Dimples

Forgive me for this post, but I couldn't pass up the opportunity to share this story. Children sometimes make you laugh when you really shouldn't. Sometimes you just can't suppress the laugh, no matter how much you ought to. This was one of those moments.

We were sitting around the dinner table eating supper. Evan made a comment about Spencer's cute dimples. Spencer inherited them from Evan. Spencer has to smile to show his dimples, so I asked Spencer to show me his dimples.

He pulls up his shirt and points to his nipples!

I never realized those two words sounded so similar. Evan and I tried, but couldn't hold back the laughs. it was too cute and innocent. And the moment has passed. Now, when we ask Spencer to show us his dimples, he smiles.

September Fun

With the drought we've been in, and the lack of sprinklers in our yard (we are supposed to get enough rain to where we don't need sprinklers very often), we've been doing a lot of watering. Nice water bills, and fun pictures. I put the sprinkler in the front yard and Nathan immediately went up to it. I hadn't turned in on yet, so I waited a minute and then blasted it. He was startled and then soaked with a big grin on his face. It got Spencer, too. And then all the girls joined in. It was great fun and they all got wet.

Crazy places

Spencer hasn't napped in probably two years. He will take a nap maybe once every two weeks and then is up until 11pm that night. We basically try to avoid naps. The other day Spencer fell asleep and so Evan got him up to take him to the bathroom to avoid an accident. In hopes of waking Spencer up, Evan lifted Spencer off the toilet and let him walk. He walked right out of the bathroom to the stairs and fell asleep. It was one of those Kodak moments. Only a small child can fall asleep ON the stairs and stay asleep. Sweet dreams!

Open House at the School

The kids had their open house and I packed the camera in hopes of getting pictures of their wonderful teachers. I usually forget the camera at home and don't end of getting pictures until the last week of school when the classrooms are ready for summer and no longer decorated. It was crazy busy having three teachers to meet that night in a 1 hour period. I wasn't able to get a picture of Taneal's teacher, but I did get one with their favorite PE teacher. Great teachers.

Markers

What compels children to color on themselves? Or on the walls for that matter? Nathan will color on anything, given the chance. Last week he took the dark wood chips from my flowerbeds and used them to color on my white garage door. He consistently tries that one.

Spencer took a grey marker and colored all over Nathan. Spencer knows better. When he got caught he even had that guilty look. It kind of looks like Spencer drew on Nathan to resemble a tiger's stripes? And what is the saying? Before you get mad, take a picture. That always seems to work for me and by the time I have taken the picture I have also calmed down.

I have discovered Mr Clean magic eraser and good 'ol fashioned paint work the best to cover things up.

Danielle learns to ride her bike

My little 5-year-old learned to ride her bike without training wheels. Evan out that cool, tall handle on the back of her bike making it so easy to steady her bike and keep her from falling. I was so impressed. She is growing up so fast and doing such big girl things. It took two different tries and she had it. Way to go, Danielle!

Boys Pictures

I finally made it down to the studio to get Nathan and Spencer's pictures taken. Nathan turned 1

last month and Spencer turned 3 in June, so I wanted to get their pictures made for their birthdays. I was very pleased with the results. I even had them retake Nathan's bath pictures since I didn't like the results of his at 6 months. I have all my kids baby bath pictures hanging up in their bathroom. Nathan was such a clown. I knew the kid had personality, but I didn't realized just how much he liked to tease and play around. He couldn't be serious! It was so much fun. And I feel happy that I got the pictures taken, don't have to worry about that not being done and time ticking away. Oh, I had the two boys taken together because when I just had girls, I had their pictures taken together. I have a big print of Spencer and Nathan that I can hang in their room. I think I inherited the love for pictures from my mom. She loves pictures, is a sucker for buying pictures. And if I could, I would be even a bigger sucker. Hope you enjoy these, I sure did.

Can ya tell she's sick?

