Blood Bath

So all was normal this morning: Spencer and Josh were getting ready for school, Tess was kind of being a pill, and Cole was taking a shower in my bathroom because that's where Lance forced him to bathe. (Cole's been going through an anti-bathing kick lately.)

Suddenly, Spencer came out of my room and said "COLE'S CUT HIMSELF AND HE'S BLEEDING A LOT ALL OVER!!!"

As I sprinted towards my bedroom I had visions of Cole having slipped and fell - I was really freaked out!

And when I got there, there was plenty of blood.  But it was coming out of his thumb.  And, because I have apparently been extra righteous lately, all of the blood was in the shower and not a drop on our white, fuzzy bath mat right next to the boy.

I surveyed the scene and quickly figured out what had happened: he had gotten into a fight with my razor and lost.  Big time.  His poor little thumb was pretty shredded. (As cringe-inducing as you can imagine!)

I got his thumb wrapped in a wash cloth and then got a towel to dry him off.  In no time he was bandaged up, given a kiss, and warned about the danger of playing with things when he's not sure it's a toy.

I had never even thought about warning him not to play with my razor - it was suction-cupped pretty high up the shower wall.  Which means he climbed up on the slippery little bench and got the razor down; it was all very deliberate.  I'm sad that he got cut, but I'm grateful it was just that and not him slipping and banging his head!

He modeled his bandage today while having lunch at Sam's Club. (Because lunch at Sam's Club makes everything - even cut fingers - feel better.  Especially more so when Grandma Susie is with us!)

I Don't Caar!

One of the best things about motherhood is discovering random things like this.

The artist is Spencer. He couldn't explain why he drew it, but was quick to mention that it he meant to write "caar" and not "care".

I don't know why, but this little drawing tickles me to no end! (I think it's mostly the stick figure fisticuffs guy.)

Have You Ever Been So Tired...

... that you just face planted it into the football bean bag chair?

Tess has.

Josh's Baptism

Yesterday was Josh's baptism.  It was a really great day!

We got to the Stake Center a little early to take the requisite pictures.  Lance and Josh both looked so handsome!

For whatever reason, Josh didn't want to take a picture with me.  Because he is a punk.  But I am a bigger punk and threatened him into posing with me.

Then we decided to try to take a family picture.  But Tess would have none of it.  So we tried to guilt her into it by taking some without her.  It didn't work.

So we all surrounded her on the chair she was sulking in.  Good enough!

Thankfully, Josh was willing to sit with Grandma Susie and Grandpa ElRay.  We're so grateful they were able to come out for this!

Here's the program I put together.

On the whole, the baptism went pretty well.  We had lots of friends come, which we are really grateful for.  Cole basically behaved. (Unlike at Spencer's baptism, where he had to be removed from the room because he was singing the ABCs really loudly!)  Tess decided to be a pill this time, though.  Lots of whining and wandering and talking loudly.  So, you know, being a three year old at a church event.

I know Josh was nervous about doing the actual baptism just right, but he did it perfectly!  And he was all smiles during the talks and confirmation and everything.

After the service we all enjoyed the cookies I had been baking and freezing all month.  I had made 6 different kinds and had brought around 14 dozen cookies and 2 gallons of milk.  I thought I had overdone it, but by the end not a single cookie was left and all the milk was gone!

Josh had originally requested that I serve shrimp at his baptism.  Yeah, like real shrimp.  Expensive shrimp. (The boy loves shrimp.) He just stared at me in disbelief each time I gave him good reasons for not serving shrimp: it's expensive.  It would be hard to keep cold.  Not everyone likes shrimp. (That one really threw him for a loop.)  So instead I made him shrimp-shaped sugar cookies.  

Only they kinda looked like pink letter J's.  Which is good, because, you know, Josh.  But also bad because Josh is a boy.  Fortunately, Josh and all my friends have a good sense of humor.  (But now I have to wonder what I'm going to do with a shrimp-shaped cookie cutter. Maybe it will reappear at Josh's wedding...) ((Hopefully his future bride will also have a sense of humor!))

I feel so blessed to have such a good son like Josh.  He really did make the choice to be baptized, and he has that awesome eight year old newly-baptized light about him.  I also feel blessed to have such an awesome ward family and friends who came to support us. (And eat all our cookies.)

There's Always One Kid

There's always one kid who can't behave in a group photo. Guess which one of my darling children took on that roll this time?

Spencer's New Glasses

Today we picked up Spencer's new glasses.

What a handsome young man!  Even though his prescription isn't that strong, when he first put them on he exclaimed "Oh! I can see!" Anyone who's ever worn glasses totally knows what he's talking about.

I thought he kinda looked like Clark Kent, despite the Batman t-shirt. (Although a Batman t-shirt would be a great disguise for Clark Kent!)  However, Lance claims Spencer now looks like Gordon Freeman, some character in a game they all love.  (Half Life 2?  I dunno, I'm too lazy to look it up.)

Here's Gordon:

Here's Spencer as Gordon:

Huh.  I guess he does!

Now I have two cute kiddos in glasses.  Kids in trendy glasses?  Always cute. (Spencer picked out his own frames.  I was a little worried he might give me grief over what he wanted to wear, but the kid has good taste.  Phew!)

Now half of our family is in the glasses club.  I suspect our numbers will grow over the next few years.

As we were leaving the optometrist Cole whined "I want glasses!"

"Give it a few years", I replied, which got a laugh from the staff.

Pumpkin Patch

So on Friday my friend Deidra set up this big visit to Throckmorton Farms for all us moms with little kids at home. Throckmorton Farms is a Purdue research farm about 10 minutes south of us.  You get to ride on a big wagon pulled by a tractor and then you get to pick your own pumpkins and apples and it's wonderful.

And I had lots of really cute pictures of Tess scowling and Cole smiling during all of this - only I just discovered that SOMEONE (*ahem* Cole and/or Tess) erased all of  my pictures from my phone!  Yeargh!!!

So, all I have are some pictures that I took with my camera that afternoon.  Which I am bummed about because, as much as I love pumpkins, I love my kids more.

Tess picked out the little white pumpkin and Cole chose the gargantuan next to it.  I chose all the little white ones. :)

We picked lots of yummy apples, too. I'm not quite sure what I'm going to do with them, seeing as how my week is pretty booked and I don't have a lot of time for applesauce.  Dang it. (Midnight applesauce making!!  Woo-hoo!!)

I decorated Tess's pumpkin and put it in a place of honor in the entryway.  Cole's beast of a pumpkin is on the front porch, guarding the house.

After the farm we went to visit a sister in the ward and take her some flowers. Tess was so cute about giving her a card and Cole actually behaved himself for a full 3 minutes! (Miracles, people!)  Then we got some lunch at good ol' Dairy Queen and hit the newest grocery store in town, Fresh Thyme.  It seems like a pretty great place, and they had lots of good deals going on, but it was a MADHOUSE. I think I'll wait a month or so before heading back. But they did have cute little kid carts, which Cole LOVED.  (The backs of my heels, though, did not.) Fortunately, he only ran into me and not other shoppers, and all the little old ladies there melted over him in his pirate shirt and rain boots.

Why yes, that is an eggplant in his cart!