Little Boys and a Dog

Spencer participated in his first Pinewood Derby! It was very exciting, though stressful for Andy. It's one of those things I'm happy to check off as a dad responsibility (along with camping, using a urinal, and eventually attending the school's maturation program)!

Anxiously awaiting his turn on the track....

This is the car.... It didn't win first place, but it wasn't last either. They got an "E" for effort.

Here comes the yellow Spencermobile!

"Shaking hands" with Dakota. He loves to show off her tricks and play "Fetch" with her squeaky toys. She doesn't care if the kids don't throw them very far; she's just thrilled to have someone play with her. And she still expends plenty of energy hopping around, panting and waiting for the next toss.

He thinks everything she does is adorable. Apparently he talks about her a lot at school. I discovered a little book series about a dog detective who looks like her. He read the first book in one day!

Dakota and Parker are best buds, too. They spend a lot of time lying on the floor together. Parker holds out his hands and grabs a handful of fur, and Dakota gives him an occasional lick, which sends him into peals of laughter. We really couldn't ask for a better dog for little kids.

Aww, isn't she sweet? She likes to lie down on me at night when the kids are in bed. Sometimes she forgets how large she is, though. She gets as close as possible and then WHUMP! flops down on me!

In other news, Parker has four teeth, two on top and two on bottom. He is rolling all over the house. Tonight I left him sitting by the couch while I gave Carson a bath. By the end of the bath, Parker had rolled himself across the living room and down the hall to the bathroom! Sometimes he gets up on his hands and knees, but it's still easier to roll. He LOVES to clap! He spends many hours each day clapping for no particular reason. He recently added waving bye-bye to his repertoire. It's nowhere near as fun as clapping though. We'll keep working on it!

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!!"

Hide and Seek

Uh-oh! Who's getting into mischief? Slippy got caught twice recently!

Hmmm, a little too furry to be Scarlett or Rhett....

Nope, she doesn't pass for sheet music either!

The lamb and the lion shall lie down together...or at least tolerate each other momentarily. On a more serious note, at almost 16 years of age, Slippers is starting to show some signs of renal failure. It's not too bad yet, but I think it's the beginning of the end. It will be really hard to say goodbye. She's been with us since the first year we were married. We've moved a few times, had three children, and grown up together. It's hard to imagine her not being with us.

Carson is such a good snuggler when he's not too busy!

One night we decided to make sugar cookies. The boys got out their chef hats and aprons--they were serious cooks! I gave them each a little leftover dough to play with, and they were entertained all evening!

Looking at books with Grandma. She made the mistake of letting Parker hold her Reader's Digest. It was pretty mangled by the time he was through with it!

Parker's First Vacation

Parker and I went to Florida this past week to visit Andy's grandparents as well as an aunt and uncle. Since they live far away, they hadn't met Parker yet, so it was a special opportunity for all of us. I would never have dared take the other boys on a long trip at 8 months of age, but Parker did remarkably well. He made lots of friends everywhere we went. He was quite relaxed and content on the plane, a pleasant surprise for some of our seatmates who looked wary when they first saw us. He is truly an angel baby.

Our first night in the hotel, he looked so peaceful. He did wake up every 1-2 hours, though. I finally just let him sleep in the bed with me and that helped. Naturally, by the time he got adjusted to Florida time, we were ready to come home. He's still a little confused, but it's getting better.

He loves his great-grandpa! They became good friends and Grandpa did plenty of bragging to everyone he saw!

Cuddles with Grandma, too! It's great to see their faces light up when they see the baby.

Angel, their dog, liked Parker too. She wanted to be wherever he was, and she would sit at the feet of whoever was holding him. Parker is used to Dakota, and he thought Angel was lots of fun, too. He giggled at her and enjoyed a walk with her outside.

Priceless!! I love this picture.

We spent a couple of days with Aunt Luanne and Uncle Chuck at their condo. They were also charmed by His Royal Cuteness. They got some good playtime in, after which Parker was totally wiped out! We also played two rousing games of Farkle, talked about books, and watched "Hoarders" on TV. I feel like such a neat freak now. We also got to attend church with them and see Aunt Luanne perform in the bell choir. (She did fabulous, by the way.) She took us to see the manatees (if you didn't know, they look like walruses, but they're not related). They flock to the warm estuary near a refinery. There were probably thirty of them, just basking in the heated water. I would have taken pictures, but they just looked like large stones, as their backs curved up out of the water.

Hanging out in a "senior" community is interesting. There aren't a lot of babies around, so we got all kinds of attention. Luanne showed us the classified section in their local newspaper. The very first ad reads: "LOST AND FOUND A set of dentures were found on Apollo Beach Golf Course on Jan. 28. Please claim them at the Pro Shop or call ____." I'm glad I don't work at the golf club!

I bought these little plastic cockroaches for the boys. They have sticky wheels on the bottom, so if you put them on a wall, they creep down. It's very lifelike! They each had their own roach, and watched them race. Parker's was the champion!

When we came home, Andy had the house all sparkly clean, red roses on the table with a box of my favorite chocolates. The boys had made this welcome sign that says, "Welcome home Mom and Parker! You love... Spencer, Carson, and Daddy." Then Spencer drew an airplane and two people to represent me and Andy with a note that said, "You guys fell in love!" Carson had made a tractor (not sure why other than he just wanted to draw a tractor).