Gum is so much easier!

I took Spencer with me to the dentist this morning. He was talking to the hygienist as she was cleaning my teeth.

Spencer: "I didn't brush my teeth this morning. We were in too much of a hurry. But I'm chewing gum because that's easier."

In his defense, on Sunday as we were all in the car for church waiting for Rachel she said, "But I haven't brushed my teeth." So I grabbed a piece of gum from my purse and said, "Here, chew this. You'll be fine." I guess Spencer took that advice to heart as he rifled through my purse while he was waiting for me and decided gum would do the trick.

Beautiful Video

If you have a couple of minutes, take a look at this beautiful video about Jesus Christ set to the song, "His Hands," by Kenneth Cope.


http://www.ldsmag.com/youtube/080918hands.html

Hi-Ya!

What a difference a year makes! Last fall, Spencer didn't have the attention span to last through a soccer practice or a game. He kept running out saying he was bored. I spent the whole season begging him to get back on the field. Because of that, I thought I'd wait another year before enrolling him in soccer again. But he was sad because Rachel's involved in so many activities and he felt left out so I decided we'd try karate. The class is a pay-as-you-go program so I knew if it didn't work out, we could just quit and there would be no money down the drain. So today I took him to his first karate class and he had no problem at all staying in one spot, listening and following directions. The sensei is outstanding and really understands how to teach young kids. It's a joy to see him learning new things and enjoying the process.

A Word to the Wise

A word to the wise. . .

If you have hardwood floors, ensure that your children never dump tiny little round sprinkles on the floor because every time you try to sweep them up, they roll away. I have been sweeping and vacuuming them for two days and keep finding them in strange places. I would recommend the rectangular shaped waxy tasting sprinkles if you must have them. At least when you sweep them, they stay in your pile.

A Perfect Day

The weather is cool and crisp and perfect today so after I got Rachel off to school this morning, Spencer, Caitlin, Courtney and I rode our bikes together. Spencer loves it when I ride my bike with him. I really dislike wearing a helmet but as a mom, I feel it's my duty to set an example and I put it on grudgingly. It's much better on a day like today when the humidity is low. In the summer, my hair gets plastered to my head. So despite having to wear the helmet, it was fun!

We also played outside in the backyard. There were a bunch of gnats flying around the swing set and I had just applied lip gloss. . . do you get the picture? I had about 4 gnats stick to my lip gloss. Tasty! Aside from the protein-filled appetizer, it has been one of those perfect autumn days. While we were in the backyard, we picked a bouquet of cosmos and harvested a couple of beautiful pumpkins from our garden. We probably have 15 pumpkins growing right now and all of them are ideal for carving. Our garden has been bountiful this year. We have enjoyed carrots, tomatoes, corn, broccoli, peas, green beans, peppers, asparagus, watermelon and zucchini this year and I'm probably forgetting something.

After Spencer went to school, I took the twins to our little neighborhood park. They had a great time and I got some nice pictures of my energetic cuties. I love this time of year!

P.S. Here's another funny comment by Spencer who apparently has never noticed my pants before:

Spencer: "You're wearing boy pants, Mom."

Kerri: "No I'm not. These are my pants and they're for girls."

Spencer: "But they have a zipper in the front." (No need to explain why he thinks only boys' pants need a fly in the front.)

Mommy-Son Date Night

The Palmer Panther with Spencer at his school during the open house

Eating yummy treats at Dairy Queen

Spencer had a mommy-son outing yesterday. Spencer got a nice haircut, we went to his open house at school and out for a treat. Spencer's teacher told me he's very good at school and Spencer loved showing me around his classroom and school. It was a great night together. Meanwhile, Paul got to take Rachel and the twins to soccer practice. Wouldn't you know, he took them to get ice cream on the way home, too!

Will We Have a Salami?

Another funny conversation with Spencer:

Spencer: "Mom, we won't have a salami at our house, right?"

Kerri: "What are you talking about?

Spencer: "We won't have salami here because we live on higher ground."

Kerri: "Oh, do you mean a tsunami?"

Spencer: "Yeah, that's what I said, Mom."