer games and practices!

 Spencer loves the big slide!  He does the breaststroke very well, just needs to work on his butterfly more.  At least he can save himself if necessary.  That's my main requirement!

 Here comes Carson!  He finally started enjoying the slide too.  He is also improving his swimming skills nicely.

 We took everybody on a trip to Dinosaurland, Utah.  We had fun just being away from home.  Our hotel room was an adventure in itself.  This quarry was actually an ancient riverbed, FULL of various dinosaur bones.  Pretty cool!  They built a building all around it, so it's very convenient for visitors.

We went to a dinosaur museum.

 This is what happens to the poor soul who sleeps with Parker!  See Spencer teetering on the edge?

We visited a cabin in the middle of nowhere.  A lady lived here until she was in her 90's!  Alone!  She raised cattle and took care of herself, with no neighbors or electricity.  She had a dirt floor and carried her water from a nearby stream.  I forget when she died, but it was fairly recently.  I wonder if she even knew about television!

Cuteness

Only mothers of boys say things like, "It's time for bed, so let's put away all the weapons now."  Yes, those were my very words just a few days ago.  Another one of those things I never could have imagined....

I don't call it "Kristy's Cuties" for nothin'!  Here are a few moments of captured cuteness.

 My sweet kitty.  Okay, she's not always sweet.  Sometimes she's downright crabby, but if I live that long, I'm gonna be crabby too!  When I kneel by the bed, she often comes over and rubs her head on mine.  It's the cutest thing!  I love how it feels.

 Dakota had a bath and got a pretty pink bandanna.  She smells so nice!  We had a terrible storm a couple of weeks ago.  There were dark clouds and hail and a couple of really loud claps of thunder.  Poor Dakota began to tremble visibly.  She knew the couch was off limits, but she kept lifting a paw and then putting it back down.  "Oooh, I want Mom, but I can't get up there...."  I'm sure she would have crawled right into my lap if I encouraged her at all.  Instead, she sat right by me while I petted her.  Then she came with us to pick up the kids from school, and the thunder was over.

 More doggy bedtime stories read by the boys.  Do you think she's getting enough attention?

 Parker looked especially handsome one Sunday, so I snapped a picture before it was too late.  Boys don't stay groomed for very long!

 A look of absolute boredom!

 Watching a show with Spencer.  If you're lucky enough to have the iPad, Parker is your best buddy.

 Sleeping angel.  I love it when he puts his hands under his cheek like this.

Parker often falls asleep in strange places, like right in front of his bedroom door, or in this case, on his giant dog.

Last weekend was horrible!  Parker sometimes gets in bed with me and I usually wake up and put him back in his own room.  Last Friday night, all three of my children came to me during the night!  I remember Carson standing by my bed, crying because he had thrown up.  Parker was already lying next to me, though  I didn't remember him coming.  In the morning, Andy reminded me that Spencer also came in because his legs hurt (probably growing pains).  Carson was sick all weekend, and Parker got sick on Saturday.  Two vomiters computes to tons of laundry, plenty of steam cleaning carpet, and very little of anything else!

The boys got their class pictures.  I like to ask about the kids in their classes...who's the smartest, who's the cutest girl (if you HAVE to choose), etc.  Andy noticed that there are more girls than boys in Spencer's class.  Spencer exclaimed, "Yeah!  Look at how many boys there AREN'T.  You'll be stunned!"  He also mentioned that the girl who sits next to him right now talks a lot, which he finds bothersome.  He said, "Hopefully we'll change seats soon so I can find my peace!"

Stories

 The stories have been piling up.  I will now share as many as I can think of at this moment.... 

I'll start with my oldest son.  Spencer is so very ten!  Andy worries about the "prepubescent brain damage" he is exhibiting lately, like dumping Slippy's breakfast into her full bowl of water, or not seeing things that are right in front of him.  A couple of years ago he pulled out his eyelashes because he "didn't want to look like a girl."  Now he's pulling out his hair!  He picks the hair out while he's reading or doing homework.  He has a bald patch about the size of a quarter right in front.  It makes hair styling quite a challenge!  He got new tennis shoes last weekend.  On Sunday I sent the boys ahead to church since it's within walking distance.  When they came home, I discovered that Spencer had carried his empty shoe box to church, hauled it around there for THREE HOURS, and brought it back home.  "Why?" you ask?  I will never understand!

Then there's Carson, Mr. Responsible.  He recently took over Spencer's garbage man duties and does a superior job.  His penmanship is neat and tidy, and he always gets his library books returned on time.  He lost one of his front teeth a few days ago.  I love it when he giggles and shows the big hole in his mouth.  It's adorable and keeps him from growing up too fast.  He confessed that he still likes to sleep with his yellow blankie and stuffed puppy too.  He's a good big brother.  He reads to Parker and they play together pretty well.

 He even reads to Dakota!  She got a doggie bedtime story for Christmas.

 Parker is a typical two-year-old tyrant.  Last night I gave him applesauce and told him to eat it.  He said, "No, I not!" as he put a spoonful in his mouth. His favorite meals are "chicken nu-nuts" (nuggests) and "pink butter" (peanut butter) sandwiches.  He is madly in love with "The Fox and the Hound."  He is watching it in this picture.  He likes the part when you just see tails bobbing through the grass.  His giggles come straight from the gut.  I love baby humor!  He's started climbing into my bed in the mornings, which I love.  I can squish and snuggle him while he plays with his little plastic astronauts or army guys.  The toys hide under the blanket and then pop out and yell, "A-prise!" 

Christmas

 Now that Valentine's Day is done, I thought I should post the Christmas pictures! 

 Parker found my socks one day, so Andy put them on him.  Parker called them his "boots" and wore them ALL DAY! 

 Christmas was a magical time.  All the kids have loved this little Santa doll and his sleigh.  So fun to observe!

 We were invited to a free movie, "Frozen," and a visit with Santa Claus.  I was worried Parker might not appreciate Santa, but he was just fine. 

 Boys in their Sunday-before-Christmas best.  It was a real challenge to get them all to look at the same time, let alone smile!

 On Christmas Eve, Santa came early!  He sneaked in the front door saying, "Oh, I hope they're all asleep...."  But we weren't!  So he stayed to visit a few minutes and had to come back later!

 Carson's getting a little too cool for this.

 Spencer goes along with it.

Christmas morning!  Spencer got an LSU shirt and this crazy wig to wear on game day!