New on The Spence Family--Whoa Mamma

I am not sure how old I was when I began to notice them, but I clearly remember noticing that some of the moms who dropped kids off at school in the morning were, well, not put together. In other words they never bothered to get dressed, instead arriving in pajamas or bathrobes, hair a mess. Since Karen was always dressed, and before that, the nice moms that drove us in "carpool" (they just gave us rides, their was not much trade) were dressed too, I always thought those other moms must have just gotten out of bed right in time to drive the kids to school. Nice of them, yes, but they looked a little lazy to me (clearly I thought I knew a lot back then).

Well, now I am one of those scary looking moms in the morning.

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New on The Spence Family--Clean Up

When Jack came up to me and asked if he could clean up a little, I of course said yes, please. Then he made a list of things to clean up, tally marking all the way. The last item on his list cracked me up. Paper plagues me too, Jack! Me too!!

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New on the Spence Family--The Pumpkin Patch

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New on the Spence Family--My Baby Brother is a Killer

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New on The Spence Family--Canning Season

It's canning season again. Every spring/summer for jams and jellies. Every October for apple butter, and applesauce. And every September for peaches, pears, tomatoes, and often grape juice.

This is what I wish I and my kitchen looked like every September.


from Blueberries for Sal, Robert McClosky

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New on The Spence Family--My Baby No More

Tyler, today you are three (this many fingers: III). Last night before bed you said you didn't want to be this many (III fingers). You wanted to stay this many (II fingers). I must say I agree somewhat--I love having you little. But you have grown so much from the tiny squirt on Jack's lap at the hospital (you were SO little!). Now are you a big boy who can do lots of things. Thanks for enjoying your birthday anyway. We enjoy you no matter how many fingers old you are.

We love you, Tyler boy.

Happy Birthday!

New on The Spence Family--Have you always wondered?

Have you always wondered whether tennis players grunt because it's instinct, or whether they do it just because everyone else does it too? Well, maybe I don't have that much to think about every day, but I have. Perhaps this question arose while I was a child watching my dad play various opponants, one of whom grunted very loudly. I won't name names. I thought it was all for show. I thought that 1980's teenage star made it more popular with her loud! grunts (Tara somebody? can't remember the name right now). I think I have to admit I was wrong.

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New on The Spence Family--Wildflowers

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New on The Spence Family--A Love for Books

As I was thumbing through my old photo album last night, I kept seeing photos where I remember something I was wearing (a nightgown, a swimsuit, a sweater, huaraches), or somebody who came to visit, or even an Easter egg hunt where I found an egg under a lifted piece of sod, or my 8th birthday party from which I still recall some of the gifts. For all of those occasions my mom was present, even in the photos, but all I remember are the things, the other people, the moments as they presented themselves to me. I remember that she did this or that, that she rode the tram up to the top of Snowbird before we hiked through Albion Basin the summer she died (my grandparents came too and drove her home), but I don't actually remember her in any of the times shown in the photos. Even the last photo I have of her before she died is of me showing off a new umbrella that was a gift from a friend at my birthday party--my mom is looking at me with a small smile in the corner of the photo. It feels a little selfish, that I seemed to take not much notice of her. I am sure that I did, at the time, but I am a little afraid I was too wrapped up in myself--probably like most children! It's definitely not something to feel guilty of, how you may or may not have been as a small child, but I do hope I gave her enough notice, enough smiles to feel appreciated. I wish I could go back, gather memories, and make sure she knew.


Julie Tate, reading at the kitchen table several months before she died

Then I thought of one thing that she gave to me. One thing I appreciated then, appreciated all growing up, appreciate now for myself, and now for my children. Books.

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New on the Spence Family--Tomato Basil Grilled Cheese Sandwiches, and Back in the Game

It's tomato season. You know. You wait all summer for the green tomato growths to ripen, and then september hits and all of a sudden all of your tomato plants are ripe all at once. I am always looking for things to do with tomatoes, despite the fact that the kids will eat them sliced with salt and pepper any time of the day. (Tyler says he doesn't want any food half the time, but that tomatoes always make him hungry.) But that gets a little old to me. Yet at the same time, I am not very willing to make something for myself for lunch that involves very much effort. Tyler wants a quesadilla almost every day, and that doesn't always appeal to me. And just how many pb and j's can you eat in a week? Our broiler is broken so I haven't been able to have any open face cheese and tomato sandwiches.

So the other day I came up with these.


and

Well, after we missed the last soccer game, Jack was happier than ever to be back in the game on Saturday. The coach even let him play an extra half an inning because of my screw up last week. Jack (#3 in blue) is seriously fun to watch with his happy skip-runs and arm swings around the field, following the ball when he's on offense--even with some effort to make contact with the ball (but not much in a scuffle), and his turns at defense with the goally, in which he has kicked the ball away from the goal a number of times.

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I haven't figured out how to follow a private blog yet. Maybe sometime...

New on the Spence Family--Is everyone as excited as I am?

I can't wait. It's like Merry Christmas in September.

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Hi guys. I am all done doing this other blog thing. It's a pain. It's not working out. I hear that you can follow private blogs in Google Reader now. I will find out more about it and post it here as the last post. Thanks!

New on The Spence Family--Mmm Mmm Good

The boys saw some of their favorite tv characters drink coconut milk right out of a coconut with a straw. They've been excited to try it ever since. At Sunflower Market yesterday coconuts were cheap, so. . .

"Can we do the coconut yet?" went the asking all day long.

Finally, after dinner Roger drilled a hole, drained the milk, and sawed the thing in half so it could hold milk for two.


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New on The Spence Family--Inadequate

There are moments that I feel good about my abilities as a mother. Like the other day when Tyler peed all over the bathroom floor,

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New on The Spence Family--What Dirt?, and another one...

Jack has come home from school every day pretty well covered in dirt. Dusty dirt that smears around when he wipes his sweaty face. I couldn't imagine what he was doing during recess to get so dirty. I was left to wonder because Jack is not the most informative of people. Last night we went to the school playground.

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New on The Spence Family--Butterflies

I know my mom must have been an integral part of these tasks, but I draw a blank. On the back of this photo, though, in her handwriting, it says "Monarch Mama."

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New on the Spence Family--The First Day

It's the first day of school today. The first of many days where Jack will be missing from our house for hours at a time. Kindergarten was only 2 and a half hours. But this? This first grade business? This is going to be long! My little boy is not so little anymore. But, I know he will do well. I know he will try his best, make new friends, learn to love his new teacher.

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New on the Spence Family--One Last Hoorah Before School

I can't believe school starts Wednesday. I can't believe Jack starts first grade. But for now, we enjoyed one last summer weekend up in Wyoming.

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New on The Spence Family--Childhood Revisited

While we were in Baker last month, I saw a woman at the wedding. She was wheelchair bound, being pushed through the maze of tables and chairs by her husband. When they wound by me and the chair Tyler was playing on, I leaned over to pick him up out of their way. I couldn't help but stare at her feet. They were my mother's feet. I looked away and smiled as they passed, then set Tyler back down. I've had no memories of my mother's looks. I once thought I recalled her hands, but that recollection went away as fast as it came. But there, in a woman passing, I saw her again. The similarity wasn't astonishing, one wheelchair bound woman with MS to another, their feet nearly purple and swollen. But it was a wake up call to me, that maybe, just maybe I have more memories of my childhood, and maybe my mother, tucked away in my mind. . .

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