tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26898090896580115072024-02-07T00:24:38.450-06:00The Spencer GirlsKarihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02234206041612450338noreply@blogger.comBlogger291125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2689809089658011507.post-46567863839241006582013-07-03T08:15:00.001-05:002013-07-03T08:15:40.735-05:006 Years... Where has the time gone?6 years ago today I took my wife to Women's Hospital in Houston to hold her hand while she underwent an amniotic decompression. It was going to relieve the pressure on the smaller of the twins that she was carrying in her belly and allow her to remain pregnant.
We had done it before. (Do you like how I throw "we" out there like I'm getting stuck in the stomach with a 12 inch needle too?) We knewKarihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02234206041612450338noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2689809089658011507.post-25169850294951718872012-04-29T05:53:00.001-05:002012-04-29T05:53:59.604-05:00Get some exercise, ya sissy!Seems sort of funny to me that the doctor's post operation advice was to get out and get some exercise. "I just stabbed you in the back with a metal instrument, drilled a hole in your spine, monkeyed about with your spinal cord, and cut out some of your disc. You need to get out and get moving!"
Three days post op and it isn't sounding so ludicrous. The incision still hurts and the back is a Karihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02234206041612450338noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2689809089658011507.post-77411288863620364912012-02-17T17:39:00.000-06:002012-02-17T17:39:58.037-06:00I was thinking I was ready...Kari is out for the evening with Auntie Shell. So I decided to take the girls out for dinner. Just me and the kids. On the drive to IHOP (That is where they wanted to go) I was marveling at the progress we have made over the last couple of years. I never would have taken them all to a restaurant by myself on purpose even a year ago. But now it is sooo easy.
My blood pressure has still not come Karihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02234206041612450338noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2689809089658011507.post-71037907031208100462011-10-20T13:56:00.000-05:002011-10-20T13:56:38.302-05:00I swerved to dodge a bullet and drove off the cliff.It is great having inquisitive children... Most times.
I was driving Rylee and Reagan to school this morning when the following conversation occurred:
"Dad?" Rylee asked, to get my attention.
"Yeah?" I replied.
"Cannon says that there are two kids in his class that have two moms." She said. Cannon is my nephew who is a year older than Rylee and, I think, enjoys telling the girls any and Karihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02234206041612450338noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2689809089658011507.post-25221517376419011882011-10-14T16:33:00.001-05:002011-10-14T16:34:17.847-05:00Ah, the friendly French.Pilots are notorious for being cheap. The old joke - How do you get copper wire? Answer: Two captains fighting over a penny. It holds some truth. However, in my case I like to think that I am merely frugal. Frugal out of necessity. Four kids can be hard on the wallet.
Heading out to a Paris restaurant, even an inexpensive one, can cost you 20 to 30 Euro. If you eat that way twice a day on a 6 Karihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02234206041612450338noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2689809089658011507.post-4885759103758356132011-09-19T20:54:00.001-05:002011-09-19T20:56:04.214-05:00My beautiful wife spent the majority of the day cleaning up the devastation that our spawn have wreaked on our home. Her mood was justifiably off kilter. We literally could no see the floor in the game room upstairs and their rooms were not much better. They can create a mess faster than you can clean it up and we have had a very difficult time convincing them that toys should be put away after Karihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02234206041612450338noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2689809089658011507.post-76971774772095265952011-04-11T10:20:00.001-05:002011-04-11T10:21:09.974-05:00Sand-wichWe had an absolutely amazing day yesterday. We ignored all the laundry and cleaning that needed to be done and headed out on the boat with my brother, Chad, and his family. We motored down to Midnight pass. Or what used to be Midnight pass, since there is no longer a pass to the Gulf. We set up the chairs and towels around the cooler and turned the kids loose to play in the sand and surf.
I Karihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02234206041612450338noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2689809089658011507.post-52060302414397286252011-04-09T20:05:00.000-05:002011-04-09T20:05:28.808-05:00The Duality of MankindI was sitting out back this evening enjoying a refreshing adult beverage with my beautiful wife. We were discussing the days events when Reagan, our four year old, came out through the sliding glass door. She skipped around for a few minutes and then noticed a dead dragon fly on the ground.
"Oh! Is he dead?" She asked, looking rather hurt.
