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!

Time is moving

   Yo! Spencer here! Have you noticed that Christmas really was 5 days ago? It seems like it was Christmas 3 days ago! Wow! Also, New Years is almost here. That's 2 days! Or maybe I'm a few days behind!

Posted by Spencer at 1:20 PM

Carson

Readers rejoice!  Instead of doing household chores as I should, I've chosen to sit here and share the recent activities of my children.

Carson is an interesting little person.  In many ways he is very much a six-year-old, but in other ways, he seems older than his years.  Or maybe he's just eccentric.  I go to his classroom once a week to help with small group activities.  I've mentioned before that he's easily embarrassed by my presence.  So this week I asked if he'd rather have me or Dad.  He requested his father.  So the preferred parent went and helped the children write their numbers.  When Andy came home, he reported that only one child in the class acknowledged him--a little girl who lives up the street.  He saw Carson sitting at his desk and his desk mate kept asking, "Is that your dad?"  Carson kept his eyes cast down, gritted his teeth and whispered, "Yes!"  Oh, the humiliation!!

He claims he plays by himself at recess, by his own choice.  However, despite his anti-social nature, he seems to have several friends.  He gets birthday invitations and scraps of paper with other boys' addresses on them. 

He is still eating mainly chicken sandwiches or chicken patties for lunch every day.  His teacher went through the line with him one day to show him where the other foods could be found.  What more can we do?  One of these days he'll get sick to death of chicken and be forced to eat something different. 

Parker is at the stage when he wants whatever Carson is playing with.  So I often hear Carson yelling, "MOM!!  He's getting my (whatever)!"  I enter the room to find Carson literally holding Parker at arm's length while Parker shrieks and demands the item in jeopardy.  Other times, Carson dashes from one room to the next with his toy, hoping to outrun Parker.  Of course, in either scenario, he never has a chance to play with the toy because he's so busy keeping it out of Parker's hands.  I keep telling Carson to just go in his room and shut the door.  He argues, "But he'll follow me!"  Then I reply, "Yes, but you're faster than he is."  He still doesn't take my advice, so he often ends up relinquishing the toy and hoping it will soon be forgotten.

Since starting piano lessons in September, he is already tired of practicing every day.  He does it dutifully, but only after a sudden onset of vague but debilitating symptoms.  I tell him to just plow through and practice anyway.  Miraculous recoveries are common here.

He's a happy little boy.  He gets the giggles just like anyone else.  He laughs at Curious George and Parker.  He loves it when I make Dakota say silly things or when I imitate Yoda from Star Wars.

We have some very talented neighbors, one of whom came and painted a mural on Carson's bedroom wall.  It's even more amazing up close, but you can get an idea from these pictures....