Halloween

Halloween is here again! It's lots of fun, but I'm always a little glad when it's over. Anybody need a huge bag of extra candy? I bought waaaay too much this year!

Spencer's school doesn't do costumes, but they had Crazy Hair Day on Friday.

Two proud pumpkins with their jack-o-lantern (carved by Daddy).

Buzz Lightyear and Mr. Ghost, ready for trick-or-treating

And here's a cute little fuzzy monster! He giggled as I put his costume on. He also giggled for everyone we visited, even though he was totally exhausted!

Dakota was supposed to be a bat, but her costume was intended for a dog with upright ears, so it didn't stay on her head very well. She wasn't really excited to dress up. She WAS excited to greet all the trick-or-treaters, but we thought it best to keep things low key, so she stayed downstairs.

Redneck

Spencer has become quite adept at imitating accents. Since watching the new Cars movie, he has a very authentic Italian accent. He can also do British and a good hillbilly/redneck. Today at lunch he was singing his own version of "Old McDonald":

"Old McDaddy had a farm, E-I-E-I-O

And on that farm he had a wife, E-I-E-I-O

With a scold, scold here and a scold, scold there

Here a scold, there a scold, everywhere a scold, scold

Old McDaddy had a farm, E-I-E-I-O!"

(I'm not really THAT bad, am I???)

One day he was messing around with grocery sacks and invented the new redneck tank top. Watch out Larry the Cable Guy...your job is in jeopardy!

Doggy Fun

In case you wondered... yes, we are still enjoying all the added chaos that Dakota brings to our already crazy life. This is a sampling of what we do when we "take her out." (Well, I don't have pictures of her wild attempts to bolt across the street and chase a cat or a bicyclist or any other unsuspecting life form.)

We go to the field at the bottom of the street and play frisbee. It's fun to make her sit and wait politely until we give her the okay to run out in the grass. Her whole body is alert and almost trembling with anticipation. I took this picture after an exhilarating 15 minutes or so of "fetch" with the frisbee. You can see she's happy as a clam and I'm sure her heart is pounding from the exertion.

I tried and tried to get a good shot of her in midair, but this was all I came up with. She really is amazing. She jumps way high and she's a great catch! (I think it's cute how her ears fly out like Dumbo....)

Then we walk home the long way around the block. Andy puts this long leash on her so he can grab her if she tries to escape. She's much better behaved for him than she is for me. She is such a creature of habit. If I try to vary the route we walk together, she gets all flustered and anxious.

Just a couple quick funnies from the boys:

Spencer was playing with Parker this morning (in close proximity) and Parker sneezed. Of course, babies don't try to cover their mouths, and Spencer complained, "Ewwww! Parker just got baby sneezelets all over me!"

Spencer is the oldest brother, and as such, sometimes becomes a tease. He had some object in his mouth because he knows Carson will gag. His effort was successful, and Carson said, "Spencer! You're deesgusting me out!"

Just Everyday Stuff

Carson's first day of preschool! He loves it and has opened up a lot. He will sometimes sing for us and is quite chatty about his activities. He has made a new friend and is suddenly very interested in learning about letters, sounds, and spelling. The first word he learned to spell was "stop." He still spells it for me each time we see a stop sign.

Showing off a Lego car. I don't know if building stuff with Legos is considered a talent, but he is pretty adept. It's always very symmetrical and sometimes even cool-looking!

I always think it's funny when they hold a great big viewmaster in front of a cute little face. Maybe it's the somber look of concentration, too.

Look, it's Huckleberry Finn! No wait...this is what happens when Dad gets your clothes out. It's an 8-year-old wearing size 4T pants! (Note, however, that they fit just fine in the waist. Spencer needs to eat straight lard for a while to beef up.)

Crazy kid.... I don't know what this was all about. It's another one of those things that happened when I wasn't home. I find it's best not to ask....

Cub Scout!

Yes, my firstborn has entered the world of Scouting. If only I were as enamored about it as he is. Actually, Cub Scouts learn some pretty useful things. It's good to have a program to make sure they learn it, rather than hope we've covered everything when he leaves home. Meanwhile, he is VERY excited!

Here he is, in his stiff new uniform on his first day.

This picture will make me cry buckets when he's grown up.

He has already earned his Bobcat, which is basically the introduction to Scouting. On his very first day, he started asking me if he had earned any patches yet. It didn't take long! I'm pinning his patch on while he's upside down, then he has to do a good deed to get it turned right side up.

Poor kid, he was almost purple by the time everyone was finished taking pictures and making comments!

Yesterday I overheard the boys talking and Spencer said in his most mature voice, "Carson, when I was little, there wasn't even a Cars movie!" (It's a wonder there was television waaaaaay back then!)

Spencer still struggles sometimes because Carson gets to play outside in the afternoon, but he has to do his homework. I told him the rule is that we work before we play. He said, "I'll give you twenty bucks if you change the rules." I declined, pointing out that he didn't have twenty bucks. "I'll get some!" he offered. Nope, not negotiable. I pray he will not go into politics.

Lastly, I discovered today that he trimmed his eyelashes. We always talk about how long and beautiful they are, and apparently he was worried that he looked like a girl. So he took it upon himself to appear more masculine. I'm just glad he didn't poke his eyes out. Hide the scissors!

Baby Pics

Life flies by at an astonishing pace. Little Parker is no longer a newborn! He is so fun to have in our family. I can't imagine any baby being more adored than he is.

I finally brought up the baby swing and put it in the kitchen, which has been very handy. Now he feels like part of the family while we're making or eating meals. And occasionally, he's just too tired to care....

Naptime together... Dakota loves Parker too. Though I try to keep him as sanitary as possible, once in a while he gets a great big doggy kiss on his face!

These big brothers are so funny! All they have to do is smile at him and he starts laughing.

I realize I'm not much of a photographer, but I had to try and capture the two cute little hands together. Spencer gets such a beautiful tan each summer!

I have to laugh when they discover their hands (especially when they go cross-eyed). When's the last time you studied your hand like this?? They really are quite a miracle, if you think about it. All those tiny muscles, bones, and tendons.... People are a long, long way from developing anything that nearly resembles the delicate movements of a real human hand.

I think he has a few more years to grow into the firefighter boots! (That's probably a good thing since I know a 4-year-old who would be very upset if his little brother wore his favorite boots.)

Spencer is 8!!

Spencer was born at just about the hottest time of year. For his birthday he wanted to go to the zoo, but it was close to 100 degrees that day, so he conceded to go to the aquarium instead. Whew!

Are you as tall as a penguin?

I am SOOOO glad there are not real frogs this size!

Presents! Spencer fell in love with the LSU Tigers football team last year (mainly because they wear yellow uniforms). I found this t-shirt online for him. He was quite pleased.

He also got his own scriptures with his name embossed on the cover. He was impressed. "How did you get my name on it??" he asked.

A little friendly football game between the brothers....

No birthday cake this year, just a birthday donut. This is per Spencer's request. He won't be able to do donuts much longer--not enough room for all those candles!

And the culmination of the birthday week was Spencer's baptism. It was a little bit of heaven on earth to see them both dressed in white together. Andy is a great dad!