Pony Tail!

This post is dedicated to Tanielle. :)
599 months old and (too many?) lbs. With hair getting even longer...now we can do this!

(For all of you non-relatives who may be confused, don't worry about it. All you need to know is that I'm never putting my Dad's hair in a pony tail again. )

Spencer's Video

So, Spencer has been dying for me to blog about this video he made. Lately he's spent a lot of time playing a computer game called Roblox and he made a video using it with some music he found on the internet. He took his inspiration from the Discovery Channel's commercial. Here's the LINK he wanted me to share with you. Hope you enjoy it. He definitely had fun putting it together.

Home from Camp

Today Dad and Spencer got back from scout camp. Here are some of the conversations we had.

After chatting for a while Dad proudly announces: I won a golf trophy.
Mom: Oh really, how did you do that?
Dad: They held a Potosi Invitational Golf Tournament and I won third place.
Mom: That's good. I know you love to win golf trophies. So, how long is it going to be on our dresser?
Dad: Never.
Me: It's on the mantel in the living room.

Later... (before I quote this, I should say that Spencer feels no need to do anything unless he's directly told to. We're working on that, but he's just the little "absent minded professor" in our family.) So, later...

Mom: Spencer, how often do you think you should take a shower at scout camp?
Me: HA HA HA!!
Mom: ...
Me: Sorry Mom. I couldn't help it.

And throughout the day, Spencer had to give everyone an individual performance of a song he learned. Here are the lyrics (to the tune of supercalifragilisticexpialidocious):

When I was a little scout
I never liked to eat.
They would put things on my plate
And I'd dump 'em on their feet.
But then one day they made this soup
I ate it all instead
I asked them what they put in it
And this is what they said:

"Oh, chicken lips and lizard hips
And alligator eyes
Monkey legs and buzzard eggs
And salamander thighs
Rabbit ears and camel rears
And tasty toenail pies
Stir 'em all together
And it's Camp Chef's soup surprise"

I went into the bathroom
And I stood beside the sink
I said, "I'm feeling slightly ill
And I think I'd like a drink"
Camp Chef said, "I've just the thing
I'll get it in a wink
It's full of lots of protein
And vitamins, I think"

"Oh, chicken lips and lizard hips
And alligator eyes
Monkey legs and buzzard eggs
And salamander thighs
Rabbit ears and camel rears
And tasty toenail pies
Stir 'em all together
And it's Camp Chef's soup surprise"!

Isn't that a lovely song? I've never been to scout camp, but it sure sounds like a lot of fun!

What Hue Are You?

I recently read The Color Code by Dr. Taylor Hartman. It's a fascinating book (well, to me) and great if you're interested in personal growth, understanding relationships, and even if you're looking for career suggestions. I'm always trying to better understand people and so I'm wondering, what color are you? If you have any free time and want to take the test, then click on THIS. Feel free to guess my color (except for you, Dad) if you feel so inclined. I'll let you know soon what I am...

Happy Birthday Ben!!

Today is Ben's SWEET SIXTEEN!It's a little weird to think that he's that old now, but because it was his birthday, we had such a fun day. We went swimming for a little bit, played board games, and went out to eat at Pei Wei. He was very entertaining, as you can see. Then we came back home to find a huge package on our doorstep that some of his friends from school had left him. It looks like they had a lot of fun shopping for him. And now we're headed off to a movie, but before we go, here are some things I love about Ben. He's always been such a kind person, and that's what he's known for. He likes to challenge himself and I'm always amazed at the things he can do when he puts his mind to it. He's really funny, (I wish you all knew how funny he really is). He also has a good heart and I'm so happy to call him my brother. Love you Ben!

Happy Father's Day!

Well first, to every father that reads this, Happy Father's Day! You guys are great. I was asked to give a talk in church today on fathers and in preparing I was reminded that you all have a pretty tough job, but the Dads in our family are so amazing! So thanks for all you do! And to my Dad, thanks for everything. You heard my talk, so I won't say it all again, but to sum it up, I couldn't have asked for a better Dad. You're the best. I hope you enjoy your new (sorta) chair and apron (Spencer was pretty proud of that we made it ourselves) and that you think of us when you use them. Happy Father's Day!

Blanket Tent

Before I came home this summer, I made a list of things I wanted to do with Ben and Spencer. There were two things on that list that we decided to do last Saturday: make a blanket tent, and play all the games in the game cabinet. No easy task, as you can see. We wanted to do this in one day, but after making the blanket tent, then playing games for six hours and only making it through 18 of them, we decided to extend the fun to another day. The tent actually lasted until today. It was quite the masterpiece. It almost made me feel like I could major in architecture or do what Christo and Jeanne-Claude do. Hmm, I'll have to think about that. Anyway, we used more than twenty blankets and the tent covered the living room, dining room, and part of the stairs. Even Toasty helped (sorta). We would have made it bigger, but we ran out of blankets (without taking the ones from our beds). Once you were inside, your were totally enclosed...and hot. So we moved two fans into our little abode and then started to play the games. It made for such a fun day and I learned that I'll always love to make blanket tents, no matter how old I am.

Beautiful Eyes

Today, Spencer was asking me why I wear make-up. I tried, as best as I could, to try and explain to this twelve year-old, why I do. I said that mascara makes my eyes look bigger and bea-utiful, and Spencer very simply said something like, "But girls say Ben has beautiful eyes, and he doesn't wear make-up." Well, I can't argue with that. I guess I'll try explaining again when he's a little order.