"Yes, honey, he is dead" I said.
She squatted down and Karihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02234206041612450338noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2689809089658011507.post-17156871919064351092011-03-16T11:01:00.000-05:002011-03-16T11:01:24.182-05:00People are strangeMy mind was wandering a bit as I drove Rylee to school this morning. We were discussing the odds of her catching a leprechaun with the shoe box that she was bringing to school strictly for that purpose, when two squirrels raced in front of my truck. They were having a serious disagreement about something and it almost got them run over. I spent the next several minutes pondering what in the worldKarihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02234206041612450338noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2689809089658011507.post-33830499092562977382011-03-03T20:18:00.003-06:002011-03-03T20:39:04.010-06:00MineralogyI am going to have to give my girls some insturction on identifying different types of rocks and minerals.Recently my job took me to Athens, Greece. I walked up to the Akropolis and thought it would be neat if I brought some rocks back for the girls. I didn't steal any marble slabs or anything, just some stray stones from the walkways. Ever since I gave those to the girls they have been obsessed Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2689809089658011507.post-69809215118288474942011-03-01T20:10:00.002-06:002011-03-01T20:23:56.828-06:00Don't forget to smell the rosesIt occurred to me that I don't really spend that much time doing things with the kids. When I am not flying I spend most of the time at home trying to get the kids to leave me alone and stop whining long enough for me to get some dishes washed or food prepared or a wall painted. I was starting to feel a little guilty that I had not spend any "quality" time with them. And so today I took Reagan Karihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02234206041612450338noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2689809089658011507.post-20691486983233820542011-02-03T07:08:00.003-06:002011-02-03T07:30:58.530-06:00You don't appreciate a really clean toilet until you have had food poisoning.Not sure what I ate, but I was recently about as sick as I have ever been. I hadn't eaten anything unusual, but a three a.m. on Monday my body violently disagreed with something. It lasted almost two days and I learned a few things:1. You don't really appreciate having a squeaky clean toilet until you have your head stuck in there for several hours. I will buy more toilet bowl cleaner next time IUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2689809089658011507.post-91738630688796824652011-01-22T19:50:00.002-06:002011-01-22T21:43:43.571-06:00What do you mean "My kid isn't perfect"??!!Yesterday was the first time that I was not excited to get home to see my girls. The reason that I was less than enthusiastic about my homecoming was that I was coming home to be the enforcer. The admistering agent of righteous retribution. We don't spank much. However, on this occasion we wanted to make a big impression. She, Rylee, was told that I would give her a spanking when I got home. Us Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2689809089658011507.post-19997752714590737182010-11-10T10:38:00.000-06:002010-11-10T10:38:31.664-06:00Typical morning"Dad, can I go with you when you take Rylee to school?" Asked Reagan this morning over breakfast. While it is really a hassle to get all of the kids dressed if you don't have to, her sweet little smile and the tilt of her head penetrated my defenses and I heard myself reply "Yeah, I guess that would be okay." I knew what was coming next.
"Can I come too?" Pipped Madison.
"Me too?" Jordan chirped.Karihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02234206041612450338noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2689809089658011507.post-83063780644887532402010-06-22T21:11:00.002-05:002010-06-22T21:28:59.554-05:00Latest conversation with a four year old.The kids are more and more entertaining every day. The latest conversation with Reagan, now four, went something like this:"Dad, what is this?""What?" I replied."This...What is this?" she said holding up her right hand with her index finger and thumb extended, like she was making a gun. There was something on the tip of her finger. It looked like part of a squashed pea or some other abused food Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2689809089658011507.post-24336786342056759592010-04-23T21:17:00.000-05:002010-04-23T21:17:50.862-05:00BabiesConversation between Reagan, Madison, and Kari.
Reagan to Madison: Baby! Baby! Here! Baby!
Kari to Reagan: Is she a baby?
Reagan: No
Kari: Does she drink out of a bottle?
Reagan: No
Kari: Does she sleep in a crib?
Reagan: Yes!
Kari: Nooo she doesn't, she sleeps in a big girl bed.
Reagan: Oh.
Kari: Does she wear diapers?
Reagan:No
Kari: See she is a big girl you should call her Madison, Okay?
Karihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02234206041612450338noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2689809089658011507.post-57935937875585042732010-03-11T13:14:00.002-06:002010-03-11T13:33:21.056-06:00Trying to get on the road.I got done with ground school yesterday. The plan is to pack enough clothes for two weeks and drive the whole crew down to Florida. We are not exactly ready to go, but are hoping to get out of here tonight.We need to get a leash for the cat and figure a way to fit his litter box in the car. Not really looking forward to a road trip with the little fur ball. When we moved across town it was only aUnknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2689809089658011507.post-23959617939527206442010-02-24T09:50:00.003-06:002010-02-24T22:21:23.564-06:00The latest goings on...We are on our third week of everyone being sick. Everyone seems to be getting over it now except Madison and I. We take turns coughing on eachother. It's getting pretty old.As most of you know we are still preparing to move. It has caused the whole family a lot of stress. We don't have an exact closing date, but have been sure that it would be "soon" for several weeks. Due Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2689809089658011507.post-39090781223387645852010-02-08T22:16:00.002-06:002010-02-08T22:16:33.043-06:00Where do I start?I guess I will start with current events and work backwards.The latest misadventures in parenting:This morning as I was preparing to leave Newark and come home to Houston, Rylee and Reagan were up early and up to no good. It is hard to believe, even for me, that they got into so much trouble in such a short amount of time.Kari got out of bed to find Rylee in the kitchen and caught a glimpse of Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2689809089658011507.post-10339792977260258822010-01-22T20:08:00.003-06:002010-01-22T22:29:24.917-06:00Why do I do this to myself?So I made Rylee a promise the other night that I would take all of the girls on a walk to the park. Yesterday she reminded me of that promise, she never forgets things like that. This is the tale of the walk to the park, an event that will not be repeated anytime in the near future. At least not with only one adult.Immediately after breakfast Rylee, for the third time that day, reminded me that IUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2689809089658011507.post-2695391613562447762010-01-04T20:07:00.002-06:002010-01-04T20:45:21.424-06:00And now my tooth is a little loose.I spent the day un-decorating, vacuuming the upstairs, and spraying more than a gallon of urine remover on all the spots that the kids and dogs have desecrated. Anyone who has pets or kids should pick up "Natures Miracle" at the local pet store. It is expensive, but it really works great on those spots that the dogs have claimed as their own and does a fine job on your kid's "Uh ohs."The kids Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2689809089658011507.post-15126066218738905752010-01-02T07:20:00.002-06:002010-01-02T09:44:37.447-06:00It's been awhile: thoughts on potty trainning and lifeIts been busy and we are hoping that 2010 goes more smoothly than 2009.First of all I feel compelled to complain that my "12 cup" coffee maker only holds 8 cups of water and for some reason that kind of irks me every time I fill it up.I started out my morning today by beating my dog for AGAIN sneaking upstairs to urinate on things. He is a little thick skulled I think and while I don't relish Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2689809089658011507.post-77765345926875543622009-11-17T21:46:00.003-06:002009-11-17T23:06:43.681-06:00Rylee stepping up And the Ol switch-a-roo.Here are a couple of things that I thought I should write down before I forgot them:While I was away on my last trip the big girls got up very early one morning. Normally Kari will get them some milk, turn on the cartoons for them, and go back to bed for a little while longer. However, on this day they let the twins out of their room. It isn't such a good idea to sleep while the twins are loose Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2689809089658011507.post-23313035738091069572009-11-11T19:37:00.004-06:002009-11-11T21:02:46.458-06:00The days are long but the years are shortIt was a long day today, even though Kari let me sleep in. For some reason the twins, check that, the twins and Reagan all seemed to be more whiny than usual. For three hours I started to time how long the silence lasted between crying fits. Guess how long. Don't know? Don't care? Can't say that I blame you. Eight minutes. Eight minutes is about all the time you have to do anything uninterrupted.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2689809089658011507.post-47448557448831847152009-11-10T15:35:00.003-06:002009-11-10T16:05:47.328-06:00Migraines and swollen feet are better than strokes and blood clotsIt is still hard to believe what a medical mystery my wife has been lately. The doctors have not been much help till now.Kari's right leg began to swell up two days ago, while I was at work. I was very concerned when she told me about it and encouraged her to call someone to watch the kids and have it checked out, but she thought it was improving and decided to wait until I got home. She thought Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0