Science Fair

Spencer had a great time with his 6th Grade Science Fair project. He studied the affects of mass on a cart traveling down a slope. It sounds so 'technical', but it was just a fun project that allowed Spencer and Earl to push toy cars and their assorted loads of batteries down a homemade 'hill' in our kitchen!

(Doesn't he look so old? I can't believe he's 12. And only a half inch shorter than his mom. Look out Dad. He'll be as tall as you soon!)

Student of the Week!!

Spencer is such a great kid, but he usually isn't the 'squeaky wheel' who gets recognized for the things he does. He's usually on the honor roll at school because he's smart as a whip and works hard to make sure all of his homework is done on time. He takes real pride in doing a good job. And he is such a kind boy. So, today when he came home and casually said 'I'm student of the week, and when they announced it, they said my name wrong.' I didn't hear the last part of the sentence because I was so excited to hear the 'student of the week' part!

I'm super proud of him!!

Here's his handsome picture.

Spencer

Tomorrow is Spencer's birthday!!! The big 1-2! I can't believe he's 12 already. I'm really not that old, I promise. Enjoy the Birthday Background!

Is It Already Over?

I can't believe Christmas is already over. It seems to take longer to prepare for each year, but each year, the day also goes by so much faster! I'm glad the kids are still home from school and Earl took a long Christmas break, so we're able to hang out with each other.

I have to say, my best day was the Sunday before Christmas. We had a really beautiful Christmas program for Sacrament Meeting. Our Bishop gave a wonderful talk about the atonement. He said how he looks forward to the time when we are all resurrected so he can be with all of us and experience things with different people. In his list, he mentioned that he really looks forward to having a long conversation with Brayden. Of course, that started my tears flowing and they didn't stop for the rest of the program. I'm so thankful for a thoughtful ward that is in tune with some of the stuff that's going on in our lives. It was so emotional for me to hear that someone else also looks forward to hearing his sweet voice.

To top off my already emotional day, Spencer received an anonymous note while he was in Primary. The note said that he is such a good example and everyone looks up to him. It included some money to help him purchase a suit for his upcoming 12th birthday. It was so wonderful. He is such a good kid. I am so proud of him, and I'm sure it is nice for him to be recognized for that. Usually the squeaky wheel gets the grease at our house and Spencer just isn't very squeaky!

So that gave us an inspirational start to our holiday. I hope the little we have been able to do for other people this season has helped them. Going caroling with our neighbors was a big highlight for me. And our kids loved picking out angel-tree presents for other kids. That will definitely be a family tradition!

We hope you all had a great Christmas!!

Santa's #1 Fan!!

Andraia is Santa's #1 fan this year! She absolutely loves the big guy. She has had her picture taken with him three different times this year. I think she's making up for last year when she really wanted to sit on his lap but just wasn't brave enough to do it.

We took the kids to Hogle Zoo for Breakfast with Santa a couple of weeks ago. They really enjoyed it. We would have stayed to check out the animals, but it was snowing really hard.

Andraia loved sitting with Santa. They had a nice little conversation about Christmas, gifts, the snow......

I didn't get a picture of Chloe on my own camera (the zoo took pics for us) because she was too scared to sit alone. But she really loved this elephant.

Brayden wasn't thrilled with sitting on Santa's lap, either. But Santa was so kind. He did everything he could to make Brayden comfortable. It was very sweet.

Spencer didn't want to chat with Santa. He's too old. That doesn't mean I'm old....just him! But he did have fun taking pictures of the snowy landscape at the zoo!

We've had a great holiday season so far. The snow is falling really hard today. We might already have 6 inches, and it isn't stopping anytime soon. Hope we aren't snowed in!!

Science Fair

Spencer participated in the 5th/6th grade science fair at his school. Dispite being pretty sick the week before, he was able to do a really good job. We all learned about batteries. It was pretty interesting. He made a battery out of a lemon. It wasn't strong enough to light a bulb, but he was able to test the volts with a multimeter. I didn't realize this, but no matter the size of the battery (AAA,AA,C or D) they all produce 1.5 volts of electricity. Interesting!!

11 Years Ago

Spencer was born 11 years and one day ago. 1997. Wow! He is such a mature young man. We love him to pieces. He is wonderful with his siblings. Who would have known that he was going to be the ultimate big brother. He is so accepting of the situations that life has thrown his way. Brayden needs Spencer's love and understanding, and Spencer is always there for him. His little sisters can count on him for anything. He watches out for Andraia and includes her in his games and projects whenever he can. And he has been Chloe's best babysitter. From when she was born and Mom needed a helper so she could get dinner on the table to now when he is sometimes the only one who can make her laugh....he has always done what we need him to.

What an awesome young man. We're so proud to be his parents!!

PS This pic was taken by Andraia!! She's good!