Last Friday Danielle mentioned to me that her throat hurt. I looked down her throat with a flash light and didn't see any pussy white bumps. Looked like a good throat to me. She didn't have a fever and was still bouncing off the walls with full energy. Saturday we swam, once that day a mention of her throat hurting. Same on Sunday (sorry if you were in her class, I had no idea). Still no fever. I sent her to school on Monday, and that night she complained a few more times about her throat hurting, so I promised her I would make an appointment with the doctor the next day, but since she didn't have a fever and wasn't acting sick, she was going to school. Tuesday at the doctor they told me she tested positive for strep throat. Huh? I asked him to show me. I didn't see the pussy white spots, but I saw a lot of red little spots all over the back of the roof of her mouth. 5 kids later and I am still learning. We filled her prescription and came home. She was thrilled to be home and asked if she could play in the sprinklers with Spencer in the back yard. I guess. And this is her in the back yard sick with Strep Throat. No fever. No symptoms. No wonder I missed it!

How do YOU eat an Oreo?

I eat an Oreo dipped in milk. I couldn't imagine eating one any other way, until one day I was forced. I was at Lake Powell, out on a ski boat, a package of Oreos and no milk. I was also hungry and it was going to be a while before I got back to the house boat where all the milk was. It was a hard decision. Hmmm. Do I waste the Oreos by eating them without milk, fill my belly full of bad calories for an okay treat, and curb my craving, or do I save the delicious desert for later and enjoy it with the milk? Evan likes to make fun of me. If there is a treat, or any kind of food for that matter, that is really, really, really good, then I really enjoy it. If it isn't so good, just okay, I will pass and save my calories for something that I can really enjoy. Evan, on the other hand, will eat anything. I don't think he really tastes it. Everything is good to him. So, when there is a treat that I really enjoy and he thinks it is okay, he shouldn't eat it and save it all for me because something else would satisfy him just as easily. Of course Evan just doesn't get it and thinks I'm crazy. At Lake Powell, I decided to indulge myself on the Oreos and eat them without milk. The first few bites were really sad. I needed them with milk. But then as I kept eating, I realized that they were quite good even without milk. I still prefer them with milk, but if none is handy, Oreos are still a good treat.

As to the title of this post. My cute baby was given an Oreo. Bad parent?maybe. I admit it. The little boy picks up the Oreo (no dipping allowed at this young age), turns it vertically, and tries to open his mouth as wide as it will go so he can take a bite. Huh?!? If he would turn the Oreo horizontal, a bite would be so easy! So he scrapes the Oreo with is teeth. It is hard to get a bite this way. And that is how he eats an Oreo. He eventually got frustrated because it was taking so long to eat and crumbled it to pieces. I tried it again a few weeks later and got the same result. He also does this with Ritz crackers and any round shaped food. Funny boy!

Obama speaks to the children

President Obama addressed the children of the nation. I really had a problem with it. I'm all about teaching children respect and authority. So how to teach my children respect, when I didn't feel it was appropriate that this man, who lacks all the values that I want to instill in my children, wanted to talk to my children. He is a very charismatic leader. How else did he win the hearts of the nation and get their vote? He knows how to win a crowd and is a great speaker. The message he was going to deliver to the children was about education and probably a great message. Seriously, no harm in the message, in fact, it is great that education is encouraged. The problem was who was delivering the message. He wants to win the hearts of the children, just like he did with the nation during the election. He is a sheep in wolves clothing. He will gain the trust of the children, which is easy to do, and then launch his agenda. It is like the frog in hot water. If you put a frog into hot water, it will immediately jump out. If you put a frog in warm water and slowly increase the temperature, the frog will remain in the water and eventually die because it didn't feel the temperature increase. I don't want Obama gaining the trust of my children. I don't want him getting into the hearts of my children. Let me be the parent and teach my children and when they are 18 and able to vote, let him speak to them then. But for now leave them alone. Their minds are too impressionable. I would not let Hitler, Bill Clinton, Gadianton, or any leader without integrity speak to my children. Obama is no different.

So how to teach my children respect for their leaders and for adults yet still keep this man out of their hearts? I kept them home from school. I talked to my children about values and leaders and how some lack those values yet we should not disrespect them. Just because they allow things does not mean it is okay, yet we should never disrespect someone. We need to follow the example of the Savior and respect and show love for other yet still not tolerate evil. I do not support Obama, how could I support a man that promotes abortion? I can respect the office, just not the man.

In this post I am not searching for debate. I plan to make this blog into a journal for my family and I want to express some of my views about what is going on around us. Just that.